1. On April 20, 1861, South Carolina seceded from the United States, becoming the first state to secede and paving the way for the American Civil War.
2. Construction began on the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston on April 20, 1928. The iconic bridge, which spans nearly 2.5 miles, took four years to complete and was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world at the time of its opening in 2005.
3. On April 20, 1986, a devastating fire broke out at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The hotel was owned by a South Carolina-based company, and several employees from the state were among the victims. The tragedy led to changes in hotel safety regulations and legal settlements for victims' families.
4. In 2003, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford signed a law designating April 20 as "South Carolina Agribusiness Awareness Day." The holiday celebrates the state's agriculture industry and encourages consumers to support local farmers and businesses.
5. On April 20, 2012, the official groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Volvo Car USA manufacturing plant in Berkeley County, South Carolina. The $1.1 billion facility, which opened in 2018, is the company's first car plant in the United States and has created thousands of jobs in the state.