April 20

April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). There are 255 days remaining.

Events

• 1657 - Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City) granted freedom of religion
• 1689 - The former King James II of England, now deposed, lays siege to Londonderry
• 1775 - American Revolutionary War: British troops begin siege of Boston, Massachusetts
• 1861 - American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia
• 1862 - The first pasteurization test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
• 1902 - Pierre and Marie Curie isolate radium
• 1914 - Ludlow Massacre of striking Colorado coal miners
• 1926 - Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film
• 1967 - A Swiss Britannia turboprop crashes at Nicosia, Cyprus killing 126
• 1968 - A South African Airways Boeing 707 crashes during takeoff at Windhoek, South-West Africa killing 122
• 1968 - The Liberal Party of Canada lead by Pierre Trudeau wins the Canadian Federal Election
• 1972 - Apollo 16 lands on the Moon
• 1998 - An Air France Boeing 727-200 crashes into mountain after takeoff from Bogota, Colombia killing 53
• 1999 - Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold open fire in their high school leaving 15 dead and 23 wounded
• 2001 - The anti-globalization movement holds a People's Summit and large protest marches, some of which are forcibly put down by police, against the FTAA summit in Quebec City, Quebec

Births

• 571 - Muhammad (P.B.U.H) (Probably) († 634)
• 1808 - Emperor Napoleon III of France († 1873)
• 1818 - Henrey von Goebel, inventor († 1893)
• 1832 - Ernst von Leyden, physician († 1910)
• 1845 - Philippe Pinel, physician († 1826)
• 1871 - Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, inventor, († 1922)
• 1879 - Paul Poiret, French couturier († 1944)
• 1889 - Adolf Hitler, dictator († 1945)
• 1889 - Albert Jean Amateau, businessman and social activist († 1996)
• 1893 - Joan Miró, painter († 1983)
• 1893 - Harold Lloyd, actor († 1971)
• 1900 - Fred Raymond, composer († 1954)
• 1908 - Lionel Hampton, musician († 2002)
• 1915 - Joseph Wolpe, psychotherapist († 1997)
• 1920 - John Paul Stevens, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1925 - Tito Puente, musician († 2000)
• 1928 - Gerald S. Hawkins, astronomer
• 1939 - Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway
• 1939 - Peter S. Beagle, author
• 1941 - Ryan O'Neal, actor
• 1943 - Edie Sedgwick, actress († 1971)
• 1949 - Jessica Lange, actress
• 1951 - Luther Vandross, singer
• 1964 - Crispin Glover, actor
• 1964 - Rosalynn Sumners, figure skater
• 1964 - Andy Serkis, actor
• 1972 - Hank The Angry Drunken Dwarf, radio and television personality († 2001)
• 1976 - Joey Lawrence, actor
• 1981 - Diana Alkire, model and computer scientist

Deaths

• 1769 - Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawa tribe
• 1869 - Carl Loewe, composer
• 1908 - Henry Chadwick, baseball writer and historia
• 1912 - Bram Stoker, author
• 1932 - Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician
• 1940 - Alfred Cort Haddon, anthropologist
• 1947 - King Christian X of Denmark
• 1982 - Archibald Macleish, author
• 1992 - Benny Hill, comedian
• 1999 - Cassie Bernall, victim of the Columbine High School massacre
• 1999 - Eric Harris, perpetrator of the Columbine High School massacre
• 1999 - Dylan Klebold, perpetrator of the Columbine High School massacre
• 1999 - Rachel Scott, victim of the Columbine High School massacre
• 1999 - Senor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist

Holidays and observances

• In Canada and the United States, April 20th is a ceremonial day to "smoke out" (smoke marijuana). See: 420 (drug culture)
• 1992, 2003, 2014 - Easter

April 19 - April 21 - March 20 - May 20 -- listing of all days

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Referenced By