One of the most frequently repeated claims about the Columbine attack is that the date was deliberately chosen for symbolic reasons, most commonly that it was meant to coincide with either April 19 (Oklahoma City / Waco) or April 20 (Hitler’s birthday). A related claim is that the attack was postponed because Eric Harris was still waiting on ammunition from Mark Manes.These claims are often presented as fact, despite the planning timeline showing a much more fluid and uncertain process.
This post examines what the available evidence actually tells us about how the date was discussed, shifted, and ultimately settled in April 1999.
April
One of the reference to timing appears in the document titled NBK.doc, which was saved on Eric Harris’s computer. On the FBI copy of the document, the date “4-26-1998” is handwritten at the top. It is unclear whether this reflects the date the document was written, last edited, printed, or whatever.
Within the document, Eric states that “sometime in April” he and Dylan will carry out the attack. No specific day is mentioned, and the phrasing suggests a general timeframe rather than a fixed date. This indicates that, at least at this stage, April was identified as the target month, but the exact date had not yet been decided.
Eric continues to reference April in later journal entries, though again without naming a specific day.
In an entry dated November 22, 1998, written after the gun show purchases, Eric describes the acquisition of weapons as the “point of no return.” Near the end of the entry, he states: “hopefully I’ll make it to April, but that might not happen.”This suggests April as a projected endpoint or goal, but not a finalized date.
In a second entry dated December 20, 1998, Eric notes that KMFDM’s upcoming album Adios is scheduled for release in April, calling the timing “appropriate.” While symbolic language is present, the reference again points to April as a general timeframe rather than evidence of a specific intended day.
Taken together, these entries reinforce that April was identified months in advance as the target month, but they do not support the idea that a particular symbolic date within April had been selected at this stage for sure.
It’s also worth noting that KMFDM’s album Adios was ultimately released on April 20, 1999. Given Eric’s earlier fixation on the album’s April release and his tendency to assign symbolic meaning to music, it’s possible this contributed to how April 20 came to feel “appropriate” once the date shifted.
Well folks, today was a very important day in the history of R. Today along with Vodka and someone else who I wont name, we went downtown and purchased the following; a double barrel 12ga. shotgun, a pump action 12ga. shotgun, a 9mm carbine, 250 9mm rounds, 15 12ga slugs, 40 shotgun shells, 2 switch blade knives, and total of 4 – 10 round clips for the carbine. we……. have…. GUNS! we fucking got em you sons of bitches! HA! HAHAHA! neener! Booga Booga. heh. its all over now. this capped it off, the point of no return. I have my carbine, shotgun, ammo and knife all in my trunk tonight and theyll there till tomorrow… after school you know its really a shame. I had a lot of fun at that gun show, I would have loved it if you were there dad. we would done some major bonding. would have been great. oh well. but, alas, I fucked up and told [censored] about my “flask”. that really disappoints me. [censored] I know you thought it was good for me… in the long run and all that shit, smart of you to give me a such big raise and then rat me out, you figure it was supposed to cancel each other? god damn flask, that just fucked me over big time. now you all will be on my ass even more than before about being on track. I’ll get around it though, If have to cheat and lie to everyone then thats fine. THIS is what I am motivated for, THIS is my goal. THIS is what I want to do with my life! you know whats weird, I dont feel like a punching through a door because of the flask deal, probly cause I am fucking armed now. I feel more confident, stronger, and more Godlike. I have confidence in my ability to dese(cei)ve people. hopefully Ill make it to April, but that might not happen. Ug, Its been a busy weekend, I need to sleep, I’ll continue tomorrow. 11/22/98
heh, get this. KMFDM’s new album is entitled “Adios” and it’s release date is in April. how fuckin appropriate, a subliminal final “Adios” tribute to Reb and Vodka. thanks KMFDM… I ripped the hell outa the system 12/20/98
Eric’s senior year day planner also shows the entire month of May crossed out. While no explanation is given, the marking is consistent with April being treated as the intended endpoint. This supports April as the target month without clarifying an exact date or motive for a particular day within it
Dylan also references April in a 1998 yearbook inscription written in Eric Harris’s yearbook, where he signs off with the phrase “& the holy April morning of NBK.” The inscription is undated beyond the school year and does not specify a particular day.
Eric first mentions a possible date in late March / early April on the Basement Tapes. At that point, he says he doesn’t know whether to do it before or after prom. Columbine’s senior prom was April 17, 1999, which places the planning for the attack to be sometime in mid April but, crucially, shows that no specific day had yet been fixed.
