Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Rump Parliament in England on April 20, 1653 due to frustration over its failure to pass reforms. This action effectively ended the initial Commonwealth phase and started the Protectorate, a period of military dictatorship starting in December 1653 with Cromwell as Lord Protector.
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On This Day in History: April 20
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on April 20th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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France declares war on Austria on April 20, 1792, marking the start of the French Revolutionary Wars.
The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, is signed by President Ulysses S. Grant on April 20, 1871. The law aimed at breaking the power of the KKK and protecting the constitutional rights of African Americans. More
The Colorado National Guard and guards from the Rockefeller-owned ,Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, attacked a tent colony of striking miners on April 20, 1914, who were demanding better wages, safety, and union recognition at Ludlow, Colorado. After a 14 hour battle killed 20 to 25 people, including 2 women and 11 children.
The massacre led to a "Ten-Day War" of revenge attacks by miners across the region, which ended only when President Woodrow Wilson ordered federal troops to intervene.The strike failed, the outcry against the "Ludlow Massacre" helped fuel the labor movement and led to long-term labor reforms. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) erected a monument to the victims at the site, which was dedicated in 1918. More
U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's issued a proclamation on April 20, 1933, formally suspending the gold standard and prohibiting the export of gold in order to combat the economic damage caused by the Great Depression. The proclamation also prohibited the Treasury and financial institutions from converting paper currency or deposits into gold coins and ingots.
This was followed on June 5, 1933 with Congress nullifying the "gold clauses" in private and public contracts that required debtors to repay creditors in gold. These actions effectively ended domestic gold convertibility.
On January 30,1934, the Gold Reserve Act was signed, additionally devaluing the Dollar by increasing the official price of gold from $20.67 to $35 per ounce. The final step, delinking the Dollar to gold was taken in 1971, when President Richard Nixon ended the U.S. dollar-gold convertibility.
President Gerald Ford signed legislation in August 1974, repealing the 41-year ban on private ownership of gold coins, bullion, and certificates; allowing Americans to own and trade gold again as of December 31, 1974.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on, April 20, 1971, in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, that busing could be used as a tool to achieve racial integration in schools. This decision authorized judges to mandate busing to address racial imbalance in education. More
Korean Air Lines jet Flight 902 (KAL 902), on a flight from Paris to Seoul, on April 20, 1978, is forced down over the Soviet Union, after the jet veers into Russian airspace.
What happened next is not exactly clear. It may have been a missile fired by the fighters, or it may have been their guns; but the result was a major portion of the airline jet left wing was destroyed and the fuselage was punctured, causing immediate decompression of the cabin. Two of the passengers died and several others were injured. The jet managed to dive into the clouds and evade the Russian jets and it eventually made a rough landing on a frozen lake bout 300 miles south of Murmansk. More
Fidel Castro announces on April 20, 1980, that all Cubans wanting to leave the island could do so, as long as they left from Mariel Harbor, a port 25 miles west of the capital of Havana, and had someone waiting to retrieve them. More
The Columbine High School massacre occurs in Colorado, on April 20, 1999, in Littleton, Colorado, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals, including the two student perpetrators who were seniors at the school.
An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, on April 20, 2010, kills 11 people and leads to a massive oil spill. Days after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, underwater cameras revealed the damaged wellhead pipe was leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor about 42 miles off the coast of Louisiana. By the time the well was capped 87 days later on July 15, 2010, over three million barrels of oil had leaked into the Gulf. More
Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is found guilty on April 20, 2021, of murdering George Floyd, sparking global conversations about racial justice and police brutality.