April 20th in History: A Day of Milestones and Memories
Today marks the 110th day of the year 2026, leaving 255 days remaining. On this day in history, significant events took place. In 1812, George Clinton, the fourth vice president of the United States, passed away in Washington at the age of 72, making him the first vice president to die while in office. Fast forward to 1912, Fenway Park in Boston, now the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball, held its inaugural baseball game with an estimated 27,000 spectators witnessing the Red Sox's victory over the New York Highlanders. The year 1914 saw the tragic Ludlow Massacre in Colorado, where private militia and National Guard members fired on striking coal miners and their families, resulting in the deaths of at least 19 individuals, including 12 children. Moving on to 1971, the Supreme Court upheld the use of busing for racial desegregation in schools, and in 1972, Apollo 16's lunar module landed on the moon with astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke Jr. making history.
In 1986, renowned pianist Vladimir Horowitz returned to the Soviet Union after a long absence to perform a concert in Moscow. The year 1999 witnessed the tragic shooting at Columbine High School, where two students took the lives of 12 classmates, a teacher, and injured many others before ending their own lives. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion led to the death of 11 workers and a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The year 2021 saw the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, and in 2023, SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded during its test flight from South Padre Island, Texas, crashing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Celebrating birthdays today are actor George Takei at 89, Jessica Lange at 77, Clint Howard at 67, Don Mattingly at 65, Crispin Glover and Andy Serkis at 62, Shemar Moore at 56, Carmen Electra at 54, Stephen Marley at 54, Killer Mike at 51, Joey Lawrence at 50, Miranda Kerr at 43, and Luke Kuechly at 35.