Holidays Calendar for April 9, 2016

Day of National Unity is observed in Georgia on April 9. This holiday commemorates the events of April 9, 1989, when anti-Soviet demonstration in Tbilisi was dispersed by the Soviet Army.

April 9 is Day of Valor in the Philippines. This holiday is also known under different names, such as Bataan Day or Bataan and Corregidor Day.

Martyr's Day is annually observed in Tunisia on April 9. This observance commemorates the Tunisians killed in 1938.

Ugadi, also known as Yugadi and Samvatsaradi, is the New Year holiday celebrated by the Kannada and Telugu communities in India. It's an official public holiday in several Indian states with considerable Telugu/Kannada population and in Mauritius.

International ASMR Day is celebrated on April 9 to raise awareness of a phenomenon called autonomous sensory meridian response. It has been observed annually since 2012.

The Royal Thai Air Force Day in Thailand is celebrated on April 9. The government of Thailand adopted it in March 1998, and the first official celebration of the foundation anniversary of the Royal Thai Air Force was held on April 9, 1998.

The Indonesian Air Force has two important anniversaries: its foundation anniversary and the anniversary of the Dakota VT-CLA incident, which occurred during the Indonesian National Revolution. Indonesian Air Force Foundation Day is celebrated on April 9.

On April 9, the Day of the Finnish Language is celebrated. It commemorates the death anniversary of Mikael Agricola and the birthday of Elias Lönnrot. Both men made significant contributions to the development of the Finnish language.

In the United Kingdom, there are designated flag flying days when the Union Flag must be flown on UK government buildings. One of them is the sovereign’s wedding anniversary, which has been observed on April 9 since King Charles III’s accession to the throne in 2022.

On April 9, the flags of Denmark on flagpoles are flown at half mast until noon because it is the day of mourning – the anniversary of the German invasion of Denmark during World War II.

April 9 is Vimy Ridge Day in Canada. This annual observance commemorates the death of Canadian Corps soldiers during World War I Battle of Vimy Ridge.

National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day is observed annually on April 9. This day was introduced to honor American veterans of any wars that returned home after being released from prisons.

Baghdad Liberation Day, also known as simply Liberation Day, is an official holiday in Iraqi Kurdistan celebrated on April 9 every year. It commemorates the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003.

April 9 is National Chinese Almond Cookie Day. We're sure that you'll love these cookies, if you've never tried them before.

Gin and tonic is arguably one of the most popular cocktails in the world. It might seem simple and unsophisticated at first glance, but a lot of people think that gin and tonic water are a match made in heaven. If you’re one of them, don’t forget to celebrate National Gin and Tonic Day on April 9.

National Nuclear Technology Day is officially celebrated in Iran on 20 Farvardin (April 9 in the Gregorian calendar). It was established in 2006 to celebrate Iran’s progress and achievements in the field of nuclear technology.


This Day in History

  • 2021 Died: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a member of the British royal family as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He passed away two months before his centennial.
  • 2009 In Georgia, approximately 60,000 people gathered in Tbilisi to protest against the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili. They demanded president's resignation.
  • 2005 Charles, Prince of Wales, married Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. It was the second marriage for both of them.
  • 2005 Died: Andrea Dworkin, American radical feminist, anti-pornography activist, and writer whose best known books are Pornography: Men Possessing Women and Intercourse.
  • 2002 Died: Leopold Vietoris, Austrian mathematician known for his significant contributions to topology and other fields of mathematics. He died at age 110.
  • 2001 Died: Sidney Lumet, American director, producer and screenwriter whose best known works include 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and The Verdict.
  • 1998 Born: Elle Fanning, American actress who is best known for her roles in the films Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, Super 8, and Maleficent.
  • 1996 Born: Cynthia Nixon, American actress best known for her role as Miranda Hobbs in the series Sex and the City. She has won two Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award and a Tony Award.
  • 1990 Born: Kristen Stewart, American actress who is best known for her role as Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga film series that made her internationally famous.
  • 1985 Born: Tomohisa Yamashita, also known as Yamapi, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, idol, radio and TV host. He was a member of the boy band NEWS.
  • 1981 The US Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS George Washington accidentally collided with the Japanese commercial cargo ship Nissho Maru, sinking it.
  • 1980 Iraqi philosopher Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda, educator and political activist, were executed by the Saddam Hussein regime.
  • 1967 The first Boeing 737-100 made its maiden flight, piloted by Lew Wallick and Brien Wygle. It entered airline service in February 1968 at Lufthansa.
  • 1963 Born: Marc Jacobs, American fashion designer who was the creative director of Louis Vuitton from 1997 to 2013. He is the head designer of Marc Jacobs.
  • 1959 Died: Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, interior designer, educator, and writer who designed the Price Tower in Oklahoma and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.
  • 1948 Fighters from the Zionist paramilitary groups Lehi and Irgun attacked the Palestinian Arab village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, killing more than 100 people.
  • 1945 The Battle of Königsberg, also known as the Königsberg Offensive, ended. It was one of the last operations of the East Prussian Offensive during WWII.
  • 1933 Born: Jean-Paul Belmondo, French actor who was the major figure in the French New Wave of the 1960s. He won the 1989 César Award for Best Actor.
  • 1926 Born: Hugh Hefner, American entrepreneur and adult magazine publisher best known for having founded Playboy Enterprises in 1953.
  • 1898 Born: Paul Robeson, American singer, actor and activist who was involved with the Civil Rights Movement and the Harlem Renaissance.
  • 1882 Died: Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet, painter, illustrator, and translator best known for founding the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood along with his friends.
  • 1860 French inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville made the first known recording of an audible human voice on his phonautograph machine.
  • 1821 Born: Charles Baudelaire, French poet, essayist, translator, and art critic. He is best known for his volume of poetry Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil).
  • 1806 Died: William V, Prince of Orange, the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and the reigning Prince of Nassau-Orange. He died in exile.
  • 1682 French explorer Robert de La Salle discovered the mouth of the Mississippi River, claimed the entire basin for France and named it Louisiana.
  • 1626 Died: Francis Bacon, English philosopher, scientist, statesman, orator, jurist, author, and essayist. He is often referred to as the father of empiricism.
  • 1609 Spain and the Netherlands signed the Treaty of Antwerp. This armistice initiated the Twelve Year's Truce during the Eighty Years' War.
  • 1597 Born: John Davenport, English Purita clergyman who co-founded the American colony of New Haven, along with his classmate, Theophilus Eaton.
  • 1553 Died: François Rabelais, French Renaissance writer, humanist, scholar, and monk. His best known work is The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel.
  • 1492 Died: Lorenzo de' Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, Italian statesman and de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic from 1469 to his death.
  • 1483 Died: Edward IV of England, the first Yorkist King of England who reigned from 1461 to 1470 and then again from 1771 until his death.