Wikipedia: April 20

April 20
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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

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

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

See Also: