Holidays Calendar for April 20, 2024
Hardware Freedom Day is an annual event held on the third Saturday of April. It was initiated by the Digital Freedom Foundation in order to raise awareness of free/open-source hardware and encourage users to contribute.
World Circus Day is an annual holiday dedicated to circus as an art form. It has been celebrated on the third Saturday of April every year since 2010. The holiday was initiated by the European Circus Association and the World Circus Federation.
Losing both parents is one of the worst things that can happen to a child. There are hundreds of millions of orphans in the world who need someone to take care of them. Two observances named World Orphans Day have been established to raise awareness of their plight; the first is observed on April 20 and the second on the second Monday of November.
International Cli-Fi Day, also known as Climate Fiction Day, is observed annually on April 20. It was created to celebrate climate fiction, a genre of literature that deals with climate change and its impacts on the environment and society.
Justice Authorities Employees Day is one of the official professional holidays in Tajikistan. It was established by the Law on Holidays adopted in 1995. Originally celebrated on the second Sunday of October, it was moved to April 20 in 2022.
Post Office Day, formerly known as Communications Day, is observed in Japan on April 20. It commemorates the establishment of the country’s first modern postal service in 1871.
National Death Doula Day is observed annually on April 20. It was created to recognize and celebrate people who provide holistic support for the dying and their families.
On the third Saturday in April, Ukraine celebrates Environment Day. This annual ecological observance was established in 1999 by President Leonid Kuchma.
Record Store Day is an annual event held on the third Saturday in April. It focuses on celebrating the culture of independently owned record stores.
Chinese Language Day is an annual observance held on April 20. It was established in 2010 by the UNESCO along with the rest of the official Language Days in the United Nations. These Days focus on promoting multilingualism and cultural diversity.
Dushanbe Day, also known as Tajikistan Capital Day, is an official holiday in the Republic of Tajikistan. It is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of April.
April 20 is a counterculture holiday dedicated to smoking and celebrating cannabis. It is typically written as 420 or 4/20.
April 20 is National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. It's time to enjoy a delightful and delicious masterpiece.
Volunteer Recognition Day is an unofficial celebration honoring the people who selflessly help those in need. It is celebrated annually on April 20.
If you love the delicious combination of crispy French fries and cheddar cheese, you should celebrate National Cheddar Fries Day on April 20. This holiday is a perfect day to indulge in cheesy goodness without feeling the tiniest bit of guilt.
On April 20, Russia celebrates National Donor Day. This date was chosen to commemorate the first successful blood transfusion in Russia, which took place on April 20, 1832. It was performed by a young obstetrician Andrey Wolf to save the life of a woman in labor who had an obstetric hemorrhage.
National Consumer Day (Hari Konsumen Nasional) is observed in Indonesia annually on April 20. It was established in 2012 to raise consumer rights awareness and commemorate the adoption of Law on Consumer Protection.
Festivals on April 20, 2024
- Scallop Festival in Brittany in Paimpol, France
- Columbus International Film & Animation Festival in Columbus, USA
- Weifang International Kite Festival in Weifang, China
- Batabano Carnival in George Town, Cayman Islands
- Great Plains Renaissance & Scottish Festival in Wichita, USA
- Stuttgart Spring Festival in Stuttgart, Germany
- Moors and Christians of Alcoy in Alcoy, Spain
- Venice Art Biennale in Venice, Italy
- New England Folk Festival in Marlborough, USA
- Moscow International Film Festival in Moscow, Russia
- East European Comic Con in Bucharest, Romania
- Dubai Food Festival in Dubai, UAE
- Texas SandFest in Port Aransas, USA
- Kaunas Jazz in Kaunas, Lithuania
- Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, USA
This Day in History
- 2023 SpaceX performed the first integrated flight test of the SpaceX Starship launch vehicle. The prototype vehicle was destroyed less than four minutes after lifting off.
- 2021 Former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter of George Floyd.
- 2020 The price of WTI crude oil for May delivery fell into negative territory (-$37/bbl) for the first time in recorded history due during the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war.
- 2018 Died: Avicii, Swedish musician, DJ, remixer and record producer. He rose to prominence in 2011 with his breakthrough single "Levels".
- 2013 An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck Lushan County, Ya'an, in the Sichuan province of China. More than 150 people were killed and thousands were injured.
- 2012 A plane crashed in a residential area near the Benzair Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, Pakistan. All 121 passengers and entire crew of 6 members died.
- 2010 The oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. 11 workers were killed. The explosion began an 87-day oil spill that became the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
- 2003 Died: Bernard Katz, German biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate for his work on nerve biochemistry.
