On This Day in History — April 20

Highlights of April 20

• 2023 — SpaceX's Starship launched for the first time before exploding four minutes into flight. Read more
• 2021 — Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota court. Read more
• 2010 — An explosion on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico, resulted in the largest marine oil spill in history. Read more
• 2008 — American racing driver Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar auto race. Read more
• 2008 — Fernando Lugo became the first candidate not from the Colorado Party candidate to be elected President of Paraguay in 61 years. Read more
• 2004 — An incomplete tunnel leading to the Nicoll Highway MRT station in Singapore collapsed, resulting in four deaths and the station's relocation. Read more
• 1999 — Students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out a massacre at Columbine High School, killing 13 people before committing suicide. Read more
• 1985 — The Animal Liberation Front raided a laboratory at the University of California, Riverside, rescuing 467 animals and causing $700,000 in damage. Read more
• 1978 — Korean Air Lines Flight 902 was shot down after violating Soviet airspace and was forced to make an emergency landing. Read more
• 1968 — Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a controversial speech in opposition to immigration and anti-discrimination legislation, resulting in his removal from the shadow cabinet. Read more
• 1968 — Pierre Trudeau was sworn in as prime minister of Canada, succeeding Lester B. Pearson. Read more
• 1968 — South African Airways Flight 228 crashed shortly after take-off from Windhoek in South West Africa, resulting in 123 deaths. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: German and Italian forces began a large-scale counter-insurgency operation in occupied Yugoslavia. Read more
• 1939 — Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday was celebrated as a national holiday in Nazi Germany. Read more
• 1939 — Billie Holiday (pictured) recorded the song "Strange Fruit", which later became an emblem of the civil rights movement. Read more
• 1922 — The Soviet government created the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian SSR. Read more
• 1914 — A fire and a gun battle between the Colorado National Guard and striking coal miners led to 17 deaths in the Ludlow Massacre. Read more
• 1828 — French explorer René Caillié reached Timbuktu in present-day Mali, and later received a 9,000-franc prize from the Société de Géographie for being the first European to return with a description of the city. Read more
• 1818 — Four days after the Court of King's Bench upheld an English murder suspect's right to a trial by battle in Ashford v Thornton, the plaintiff declined to fight, allowing the defendant to go free. Read more
• 1809 — War of the Fifth Coalition: Commanded by Napoleon, Franco-German forces defeated a reinforced Austrian corps at the Battle of Abensberg. Read more
• 1657 — Anglo-Spanish War: The English navy sank much of a Spanish treasure fleet at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife off the Canary Islands, but was unable to capture the treasure. Read more
• 1537 — Bacatá, the main settlement of the Muisca Confederation in present-day Colombia, was conquered by Spanish conquistadors led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Read more
• 1535 — Sun dogs were observed over Stockholm, Sweden, inspiring Vädersolstavlan, the oldest coloured depiction of the city. Read more

