April 20
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Christianfeast day:
Agnes of Montepulciano, Beuno, Johannes Bugenhagen(Lutheran), Theotimos, April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
On April 20, Christian traditions commemorate multiple saints including Agnes of Montepulciano, Beuno, Johannes Bugenhagen, and Theotimos as part of the liturgical calendar. These feasts are observed in Catholic, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches.
420 (cannabis culture)
An informal counterculture holiday celebrated worldwide on April 20 that honors cannabis appreciation and advocacy.
UN Chinese Language Day(United Nations)
United Nations Chinese Language Day, observed annually on April 20, celebrates the history, culture, and literary tradition of the Chinese language.
Agnes of Montepulciano
Saint Agnes of Montepulciano is honored on April 20 in the Catholic Church for her life as a Dominican nun and mystic.
Beuno
Saint Beuno is commemorated on April 20 as a Welsh abbot and missionary known for founding monastic communities in the 7th century.
Johannes Bugenhagen(Lutheran)
Johannes Bugenhagen, commemorated by Lutherans on April 20, was a leading reformer who organized early Protestant churches.
Theotimos
April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, April 20 is observed with liturgical commemorations of various saints through special services and icons.
Events
The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
On April 20, 1303, Pope Boniface VIII established the Sapienza University of Rome, laying the foundation for one of Europe’s oldest institutions of higher learning.
Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament.
In 1653, Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament, effectively ending parliamentary rule and consolidating his authority as Lord Protector.
English Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet, under heavy fire from the shore, at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
During the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1657, Admiral Robert Blake led an audacious attack that destroyed a Spanish silver fleet under heavy shore fire.
Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
In 1657, New Amsterdam extended religious freedom to its Jewish residents, an early milestone in the development of tolerance in colonial America.
Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).
The Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War began in 1752, intensifying a civil conflict that would shape the future of Burma under the Konbaung dynasty.
The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
At the Battle of Aspindza in 1770, King Erekle II of Georgia achieved a remarkable victory over Ottoman forces despite being abandoned by his Russian ally.
George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
George Washington arrived at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, on his way to the first presidential inauguration in Manhattan in 1789.
France declares war against the "King of Hungary and Bohemia", the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars.
France declared war on the King of Hungary and Bohemia on April 20, 1792, marking the start of the French Revolutionary Wars.
The Septinsular Republic is established.
The Septinsular Republic was established on April 20, 1800, as the first autonomous Greek state under dual Russo-Ottoman protection.
Births
Johannes Agricola
Johannes Agricola was a German Protestant theologian and reformer. He became a prominent figure in the early Lutheran Reformation.
Renata of Lorraine
Renata of Lorraine was Duchess consort of Bavaria known for her charitable works and cultural patronage.
Rose of Lima
Rose of Lima was a Peruvian mystic and the first person born in the Americas to be declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
Emperor Go-Kōmyō was the 110th emperor of Japan, reigning during the mid-17th century.
Charles Plumier
Charles Plumier was a French botanist renowned for his pioneering studies of American flora and detailed botanical illustrations.
William Bedloe
William Bedloe was an English informer and spy best known for his role in the Popish Plot allegations of the 17th century.
David Brainerd
David Brainerd was an American missionary who dedicated his life to evangelizing Native American tribes in the 18th century.
Cornelius Harnett
Cornelius Harnett was an American statesman and revolutionary leader who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
Florimond Claude
Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau was a Belgian-born diplomat who served the Austrian Habsburg court in the 18th century.
Deaths
Cædwalla
Cædwalla was King of Wessex from 685 to 688 who expanded his realm and strengthened the early English kingdom.
Xi Zong
Xi Zong was Emperor of the Tang dynasty from 873 to 888 who strove to maintain imperial authority during a period of rebellion.
Peter Bartholomew was a crusader and mystic who claimed divine visions revealing the location of the Holy Lance during the First Crusade.
Antipope Victor IV was elected in opposition to Pope Alexander III and backed by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa during the 12th-century papal schism.
Richard de Clare
Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, was the 2nd Earl of Pembroke and a key figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland.
Güyük Khan
Güyük Khan was the third Great Khan of the Mongol Empire who ruled from 1246 until his death.
Hōjō Tokimune
Hōjō Tokimune was the eighth regent of the Kamakura shogunate, famed for organizing Japan’s defense against the Mongol invasions.
Pope Clement V was the first Pontiff to reside in Avignon and is known for suppressing the Knights Templar under pressure from the French crown.
Simon Rinalducci
Simon Rinalducci was an Italian Augustinian friar celebrated for his preaching, theological work, and reputed miracles.