- 2002 Died: Pierre Rapsat, Belgian singer-songwriter, who had a very successful career in Belgium and other francophone countries. He is best remembered for participating in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest.
- 2001 Born: Ian Alexander, American actor, known for their roles as Buck Vu on The OA, Lev in The Last of Us Part II, and Gray Tal on Star Trek: Discovery.
- 1999 Two American high school seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 people and injured 21 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
- 1992 Died: Benny Hill, English comedian remembered for his television program, The Benny Hill Show, an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double entendre.
- 1991 Died: Don Siegel, American director and producer, best known for his films Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz, and The Shootist.
- 1985 Born: Billy Magnussen, American actor known for his roles in the films Into the Woods, Bridge of Spies, Game Night, Aladdin, The Many Saints of Newark, and No Time to Die.
- 1983 Born: Miranda Kerr, Australian model who rose to prominence in 2007 as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. She was the first Australian Victoria's Secret model.
- 1972 Born: Tara Leigh Patrick, better known by her stage name Carmen Electra, American model, actress, and singer. She became popular for her appearances in the Playboy magazine and on Baywatch.
- 1964 Born: Crispin Glover, American actor, filmmaker and artist, known or portraying eccentric character roles. His breakout role was as George McFly in Back to the Future.
- 1964 Born: Andy Serkis, English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion-capture roles such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy.
- 1951 Romanian surgeon Dan Gavriliu made the first successful surgical replacement of a human organ. Dan didn't extensively describe his research as he couldn't pay the publication fees.
- 1949 Born: Jessica Lange, American actress. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she has received numerous accolades and is one of the few performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
- 1946 The League of Nations was officially dissolved; most of its power was given to the United Nations.
- 1943 Born: Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress, best known as one of Andy Warhol's superstars. Sedgwick's career declined when she was estranged from Warhol's circle
- 1937 Born: George Takei, American actor, author, and activist known for his breakout role as Hikaru Sulu in the Star Trek franchise. He is a prominent proponent of LGBT and immigrant rights.
- 1935 Died: Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, leading English fashion designer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was widely acknowledged as an innovator in couture styles and fashion industry public relations.
- 1927 Born: Karl Alexander Müller, Swiss physicist, Nobel Prize laureate for his work on superconductivity in ceramic materials.
- 1918 Died: Karl Ferdinand Braun, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate for his contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy.
- 1918 Born: Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate for his work in laser spectroscopy. He developed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
- 1912 Died: Bram Stoker, Irish author, best known for his Gothic novel Dracula. During his lifetime he worked as a personal assistant of actor Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.
- 1893 Born: Harold Lloyd, American actor, producer, and stunt performer, best known for his silent comedy films. He is regarded as one of the most popular and influential film comedians of the silent film era, alongside Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
- 1889 Born: Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician, Chancellor of Germany and the dictator of Nazi Germany. He was the central person of Nazi Germany, World War II in Europe, and the Holocaust.
- 1873 Died: William Tite, English architect, designer of many London buildings, including the Royal Exchange, railway stations and cemeteries.
- 1808 Born: Napoleon III, the first President of the French Second Republic and the Emperor of the Second French Empire.
- 1796 Died: Chief Pontiac, American tribal leader, noted for his role in Pontiac's War. Today he is generally viewed as an important local leader who influenced a wider movement that he did not command.
- 1792 France declared war against Francis II, the King of Hungary and Bohemia, beginning the French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1745 Born: Philippe Pinel, French physician, an instrumental figure in the development of a more humane approach to the custody and care of psychiatric patients, referred to today as moral therapy.
- 1535 A sun dog (an atmospheric phenomenon that consists of a bright spot to one or both sides of the Sun) was observed over Stockholm. It is depicted in the famous painting Vädersolstavlan.
- 1534 Died: Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr, known as The Nun of Kent, The Holy Maid of Kent, and The Maid of Kent. Barton prophesied against the marriage of King Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn, for which she was executed.
- 1534 French explorer Jacques Cartier began his voyage during which he discovered Canada and Labrador.
- 1492 Born: Pietro Aretino, Italian author, playwright, and poet. Aretino had an immense influence on contemporary art and politics and invented modern erotic literature.
- 1314 Died: Pope Clement V, infamous for suppressing the order of the Knights Templar and allowing the execution of many of its members. During his papacy he moved the Curia from Rome to Avignon.
- 1303 Pope Boniface VIII instituted the Sapienza University in Rome. Today Sapienza is the largest European university by enrollment and the oldest university of Rome.