On This Day 2026
Hello, … and welcome to day 110 of the year.

Monday, April 20th

Today is Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day and Chinese Language Day. Your star sign is Taurus and your birthstone is Diamond.
Did you know: All Fools’ Day, also known as April Fools’ Day is a day for practical jokes and hoaxes, but only until 12 noon. The earliest recorded association between 1st April and foolishness can be found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1392).
Today’s birthdays
1889 – 1945 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German politician, leader of the Nazi Party who was the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945.

1924 – 2022 – Leslie Phillips, English actor (Carry on Nurse), playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his “Ding dong” and “Hello” catchphrases.

1937 – George Takei (89), American actor best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise, born in Los Angeles, United States.

1951 – 2005 – Luther Vandross, American R&B and soul singer (“Endless Love, “The Best Things In Life Are Free”), selling over 25 million records worldwide.
1961 – Nicholas Lyndhurst (65), English actor (Only Fools and Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart, The Two of Us), born in Emsworth, Hampshire.
1964 – Andy Serkis (62), English actor (The Lord of the Rings, Black Panther, Planet of the Apes, Burke & Hare), born in Ruislip Manor, Ruislip, West London.
1969 – 2025 – Felix Baumgartner, Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper widely known for jumping to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere.
1970 – Shemar Moore (56), American actor (S.W.A.T., Criminal Minds, Diary of a Mad Black Woman), born in Oakland, California, United States.
1972 – Carmen Electra (54), American actress (Meet the Spartans, Baywatch) and former member of the Pussy Cat Dolls (“Buttons”, “Don’t Cha”), born in Ohio, United States.
1973 – Geoff Lloyd (53), English radio presenter and podcaster (Pete and Geoff Breakfast Show), born in Witherington, Manchester.
1974 – Tina Cousins (52), English singer (“Pray”, “Killin’ Time”, “Mysterious Times”, “Forever”) and former model, born in Leigh, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
1976 – Shay Given (50), Irish former goalkeeper (Newcastle United, Manchester City, Republic of Ireland), born in Lifford, Ireland.
1983 – Miranda Kerr (43), Australian model who rose to prominence in 2007 as one of the Victoria’s Secret Angels, born in Sydney, Australia.
Famous deaths
1912 – Bram Stoker (b. 1847), Anglo-Irish novelist (The Lady of the Shroud), and the author of Dracula and the creator of the fictional character Count Dracula.
1992 – Benny Hill (b. 1924), English comedian, actor and scriptwriter (The Benny Hill Show), a comedy-variety show that merged slapstick, burlesque, double entendre and innuendo
1991 – Steve Marriott (b. 1942), English musician, singer with The Small Faces (“Itchycoo park”) and actor.
2016 – Victoria Wood (b. 1953), English award-winning comedian, actress and writer (Dinnerladies).
2018 – Avicii (b. 1989), Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer (“Wake Me Up”, “Hey Brother”, “Waiting For Love”).

2021 – Les McKeown (b. 1955), Scottish singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the pop rock band Bay City Rollers (“Shang-a-Lang”, “Bye, Bye, Baby”).

The day today
1918 – Nazi-German ace fighter pilot, The Red Baron, shot down his final two victims. Manfred von Richthofen earned his nickname not from his bloodlust but from the fact that he painted his plane red, and he was the equivalent of a baron. Richtofen joined the German air force at the age of 23, and within the space of just three years, he shot down eighty Allied planes. On April 21st, after reaching his 79th and 80th kills the previous day, the Red Baron finally met his match and died in Northern France.
1946 – The League of Nations was officially dissolved by its member states. The League of Nations was shown to have been a complete and utter failure, given it was unable to prevent World War II. When it was dissolved, many of its institutions were simply transferred to the United Nations.
1949 – The Badminton Horse Trials were held for the first on the estate of the 10th Duke of Beaufort in Gloucestershire, UK. Founded to help British riders train for international competition following the 1948 Olympics, the first event was won by John Sheddon on Golden Willow.
1964 – BBC Two launched, with a power cut because of a fire at Battersea Power Station.
1964 – The first jar of Nutella left the Ferrero factory in Alba, Italy. Its introduction rapidly became a staple spread in Italy and soon after throughout Europe. By 1965, it was launched in Germany, followed by France, and it became an instant success, selling over 365,000 tons annually in subsequent decades.
1968 – The Conservative right-winger, Enoch Powell, made a hard-hitting speech attacking the government’s immigration policy. Mr Powell said Britain had to be mad to allow in 50,000 dependents of immigrants each year. He compared it to watching a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre. “Like the Roman, I seem to see the river Tiber foaming with much blood.”
1977 – Annie Hall, a seminal romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Woody Allen, was officially released in the United States (29 September in the UK). Annie Hall was a critical success, winning four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay in 1978.
1981 – Steve Davis won his first World Snooker Championship at the age of 23 defeating Doug Mountjoy 18-12 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. This victory marked the start of his dominance in the 1980s, during which he won six world titles and became the first player to earn £1 million in prize money. Davis reached eight World Championship finals in nine years and was world number one for seven consecutive seasons.
1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian died. Between the end of World War II and the dawn of television he worked as a radio performer. His film credits included parts in nine films such as Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Italian Job. His world famous Benny Hill Show Hill ran for nearly four decades and remained a cult series in much of the world long after Hill’s death.
1998 – The German far-left militant group, the Red Army Faction (RAF), commonly known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, declared its dissolution after 28 years in an eight-page fax sent to the Reuters news agency.