The fact that Eric frames the timing around a school event, rather than around April 19 (the Oklahoma City bombing / Waco anniversary associated with Timothy McVeigh) or April 20 (Hitler’s birthday) indicates that the date was still flexible at this stage. If they were aiming for one of those dates all along, there wouldn’t be this much back and forth about when to do it.
On the Basement Tape dated April 11, 1999, Eric says it will be “that Monday” and that there are “7 and 1/3 days left.” That math points to Monday, April 19. We don’t know why that date specifically, but April 19 is notable. It’s the anniversary of the end of Waco, and the Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19 in retaliation for that. Given Eric’s documented admiration for McVeigh and the fact that both boys reference OKC, it’s plausible that April 19 was at least being considered, given this is also after prom where Dylan attended.
On Thursday, April 15, Eric asked Mark Manes to buy ammunition. Manes forgot. Eric called him again on the morning of Monday the 19th, Manes said he’d call him back but forget again. Eric then calls again later that day when Manes doesn’t call him back. Manes rushed out, bought the ammo, and Eric picked it up around 9 PM. Eric could have bought it himself, but after a previous close call where a purchase led to his house being called and his father picking up the phone, then Manes was the safer option in my opinion. The urgency of those calls on the 19th suggests time pressure tied to a nearby date, which aligns with April 20th being the new intended target. If it was still the 19th, at that point, I assume Eric would have called in the days after his first call on the 15th to remind Manes, why would have waited until the morning of?
In Dylan’s planner, there’s an entry referencing the 20th along with items needed beforehand. That entry was likely written in the week leading up to the attack, in my opinion. The planner page itself and the dates he’s writing it on isn’t evidence. He wrote it on the May page as seen where the page references Armed Forces Day. It looks like Dylan just used a blank space to jot things down. It’s also possible that Dylan intentionally used a May planner page despite meaning April. The page he wrote on includes Armed Forces Day, which is marked with exclamation points and arrows pointing to the gear he would need.
However.. there’s the possibility Dylan meant to write this in the April instead of the May section. Which is what I strongly believe.
I believe they decided on the 20th of April for good, during the 14th of April, Dylan rushing to write down what needs to get done. It also lines up with Eric calling Mark the 15th asking for more ammo as well and then not contacting him again until the 19th.
Dylan also references an imminent timeline in an undated journal entry, writing that “about 26.5 hours from now the judgement will begin.” While the entry is undated, the timeframe places it within roughly a day of the attack, most likely written on April 19.
What’s notable here is that the entry does not read like a sudden change in plans. The tone suggests the date was already settled rather than something that had just shifted hours earlier. There’s no indication of confusion, adjustment, or urgency related to a changed schedule, only anticipation of what was already set to occur.
This supports the idea that April 20 was not a last minute substitution for April 19, but a date that had already been decided by the time of this entry(in my belief the 14th April), even if earlier planning had been more fluid.
Eric’s planner also includes a drawing of his planned outfit on the page for April 20. This indicates that by the time the planner was marked, April 20 had been settled on as the finale date.
Overall, April 19 appears to have been a plausible planned date that emerged in April and was later adjusted. There is no evidence that April 20 was chosen specifically because it was Hitler’s birthday. Given how fluid the timing was, “before or after prom,” then the 19th, and eventually the 20th. The record does not support the idea that an anniversary or birthday drove the final choice.
If any symbolic factor influenced the move to April 20, it is more plausibly connected to the release of KMFDM’s Adios on April 20, though even this remains speculative and is only supported by Eric mentioning it in his journals once and them both being fans.
What can be said is that the available material does not suggest the date was delayed in order to wait for ammunition, if that were the case, we would expect to see evidence of a last minute shift, or even more calls to Manes and nothing in the record indicates that occurred.
Based on the available evidence, I believe the intended timing narrowed gradually rather than shifting abruptly. The plan appears to have been set for April in general, then mid April, then tentatively the 19th, before settling on the 20th sometime after April 11.
Multiple mentions of April in 1998 by both boys
20th December 1998
Eric mentions NBK happening when ADIOS releases in April and ripping the system.
Late march – early April 1999
Eric mentions how he doesn’t know if they should do it before or after prom on 17th of April11th April 1999
Eric mentions so many days left, putting NBK on the 19th of April. This lines up with Dylan attending prom on the 17th.
13th April 1999 (May 13th 1999 in Dylans planner.)
Death. afraid?14th April 1999 (May 14th 1999 in Dylans planner.)
20th of April gets marked as the day
To do list15th April 1999
Eric contacts Manes for more ammo
19th April 1999
Eric contacts manes multiple times for more ammo and picks it up that night.
Dylan writes in his journal less than a day left.20th April 1999 ( Erics planner also shows this date with a drawing of his outfit.)
NBK happens
Echoes in the Columbine Archive 
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