April 20
Events
Pre-1600
- 1152 - After an eight-year conflict, Baldwin III of Jerusalem wins sole control of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from his mother Melisende.
- 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.
- 1752 - Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War.
- 1770 - The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
- 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.
- 1908 - Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.
- 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.
- 1949 - Amethyst incident: The People's Liberation Army attacks travelling to the British embassy in Nanjing during the Chinese Civil War.
- 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 J.G. Strijdom Airport in South West Africa, 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 14 people and injure 23 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
- 2004 - The Nicoll Highway in Singapore collapsed, killing four workers.
- 2007 - Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips barricades himself with a handgun 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 lasted 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 at least 193 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, an effect of the 2020 Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war.
- 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.
- 2023 - SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time. It explodes four minutes into flight.
Births
Pre-1600
- 1494 - Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer
- 1544 - Renata of Lorraine, Duchess consort of Bavaria
- 1586 - Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint
1601–1900
- 1633 - Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan
- 1646 - Charles Plumier, French botanist and author
- 1650 - William Bedloe, English spy
- 1718 - David Brainerd, American missionary
- 1723 - Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician
- 1727 - Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian minister and diplomat
- 1745 - Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist
- 1748 - Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian
- 1808 - Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France, Emperor of French Second Empire
- 1816 - Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer
- 1818 - Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and engineer
- 1826 - Dinah Craik, English author and poet
- 1839 - Carol I of Romania, King of Romania
- 1840 - Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator
- 1850 - Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue
- 1851 - Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist
- 1851 - Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company
- 1860 - Justinien de Clary, French target shooter
- 1871 - Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant
- 1873 - James Harcourt, English character actor
- 1875 - Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet and lawyer
- 1879 - Paul Poiret, French fashion designer
- 1882 - Holland Smith, American general
- 1884 - Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
- 1884 - Oliver Kirk, American boxer
- 1884 - Daniel Varoujan, Armenian poet and educator
- 1889 - Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, lawyer, and activist
- 1889 - Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland
- 1889 - Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic
- 1889 - Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany
- 1889 - Tonny Kessler, Dutch footballer
- 1890 - Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec
- 1890 - Adolf Schärf, Austrian soldier and politician, 6th President of Austria
- 1891 - Dave Bancroft, American baseball player and manager
- 1893 - Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer
- 1893 - Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor
- 1895 - Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist
- 1899 - Alan Arnett McLeod, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient
1901–present
- 1904 - Bruce Cabot, American actor
- 1907 - Miran Bakhsh, Pakistani cricketer
- 1907 - Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek bishop
- 1908 - Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader, and actor
- 1910 - Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician
- 1913 - Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor and poet
- 1913 - Willi Hennig, German biologist and entomologist
- 1914 - Betty Lou Gerson, American actress
- 1915 - Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist and physician
- 1916 - Yoko Matsuoka, Japanese writer
- 1916 - Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress
- 1918 - Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1919 - Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot
- 1920 - Frances Ames, South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist
- 1920 - Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State
- 1920 - John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
- 1921 - Katarína Kolníková, Slovak actress
- 1923 - Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network
- 1923 - Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator
- 1923 - Tito Puente, American drummer and producer
- 1924 - Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress
- 1924 - Leslie Phillips, English actor and producer
- 1924 - Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
- 1925 - Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach
- 1925 - Elena Verdugo, American actress
- 1927 - Bud Cullen, Canadian judge and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration
- 1927 - Phil Hill, American race car driver
- 1927 - K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1928 - Robert Byrne, American chess player and author
- 1928 - Johnny Gavin, Irish international footballer
- 1930 - Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor
- 1930 - Antony Jay, English director and screenwriter
- 1931 - Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician
- 1931 - John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
- 1932 - Myriam Bru, French actress
- 1936 - Lisa Davis, English-American actress
- 1936 - Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese technician, surveyor, and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
- 1936 - Pat Roberts, American captain, journalist, and politician
- 1937 - Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1937 - Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator
- 1937 - George Takei, American actor
- 1938 - Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter
- 1938 - Manfred Kinder, German runner
- 1938 - Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress
- 1938 - Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter
- 1939 - Peter S. Beagle, American author and screenwriter
- 1939 - Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway-
- 1940 - James Gammon, American actor
- 1941 - Ryan O'Neal, American actor
- 1943 - Alan Beith, English academic and politician
- 1943 - John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor and director
- 1944 - Toivo Aare, Estonian journalist and author
- 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
- 1945 - Steve Spurrier, American football player and coach
- 1946 - Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1947 - Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian economist and politician
- 1947 - Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
- 1947 - Niko Lekishvili, Georgian politician
- 1948 - Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic
- 1949 - Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
- 1949 - Toller Cranston, Canadian-Mexican figure skater and painter
- 1949 - Massimo D'Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1949 - Jessica Lange, American actress
- 1950 - Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician
- 1950 - N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
- 1951 - Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1952 - Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
- 1953 - Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
- 1953 - James Chance, American musician
- 1955 - Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
- 1955 - Svante Pääbo, Swedish geneticist and Nobel Laureate
- 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
- 1958 - Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 - Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player
- 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 - Crispin Glover, American actor and filmmaker
- 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
- 1965 - Mark Mallia, Maltese painter and sculptor
- 1966 - David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1966 - David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
- 1967 – Lara Jill Miller, American actress
- 1967 - Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter
- 1968 - Julia Morris, Australian entertainer
- 1969 - Felix Baumgartner, Austrian daredevil
- 1969 - Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania
- 1970 - Shemar Moore, American actor
- 1971 - Allan Houston, American basketball player
- 1972 - Carmen Electra, American model and actress
- 1972 - Stephen Marley, Jamaican-American musician
- 1973 - Julie Powell, American food writer and memoirist
- 1974 - Randy Fine, American politician and former gambling industry executive
- 1975 - Killer Mike, American rapper
- 1978 - Carl Greenidge, English cricketer
- 1980 - Emma Husar, Australian politician
- 1983 - Miranda Kerr, Australian model
- 1984 - Harris Wittels, American comedian
- 1987 - Jorge Pinto, Portuguese politician
- 1988 - Brandon Belt, American baseball player
- 1989 - Vannesa Rosales, Venezuelan activist and teacher
- 1990 - Kyle Higashioka, American baseball player
- 1990 - Jason Behrendorff, Australian cricketer
- 1991 - Luke Kuechly, American football player
- 1997 - Alexander Zverev, German tennis player
- 2005 - Tallyn Da Silva, Australian rugby league player