April 20 is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 255 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 1303 – The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII.
- 1453 – The last naval battle in Byzantine history occurs, as three Genoese galleys escorting a Byzantine transport fight their way through the huge Ottoman blockade fleet and into the Golden Horn.
- 1526 – The last ruler of the Lodi Dynasty, Ibrahim Lodi is defeated and killed by Babur in the First Battle of Panipat.
- 1534 – Jacques Cartier begins the voyage during which he discovers Canada and Labrador.
- 1535 – The Sun dog phenomenon observed over Stockholm and depicted in the famous painting "Vädersolstavlan".
- 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
- 1657 – Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
- 1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
- 1689 – The former King James II of England, now deposed, lays siege to Derry.
- 1752 – Start of Konbaung-Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in Burmese Civil War (1740–1757)
- 1770 – The Georgian king Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: the Siege of Boston begins, following the battles at Lexington and Concord.
- 1792 – France declares war against the "King of Hungary and Bohemia", the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1809 – Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon I of France at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – The Governor of Caracas declares independence from Spain.
- 1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton ends, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.
- 1828 – René Caillié becomes the first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou.
- 1836 – U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.
- 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 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the first pasteurization tests.
- 1865 – Astronomer Pietro Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX's yacht, the L’Immaculata Concezion.
- 1871 – The Civil Rights Act of 1871 becomes law.
- 1876 – The April Uprising, a key point in modern Bulgarian history, leading to the Russo-Turkish War and the liberation of Bulgaria from domination as an independent part of the Ottoman Empire.
- 1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum Genus.
- 1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
- 1908 – Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.
- 1912 – Opening day for baseball's Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, and Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1914 – 19 men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miner's strike.
- 1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in 11 innings.
- 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
- 1922 – The Soviet government creates South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Georgian SSR.
- 1926 – Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film.
- 1939 – Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday is celebrated as a national holiday in Nazi Germany.
- 1939 – Billie Holiday records the first Civil Rights song "Strange Fruit".
- 1945 – World War II: US troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
- 1945 – World War II: Fuehrerbunker: Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
- 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
- 1951– Dan Gavriliu performs the first surgical replacement of a human organ.
- 1961 – Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.
- 1964 – BBC Two launches with a power cut because of the fire at Battersea Power Station.
- 1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial Rivers of Blood speech.
- 1972 – Apollo 16, commanded by John Young, lands on the moon.
- 1978 – Korean Air Flight 902 is shot down by the Soviet Union.
- 1980 – Climax of Berber Spring in Algeria as hundreds of Berber political activists are arrested.
- 1984 – The Good Friday Massacre, an extremely violent ice hockey playoff game, is played in Montreal, Canada.
- 1985 – The ATF raids The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord compound in northern Arkansas.
- 1986 – Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performs in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years.
- 1998 – German terrorist group the Red Army Faction announces their dissolution after 28 years.
- 1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
- 2007 – Johnson Space Center Shooting: A man with a handgun barricades himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
- 2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.