1999 – Students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School, Colorado.

2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and sinking on April 22. The blowout created the largest marine oil spill in history, releasing approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil and causing catastrophic environmental damage to marine life and coastal ecosystems. The 2016 film Deepwater Horizon starring Mark Walhberg and Kurt Russell, is based on the blowout and explosion.
2016 – The Queen visited the Royal Mail Windsor delivery office to mark the 500th anniversary of the postal service. (Additional note – In 1516, Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts, in an act that was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail).
2018 – Arsène Wenger announced he would leave his position as manager of Arsenal Football Club at the end of the 2017/18 season, ending a 22-year tenure. Appointed on October 1, 1996, the Frenchman was the Premier League’s longest-serving manager, presiding over 1,235 games. During his 22-year reign, Wenger won three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cups.

2018 – Commonwealth leaders announced that Prince Charles would succeed Queen Elizabeth II as the next head of the Commonwealth. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, Charles officially became King and Head of the Commonwealth.

2021 – Chelsea FC, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur all withdraw from the controversial European Super League just 3 days after it was announced.
2023 – SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded four minutes into its first full flight test. The Starship rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, is set to one day carry human colonists to Mars. Despite the explosion, SpaceX’s engineers celebrated the launch, as it provided invaluable data.
Today in music
1957 – Elvis Presley started an eight week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘All Shook Up.’ It went on to be the biggest single of 1957 selling over 2 million copies.
1968 – Deep Purple made their live debut at a gig in Tastrup, Denmark. Formerly known as Roundabout, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore suggested a new name: Deep Purple, named after his grandmother’s favourite song (which had been a hit for Peter De Rose), after his grandmother had repeatedly asked if they would be performing the song.
1976 – George Harrison, who is good friends with Eric Idle, joined Monty Python on stage at New York’s City Center. Dressed as a Canadian Mountie, Harrison joined the chorus for ‘The Lumberjack Song.’ No mention was made of Harrison’s appearance, and few in the audience recognised him.
1985 – The charity record ‘We Are The World’ by USA For Africa was at No.1 on the UK singles chart. The US artists’ answer to Band Aid had an all-star cast including Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Paul Simon plus the composer’s of the track, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
1991 – Steve Marriott leader of Small Faces and Humble Pie, died in a fire at his home in Essex. His work became a major influence for many 90s bands. Small Faces had the 1967 UK No.3 & US No.16 single ‘Itchycoo Park’, plus 1968 No.1 UK album ‘Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake’, Humble Pie, 1969 UK No.4 single ‘Natural Born Bugie’. As a child actor he played parts in Dixon of Dock Green and The Artful Dodger in Oliver.
1992 – ‘A Concert For Life’ took place at Wembley Stadium as a tribute to Queen singer Freddie Mercury and for aids awareness. Acts appearing included; Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath), David Bowie, Mick Ronson, James Hetfield, George Michael, Seal, Paul Young, Annie Lennox, Lisa Stansfield, Robert Plant, Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Axl Rose and Slash.
1996 – English R&B singer Mark Morrison had his first UK No.1 single when ‘Return Of The Mack’ started a two-week run at the top of the charts. A No.2 hit in the US, the beat was sampled from Tom Tom Club’s ‘Genius of Love.’
2006 – Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty was arrested in east London on suspicion of drugs possession only hours after a court appearance. Doherty had earlier admitted to seven charges of possessing drugs when he appeared before magistrates in east London. He was given a community order with two years supervision and 18 months drug rehabilitation and was also banned from driving for six months.
2018 – Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer, Avicii died aged 28. He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with ‘Levels’ at the 2013 Grammy Awards. His biggest single was 2013’s ‘Wake Me Up’. He recorded with Wyclef Jean, Robbie Williams, ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Rita Ora and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
2021 – Scottish singer Les McKeown died age 65. As the lead singer of the Bay City Rollers during their most successful period from 1971 – 1976, the group scored 10 UK top ten hit singles including two No.1’s. The Rollers were also the subject of a 20-week UK television series, Shang-a-Lang.
Today in history
1611 – The first official performance of Macbeth by Shakespeare took place at the Globe Theatre in London.
1653 – Oliver Cromwell and 40 musketeers forcibly dissolve the English Rump Parliament, after it failed to establish a caretaker government. In Cromwell’s words “You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately … In the name of God, go!”
1657 – The Spanish Fleet was destroyed in the Battle at Santa Cruz by an English Fleet commanded by Admiral Blake.
1689 – The siege of Londonderry began when supporters of James II attacked the city. The population nearly starved to death before the siege was raised on 30th July.
1879 – The first mobile home (horse-drawn) was used in a journey from London to Cyprus. Samuel White Baker purchased a Romani (Gypsy) caravan in Britain and shipped it to Cyprus for his tour. The first purpose-built leisure trailer was later created in 1880 by Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works for William Gordon Stables.
Whilst we work hard to keep every detail correct and up to date, information can change and mistakes can happen. If you notice anything that doesn’t seem right, we’d really appreciate your help. Please get in touch via our form and select “On This Day”, and our team will review it as soon as possible.