1828 On April 20, 1828, the French explorer René Caillié achieved a historic milestone by reaching Timbuktu in present-day Mali thus becoming the initial European to accomplish this feat and return to share his account. Caillié undertook his journey disguised as a Muslim pilgrim and spent several weeks in Timbuktu before resuming his travels. Upon returning to France, Caillié was honored with a 9,000-franc prize by the Société de Géographie in recognition of his remarkable achievement.
Below is a postcard showing the house where Caillié stayed in Timbuktu as it appeared in 1905–06.
1832 Franz Liszt became motivated to be the greatest pianist of his day after attending an April 20, 1832 charity concert, for the victims of a Parisian cholera epidemic, by the virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini. Afterwards, he often took to seclusion in his room, and was heard practicing for over ten hours a day.
1836 The United States acquired Wisconsin in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. In 1800, Wisconsin became part of Indiana Territory. Wisconsin Territory was created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1836. The new territory initially included all of the present day states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, as well as parts of North and South Dakota. Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. State in 1848
1841 Published on April 20, 1841, Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue was the first ever detective story. The short story established many tropes that would become common elements in mystery fiction: the eccentric but brilliant detective, the bumbling constabulary, the storytelling device where the detective announces his solution and then explains the reasoning leading up to it. Though widely read and admired, Murders in the Rue Morgue did not popularize the genre.
1862 In the early 1860s, people had thought it was chemical changes that made milk "go off" and spoil other beverages. Louis Pasteur's research showed that the growth of micro-organisms was responsible for spoiling drinks. With this established, he invented a process in which the beverage was heated killing the bacteria present in it without destroying its food value. The first pasteurization test was completed by Pasteur and Claude Bernard on April 20, 1862.
1884 Pope Leo XIII published the encyclical Humanum genus on April 20, 1884, in which he denounced Freemasonry as well as a number of beliefs and practices purportedly associated with it such as popular sovereignty and the separation of church and state. The Pope wrote: "As Our predecessors have many times repeated, let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them."
1889 Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (in present day Austria), close to the border with the German Empire. He was the fourth of six children of Alois Hitler, a petty clerk in the Austrian Customs Service, and Klara Pölzl, Alois' niece and third wife. A stone monument erected near the birthplace of Hitler in 1989 bears the lines "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy-Never Again Fascism-millions of dead are a warning."
1912 Bram Stoker, the Irish inventor of the Dracula character, died on April 20, 1912. Stoker was working as manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London and writing in his spare time. Inspired by a trip to Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast in 1890, Dracula was published on May 26, 1897. The novel has inspired countless adaptations in film, television, and other media, and the character of Dracula has become an enduring cultural icon.
1916 Baseball team, The Chicago Cubs, played their first game at what is now known as Wrigley Field on April 20, 1916. The park was actually called Weeghman Park at the time, named after its original owner, Charles Weeghman. The Cubs won the game, defeating the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 7-6 in 11 innings. It was re-named Wrigley Field in 1926 after chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. who became the majority owner of The Cubs in 1921.
1836 The United States acquired Wisconsin in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. In 1800, Wisconsin became part of Indiana Territory. Wisconsin Territory was created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1836. The new territory initially included all of the present day states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, as well as parts of North and South Dakota. Wisconsin was admitted as the 30th U.S. State in 1848
1841 Published on April 20, 1841, Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue was the first ever detective story. The short story established many tropes that would become common elements in mystery fiction: the eccentric but brilliant detective, the bumbling constabulary, the storytelling device where the detective announces his solution and then explains the reasoning leading up to it. Though widely read and admired, Murders in the Rue Morgue did not popularize the genre.
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| Poe's original manuscript for "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" |
1862 In the early 1860s, people had thought it was chemical changes that made milk "go off" and spoil other beverages. Louis Pasteur's research showed that the growth of micro-organisms was responsible for spoiling drinks. With this established, he invented a process in which the beverage was heated killing the bacteria present in it without destroying its food value. The first pasteurization test was completed by Pasteur and Claude Bernard on April 20, 1862.
1884 Pope Leo XIII published the encyclical Humanum genus on April 20, 1884, in which he denounced Freemasonry as well as a number of beliefs and practices purportedly associated with it such as popular sovereignty and the separation of church and state. The Pope wrote: "As Our predecessors have many times repeated, let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them."
1889 Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (in present day Austria), close to the border with the German Empire. He was the fourth of six children of Alois Hitler, a petty clerk in the Austrian Customs Service, and Klara Pölzl, Alois' niece and third wife. A stone monument erected near the birthplace of Hitler in 1989 bears the lines "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy-Never Again Fascism-millions of dead are a warning."
