20 April

Events

Pre-1600

* 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.

1601–1900

*1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
*1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet, under heavy fire from the shore, at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
* 1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
* 1752 – Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).
*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.
*1789 – George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
*1792 – France declares war against the " King of Hungary and Bohemia", the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars.
*1800 – The Septinsular Republic is established.
*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.
*1828 – René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing. He would also be the first to return alive.
*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.
* 1861 – Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, attempting to display the value of balloons, makes record journey, flying 900 miles from Cincinnati to South Carolina.
*1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation.
*1865 – Astronomer Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX's yacht, the ''L'Immaculata Concezion''.
*1876 – The April Uprising begins. Its suppression shocks European opinion, and Bulgarian independence becomes a condition for ending the Russo-Turkish War.
* 1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical ''Humanum genus'', condemning Freemasonry.
*1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signs a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.

1901–present

*1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
* 1914 – Nineteen men, women, and children participating in a strike are killed in the Ludlow Massacre during the Colorado Coalfield War.
*1918 – 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.
*1922 – The Soviet government creates South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Georgian SSR.
*1945 – World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
* 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.
* 1945 – Twenty Jewish children used in medical experiments at Neuengamme are killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school.
* 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
*1961 – Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.
*1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech.
* 1968 – South African Airways Flight 228 crashes near the Hosea Kutako International Airport in South West Africa (now Namibia), killing 123 people.
*1972 – Apollo program: Apollo 16 lunar module, commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke, lands on the moon.
*1998 – Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board.
*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: William Phillips 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'' drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
*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.
*2013 – A 6.6- magnitude earthquake strikes Lushan County, Ya'an, in China's Sichuan province, killing more than 150 people and injuring thousands.
*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.
*2020 – For the first time in history, oil prices drop below zero.
*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.

Births

Pre-1600

*1494 – Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (d. 1566)
*1544 – Renata of Lorraine, Duchess consort of Bavaria (d. 1602)
*1586 – Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (d. 1617)

1601–1900

*1633 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1654)
*1646 – Charles Plumier, French botanist and author (d. 1704)
*1650 – William Bedloe, English spy (d. 1680)
*1718 – David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)
* 1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (d. 1781)
*1727 – Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian minister and diplomat (d. 1794)
*1745 – Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (d. 1826)
*1748 – Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (d. 1831)
*1808 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (d. 1873)
* 1816 – Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer (d. 1895)
*1818 – Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and engineer (d. 1893)
*1826 – Dinah Craik, English author and poet (d. 1887)
*1836 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American scientist and academic (d. 1895)
*1839 – Carol I of Romania, King of Romania (d. 1914)
*1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1916)
*1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue (d. 1931)
*1851 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (d. 1918)
* 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company (d. 1923)
*1860 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (d. 1933)
*1871 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (d. 1951)
*1873 – James Harcourt, English character actor (d. 1951)
*1875 – Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet and lawyer (d. 1909)
*1879 – Paul Poiret, French fashion designer (d. 1944)
* 1882 – Holland Smith, American general (d. 1967)
* 1884 – Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)
* 1884 – Oliver Kirk, American boxer (d. 1960)
* 1884 – Daniel Varoujan, Armenian poet and educator (d. 1915)
*1889 – Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, lawyer, and activist (d. 1996)
* 1889 – Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (d. 1918)
* 1889 – Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic (d. 1918)
* 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (d. 1945)
* 1889 – Tonny Kessler, Dutch footballer (d. 1960)
*1890 – Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec (d. 1959)
* 1890 – Adolf Schärf, Austrian soldier and politician, 6th President of Austria (d. 1965)
*1891 – Dave Bancroft, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
*1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1971)
* 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1983)
*1895 – Emile Christian, American trombonist and composer (d. 1973)
* 1895 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (d. 1972)
*1896 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1952)
*1899 – Alan Arnett McLeod, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)

