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
Births
Deaths
Holidays and observances
See also

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.