April 20
1769 - Ottawa Indian chief Pontiac was murdered.
1792 - France declared war on Austria, marking the start of the French Revolutionary wars.
1812 - Vice President George Clinton, a former New York governror, died at age 72, becoming the first vice president to die while in office. (Clinton served as vice president to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; he was succeeded as vice president by Elbridge Gerry.)
1836 - The Wisconsin Territory was established by Congress.
1841 - The first detective story, Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue, was published.
1863 - President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation admitting West Virginia to the Union effective in 60 days (June 20, 1863).
1889 - Adolf Hilter, the Nazi dictator of Germany who led his country into World War II and was responsible for persecuting millions of Jews, was born in Braunau, Austria.
1902 - Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.
1914 - The Ludlow Massacre took place when the Colorado National Guard opened fire on a tent colony of striking miners; about 20 (accounts vary) strikers, women and children died.
1940 - RCA publicly demonstrated its new electron microscope.
1945 - During World War II, Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart.
1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the practice of busing for racial desegregation.
1980 - The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.
1986 - Following an absence of six decades, Russian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz performed in the Soviet Union to a packed audience at the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.
1988 - Gunmen who had hijacked a Kuwait Airways jumbo jet were allowed safe passage out of Algeria under an agreement that freed the remaining 31 hostages and ended a 15-day siege in which two passengers were slain.
1999 - Fourteen students (including the killers) and one teacher were killed and 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in what was the nation's deadliest school shooting.
2003 - U.S. Army forces took control of Baghdad from the Marines in a changing of the guard that thinned the military presence in Iraq's capital city.
2010 - An explosion on a BP oil drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana kills 11 people and injures 17. Experts estimated that 13,000 gallons of crude oil per hour poured into the Gulf of Mexico as a result. (Nearly 200 million gallons of crude would flow into the gulf over the next three months.)
2011 - The U.S. government announced new protections for air travelers when airlines lose their bags, bump them off flights or hold them on the runway for hours.
2016 - Five former New Orleans police officers pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the deadly shootings on a bridge in the days following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
2016 - Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced that Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist born into slavery, would be the new face on the $20 bill, replacing President Andrew Jackson. (The redesign of the bill was delayed during the administration of President Donald Trump, who had called the move “pure political correctness”; the effort was resumed by the Biden administration.)
2016 - Professional wrestler "Chyna" (Joanie Marie Laurer) was found dead in her Redondo Beach, California apartment at age 46.
2020 - Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced plans to restart the state’s economy by lifting some coronavirus restrictions before the end of the week; the plan would allow gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen as long as owners follow strict requirements. Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top authority on infectious diseases, warned again that resuming business too soon risked a fresh spike in virus infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and disinfectants were up about 20 percent in the first three months of the year; researchers believed it was related to the coronavirus epidemic.
Birthdays
21 - Madi Krstevski (singer)
27 - Neta Alchimister (model)
30 - Luke Kuechly (football player)
32 - Carlos Valdes (actor)
37 - Tim Jo (actor)
38 - Miranda Kerr (model)
43 - Clayne Crawford (actor)
45 - Joey Lawrence (actor)
49 - Stephen Marley (singer)
49 - Carmen Electra (actress/model)
51 - Shemar Moore (actor)
52 - Wade Hayes (country singer)
53 - William deVry (actor)
57 - Rosalynn Summers (figure skater)
57 - Andy Serkis (actor)
57 - Crispin Glover (actor)
62 - Clint Howard (actor)
72 - Veronica Cartwright (actress)
72 - Jessica Lange (actress)
73 - Gregory Itzin (actor)
76 - Judith O'Dea (actress)
80 - Ryan O'Neal (actor)
83 - Johnny Tillotson (singer)
84 - George Takei (actor)
97 - Leslie Phillips (actress)
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Today in Sports History - April 20
1912 - The Boston Red Sox played their first game at Fenway Park, beating the New York Highlanders (Yankees) 7-6.
1912 - The original Tiger Stadium opened in Detroit where the Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 6-5. (The stadium saw its final game in 1999.)
