1968 Notable Deaths April 20

Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (born 1877)

Name: Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (born 1877)
Start: 1968

On April 20, in the year 1968, Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (born 1877). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of April 20, one of 323 recorded events on this date across all of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including Rudolph Dirks. Learn more below.

Rudolph Dirks was one of the earliest and most noted comic strip artists, well known for The Katzenjammer Kids.

Key Facts

This event took place on April 20, 1968 (AD era).
It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
Wikipedia source last updated on 28 September 2025.

On This Date in History 323

Type	Year	Date	Event
Notable Deaths	2025	Apr 20	Hugo Gatti, Argentine footballer (born 1944)
Notable Deaths	2024	Apr 20	Antonio Cantafora, Italian film and television actor (born 1944)
Notable Deaths	2024	Apr 20	Andrew Davis, English conductor (born 1944)
Notable Deaths	2024	Apr 20	Roman Gabriel, Filipino-American NFL American footballer
Notable Deaths	2024	Apr 20	Lourdes Portillo, Mexican film director, producer, and writer (born 1943)
Historical Events	2023	Apr 20	SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time
Selected Events	2023	Apr 20	SpaceX's Starship launched for the first time before exploding four minutes into flight
Notable Deaths	2022	Apr 20	Gavin Millar, Scottish film director (born 1938)
Historical Events	2021	Apr 20	State of Minnesota v
Notable Deaths	2021	Apr 20	Idriss Déby, Chadian politician and military officer (born 1952)
Notable Deaths	2021	Apr 20	Monte Hellman, American film director (born 1929)
Notable Deaths	2021	Apr 20	Les McKeown, Scottish pop singer (born 1955)
Selected Events	2021	Apr 20	Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd by a Minnesota court
Historical Events	2020	Apr 20	For the first time in history, oil prices drop below zero, an effect of the 2020 Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war
Notable Deaths	2018	Apr 20	Avicii, Swedish DJ and musician (born 1989)
Notable Deaths	2016	Apr 20	Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (born 1953)
Historical Events	2015	Apr 20	Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the
Notable Deaths	2014	Apr 20	Neville Wran, Australian politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (born 1926)
Historical Events	2013	Apr 20	A 6
Historical Events	2012	Apr 20	One hundred twenty-seven people are killed when a plane crashes in a residential area near the Benazir Bhutto Internatio
Notable Deaths	2012	Apr 20	Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (born 1920)
Notable Deaths	2011	Apr 20	Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (born 1970)
Historical Events	2010	Apr 20	The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill tha
Notable Deaths	2010	Apr 20	Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (born 1912)
Selected Events	2010	Apr 20	An explosion on Deepwater Horizon, an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico, resulted in the largest marine oil spill in hi
Historical Events	2008	Apr 20	Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race
Notable Deaths	2008	Apr 20	Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (born 1923)
Selected Events	2008	Apr 20	American racing driver Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar auto race
Selected Events	2008	Apr 20	Fernando Lugo became the first candidate not from the Colorado Party candidate to be elected President of Paraguay in 61
Historical Events	2007	Apr 20	Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips barricades himself with a handgun in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Hous
Notable Deaths	2007	Apr 20	Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1931)
Notable Deaths	2007	Apr 20	Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (born 1931)
Notable Births	2005	Apr 20	Tallyn Da Silva, Australian rugby league player
Notable Deaths	2005	Apr 20	Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (born 1904)
Historical Events	2004	Apr 20	The Nicoll Highway in Singapore collapses, killing four workers
Notable Deaths	2004	Apr 20	Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (born 1956)
Selected Events	2004	Apr 20	An incomplete tunnel leading to the Nicoll Highway MRT station in Singapore collapsed, resulting in four deaths and the
Notable Deaths	2003	Apr 20	Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911)
Notable Deaths	2002	Apr 20	Alan Dale, American singer (born 1925)
Notable Deaths	2001	Apr 20	Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (born 1946)
Historical Events	1999	Apr 20	Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 14 people and injure 23 others before committing suic
Notable Deaths	1999	Apr 20	Rick Rude, American professional wrestler (born 1958)
Notable Deaths	1999	Apr 20	Rachel Scott, American victim of Columbine High School massacre (born 1981)
Notable Deaths	1999	Apr 20	Cassie Bernall, American victim of Columbine High School massacre (born 1981)
Selected Events	1999	Apr 20	Students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out a massacre at Columbine High School, killing 13 people before committ
Historical Events	1998	Apr 20	Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53
Notable Births	1997	Apr 20	Alexander Zverev, German tennis player
Notable Deaths	1996	Apr 20	Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (born 1918)
Notable Deaths	1995	Apr 20	Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (born 1911)
Notable Deaths	1993	Apr 20	Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1911)