Forty 420 Facts with Gary John Miller
- Gary Miller
- Apr 20, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 27
Forty 420 Facts with Gary John Miller. Here's some fun conversation fodder for your smoke circle Let's start with some holiday specific facts:
Ten 420 Facts
420 Blaze it. is a term that is often associated with marijuana culture. It is believed to have originated in the 1970s in California, where a group of high school students would meet at 4:20 pm to smoke weed.
Colorado's Green Wednesday. In some states in the US, 420 is also associated with the legalization of marijuana. For example, in Colorado, Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use, was passed on November 6th, 2012 - which is also known as "Green Wednesday".
420 is a mathematically interesting number.
420 is the least common multiple (LCM) of the numbers 1–7, a pronic number, the sum of the first 20 even numbers, and a balanced number
Mile marker 420 signs keep getting stolen.
States like Colorado and Idaho often rename the 420 mile markers to 419.9 because pranksters keep stealing the 420 signs
The original “420” was coined in 1971 (allegedly)
A group of five Bay Area teens calling themselves The Waldos used “4:20 Louie” to signal their daily meet-up at 4:20 pm by a Louis Pasteur statue to smoke cannabis — eventually shortened to just “420”
The Grateful Dead helped spread the term (allegedly)
A Waldo was a roadie for the Grateful Dead; band members then picked up “420” and it reached wider exposure through music culture and High Times magazine
Adolf Hitler and the number 420?
Hitler was born on April 20, but this coincidence has nothing to do with cannabis. It’s a dead-end myth
Not a police code or THC count
Despite urban myths, “420” has never been police or penal code for cannabis-related offenses — nor does it reflect the number of compounds in cannabis
Coincidental LSD timing?
Albert Hofmann’s first LSD “bicycle day” trip began on April 19, 1943 — he reportedly felt it around 4:20 pm the next day, but this is a fun coincidence, not the origin of “420
420 celebrated globally — even under protest
From London’s Hyde Park protests to drag brunches in Portland and Easter-themed cannabis hunts in Los Angeles, 4/20 is now a global cultural phenomenon
You think your better than me?
10 Important Events on 4/20
1775 – Siege of Boston beginsFollowing the Battles of Lexington and Concord, colonial militia surrounded British forces in Boston, marking the start of Revolutionary War hostilities (holidayscalendar.com).
1812 – Death of Vice President George Clinton
George Clinton, the fourth U.S. Vice President and the first to die while in office, passed away on this date (apnews.com).
1861 – Robert E. Lee resigns from U.S. Army
Prior to leading Confederate forces, Lee officially resigned his commission in the United States Army on April 20, 1861 (apnews.com).
1902 – Curie couple refine radium chloride
Marie and Pierre Curie achieved a breakthrough in isolating and purifying radium chloride on this day (holidayscalendar.com, calendarz.com).
1914 – Ludlow Massacre
During a coal miners’ strike in Colorado, the Colorado National Guard attacked a tent colony in Ludlow, killing 19 miners, women, and children (holidayscalendar.com).
1971 – Supreme Court approves school desegregation busing
In Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the Supreme Court upheld busing as a tool to achieve racial integration in schools (apnews.com, britannica.com).
1972 – Apollo 16 lands on the Moon
Astronauts John Young and Charles Duke successfully landed on the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Apollo 16 mission (apnews.com, upscsuccess.com).
1999 – Columbine High School massacre
Two students tragically killed 12 classmates and a teacher in Littleton, Colorado—one of the most infamous school shootings in U.S. history (apnews.com).
2008 – Danica Patrick wins IndyCar race
Danica Patrick became the first female driver to win an IndyCar race, claiming victory at the Indy Japan 300 (top5.com).
2010 – Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion
The disaster on the BP-operated offshore rig led to 11 fatalities and what became the largest accidental marine oil spill ever recorded (timeanddate.com).
10 Green Facts
10 fascinating facts about the color green, spanning science, history, culture, and design
Visible light spectrum: Green light sits between yellow and blue, with wavelengths of 520–570 nm, making it a primary color in both art and digital design (funfactonline.com).
Color vision dominance: Human eyes are most sensitive to green — our vision can distinguish more shades of green than any other hue (factsvibes.com).
Nature’s signature: It's the most abundant color in the natural world, thanks to chlorophyll in plants, which both fuels photosynthesis and acts as a natural sunscreen (allwomenstalk.com).
Relaxing effect: Being surrounded by green helps reduce stress, boost creativity, and improve focus — it's why it's used in hospitals, schools, and restful spaces (verywellmind.com).
Symbolism and religion: Green symbolizes life, fertility, and renewal. It's sacred in Islam and commonly found in flags of Islamic countries .
Medieval art paradox: Despite being symbolic of nature, green pigments in the Middle Ages were unstable or toxic — think verdigris and Scheele’s Green (arsenic-based), leading to sickness and even contributing to Napoleon’s decline (color-meanings.com).
Heraldic meanings: In Gothic stained glass and medieval heraldry, green often represented demons or betrayal — knights who wore green were seen as hot-headed or unreliable (universityart.com).
Safety signal: Universally, green means "go" — from traffic lights to exit signs — borrowed from railway signals and standardized globally in the 19th century (en.wikipedia.org).
Financial color code: In Western markets, green indicates rising stock prices; in contrast, in Asia, green is used to denote declines (funfactonline.com).
Cultural lucky charm: Green evokes luck and fortune — it's the national color of Ireland and the symbol of the heart chakra in Hinduism, representing love and compassion (factsvibes.com).
10 Slang Terms For Cannabis
420 Compilation Reefer – Derived from the Spanish grifo, meaning “tangled or frizzy hair,” referring to a hazy mental state. The term became widespread in early 20th-century jazz culture and was cemented by the 1936 film Reefer Madness (time.com).
Ganja – Originates from Hindi/Sanskrit gañjā, an ancient term for cannabis flower. Brought to the West via Caribbean and Rastafarian cultures (leafwell.com).
Doobie – Popular American term for a joint, possibly influenced by another slang meaning referring to a dull or slow-moving person (mood.com).
Bud – A literal reference to the flowering part of the cannabis plant that's smoked—straightforward botanical origin (time.com).
Pot – Likely comes from the Spanish potiguaya (or potación de guaya), referring to a cannabis-infused wine (leafwell.com).
Mary Jane – A playful Anglicization of “marijuana,” itself likely a Spanish compound name (María Juana) for cannabis (leafwell.com).
Chronic – Became popular in the ’90s, misheard from “hydroponic” as “hydro-chronic.” Popularized by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (leafwell.com).
Dank – Originally meaning damp or musty, it evolved to describe potent, sticky, fragrant cannabis (marijuanamarketingxperts.com).
Dagga – A centuries-old term from Southern Africa, derived from Khoekhoe daxa, used for local smoked plants since at least the 1600s (en.wikipedia.org).
Skunk – Named for its pungent odor, this term was used in the 1970s for strong cannabis strains and later generalized to cannabis in regions like the UK (smartsmokestore.com).
Medicate responsibly Enjoy Your 420
So there we have it—40 fun, fascinating, and maybe even a little surprising facts to elevate your 4/20 knowledge. Whether you're a longtime enthusiast or simply curious, there's always more to learn about this plant and its culture.
→ What fact stood out to you the most? Drop a comment—I read them all.
→ Have your own favorite cannabis tidbit or story? Hit me up—I’d love to spotlight it in a future post.
Thanks for spending a little time here today. Stay curious, stay kind, and as always—pass it on (knowledge, that is).
— Gary John Miller
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