1916 - The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park); the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.
1939 - Future Hall of Famer Ted Williams made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
1944 - The NFL legalizes coaching from the bench.
1945 - The Cleveland Browns organization is formed by Arthur "Mickey" McBride.
1958 - The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins for their third straight Stanley Cup.
1982 - The Atlanta Braves become the first team to open a season with 12 consecutive wins.
1986 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls sets an NBA playoff scoring record with 63 points in a game against the Boston Celtics.
1988 - The Baltimore Orioles set a major league record for worst start to a season when they lose their 14th consecutive game. (The Orioles would go 0-21 before winning their first game of the year.)
1996 - The Chicago Bulls establish a new mark for best record in NBA history, going 72-10 in the regular season, breaking the mark of 69-13 set by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. (The Golden State Warriors would break this record in 2016, going 73-9.)
1996 - The New York Jets select USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
1996 - The following Huskers were selected in the 1996 NFL Draft: RB - Lawrence Phillips (1st round, 6th pick, St. Louis Rams); CB - Tyrone Williams (3rd round, Green Bay Packers); C - Aaron Graham (4th round, Arizona Cardinals); DT - Christian Peter (5th round, New England Patriots); LB - Doug Colman (6th round, New York Giants); and S - Tony Veland (6th round, Denver Broncos).
1997 - The Chicago Cubs win their first game of the season, defeating the New York Mets, to snap a National League record 0-14 start to the season.
2002 - The Houston Texans select Fresno State quarterback David Carr with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2002 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2002 NFL Draft: OG - Toniu Fonoti (2nd round, San Diego Chargers); QB/WR - Eric Crouch (3rd round, St. Louis Rams); CB - Keyuo Craver (4th round, New Orleans Saints); and TE- Tracey Wistrom (7th round, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
2003 - The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 2-1 in the third overtime to win the series 4-2. It was the first time in the 11-year history of the Tampa Bay franchise that they advanced in the playoffs.
2008 - Danica Patrick won the Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race.
1769 - Ottawa Indian chief Pontiac was murdered.
1792 - France declared war on Austria, marking the start of the French Revolutionary wars.
1812 - Vice President George Clinton, a former New York governror, died at age 72, becoming the first vice president to die while in office. (Clinton served as vice president to both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison; he was succeeded as vice president by Elbridge Gerry.)
1836 - The Wisconsin Territory was established by Congress.
1841 - The first detective story, Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue, was published.
1863 - President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation admitting West Virginia to the Union effective in 60 days (June 20, 1863).
1889 - Adolf Hilter, the Nazi dictator of Germany who led his country into World War II and was responsible for persecuting millions of Jews, was born in Braunau, Austria.
1902 - Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.
1914 - The Ludlow Massacre took place when the Colorado National Guard opened fire on a tent colony of striking miners; about 20 (accounts vary) strikers, women and children died.
1940 - RCA publicly demonstrated its new electron microscope.
1945 - During World War II, Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart.
1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the practice of busing for racial desegregation.
1980 - The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.
1986 - Following an absence of six decades, Russian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz performed in the Soviet Union to a packed audience at the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.
1988 - Gunmen who had hijacked a Kuwait Airways jumbo jet were allowed safe passage out of Algeria under an agreement that freed the remaining 31 hostages and ended a 15-day siege in which two passengers were slain.
1999 - Fourteen students (including the killers) and one teacher were killed and 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, in what was the nation's deadliest school shooting.
2003 - U.S. Army forces took control of Baghdad from the Marines in a changing of the guard that thinned the military presence in Iraq's capital city.
2010 - An explosion on a BP oil drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana kills 11 people and injures 17. Experts estimated that 13,000 gallons of crude oil per hour poured into the Gulf of Mexico as a result. (Nearly 200 million gallons of crude would flow into the gulf over the next three months.)
2011 - The U.S. government announced new protections for air travelers when airlines lose their bags, bump them off flights or hold them on the runway for hours.
