The Netherlands becomes the first country to allow same-sex marriage. Despite opposition from conservative factions, gay and lesbian couples are today allowed to marry in many other countries also.

Slobodan Milošević is arrested. The former President of Serbia was arrested on corruption charges. Later he was put on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague for war crimes during the Yugoslav wars.

Apple Inc. is founded. The computer company, which has evolved into a multinational corporation and whose best-known product is the iPhone, was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. In 2012, the company's global revenue amounted to $156 billion.

The BBC broadcasts the spaghetti tree hoax. The 3-minute film shown on the current affairs program, Panorama, portrayed a Swiss family apparently harvesting spaghetti from a tree. A number of viewers later contacted the BBC to inquire where to find and how to grow such a plant. The hoax is regarded as one of the best April Fools jokes ever pulled.

General Franco proclaims victory in the Spanish civil war. The dictator ruled Spain until his death in 1975. His regime was responsible for gross human rights violations, including murdering numerous political opponents.