Timeline April 2016

Events in April 2016 11

• 1937 – 2016 Merle Haggard (1937-2016) Died 6 April 2016, aged 79 Haggard was an American country music singer and songwriter known for hits including "Okie from Muskogee" and "Mama Tried." He was a leading figure of the Bakersfield sound and a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee. He died on his 79th birthday.
• 1958 – 2016 Prince Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist American musician from Minneapolis who blended funk, rock, pop and soul, played almost every instrument on his records and fought the music industry for control of his work.
• 2016 Standing Rock Pipeline Protests Sioux tribe leads opposition to Dakota Access Pipeline Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and thousands of supporters protested construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near tribal land in North Dakota, citing threats to water supplies and sacred sites. The protests drew national attention to indigenous rights and environmental activism. The Army Corps of Engineers denied an easement for the pipeline route in December, though the decision was later reversed.
• 2016 Panama Papers Leak Massive leak exposes global offshore finance network A leak of 11.5 million documents from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca exposed how wealthy individuals and public officials used offshore companies to hide assets. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists coordinated the release with media partners worldwide. The disclosures prompted resignations, investigations, and new transparency laws in several countries.
• 2016 Captain America: Civil War #2 film of 2016 — $1.15bn worldwide Directed by the Russo brothers. Political interference in the Avengers causes a rift between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.
• 2016 2016 World Snooker Championship Mark Selby Title 2 Winner: Mark Selby; Runner-up: Ding Junhui. Score: 18–14.
• 2016 Ecuador Earthquake Magnitude 7.8 quake kills hundreds on Pacific coast A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Ecuador's Pacific coast, killing over 650 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. It was the country's deadliest earthquake in decades. The government declared a state of emergency and launched a major reconstruction effort.
• 2016 Prince dies Purple Rain icon, age 57 Prince Rogers Nelson died on April 21, 2016, aged 57, from an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. He sold over 150 million records worldwide.
• 2016 Prince dies at Paisley Park Aged 57 Dies at his Minnesota studio complex.
• 2016 – present Paris Agreement Climate Change Pact A historic international treaty on climate change mitigation signed by 196 nations in Paris.
• 2016 Beyonce Releases Lemonade Visual album becomes cultural landmark Beyonce released Lemonade, a visual album blending music with themes of infidelity, race, and Black womanhood. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 and was widely praised as one of the decade's most significant cultural statements. The accompanying film premiered on HBO.