April 20

April 20 in recent years

2024 (Saturday)

2023 (Thursday)

2022 (Wednesday)

2021 (Tuesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Saturday)

2018 (Friday)

2017 (Thursday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Monday)

April 20 is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 255 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII.
• 1453 – Three Genoese galleys and a Byzantine blockade runner fight their way through an Ottoman blockading fleet a few weeks before the fall of Constantinople.
• 1534 – Jacques Cartier begins his first voyage to what is today the east coast of Canada, the island of Newfoundland 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 the Battle of 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 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 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.
• 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.
• 1826 – Major Gordon Laing becomes the first non-Muslim to enter Timbuktu.
• 1828 – René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter, and the first to return from, Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing.
• 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 experiment falsifying 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.
• 1871 – The Civil Rights Act of 1871 becomes law.
• 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.
• 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, and Fenway Park in Boston.
• 1914 – Nineteen 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, 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.
• 1939 – Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday is celebrated as a national holiday in Nazi Germany.
• 1945 – World War II: US troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
• 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: 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 – 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.
• 1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 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.

Births

• 1492 – Pietro Aretino, Italian author, playwright, and poet (d. 1556)
• 1494 – Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (d. 1566)
• 1586 – Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (d. 1617)
• 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)
• 1772 – William Lawless, Irish revolutionary and French general (d. 1824)
• 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)
• 1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1916)
• 1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue (d. 1931)
• 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company (d. 1923)
• 1851 – Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (d. 1875)
• 1860 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (d. 1933)
• 1871 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (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 – Harold Bache, English cricketer and lieutenant (d. 1916)
• 1889 – A. J. Balaban, American businessman, co-founded Balaban and Katz (d. 1962)
• 1889 – Robert Butler, Australian tailor and politician (d. 1950)
• 1889 – Walter Costello, American gangster (d. 1917)
• 1889 – Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (d. 1918)
• 1889 – Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic (d. 1918)
• 1889 – S. W. Harrington, American football player, coach, and physician (d. 1975)
• 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-German soldier and politician, Chancellor of 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)
• 1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1971)
• 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1983)
• 1893 – Edna Parker, American super-centenarian (d. 2008)
• 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)
• 1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
• 1907 – Miran Bux, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1991)
• 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)
• 1913 – Roger Rochard, French runner (d. 1993)
• 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
• 1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African-American psychotherapist and physician (d. 1997)
• 1916 – Phil Walters, American race car driver and pilot (d. 2000)
• 1916 – Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress (d. 2004)
• 1918 – Edward L. Beach Jr., American captain and author (d. 2002)
• 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)
• 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State (d. 2000)
• 1920 – Ronald Speirs, American colonel (d. 2007)
• 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1921 – Janine Sutto, French-Canadian actress
• 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
• 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
• 1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (d. 2006)
• 1925 – Elena Verdugo, American actress
• 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 footballer (d. 2007)
• 1928 – Arvo Kruusement, Estonian actor and director
• 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
• 1931 – Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
• 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
• 1933 – Aimée Beekman, Estonian author
• 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
• 1936 – Christopher Robinson, English organist and conductor
• 1937 – George Takei, American actor
• 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
• 1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2011)
• 1937 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator (d. 2002)
• 1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter
• 1938 – Manfred Kinder, German runner
• 1938 – Peter Snow, British historian and journalist
• 1938 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
• 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
• 1941 – Ryan O'Neal, American actor
• 1942 – Giles Henderson, English lawyer and academic
• 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish journalist and author
• 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 – Alistair Cooke, Baron Lexden, English historian and author
• 1945 – Bobby Jameson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1945 – Judith O'Dea, American actress
• 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
• 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and coach
• 1945 – Naftali Temu, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
• 1946 – Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
• 1946 – Diane Elson, English sociologist and academic
• 1946 – Tommy Hutton, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 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 – Ken Scott, English record producer and engineer
• 1947 – Björn Skifs, Swedish singer-songwriter, actor, and screenwriter
• 1947 – Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
• 1947 – Andrew Tobias, American journalist and author