- 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon oil well explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing twelve workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
Births
- 702 – Jafar Sadiq, Islamic scholar (d. 765)
- 1492 – Pietro Aretino, Italian writer and poet (d.1556)
- 1494 – Johannes Agricola, German Protestant reformer (d. 1566)
- 1586 – Saint Rose of Lima (d. 1617)
- 1633 – Emperor Go-Komyo of Japan (d. 1654)
- 1646 – Charles Plumier, French botanist (d. 1704)
- 1650 – William Bedloe, English informer (d. 1680)
- 1718 – David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)
- 1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and statesman (d. 1781)
- 1727 – Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian diplomat (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Philippe Pinel, French physician (d. 1826)
- 1748 – Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (d. 1831)
- 1808 – Napoleon III of France (d. 1873)
- 1816 – Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer (d. 1895)
- 1818 – Heinrich Göbel, German mechanic and inventor (d. 1893)
- 1826 – Dinah Craik, English author (d. 1887)
- 1836 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American scientist (d. 1895)
- 1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor (d. 1931)
- 1851 – Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (d. 1875)
- 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American motion picture pioneer (d. 1923)
- 1870 – Maulvi Abdul Haq, Pakistani scholar (d. 1961)
- 1871 – Sydney Chapman, British economist and civil servant (d. 1951)
- 1875 – Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet (d. 1909)
- 1879 – Paul Poiret, French couturier (d. 1944)
- 1882 – Holland Smith, American General (d. 1967)
- 1884 – Daniel Varujan, Armenian poet (d. 1915)
- 1884 – Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)
- 1889 – Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, businessman, lawyer and activist (d. 1996)
- 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-German politician and author, Dictator of Nazi Germany (d. 1945)
- 1890 – Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec (d. 1959)
- 1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter (d. 1983)
- 1893 – Edna Parker, American teacher and super-centenarian (d. 2008)
- 1895 – Emile Christian, American jazz musician (d. 1973)
- 1895 – Henry de Montherlant, French writer (d. 1972)
- 1896 – Wop May, Canadian aviator (d. 1952)
- 1899 – Alan Arnett McLeod Canadian soldier (d. 1918)
- 1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1904 – George Stibitz, American scientist (d. 1995)
- 1907 – Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek Orthodox bishop of Florina (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Lionel Hampton, American jazz musician, bandleader, and actor (d. 2002)
- 1913 – Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor (d. 1986)
- 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist (d. 1997)
- 1918 – Edward L. Beach, Jr., American naval officer and author (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian pilot and author (d. 1943)
- 1920 – Ronald Speirs, American army officer (d. 2007)
- 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American jurist
- 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian politician (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Janine Sutto, French-Canadian actress
- 1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster
- 1923 – Irene Lieblich, Polish painter (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Tito Puente, American jazz musician and producer (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Leslie Phillips, English actor
- 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian academic and sociologist
- 1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Bud Cullen, Canadian politician and judge (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Karl Alexander Müller, Swiss physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (d. 2007)
- 1928 – Gerald S. Hawkins, English astronomer (d. 2003)
- 1929 – Harry Agganis, Greek-American baseball and football player (d. 1955)
- 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, British businessman and Peer
- 1936 – Pat Roberts, American politician
- 1937 – George Takei, American actor
- 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
- 1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Johnny Tillotson, American singer and songwriter
- 1938 – Tamási Eszter, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
- 1939 – Peter S. Beagle, American author
- 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian politician, diplomat, and physician, Prime Minister of Norway
- 1940 – James Gammon, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1941 – David L. Boren, American politician
- 1941 – Ryan O'Neal, American actor
- 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish writer
- 1943 – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor
- 1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American actress (d. 1971)
- 1945 – Michael Brandon, American actor
- 1945 – Judith O'Dea, American actress
- 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and coach
