April 20 in Pop Culture History

April 20 Facts, Fun Trivia and History

April 20 History Highlights

  • 1836 – The US Congress created the Wisconsin Territory.
  • 1898 – President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for a declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
  • 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolved, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
  • April 20, 19** Birthday (fictional) Barney Gumble, The Simpsons
  • If you were born on April 20th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… July 28th (prior year)

National Volunteer Day

Every year, on the 20th of April (International Volunteer Day), the world comes together to honor all volunteers. They are a varied group of people who dedicate themselves to causes and helping others in their lives around the globe. This appreciation is more valuable than ever as we’re living in a digitally connected world that can make volunteering even easier than it already was.
#VolunteerRecognitionDay

April 20 is…

Food Day
Look-Alike Day
Lima Bean Respect Day
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
Teach Your Children To Save Day
Volunteer Recognition Day

April 20 Birthday Quotes

“I’m not the type of writer that has 400 songs in a suitcase someplace on the shelf. I’m sort of a rise-to-the-occasion-type of a writer, so when I know I’m going to record, I get in the mood to write.”
– Luther Vandross

“Simply believing in the existence of God is not exactly what I would call a commitment. After all, even the devil believes that God exists. Believing has to change the way we live.”
– Mother Angelica

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.”
– Lionel Hampton

“If you have to make laws to hurt a group of people just to prove your morals and faith, then you have no true morals or faith to prove.”
– George Takei

“One of the big misconceptions about me is that I walk around in mini-skirts and high heels twenty-four seven and go to the gym in heels.”
– Carmen Electra

April 20 Birthdays

1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (died in 1945)
1893 – Harold Lloyd, American comedic actor and producer (died in 1971)
1904 – Bruce Cabot, American character actor (died in 1972)
1908 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, and bandleader(died in 2002)
1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American character and voice actress (died in 1999)
1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun, and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network (died in 2016)
1937 – George Takei, American actor
1941 – Ryan O’Neal, American actor
1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (died in 1971)
1949 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (died in 2005)
1964 – Crispin Glover, American character actor
1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor
1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
1989 – Carlos Valdes, Colombian-American actor

April 20 History

1657 – Freedom of religion was granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (New York City).

1832 – Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas was established as a reservation by an act of Congress. Technically, it was the first United States National Park.

1841 – The Murders in the Rue Morgue, by Edgar Allen Poe, was published in Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine. It is considered the first detective story.

1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard completed an experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation.

1871 – The Third Force Act, also known as the Ku Klux Act, Congress authorized President Ulysses S. Grant to declare martial law in stopping the Ku Klux Klan.

1862 – The first test of pasteurization was completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard. Jars at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences.

1912 – Opening day for baseball’s Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, and Fenway Park in Boston.

1914 – The Ludlow Mine Incident: 17 miners and family members were killed by American National Guard troops.

1926 – Western Electric and the Warner Brothers film studio officially introduced Vitaphone, a new process that would enable the addition of sound to film.

1940 – Invented by Dr. Vladimir Zworykin at the RCA laboratories, Camden, New Jersey, the first (US) electron microscope was demonstrated across the Delaware River, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

April 20, 19** Birthday (fictional) Barney Gumble, The Simpsons, Cartoon

1964 – The first picturephone transcontinental call was made between New York City and Anaheim, California.

1974 – #1 Hit April 20, 1974 – May 3, 1974: MFSB and The Three Degrees – TSOP

1991 – #1 Hit April 20, 1991 – April 26, 1991: Wilson Phillips – You’re In Love

1999 – At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 13 people and wounded 23 more before killing themselves.

2001 – Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles and Freddy Got Fingered were released in theaters.

2002 – #1 Hit April 20, 2002 – June 28, 2002: Ashanti – Foolish

2004Clifford’s Really Big Movie debuted in theaters.

2007Hot Fuzz, In the Land of Women and Fracture were released in theaters.

2008 – Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy Car race

2010 – The Deepwater Horizon, run by British Petroleum (BP) drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers.

2013 – #1 Hit April 20, 2013 – April 26, 2013: Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

A group of Snakes is called a Den or Nest or Pit or Bed or Knot.

John Stamos played drums in the Beach Boys’ music video for Kokomo.

“A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man” – Vito Corleone #moviequotes

The final speech by Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird was done in one take.

A group of Sparrows is called a Host.

“How sweet it is!” – Jackie Gleason (The Jackie Gleason Show)

Thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky. There are few lists more inconsistent than the names of the fingers.

McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets were introduced in 1981.

Useless Pronunciation: J as in Jay

“Soylent Green is people!” – Det. Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston) #moviequotes

1,000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 liter hosen

“Strummin’ my brain with his fingers….” #misunderstoodlyrics

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