Events

• 2023 — SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time. It explodes four minutes into flight. Read more
• 2021 — State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin: Derek Chauvin is found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd by the Fourth Judicial District Court of Minnesota. Read more
• 2020 — For the first time in history, oil prices drop below zero, an effect of the 2020 Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war. Read more
• 2015 — Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the Somali region of Puntland. Read more
• 2013 — A 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Lushan County, Ya'an, in China's Sichuan province, killing at least 193 people and injuring thousands. Read more
• 2012 — One hundred twenty-seven people are killed when a plane crashes in a residential area near the Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Islamabad, Pakistan. Read more
• 2010 — The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that lasted six months. Read more
• 2008 — Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race. Read more
• 2007 — Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips barricades himself with a handgun in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, before killing a male hostage and himself. Read more
• 2004 — The Nicoll Highway in Singapore collapses, killing four workers. Read more
• 1999 — Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 14 people and injure 23 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. Read more
• 1998 — Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board. Read more
• 1985 — University of California, Riverside 1985 laboratory raid: Animal Liberation Front rescues 467 animals being tested in a lab at University of California, Riverside in Riverside, California, causing $700,000 in damages to the laboratory, in advocacy for animal rights. Read more
• 1972 — Apollo program: The Apollo 16 Lunar Module Orion, commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke, lands on the Moon. Read more
• 1968 — English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech. Read more
• 1968 — South African Airways Flight 228 crashes near J.G. Strijdom Airport in South West Africa (now Hosea Kutako International Airport in Namibia), killing 123 people. Read more
• 1961 — Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba. Read more
• 1949 — Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks HMS Amethyst (F116) travelling to the British embassy in Nanjing during the Chinese Civil War. Read more
• 1946 — The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Führerbunker: On his 56th birthday Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth. Read more
• 1945 — Twenty Jewish children used in medical experiments at Neuengamme are killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school. Read more
• 1922 — The Soviet government creates the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian SSR. Read more
• 1918 — World War I: Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day. Read more
• 1914 — Nineteen men, women, and children participating in a strike are killed in the Ludlow Massacre during the Colorado Coalfield War. Read more
• 1908 — Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League. Read more
• 1902 — Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride. Read more
• 1898 — U.S. President William McKinley signs a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War. Read more
• 1884 — Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum genus, condemning Freemasonry. Read more
• 1876 — The April Uprising begins. Its suppression shocks European opinion, and Bulgarian independence becomes a condition for ending the Russo-Turkish War. Read more
• 1865 — Astronomer Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX's yacht, the L'Immaculata Concezion. Read more
• 1862 — Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1861 — Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, attempting to display the value of balloons, makes record journey, flying 900 miles from Cincinnati to South Carolina. Read more
• 1836 — U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory. Read more
• 1828 — René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing. He would also be the first to return alive. Read more
• 1809 — Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory. Read more
• 1800 — The Septinsular Republic is established. Read more
• 1792 — France declares war against the "King of Hungary and Bohemia", the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars. Read more
• 1789 — George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration. Read more
• 1770 — The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza. Read more
• 1752 — Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57). Read more
• 1657 — English Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet, under heavy fire from the shore, at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Read more
• 1657 — Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City). Read more
• 1653 — Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament. Read more
• 1535 — A complex halo display is observed over Stockholm, Sweden, inspiring the Vädersolstavlan ("The Sundog painting"), the earliest depiction of such an event, and the oldest colour depiction of the city. Read more
• 1303 — The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII. Read more
• 1303 — The Bahri Mamluks defeat the Ilkhanate in the battle of Marj al-Saffar, marking the end of the Mongol incursions into Syria. Read more
• 1152 — After an eight-year conflict, Baldwin III of Jerusalem wins sole control of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from his mother Melisende. Read more

Born on April 20

• 2005 — Tallyn Da Silva, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1997 — Alexander Zverev, German tennis player Read more
• 1991 — Luke Kuechly, American football player Read more
• 1990 — Kyle Higashioka, American baseball player Read more
• 1990 — Jason Behrendorff, Australian cricketer Read more
• 1989 — Vannesa Rosales, Venezuelan activist and teacher Read more
• 1988 — Brandon Belt, American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Jorge Pinto, Portuguese politician Read more
• 1984 — Harris Wittels, American comedian (died 2015) Read more
• 1983 — Miranda Kerr, Australian model Read more
• 1980 — Emma Husar, Australian politician Read more
• 1978 — Carl Greenidge, English cricketer Read more
• 1975 — Killer Mike, American rapper Read more
• 1974 — Randy Fine, American politician and former gambling industry executive Read more
• 1973 — Julie Powell, American food writer and memoirist (died 2022) Read more
• 1972 — Carmen Electra, American model and actress Read more
• 1972 — Stephen Marley, Jamaican-American musician Read more
• 1971 — Allan Houston, American basketball player Read more
• 1971 — Mikey Welsh, American bassist and painter (died 2011) Read more
• 1970 — Shemar Moore, American actor Read more
• 1969 — Felix Baumgartner, Austrian daredevil (died 2025) Read more
• 1969 — Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania Read more
• 1968 — Julia Morris, Australian entertainer Read more
• 1967 — Lara Jill Miller, American actress Read more
• 1967 — Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter Read more
• 1966 — David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic Read more
• 1966 — David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo! Read more
• 1965 — Kostis Chatzidakis, Greek politician, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Read more
• 1965 — Léa Fazer, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress Read more
• 1965 — Mark Mallia, Maltese painter and sculptor (died 2024) Read more
• 1964 — John Carney, American football player Read more
• 1964 — Crispin Glover, American actor and filmmaker Read more
• 1964 — Andy Serkis, English actor and director Read more
• 1964 — Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater Read more
• 1963 — Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor Read more
• 1962 — Sanjaasürengiin Zorig, Mongolian Politician, (died 1998) Read more
• 1961 — Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager Read more
• 1961 — Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor Read more
• 1960 — Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach Read more
• 1959 — Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player Read more