2016 - Five former New Orleans police officers pleaded guilty to lesser charges in the deadly shootings on a bridge in the days following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
2016 - Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced that Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist born into slavery, would be the new face on the $20 bill, replacing President Andrew Jackson. (The redesign of the bill was delayed during the administration of President Donald Trump, who had called the move “pure political correctness”; the effort was resumed by the Biden administration.)
2016 - Professional wrestler "Chyna" (Joanie Marie Laurer) was found dead in her Redondo Beach, California apartment at age 46.
2020 - Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp announced plans to restart the state’s economy by lifting some coronavirus restrictions before the end of the week; the plan would allow gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen as long as owners follow strict requirements. Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top authority on infectious diseases, warned again that resuming business too soon risked a fresh spike in virus infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and disinfectants were up about 20 percent in the first three months of the year; researchers believed it was related to the coronavirus epidemic.
Birthdays
21 - Madi Krstevski (singer)
27 - Neta Alchimister (model)
30 - Luke Kuechly (football player)
32 - Carlos Valdes (actor)
37 - Tim Jo (actor)
38 - Miranda Kerr (model)
43 - Clayne Crawford (actor)
45 - Joey Lawrence (actor)
49 - Stephen Marley (singer)
49 - Carmen Electra (actress/model)
51 - Shemar Moore (actor)
52 - Wade Hayes (country singer)
53 - William deVry (actor)
57 - Rosalynn Summers (figure skater)
57 - Andy Serkis (actor)
57 - Crispin Glover (actor)
62 - Clint Howard (actor)
72 - Veronica Cartwright (actress)
72 - Jessica Lange (actress)
73 - Gregory Itzin (actor)
76 - Judith O'Dea (actress)
80 - Ryan O'Neal (actor)
83 - Johnny Tillotson (singer)
84 - George Takei (actor)
97 - Leslie Phillips (actress)
=======================================
Today in Sports History - April 20
1912 - The Boston Red Sox played their first game at Fenway Park, beating the New York Highlanders (Yankees) 7-6.
1912 - The original Tiger Stadium opened in Detroit where the Tigers defeated the Cleveland Indians, 6-5. (The stadium saw its final game in 1999.)
1916 - The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park); the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.
1939 - Future Hall of Famer Ted Williams made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
1944 - The NFL legalizes coaching from the bench.
1945 - The Cleveland Browns organization is formed by Arthur "Mickey" McBride.
1958 - The Montreal Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins for their third straight Stanley Cup.
1982 - The Atlanta Braves become the first team to open a season with 12 consecutive wins.
1986 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls sets an NBA playoff scoring record with 63 points in a game against the Boston Celtics.
1988 - The Baltimore Orioles set a major league record for worst start to a season when they lose their 14th consecutive game. (The Orioles would go 0-21 before winning their first game of the year.)
1996 - The Chicago Bulls establish a new mark for best record in NBA history, going 72-10 in the regular season, breaking the mark of 69-13 set by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. (The Golden State Warriors would break this record in 2016, going 73-9.)
1996 - The New York Jets select USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
1996 - The following Huskers were selected in the 1996 NFL Draft: RB - Lawrence Phillips (1st round, 6th pick, St. Louis Rams); CB - Tyrone Williams (3rd round, Green Bay Packers); C - Aaron Graham (4th round, Arizona Cardinals); DT - Christian Peter (5th round, New England Patriots); LB - Doug Colman (6th round, New York Giants); and S - Tony Veland (6th round, Denver Broncos).
1997 - The Chicago Cubs win their first game of the season, defeating the New York Mets, to snap a National League record 0-14 start to the season.
2002 - The Houston Texans select Fresno State quarterback David Carr with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2002 - The following Huskers were selected in the 2002 NFL Draft: OG - Toniu Fonoti (2nd round, San Diego Chargers); QB/WR - Eric Crouch (3rd round, St. Louis Rams); CB - Keyuo Craver (4th round, New Orleans Saints); and TE- Tracey Wistrom (7th round, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
2003 - The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 2-1 in the third overtime to win the series 4-2. It was the first time in the 11-year history of the Tampa Bay franchise that they advanced in the playoffs.
2008 - Danica Patrick won the Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race.