April 20 facts for kids

April 20th is a day filled with many different historical events, from important scientific discoveries to major moments in world history. It's a day when many famous people were born and when others passed away.

Events

Before 1600

• 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome, a famous university, was started by a special order from Pope Boniface VIII.

1601–1900

• 1653 – Oliver Cromwell ended England's Rump Parliament, a part of the government at the time.
• 1657 – English Admiral Robert Blake bravely destroyed a Spanish silver fleet in a battle near the shore at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
• 1657 – Jewish people in New Amsterdam (which is now New York City) were given the right to practice their religion freely.
• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The Siege of Boston began after the first battles of the war at Lexington and Concord. This was a big step in America's fight for independence.
• 1789 – George Washington arrived in Philadelphia on his way to become the first President of the United States.
• 1792 – France declared war on the "King of Hungary and Bohemia," starting the French Revolutionary Wars.
• 1828 – René Caillié became one of the first non-Muslim explorers to visit the famous city of Timbuktu and return safely.
• 1836 – The U.S. Congress created the Wisconsin Territory.
• 1859 – Daniel Sickles, a New York Congressman, was found not guilty of murder using the new legal defense of "temporary insanity."
• 1861 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee left the United States Army to lead the forces of Virginia.
• 1862 – Scientists Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard proved that living things don't just appear from nowhere, disproving the idea of spontaneous generation.
• 1865 – Astronomer Angelo Secchi showed off his new invention, the Secchi disk, which helps measure how clear water is.
• 1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signed a declaration of war against Spain, starting the Spanish–American War.

1901–present

• 1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie successfully made a purer form of radium chloride, a radioactive element.
• 1946 – The League of Nations, an organization created to promote world peace, officially ended. Most of its powers were given to the United Nations.
• 1961 – Cold War: An attempt by US-backed Cuban exiles to invade Cuba (known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion) failed.
• 1972 – Apollo program: The Apollo 16 Lunar Module, with astronauts John Young and Charles Duke, landed on the Moon.
• 2008 – Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female driver to win an Indy car race.
• 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a huge oil spill that lasted for six months.
• 2013 – A strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Lushan County, China, causing many deaths and injuries.
• 2020 – For the first time ever, oil prices dropped below zero, mainly due to a price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia.
• 2023 – SpaceX's Starship rocket, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, had its first test launch. It exploded a few minutes into its flight.

Births

Before 1600

• 1494 – Johannes Agricola, a German religious leader and reformer.
• 1586 – Rose of Lima, a Peruvian mystic and saint.

1601–1900

• 1633 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan.
• 1646 – Charles Plumier, a French botanist and writer.
• 1745 – Philippe Pinel, a French doctor who helped change how mental health was treated.
• 1808 – Napoleon III, a French politician who became the first President of France.
• 1839 – Carol I of Romania, the King of Romania.
• 1840 – Odilon Redon, a French painter and illustrator.
• 1850 – Daniel Chester French, an American sculptor who designed the famous Lincoln statue.
• 1879 – Paul Poiret, a famous French fashion designer.
• 1893 – Harold Lloyd, an American actor and comedian.
• 1893 – Joan Miró, a Spanish painter and sculptor.

1901–present

• 1908 – Lionel Hampton, a famous American vibraphone player and bandleader.
• 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, a Swedish physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1920 – John Paul Stevens, an American lawyer and judge who served on the Supreme Court of the United States.
• 1923 – Mother Angelica, an American nun who founded the Eternal Word Television Network.
• 1923 – Tito Puente, a well-known American drummer and music producer.
• 1924 – Nina Foch, a Dutch-American actress.
• 1924 – Leslie Phillips, an English actor and producer.
• 1927 – Phil Hill, an American race car driver.
• 1927 – K. Alex Müller, a Swiss physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1937 – George Takei, a popular American actor.
• 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, a Norwegian doctor and politician who became the Prime Minister of Norway.
• 1941 – Ryan O'Neal, an American actor.
• 1949 – Jessica Lange, a famous American actress.
• 1951 – Luther Vandross, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1955 – Donald Pettit, an American engineer and astronaut.
• 1955 – Svante Pääbo, a Swedish geneticist and Nobel Laureate.
• 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, a famous Russian ice hockey player.
• 1961 – Don Mattingly, an American baseball player and coach.
• 1964 – Crispin Glover, an American actor and filmmaker.
• 1964 – Andy Serkis, an English actor and director, known for motion-capture roles.
• 1967 – Mike Portnoy, an American drummer and songwriter.
• 1969 – Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian daredevil known for his extreme jumps.
• 1970 – Shemar Moore, an American actor.
• 1972 – Carmen Electra, an American model and actress.
• 1983 – Miranda Kerr, an Australian model.
• 1997 – Alexander Zverev, a German tennis player.

Deaths

Before 1600

• 689 – Cædwalla, a king of Wessex.
• 1099 – Peter Bartholomew, a French mystic.
• 1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, an English-Irish politician.
• 1248 – Güyük Khan, the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire.
• 1314 – Pope Clement V.
• 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, a German priest and religious leader.

1601–1900

• 1769 – Chief Pontiac, an important American tribal leader.
• 1831 – John Abernethy, an English surgeon and anatomist.
• 1873 – William Tite, an English architect who designed the Royal Exchange.
• 1899 – Joseph Wolf, a German ornithologist and illustrator.

1901–present

• 1912 – Bram Stoker, an Anglo-Irish novelist who created the famous character Count Dracula.
• 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, a German-American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, an Italian mathematician and philosopher.
• 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, a famous English fashion designer.
• 1947 – Christian X of Denmark, the King of Denmark.
• 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, an American poet and playwright.
• 1991 – Steve Marriott, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1991 – Don Siegel, an American film director.
• 1992 – Benny Hill, a well-known English comedian.
• 1993 – Cantinflas, a famous Mexican actor and comedian.
• 2003 – Bernard Katz, a German-English biophysicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 2010 – Dorothy Height, an American educator and civil rights activist.
• 2016 – Victoria Wood, a British comedian, actress, and writer.
• 2018 – Avicii, a Swedish DJ and musician.
• 2021 – Idriss Déby, a Chadian politician and military officer.

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Agnes of Montepulciano
  • Beuno
  • Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran)
  • Theotimos
  • April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)

See also

In Spanish: 20 de abril para niños