April 23, 1564 William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright of the Elizabethan period, is born and dies on the same date 52 years later. He adds more than 1,700 words to the English language. He was the son of an illiterate glove maker who left school at 12.

April 24, 1927 Two French researchers, Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin, succeed in finding a vaccine to cure TBC. The vaccine is called Bacillus Calmette Guerin or BCG v