# On this day: April 20

April 20 is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years), with 255 days left until the end of the year.

## April 20 in one line

Headline entries for April 20, from Wikipedia: in 1999, Students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out a massacre at Columbine High School, killing 13 people before committing suicide; born 1889: Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (died 1945); died 1912: Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (born 1847). In 2026 it is a Monday, in 2027 a Tuesday.

## Events on April 20

- 1535 Sun dogs were observed over Stockholm, Sweden, inspiring Vädersolstavlan, the oldest coloured depiction of the city. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4dersolstavlan)
- 1537 Bacatá, the main settlement of the Muisca Confederation in present-day Colombia, was conquered by Spanish conquistadors led by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacat%C3%A1)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Santa_Cruz_de_Tenerife_(1657))
- 1809 War of the Fifth Coalition: Commanded by Napoleon, Franco-German forces defeated a reinforced Austrian corps at the Battle of Abensberg. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Abensberg)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_v_Thornton)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Cailli%C3%A9)
- 1898 U.S. President William McKinley signs a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War)
- 1914 A fire and a gun battle between the Colorado National Guard and striking coal miners led to 17 deaths in the Ludlow Massacre. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre)
- 1922 The Soviet government created the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian SSR. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Ossetian_Autonomous_Oblast)
- 1939 Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday was celebrated as a national holiday in Nazi Germany. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler's_50th_birthday)
- 1939 Billie Holiday recorded the song "Strange Fruit", which later became an emblem of the civil rights movement. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Fruit)
- 1942 World War II: German and Italian forces began a large-scale counter-insurgency operation in occupied Yugoslavia. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trio)
- 1945 World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union)
- 1961 Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivers_of_Blood_speech)
- 1968 Pierre Trudeau was sworn in as prime minister of Canada, succeeding Lester B. Pearson. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Trudeau)
- 1968 South African Airways Flight 228 crashed shortly after take-off from Windhoek in South West Africa, resulting in 123 deaths. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Airways_Flight_228)
- 1978 Korean Air Lines Flight 902 was shot down after violating Soviet airspace and was forced to make an emergency landing. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_902)
- 1985 The Animal Liberation Front raided a laboratory at the University of California, Riverside, rescuing 467 animals and causing $700,000 in damage. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California%2C_Riverside_1985_laboratory_raid)
- 1999 Students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out a massacre at Columbine High School, killing 13 people before committing suicide. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Harris_and_Dylan_Klebold)
- 2004 An incomplete tunnel leading to the Nicoll Highway MRT station in Singapore collapsed, resulting in four deaths and the station's relocation. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicoll_Highway_MRT_station)
- 2008 American racing driver Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar auto race. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Patrick)
- 2008 Fernando Lugo became the first candidate not from the Colorado Party candidate to be elected President of Paraguay in 61 years. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Lugo)
- 2010 An explosion on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico, resulted in the largest marine oil spill in history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_explosion)
- 2021 Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota court. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Chauvin)
- 2023 SpaceX's Starship launched for the first time before exploding four minutes into flight. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship)

## Born on April 20

- 1586 Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (died 1617) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_of_Lima)
- 1808 Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France, Emperor of French Second Empire (died 1873) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_III)
- 1839 Carol I of Romania, King of Romania (died 1914) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_I_of_Romania)
- 1840 Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (died 1916) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odilon_Redon)
- 1889 Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (died 1945) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler)
- 1893 Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (died 1983) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Mir%C3%B3)
- 1893 Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (died 1971) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Lloyd)
- 1895 Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (died 1972) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_de_Montherlant)
- 1918 Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2007) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Siegbahn)
- 1927 K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2023) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Alex_M%C3%BCller)
- 1937 George Takei, American actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Takei)
- 1939 Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway– [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro_Harlem_Brundtland)
- 1941 Ryan O'Neal, American actor (died 2023) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_O'Neal)
- 1945 Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thein_Sein)
- 1949 Jessica Lange, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Lange)
- 1949 Massimo D'Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massimo_D'Alema)
- 1955 Svante Pääbo, Swedish geneticist and Nobel Laureate [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svante_P%C3%A4%C3%A4bo)
- 1964 Andy Serkis, English actor and director [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Serkis)
- 1969 Felix Baumgartner, Austrian daredevil (died 2025) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Baumgartner)
- 1972 Carmen Electra, American model and actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_Electra)
- 1983 Miranda Kerr, Australian model [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_Kerr)
- 1997 Alexander Zverev, German tennis player [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Zverev)

## Died on April 20

- 1248 Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (born 1206) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCy%C3%BCk_Khan)
- 1314 Pope Clement V (born 1264) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_V)
- 1912 Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (born 1847) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker)
- 1918 Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1850) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Ferdinand_Braun)
- 1932 Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician and philosopher (born 1858) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Peano)
- 1947 Christian X, King of Denmark (born 1870) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_X)
- 1951 Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician, 25th Prime Minister of Italy (born 1873) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivanoe_Bonomi)
- 1991 Don Siegel, American director and producer (born 1912) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Siegel)
- 1992 Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (born 1924) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill)
- 1993 Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantinflas)
- 1995 Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milovan_Djilas)
- 2003 Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Katz)
- 2018 Avicii, Swedish DJ and musician (born 1989) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicii)
- 2021 Idriss Déby, Chadian politician and military officer (born 1952) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idriss_D%C3%A9by)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Agnes of Montepulciano [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_of_Montepulciano)
- Christian feast day: Pope Anicetus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Anicetus)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Anastazy Jakub Pankiewicz [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastazy_Jakub_Pankiewicz)
- Christian feast day: Beuno [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beuno)
- Christian feast day: Blessed James Bell and John Finch [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bell_(priest))
- Christian feast day: Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Bugenhagen)
- Christian feast day: Marcellinus of Gaul [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcellinus_of_Gaul)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Muiris Mac Ionrachtaigh [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muiris_Mac_Ionrachtaigh)
- Christian feast day: Theotimos [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theotimos_(bishop_of_Tomi))
- Christian feast day: April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_20_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- 420 (cannabis culture) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture))
- Evacuee Flag Day (Finland) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evacuee_Flag_Day)
- UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Chinese_Language_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “April 20”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_20) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/April 20”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_20) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“April 20”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_20) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_20?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 20 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## April 20 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Monday | 2026-W17 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2027 | Tuesday | 2027-W16 | 🌕 Full Moon |
| 2028 | Thursday | 2028-W16 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Friday | 2029-W16 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Saturday | 2030-W16 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on April 20

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on April 20 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← April 19](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-19/) · [April 21 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-21/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-20/