page_title: 2019
section_title: April
hierarchical_section_title: 2019 / Events / April
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Photo de Notre-Dame de Paris le 15 avril 2019 à 19h17 prise du Quai de Montebello
context_page_description: 2019 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2019th year of the Common Era and Anno Domini designations, the 19th year of the 3rd millennium, the 19th year of the 21st century, and the 10th and last year of the 2010s decade.
  2019 was designated as International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements by the United Nations General Assembly given that it coincides with the 150th anniversary of its creation by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869.
context_section_description: April 2 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns as President of Algeria amid widespread protests, after nearly two decades in office.
  April 4 – Second Libyan Civil War: The Libyan National Army (LNA) launches a surprise offensive in western Libya, moving units towards the Government of National Accord-held capital Tripoli and capturing Gharyan.
  April 10
  Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project announce the first ever image of a black hole, located in the centre of the M87 galaxy.
  Fossil fragments found in the Callao Cave in the Philippines reveal the existence of a new species of human, the Homo luzonensis. The species is named after Luzon island, where the fossils were discovered.
  April 11
  WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange is arrested after seven years in Ecuador's embassy in London.
  Amid mass protests, Omar al-Bashir is deposed as President of Sudan in a coup d'état, after nearly 30 years in office.
  April 15 – During Holy Week, a major fire engulfs Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, resulting in the roof and main spire collapsing.
  April 16 – The Howse Peak avalanche kills three noted mountaineers: Austrians Hansjörg Auer and David Lama, and Canadian Jess Roskelley.
  April 18 – NepaliSat-1 is launched. It is Nepal's first ever research satellite to be sent into space.
  April 21
  A series of bomb attacks occur at eight locations in Sri Lanka, including three churches, four hotels and one housing complex in Colombo, on Easter Sunday, leaving 259 people dead and over 500 injured. It is the first major terrorist attack in the country since the Sri Lankan Civil War ended in 2009.
  April 25 – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits Russia to hold a series of summits with Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.
  April 26 – Avengers: Endgame is released in theaters, breaking many box-office records, including becoming the highest grossing movie of all time.
  April 28 – Victor Vescovo achieves the deepest dive of any human in history, as he reaches Challenger Deep within the Mariana Trench, at a depth of 10,928 m (35,853 ft).
  April 29 – Elusive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears in undated footage released by the group, his first appearance on video since 2014.
  April 30
  Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicates from his throne, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch in almost two centuries. The abdication ends the Heisei era of Japan and ushers in the Reiwa era with new emperor Naruhito ascending the throne on May 1.
  Venezuelan presidential crisis: Venezuelan opposition leader and disputed interim President Juan Guaidó leads an attempted uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.
caption: Fire destroys spire and roof of Notre Dame de Paris
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