Died on April 20

• 2026 — Luis Brandoni, Argentine actor and politician (born 1940) Read more
• 2025 — Hugo Gatti, Argentine footballer (born 1944) Read more
• 2024 — Antonio Cantafora, Italian film and television actor (born 1944) Read more
• 2024 — Andrew Davis, English conductor (born 1944) Read more
• 2024 — Roman Gabriel, Filipino-American NFL American footballer Read more
• 2024 — Lourdes Portillo, Mexican film director, producer, and writer (born 1943) Read more
• 2022 — Gavin Millar, Scottish film director (born 1938) Read more
• 2021 — Idriss Déby, Chadian politician and military officer (born 1952) Read more
• 2021 — Monte Hellman, American film director (born 1929) Read more
• 2021 — Les McKeown, Scottish pop singer (born 1955) Read more
• 2018 — Avicii, Swedish DJ and musician (born 1989) Read more
• 2016 — Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (born 1953) Read more
• 2014 — Neville Wran, Australian politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (born 1926) Read more
• 2012 — Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (born 1920) Read more
• 2011 — Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (born 1970) Read more
• 2010 — Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (born 1912) Read more
• 2008 — Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (born 1923) Read more
• 2007 — Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1931) Read more
• 2007 — Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (born 1931) Read more
• 2007 — Robert Rosenthal World War II B 17 Commander Pilot who also served on the Nuremburg Trials (born 1917) Read more
• 2005 — Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (born 1904) Read more
• 2004 — Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (born 1956) Read more
• 2003 — Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) Read more
• 2002 — Alan Dale, American singer (born 1925) Read more
• 2001 — Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (born 1946) Read more
• 1999 — Rick Rude, American professional wrestler (born 1958) Read more
• 1999 — Rachel Scott, American victim of Columbine High School massacre (born 1981) Read more
• 1999 — Cassie Bernall, American victim of Columbine High School massacre (born 1981) Read more
• 1996 — Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (born 1918) Read more
• 1995 — Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (born 1911) Read more
• 1993 — Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1911) Read more
• 1992 — Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (born 1922) Read more
• 1992 — Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1924) Read more
• 1991 — Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and producer (born 1947) Read more
• 1991 — Don Siegel, American director and producer (born 1912) Read more
• 1986 — Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (born 1916) Read more
• 1982 — Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (born 1892) Read more
• 1980 — M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (born 1924) Read more
• 1978 — Lord Richard Cecil, British soldier and journalist in the Rhodesian Bush War (born 1948) Read more
• 1969 — Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian Ustaše official and concentration camp administrator (born 1914) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Agnes of Montepulciano; Christian feast day: Pope Anicetus; Christian feast day: Blessed Anastazy Jakub Pankiewicz; Christian feast day: Beuno; Christian feast day: Blessed James Bell and John Finch; Christian feast day: Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran); Christian feast day: Marcellinus of Gaul; Christian feast day: Blessed Muiris Mac Ionrachtaigh; Christian feast day: Theotimos; Christian feast day: April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); 420 (cannabis culture); Evacuee Flag Day (Finland); UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)

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