1919 – Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier.

1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19.

1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation.

And if today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share your special day with…

1889 – Charlie Chaplin, English actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and composer (d. 1977)

1908 – Ellis Marsalis, Sr., American businessman and activist (d. 2004)

1918 – Spike Milligan, Irish actor, comedian, and writer (d. 2002)

1921 – Peter Ustinov, English actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)

1922 – Kingsley Amis, English novelist, poet, and critic (d. 1995)

1924 – Henry Mancini, American composer and conductor (d. 1994)

1930 – Herbie Mann, American flute player and composer (d. 2003)

1933 – Ike Pappas, American journalist and actor (d. 2008)

1935 – Bobby Vinton, American singer

1939 – Dusty Springfield, English singer and record producer (d. 1999)

1946 – Margot Adler, American journalist and author (d. 2014)

1946 – R. Carlos Nakai, American flute player

1947 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player and coach

1947 – Gerry Rafferty, Scottish singer-songwriter (d. 2011)

1963 – Jimmy Osmond, American singer (The Osmonds)

1971 – Selena, American singer-songwriter, actress, and fashion designer (d. 1995)

1972 – Tracy K. Smith, American poet and educator

1993 – Chance the Rapper, American rapper

Almanac - Thursday 4/16/20

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