April

April's headline day is health, bracketed by a run of days tied to the arts, sport, and workplace safety.

• 2 April — World Autism Awareness Day, designated by the UN General Assembly in 2007, to highlight the need to improve the quality of life of those with autism so they can lead full, meaningful lives.
• 4 April — International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, designated by the UN General Assembly in 2005, promoting mine clearance efforts and assistance to landmine victims worldwide.
• 5 April — National Maritime Day, marking the date in 1919 that the ship S.S. Loyalty, owned by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, made its maiden voyage from Bombay to London — the first Indian-owned ship to do so — celebrating the growth of the Indian shipping industry.
• 7 April — World Health Day, marking the founding date of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948; observed annually since 1950 to draw attention to a specific global public-health priority chosen fresh each year.
• 11 April — National Safe Motherhood Day, marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Kasturba Gandhi, observed to raise awareness of maternal health and safe childbirth practices.
• 18 April — World Heritage Day (International Day for Monuments and Sites), proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 and endorsed by UNESCO's General Conference in 1983, promoting awareness of the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts needed to protect and conserve it.
• 22 April — Earth Day, marking the date in 1970 widely credited as the birth of the modern environmental movement in the United States, organised by Senator Gaylord Nelson — now a globally observed day promoting environmental protection, coordinated internationally by the Earth Day Network.
• 23 April — World Book and Copyright Day, chosen by UNESCO in 1995 because 23 April is the date of death of both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes in 1616 (and also the birth/death date of several other literary figures) — a symbolic literary coincidence deliberately used to anchor a day celebrating books, reading, and authors' intellectual property rights.
• 24 April — National Panchayati Raj Day, marking the date in 1993 that the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions (local rural self-government), came into force.
• 25 April — World Malaria Day, established by the World Health Assembly in 2007, building on "Africa Malaria Day" observed since 2001, to highlight the need for continued investment in malaria prevention and control.
• 26 April — World Intellectual Property Day, marking the date in 1970 that the convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) entered into force.
• 29 April — International Dance Day, established by the International Theatre Institute's Dance Committee, marking the birth anniversary of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727), regarded as the creator of the "ballet d'action," the forerunner of modern expressive ballet.

Memory hook — "Founded, so observed" — WHO and WIPO share a pattern": World Health Day (7 April) and World Intellectual Property Day (26 April) both mark the date their own founding convention took effect — the same "the day an organisation was born becomes the day the world observes its subject" pattern you'll see again with the WMO (23 March) and the UN itself (24 October).

Practice Recall: Explain, in one sentence, why 23 April was chosen for World Book and Copyright Day — the answer should name two specific historical figures.