Birthdays: AC Grayling (3rd, 1949), Sam Harris (9th, 1967), Chirstopher Hitchens (13th, 1949; d. 2011), Madalyn Murray O’Hair (13th, 1919; d. 1995)

Founding Days:  American Humanist Association (1st, 1941); Freedom From Religion Foundation (incorporated nationally on April 15, 1976)

  • Ask An Atheist Day – Initiated by the national Secular Student Alliance organization, AaA Day is intended to invite respectful conversation to build bridges across faith-related differences.  Learn more: secularstudents.org/AaAday
  • World Autism Awareness Day – Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events.  Learn more: AutismSpeaks.org
  • Yuri’s Night or Cosmonaut’s Day – April 12th, 1981, was the launch of the first Space Shuttle.  “Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty — not destroy it!” — Yuri Gagarin, 1st human in space.
  • Earth Day – held every year on April 22nd.
  • Arbor Day – an annual observance that celebrates the role of trees in
    our lives and promotes tree planting and care. It is celebrated on the last Friday in April, although some states use alternate dates based on the best weather for planting trees.
  • Astronomy Day – In 2018, the dates are April 21st and October 13th. Astronomy Day is a world-wide event observed each spring and fall. The lunar influence on the schedule means that the events happen on a different date each year, rather than set calendar dates.
  • DNA Day – Celebrated on April 25. It commemorates the day in 1953 when James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin and colleagues published papers in the journal Nature on the structure of DNA. It commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, and the discovery of DNA’s double helix in 1953. Learn more at Genome.gov
  • Pay it Forward Day – An international effort (and data collection) engaging all people, from all walks of life,  to give to someone else and make a positive difference. Learn more: PayItForward.com