- 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese politician, President of Burma
- 1946 – Tommy Hutton, American baseball player and analyst
- 1946 – Julien Poulin, French-Canadian actor
- 1946 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (d. 1982)
- 1947 – Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian politician
- 1947 – David Leland, British actor, director and screenwriter
- 1947 – Ken Scott, English record producer and engineer
- 1947 – Björn Skifs, Swedish singer-songwriter, actor, and screenwriter (Blue Swede and Slam Creepers’)
- 1947 – Andrew Tobias, American journalist and author
- 1948 – Craig Frost, American musician (Grand Funk)
- 1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor
- 1948 – Rémy Trudel, French-Canadian politician
- 1949 – Veronica Cartwright, American actress
- 1949 – Toller Cranston, Canadian figure skater and artist
- 1949 – Massimo D'Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
- 1950 – Steve Erickson, American novelist
- 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
- 1950 – Chandra Babu Naidu, Indian politician
- 1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (Change) (d. 2005)
- 1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek politician, Minister for Labour and Social Security
- 1952 – Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball coach
- 1953 – Robert Crais, American author
- 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, British novelist
- 1954 – Gilles Lupien, French-Canadian ice hockey player
- 1955 – Don Pettit, American astronaut and engineer
- 1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician
- 1957 – Geraint Wyn Davies, Welsh-Canadian actor
- 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1959 – Clint Howard, American actor
- 1960 – Rodney Holman American football player
- 1961 – Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor
- 1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player
- 1961 – Corrado Micalef, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1961 – Barry Smolin, American radio host, teacher, writer, and composer
- 1961 – Nicholas Lyndhurst, British actor
- 1962 – Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf, American radio personality (d. 2001)
- 1963 – Aubrey de Grey, British biomedical gerontologist
- 1963 – Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian race car driver
- 1964 – Crispin Glover, American actor
- 1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor
- 1964 – Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater
- 1964 – John Carney American football player
- 1965 – Adrian Fernández, Mexican race car driver
- 1965 – Kostas Hatzidakis, Greek politician
- 1965 – April March, American singer-songwriter and animator
- 1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher
- 1966 – Vincent Riendeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Raymond van Barneveld, Dutch darts player
- 1967 – Lara Jill Miller, American actress
- 1967 – Mike Portnoy, American musician (Dream Theater, Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Flying Colors)
- 1968 – J. D. Roth, American television host and actor
- 1968 – Yelena Välbe, Russian cross-country skier
- 1968 – Julia Morris, Australian comedian, actress, writer and producer
- 1970 – Sarantuya, Mongolian soprano
- 1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
- 1970 – Adriano Moraes, Brazilian bull rider
- 1971 – Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer
- 1971 – Allan Houston, American basketball player
- 1971 – Nikos Kyzeridis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Le Huynh Đuc, Vietnamese footballer
- 1972 – Carmen Electra, American actress
- 1972 – Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer-songwriter, and producer
- 1972 – Marko Kon, Serbian singer and songwriter
- 1972 – Stephen Marley, American singer and musician
- 1973 – Geoff Lloyd, English radio presenter
- 1973 – Todd Hollandsworth American baseball player
- 1973 – Lamond Murray, American basketball player
- 1974 – Tina Cousins, English singer-songwriter and model
- 1975 – Benjamin Butler, American artist
- 1976 – Aldo Bobadilla, Paraguayan footballer
- 1976 – Shay Given, Irish footballer
- 1976 – Joey Lawrence, American actor
- 1976 – Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 – Lenka Němečková, Czech tennis player
- 1977 – John Hugger, American wrestler
- 1978 – Mirei Kuroda, Japanese model
- 1978 – Clayne Crawford, American actor
- 1979 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer
- 1979 – Nathan Marquardt, American mixed martial artist
- 1979 – Quinn Weng, Taiwanese singer (Seraphim)
- 1980 – Chris Duffy, American baseball player
- 1980 – Arin Paul, Indian director
- 1980 – Jasmin Wagner, German singer, actress, and model
- 1981 – Saša Tabaković, Slovenian actor
- 1982 – Jacqueline Govaert, Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist (Krezip)
- 1982 – Sayaka Kamiya, Japanese actress and model
- 1982 – Dario Knežević, Croatian football player
- 1983 – Danny Granger, American basketball player
- 1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
- 1983 – Sebastian Ingrosso, Swedish DJ and producer (Swedish House Mafia)
- 1983 – Joanne King, Irish-English actress
- 1983 – Patrice M'Bock, Cameroonian footballer
- 1983 – Erik Segerstedt, Swedish singer (E.M.D.)