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| Adolf Hitler as an infant (c. 1889–90) |
1912 Bram Stoker, the Irish inventor of the Dracula character, died on April 20, 1912. Stoker was working as manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London and writing in his spare time. Inspired by a trip to Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast in 1890, Dracula was published on May 26, 1897. The novel has inspired countless adaptations in film, television, and other media, and the character of Dracula has become an enduring cultural icon.
1916 Baseball team, The Chicago Cubs, played their first game at what is now known as Wrigley Field on April 20, 1916. The park was actually called Weeghman Park at the time, named after its original owner, Charles Weeghman. The Cubs won the game, defeating the Cincinnati Reds by a score of 7-6 in 11 innings. It was re-named Wrigley Field in 1926 after chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. who became the majority owner of The Cubs in 1921.
1939 Billie Holiday was recording in the late 1930s when she was introduced to "Strange Fruit", a song based on a poem about lynching written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx. She laid it down for independent Commodore label on April 20, 1939. When Holiday's recording of "Strange Fruit" was first released, it was denounced by Time magazine as "A piece of musical propaganda." In 1999, the same publication voted “Strange Fruit” the Song of the Century.
1949 The Badminton Horse Trials were held for the first time on April 20, 1949. It was the second three-day show jumping event held in Britain, with the first being its inspiration – the 1948 Olympics and was won by John Shedden, on Golden Willow. Golden Willow, five years old at the time, is also the youngest horse to win, and wouldn’t qualify today as horses must be at least seven.
1964 "I Am Prepared to Die" was a three-hour address delivered by Nelson Mandela on April 20, 1964, during the Rivonia Trial. The speech derives its title from Mandela's closing statement, declaring, "it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." Regarded as one of the significant speeches of the 20th century, this moment stands as a pivotal episode in the narrative of South African democracy.
1964 The chocolate and hazelnut spread Nutella was invented in 1946 by Italian pastry maker Pietro Ferrero. At the time, there was very little chocolate as cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing, so Ferrero mixed hazelnuts into the chocolate calling it Supercrema. Ferrero's son Michele Ferrero revamped Supercrema with the intention of marketing it throughout Europe. Its composition was modified and it was renamed "Nutella". The first jar of Nutella left the company's Alba factory on April 20, 1964.
1967 In its early days, the orange juice industry was a flavorless flop. In 1944, after three years of research American scientists at the Florida Department of Citrus found a way to concentrate fruit juice in a vacuum and freeze it without destroying the flavor or vitamin content. Frozen concentrated juices were first sold in the United States the following year. Orange juice became the official state beverage of Florida on April 20, 1967.
1964 The chocolate and hazelnut spread Nutella was invented in 1946 by Italian pastry maker Pietro Ferrero. At the time, there was very little chocolate as cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing, so Ferrero mixed hazelnuts into the chocolate calling it Supercrema. Ferrero's son Michele Ferrero revamped Supercrema with the intention of marketing it throughout Europe. Its composition was modified and it was renamed "Nutella". The first jar of Nutella left the company's Alba factory on April 20, 1964.
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| By A. Kniesel - Wikipedia Commons |
1967 In its early days, the orange juice industry was a flavorless flop. In 1944, after three years of research American scientists at the Florida Department of Citrus found a way to concentrate fruit juice in a vacuum and freeze it without destroying the flavor or vitamin content. Frozen concentrated juices were first sold in the United States the following year. Orange juice became the official state beverage of Florida on April 20, 1967.
1968 On April 20, 1968, British Conservative MP Enoch Powell delivered a controversial speech, known as the "Rivers of Blood" speech, in which he spoke out against immigration and anti-discrimination legislation. The speech was widely criticized for its racist and inflammatory language, and it resulted in Powell's removal from his position in the shadow cabinet.
2010 An explosion on April 20, 2010, on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico ignited a fireball visible from 40 miles (64 km) away. The fire was inextinguishable and, two days later, the Horizon sank, leaving the oil well gushing at the seabed and causing the largest marine oil spill in history.
2015 On April 20, 2015, the second episode of the fifth season of the HBO TV drama series Game of Thrones was broadcast simultaneously in 173 different countries and territories, breaking the record for the largest simultaneous broadcast of a TV drama series. The episode, titled "The House of Black and White," was shown in 40 languages.
2021 Chad's president, Idriss Déby, ruled the country from December 1990, until April 20, 2021, surviving several coup attempts and civil war. On April 20, 2021, Déby was killed during a rebel offensive in the northern part of the country, leaving behind a complicated political and security situation in Chad.
2023 The SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 1 (IFT-1), which took place on April 20, 2023, marked the first time a fully assembled Starship spacecraft and its massive Super Heavy booster lifted off together. Briefly, the vehicle became the most powerful rocket ever flown, surpassing the Soviet N1 rocket's record that stood for over 50 years. It exploded almost four minutes into the flight after it reached a peak altitude of 24 miles (39 km).
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