On April 4, 1955, a United Airlines Douglas DC-6 crashed (similar aircraft pictured) shortly after taking off from Long Island MacArthur Airport, in the U.S. community of Ronkonkoma in Islip, New York. The aircraft, named Mainliner Idaho, began banking to the right after takeoff, then swerved 90 degrees, nosedived, and hit the ground, killing all three crewmembers. An investigation found that they had been simulating an engine failure on an instrument rating check flight, but had pulled back the throttle lever for engine No. 4 too far, causing the propeller blades to reverse, a feature normally used only to slow the aircraft during landing. They had also failed to raise a metal flag in the cockpit that would have allowed the blades to return to the proper position during flight. Investigators from the Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that crew lost control of the aircraft when they applied full power to No. 4 engine, and that the sudden bank and dive left the crew little time to recover from their mistake. After the investigation, the Civil Aeronautics Administration issued an Airworthiness Directive ordering all United Douglas DC-6 and DC-6B aircraft to be fitted with a manual device to prevent the inadvertent reversal of the blades. ( Full article...)

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• A preliminary deal is reached between Iran and six other countries regarding Iran's nuclear program.
• Al-Shabaab gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing more than 140 people.
• Russian fishing trawler Dal'nij Vostok sinks, killing at least 56 people.
• Muhammadu Buhari (pictured) is elected President of Nigeria.
• Islam Karimov is re-elected President of Uzbekistan.
• In cricket, the World Cup concludes with Australia defeating New Zealand in the final.

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April 4: Holy Saturday (Western Christianity, 2015); Children's Day in Hong Kong and Taiwan; Independence Day in Senegal ( 1960);

• 1660 – Charles II of England issued the Declaration of Breda, describing his conditions for the Restoration of the crown of England.
• 1814 – Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of the French and named his son Napoleon II (pictured) to replace him.
• 1841 – William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. President to die in office, 32 days into his term, sparking a brief constitutional crisis regarding questions of presidential succession that were left unanswered by the U.S. Constitution.
• 1945 – World War II: The U.S. Third Army captured the German city of Kassel after three days of fighting.
• 1990 – The current flag of Hong Kong was adopted for post-colonial use during the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress.

More anniversaries: April 3 – April 4 – April 5