1901–present

*1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
*1907 – Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek bishop (d. 2010)
*1908 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader, and actor (d. 2002)
*1910 – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician (d. 1961)
*1913 – Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor and poet (d. 1986)
* 1913 – Willi Hennig, German biologist and entomologist (d. 1976)
* 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
*1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist and physician (d. 1997)
* 1916 – Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress (d. 2004)
*1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
*1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)
*1920 – Frances Ames, South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist (d. 2002)
* 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State (d. 2000)
* 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2019)
*1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network (d. 2016)
* 1923 – Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
* 1923 – Tito Puente, American drummer and producer (d. 2000)
*1924 – Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
* 1924 – Leslie Phillips, English actor and producer (d. 2022)
* 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
*1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (d. 2006)
* 1925 – Elena Verdugo, American actress (d. 2017)
*1927 – Bud Cullen, Canadian judge and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration (d. 2005)
* 1927 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)
* 1927 – K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
*1928 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (d. 2013)
* 1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish international footballer (d. 2007)
*1929 – Harry Agganis, American baseball and football player (d. 1955)
* 1929 – Bobby Hollander, American film director, actor, and magazine publisher (d. 2002)
*1930 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (d. 2014)
* 1930 – Antony Jay, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
*1931 – Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
* 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
* 1932 – Myriam Bru, French actress
*1933 – Kristaq Dhamo, Albanian actor and film director
*1936 – Lisa Davis, English-American actress
* 1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese technician, surveyor, and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
* 1936 – Pat Roberts, American captain, journalist, and politician
*1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2011)
* 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
* 1937 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator (d. 2002)
* 1937 – George Takei, American actor
* 1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter (d. 2017)
* 1938 – Manfred Kinder, German runner
* 1938 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
*1939 – Elspeth Ballantyne, Australian actress
* 1939 – Peter S. Beagle, American author and screenwriter
* 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway
* 1939 – Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter
*1940 – James Gammon, American actor (d. 2010)
*1941 – Ryan O'Neal, American actor
*1942 – Giles Henderson, English lawyer and academic
* 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish journalist and author (d. 2018)
*1943 – Alan Beith, English academic and politician
* 1943 – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor and director
* 1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (d. 1971)
*1944 – Toivo Aare, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1999)
*1945 – Michael Brandon, American actor and director
* 1945 – Olga Karlatos, Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer
* 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
* 1945 – Naftali Temu, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
* 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and head coach, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner
* 1946 – Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
* 1946 – Julien Poulin, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1946 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (d. 1982)
*1947 – Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian economist and politician
* 1947 – David Leland, English actor, director, and screenwriter
* 1947 – Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
*1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor (d. 2022)
* 1948 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (d. 2015)
*1949 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
* 1949 – Toller Cranston, Canadian-Mexican figure skater and painter (d. 2015)
* 1949 – Massimo D'Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
* 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
*1950 – Steve Erickson, American author and critic
* 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
* 1950 – N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
*1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
*1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
* 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
*1955 – Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
*1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for Justice
* 1956 – Peter Chelsom, English film director, writer, and actor
* 1956 – Kakha Bendukidze, Georgian economist and politician (d. 2014)
* 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
*1960 – Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach
*1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager
* 1961 – Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor
*1963 – Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
*1964 – John Carney, American football player
* 1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor and director
* 1964 – Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater
*1965 – Kostis Chatzidakis, Greek politician, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism
* 1965 – Léa Fazer, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress
*1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
* 1966 – David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
*1967 – Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter
*1968 – Julia Morris, Australian entertainer
*1969 – Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania
*1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
*1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
*1973 – Julie Powell, American food writer and memoirist (d. 2022)

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 689 – Cædwalla, king of Wessex (b. 659)
*767 – Taichō, Japanese monk (b. 682)
* 888 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 862)
*1099 – Peter Bartholomew (b. 1061)
*1164 – Antipope Victor IV
*1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English-Irish politician, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1130)
*1248 – Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. 1206)
* 1284 – Hōjō Tokimune, regent of Japan (b. 1251)
*1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
*1322 – Simon Rinalducci, Italian Augustinian friar
*1502 – Mary of Looz-Heinsberg, Dutch noble (b. 1424)
*1521 – Zhengde, Chinese emperor (b. 1491)
*1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr (b. 1506)
*1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German priest and theologian (b. 1485)

1601–1900

*1643 – Christoph Demantius, German composer and poet (b. 1567)
*1703 – Lancelot Addison, English clergyman and educator (b. 1632)
*1769 – Chief Pontiac, American tribal leader (b. 1720)
*1831 – John Abernethy, English surgeon and anatomist (b. 1764)
*1873 – William Tite, English architect, designed the Royal Exchange (b. 1798)
*1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1817)
*1881 – William Burges