- 1983 – Fabio Staibano, Italian rugby player
- 1983 – Yuri van Gelder, Dutch gymnast
- 1984 – Nelson Évora, Portuguese athlete
- 1984 – Anthony Fasano, American football player
- 1984 – Tyson Griffin, American mixed martial artist
- 1984 – Jenna Shoemaker, American triathlete
- 1984 – Edixon Perea Valencia, Colombian football player
- 1984 – Harris Wittels, American actor, comedian, and writer
- 1985 – Amanda Fahy, English actress
- 1985 – Ehsan Jami, Dutch-Iranian politician and activist
- 1985 – Billy Magnussen, American actor
- 1985 – Jadyn Maria, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Brent Seabrook, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Cameron Duncan, New Zealand director (d. 2003)
- 1987 – John Patrick Amedori, American actor
- 1987 – Thorsten Kirschbaum, German footballer
- 1987 – Michael Klauß, German footballer
- 1987 – Anna Rossinelli, Swiss singer-songwriter
- 1989 – Alex Black, American actor
- 1989 – Heejun Han, American singer
- 1991 – Thomas Curtis, American actor
- 1991 – Marissa King, English gymnast
- 1991 – Ondřej Kraják, Czech footballer
Deaths
- 1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English military leader (b. 1130)
- 1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
- 1521 – Zhengde Emperor of China (b. 1491)
- 1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun (b. 1506)
- 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German reformer (b. 1485)
- 1643 – Christoph Demantius, German composer (b. 1567)
- 1703 – Lancelot Addison, English chaplain (b. 1632)
- 1769 – Chief Pontiac, Ottawa leader (b. 1720)
- 1831 – John Abernethy, English surgeon (b. 1764)
- 1873 – William Tite, English architect (b. 1798)
- 1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American politician (b. 1817)
- 1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Egyptian statesman (b. 1826)
- 1899 – Joseph Wolf, German artist (b. 1820)
- 1902 – Joaquim de Sousa Andrade, Brazilian poet who designed the flag of the State of Maranhão (b. 1833)
- 1912 – Bram Stoker, Irish author (b. 1847)
- 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
- 1929 – Prince Albert Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia (b. 1862)
- 1931 – Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, Scottish fencer, landowner and survivor of RMS Titanic (b. 1862)
- 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician (b. 1858)
- 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (b. 1863)
- 1944 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and pilot (b. 1917)
- 1945 – Erwin Bumke, German jurist (b. 1874)
- 1947 – Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
- 1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician and statesman, Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
- 1964 – Eddie Dyer, American baseball player (b. 1899)
- 1967 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, French Canadian journalist and novelist (b. 1896)
- 1969 – Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian general and war criminal (b. 1911)
- 1977 – Sepp Herberger, German football coach (b. 1897)
- 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, writer, and Librarian of Congress (b. 1892)
- 1986 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani activist, journalist and writer (b. 1916)
- 1989 – Doru Davidovici, Romanian writer and pilot (b. 1945)
- 1991 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (The Small Faces and Humble Pie) (b. 1947)
- 1991 – Don Siegel, American director (b. 1912)
- 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian (b. 1924)
- 1993 – Cantinflas, Mexican comedian and actor (b. 1911)
- 1994 – Jean Carmet, French actor (b. 1920)
- 1996 – Tran Van Tra, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1918)
- 1996 – Christopher Robin Milne, English bookseller, son of A. A. Milne (b. 1920)
- 1999 – Cassie Bernall, American student, victim of the Columbine High School massacre (b. 1981)
- 1999 – Eric Harris, American student who committed the Columbine High School massacre (b. 1981)
- 1999 – Dylan Klebold, American student who committed the Columbine High School massacre (b. 1981)
- 1999 – Rick Rude, American wrestler (b. 1958)
- 1999 – Rachel Joy Scott, American student, victim of the Columbine High School massacre and inspiration for Rachel's Challenge (b. 1981)
- 1999 – Señor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist and comedian (b. 1896)
- 2001 – Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)
- 2002 – Alan Dale, American singer (b. 1925)
- 2002 – Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer and songwriter (b. 1948)
- 2003 – Ruth Hale, American playwright and actress (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
- 2003 – Bernard Katz, German biophysicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1911)
- 2005 – Fumio Niwa, Japanese novelist (b. 1904)
- 2005 – Zygfryd Blaut, Polish football player (b. 1943)
- 2007 – Andrew Hill, American bandleader, composer, and pianist (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931).
- 2007 – Fred Fish, American computer programmer (b. 1952)
- 2008 – VL Mike, American rapper (Chopper City Boyz) (b. 1976)
- 2008 – Monica Lovinescu, Romanian essayist, critic, and journalist (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Beata Asimakopoulou, Greek actress (b. 1932)
- 2010 – Dorothy Height, American civil rights activist (b. 1912)
- 2011 – Tim Hetherington, British-American photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
- 2011 – Chris Hondros, American photographer (b. 1970)
- 2011 – Gerard Smith, American musician (Tv on the Radio) (b. 1974)
- 2012 – Mario Arturo Acosta Chaparro, Mexican army general
- 2012 – Matt Branam, American academic, 14th president of Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (b. 1954)
- 2012 – George Cowan, American chemist, businessman, and philanthropist (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Bert Weedon, English guitarist and composer (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Jack Ashley, Baron Ashley of Stoke, British politician and campaigner for disabled rights (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances
References
External links
Months and days of the year
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