• 1948 – Craig Frost, American pianist and songwriter
• 1948 – Merlin Hay, 24th Earl of Erroll, Scottish colonel and politician, Lord High Constable of Scotland
• 1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor
• 1948 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (d. 2015)
• 1948 – Hugh Roberts, English historian and curator
• 1948 – Rémy Trudel, Canadian academic and politician
• 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 – Paul Heiney, English journalist and author
• 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
• 1950 – Steve Erickson, American author and critic
• 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
• 1950 – Robert Mair, English engineer and academic
• 1950 – N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
• 1950 – Milt Wilcox, American baseball player
• 1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
• 1952 – Andrew Jaspan, English-Australian journalist and academic
• 1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
• 1952 – Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball player and coach
• 1952 – Eric Pickles, English politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
• 1952 – J. Thiviyanathan, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician
• 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
• 1953 – Carrie Mae Weems, American photographer
• 1954 – Gilles Lupien, Canadian ice hockey player and agent
• 1954 – Peter Toohey, Australian cricketer
• 1955 – Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
• 1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for Justice
• 1956 – Kakha Bendukidze, Georgian economist and politician, Georgian Minister of Economy (d. 2014)
• 1957 – Aviva Chomsky, American historian and author
• 1957 – Geraint Wyn Davies, Welsh-American actor
• 1957 – Graeme Fowler, English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster
• 1957 – Bryan Illerbrun, Canadian football player (d. 2013)
• 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
• 1960 – Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach
• 1960 – Rodney Holman, American football player and coach
• 1961 – Frances Adamson, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to China
• 1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1961 – Corrado Micalef, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Mike Pniewski, American actor and public speaker
• 1962 – Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf, American comedian and actor (d. 2001)
• 1963 – Aubrey de Grey, English gerontologist and author
• 1963 – Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian race car driver
• 1963 – Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
• 1964 – John Carney, American football player
• 1964 – Crispin Glover, American actor
• 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 – Adrián Fernández, Mexican race car driver
• 1965 – April March, American singer-songwriter and animator
• 1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
• 1966 – David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
• 1966 – Vincent Riendeau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1967 – Mike Portnoy, American drummer
• 1968 – Julia Morris, Australian actress and producer
• 1968 – Yelena Välbe, Russian skier and manager
• 1968 – Roman Virastyuk, Ukrainian shot putter
• 1969 – Felix Baumgartner, Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper
• 1970 – Sarantuya, Mongolian soprano
• 1970 – Francis Campbell, Northern Irish academic and diplomat, British Ambassador to the Holy See
• 1970 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli singer-songwriter and bassist
• 1970 – Sarah Gavron, English director and producer
• 1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
• 1971 – Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer, physiologist, and academic
• 1971 – Allan Houston, American basketball player and manager
• 1971 – Nikos Kyzeridis, Greek footballer
• 1971 – John Senden, Australian golfer
• 1972 – Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer, coach, and manager
• 1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
• 1972 – Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer-songwriter, and producer
• 1972 – Marko Kon, Serbian singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Stephen Marley, American singer, guitarist, and producer
• 1973 – Todd Hollandsworth American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1973 – Geoff Lloyd, English radio host
• 1973 – Lamond Murray, American basketball player
• 1974 – Tina Cousins, English singer-songwriter and model
• 1974 – Urmas Paet, Estonian journalist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1975 – Benjamin Butler, American painter
• 1976 – Aldo Bobadilla, Paraguayan footballer
• 1976 – Shay Given, Irish footballer and manager
• 1976 – Joey Lawrence, American actor, game show host and singer
• 1976 – Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Lenka Němečková, Czech tennis player
• 1977 – Jon Hugger, American wrestler
• 1977 – Meelis Rooba, Estonian footballer and manager
• 1978 – Clayne Crawford, American actor, director, and producer
• 1978 – Rebecca Makkai, American novelist and short story writer
• 1978 – Mirei Kuroda, Japanese model and actress
• 1979 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer and coach
• 1979 – Nate Marquardt, American mixed martial artist
• 1979 – Tatyana Polnova, Russian pole vaulter
• 1979 – Gregor Tait, Scottish swimmer
• 1980 – Gunta Baško, Latvian basketball player
• 1980 – Chris Duffy, American baseball player
• 1980 – Arin Paul, Indian director and screenwriter
• 1982 – Jacqueline Govaert, Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1982 – Sayaka Kamiya, Japanese actress and model
• 1982 – Dario Knežević, Croatian footballer
• 1982 – Alar Varrak, Estonian basketball player and coach
• 1983 – Danny Granger, American basketball player
• 1983 – Sebastian Ingrosso, Swedish DJ and producer
• 1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
• 1983 – Patrice M'Bock, Cameroonian footballer
• 1983 – Erik Segerstedt, Swedish singer
• 1983 – Yuri van Gelder, Dutch gymnast
• 1984 – Nelson Évora, Ivorian-Portuguese triple jumper
• 1984 – Edixon Perea, Colombian footballer
• 1984 – Jenna Shoemaker, American triathlete
• 1984 – Harris Wittels, American comedian, writer, and actor (d. 2015)
• 1985 – Curt Hawkins, American wrestler
• 1985 – Brent Seabrook, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1986 – Cameron Duncan, New Zealand director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1988 – Brandon Belt, American baseball player
• 1989 – Heejun Han, South Korean-American singer and actor
• 1989 – Sergei Zenjov, Estonian footballer
• 1990 – Luhan, Chinese singer, dancer, and actor
• 1991 – Luke Kuechly, American football player
• 1992 – Kristian Álvarez, Mexican footballer
• 1992 – Marko Meerits, Estonian footballer
• 1993 – Kurtis Gabriel, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1995 – Jean Marie Dongou, Cameroonian footballer

