A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on April 20th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On April 20, 1657, a fleet of 23 British Royal Navy warships sailed boldly into the defended harbor at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, to attack a Spanish treasure fleet anchored there.
On April 20, 1657, the Dutch masters of the colony of New Amsterdam, later to become New York City, made the historic move of granting religious freedom to two dozen Jewish refugees that had fled oppression in Recife, New Holland, in 1654 when the Portuguese conquered that city.
On April 20, 1818, accused British murderer Abraham Thornton was set free after his accuser refused to fight him in a “trial by combat.”
On April 20, 1828, French explorer René Caillié became the first European to return alive from a visit to the ancient African city of Timbuktu.
On April 20, 1862, French scientists Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard proved that Aristotle was wrong!
On April 20, 1918, Baron Manfred von Richtofen shot down the last enemy airplanes of his short but spectacular career.
On April 20, 1968, Conservative Member of Parliament Enoch Powell delivered his famous “Rivers of Blood Speech” against the continued immigration of non-European colonials into Britain.
On April 20, 1999, two Colorado high school students alleged to have been the victims of bullies went on a murderous rampage at their own school, killing 13 and wounding 24!
On April 20, 1999, 12 students and one teacher were killed during a school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
On April 20, 2008, American race car driver and GoDaddy.com spokesperson Danica Patrick won the Japan Indy 300, thus becoming the first woman driver to win an IndyCar Series race.
On April 20, 2022, marijuana users celebrated a day that is commonly acknowledged as “Marijuana Day,” an unofficial holiday in which marijuana aficionados rally around their herb of choice and advocate for the legalization of recreational marijuana use and the associated decriminalization of the growing, possession, and use of the leaves of Cannabis sativa and its closely related kin, Cannabis indica, the scientific name of the plant we usually refer to as marijuana, weed, pot, or other euphemistic names.
On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, epic historical fiction action fans had their chance to be among the first in Cleveland, Ohio to see The Northman at 7:00 PM at Cinemark At Valley View and XD in Valley View, Ohio!
On April 20, 2023, the giant SpaceX Starship rocket booster vehicle proudly made its first flight, although the huge and hugely expensive rocket blew up only four minutes into that maiden flight!
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.