Deaths

• 689 – Cædwalla, king of Wessex (b. 659)
• 767 – Taichō, Japanese monk (b. 682)
• 888 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 862)
• 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)
• 1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
• 1521 – Zhengde, Chinese emperor (b. 1491)
• 1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr (b. 1506)
• 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German priest and theologian (b. 1485)
• 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, English architect and designer (b. 1827)
• 1886 – Charles-François-Frédéric, marquis de Montholon-Sémonville, French general and diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1814)
• 1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Greek-Egyptian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1826)
• 1899 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (b. 1820)
• 1902 – Joaquim de Sousa Andrade, Brazilian poet and educator (b. 1833)
• 1912 – Bram Stoker, Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847)
• 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
• 1927 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1866)
• 1929 – Prince Henry of Prussia (b. 1862)
• 1931 – Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, Scottish-English fencer and businessman (b. 1862)
• 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1858)
• 1935 – John Cameron, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1872)
• 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (b. 1863)
• 1942 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, 6th State Elder of Estonia (b. 1870)
• 1944 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and pilot (b. 1917)
• 1945 – Erwin Bumke, Polish-German jurist and politician (b. 1874)
• 1946 – Mae Busch, Australian actress (b. 1891)
• 1947 – Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
• 1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician, 25th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
• 1961 – Ado Vabbe, Estonian painter (b. 1892)
• 1964 – Eddie Dyer, American baseball player and manager (b. 1899)
• 1967 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1896)
• 1968 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (b. 1877)
• 1969 – Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian war criminal and Porajmos perpetrator (b. 1911)
• 1975 – John Vachon, American photographer (b.1914)
• 1980 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1924)
• 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (b. 1892)
• 1986 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (b. 1916)
• 1989 – Doru Davidovici, Romanian pilot (b. 1945)
• 1990 – Arnold Alas, Estonian soldier and architect (b. 1911)
• 1991 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (Small Faces and Humble Pie) (b. 1947)
• 1991 – Don Siegel, American director and producer (b. 1912)
• 1992 – Marcel Albers, Dutch race car driver (b. 1967)
• 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
• 1993 – Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
• 1994 – Jean Carmet, French actor (b. 1920)
• 1996 – Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1918)
• 1996 – Christopher Robin Milne, English bookseller (b. 1920)
• 1999 – Casualties of the Columbine High School massacre:
  • Cassie Bernall, American student (b. 1981)
  • Eric Harris, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
  • Dylan Klebold, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
  • Rachel Scott, American student, inspired the Rachel's Challenge (b. 1981)
• 1999 – Rick Rude, American wrestler and sportscaster (b. 1958)
• 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-songwriter (b. 1948)
• 2003 – Ruth Hale, American actress and playwright (b. 1908)
• 2003 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
• 2003 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
• 2004 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (b. 1956)
• 2005 – Zygfryd Blaut, Polish footballer (b. 1943)
• 2005 – Ea Jansen, Estonian historian and author (b. 1921)
• 2005 – Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (b. 1904)
• 2007 – Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Fred Fish, American computer programmer (b. 1952)
• 2007 – Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931)
• 2008 – Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1923)
• 2008 – VL Mike, American rapper (b. 1976)
• 2009 – Beata Asimakopoulou, Greek actress (b. 1932)
• 2010 – Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (b. 1912)
• 2011 – Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
• 2011 – Chris Hondros, American photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
• 2011 – Madelyn Pugh, American writer (b. 1921)
• 2011 – Gerard Smith, American guitarist (b. 1974)
• 2012 – Mario Arturo Acosta Chaparro, Mexican general (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Jack Ashley, Baron Ashley of Stoke, English soldier and politician (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Matt Branam, American engineer and academic (b. 1954)
• 2012 – George Cowan, American chemist, businessman, and philanthropist (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Glenn Cannon, American actor and director (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Peter Kane Dufault, American soldier and poet (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Jocasta Innes, Chinese-English journalist and author (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Rick Mather, American-English architect (b. 1937)
• 2013 – Howard Phillips, American politician (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Nosher Powell, English actor and boxer (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Mithat Bayrak, Turkish wrestler and trainer (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Torrey C. Brown, American physician and politician (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Alistair MacLeod, Canadian novelist and short story writer(b. 1936)
• 2014 – Benedikt Sarnov, Russian author and critic (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Peter Scoones, English photographer and cinematographer (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Richard Anthony, Egyptian-French singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
• 2015 – Doug Buffone, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1944)
• 2015 – Aharon Lichtenstein, French-Israeli rabbi and author (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Frederic Morton, Austrian-American banker, journalist, and author (b. 1924)
• 2015 – Bob St. Clair, American football player and politician (b. 1931)
• 2016 – Leonie Kramer, Australian academic (b. 1924)
• 2016 – Chyna, American wrestler (b. 1969)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Agnes of Montepulciano
  • Blessed Oda of Brabant
  • Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran)
  • Theotimos
  • April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• 420 (cannabis culture) (International)
• UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History