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May 20
*** Shopping-Tip: May 20
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20 May is the 140th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). There are 225 days remaining.
Events
*
325 - The
First Council of Nicaea – the first
Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church – is held.
*
526 - An
List of earthquakes earthquake kills about 300,000 people in
Syria and
Antioch Antiochia.
*
685 - The
Battle of Dunnichen ''or'' Nechtansmere is fought between a
Picts Pictish army under King
Bridei III and the invading
Northumbrians under King
Ecgfrith of Northumbria Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
*
1217 - The
Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near
Lincoln, Lincolnshire Lincoln,
England, resulting in the defeat of
Louis VIII of France Prince Louis of France by
William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke.
*
1293 - King
Sancho IV of Castile creates the
Universidad Complutense de Madrid Study of General Schools of Alcalá.
*
1497 -
John Cabot sets sail from
Bristol,
England, on his ship ''The Mathew'' looking for a route to the west (other documents give a
2 May date).
*
1498 -
Portugal Portuguese explorer
Vasco da Gama arrives at
Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut),
India.
*
1521 -
Battle of Pampeluna.
*
1570 -
Cartography Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas.
*
1631 - The city of
Magdeburg in
Germany is seized by forces of the
Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the
Thirty Years War.
*
1690 - England passes the
Act of Grace, forgiving followers of
Catholic James II of England James II.
*
1813 -
Napoleon Bonaparte leads his
France French troops into the
Battle of Bautzen in
Saxony,
Germany, against the combined armies of
Russia and
Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
*
1841 -
Chi Psi Fraternity is founded at
Union College in
Schenectady, New York.
*
1845 -
HMS Erebus HMS ''Erebus'' and
HMS Terror HMS ''Terror'' with 134 men under
John Franklin sail from the
River Thames in
England, beginning a disastrous expedition to find the
Northwest Passage. All hands are lost.
*
1861 -
American Civil War: The state of
Kentucky proclaims its
neutral country neutrality, which will last until
September 3 when
Confederate States of America Confederate forces enter the state.
*
1861 -
American Civil War: The state of
North Carolina secedes from the Union. Joining The Confederacy
*
1862 -
President of the United States U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the
Homestead Act into law.
*
1864 -
American Civil War:
Battle of Ware Bottom Church - In the Virginia
Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
*
1873 -
Levi Strauss and
Jacob Davis receive a US
patent for blue
jeans with copper rivets.
*
1882 - The
Triple Alliance (1882) Triple Alliance between
Germany,
Austria-Hungary and
Italy is formed.
*
1883 - The
volcanic eruption eruption of
Krakatoa begins, leading ultimately to the
volcano's destruction three months later.
*
1891 -
History of cinema: First public display of
Thomas Alva Edison's prototype
kinetoscope (shown at Edison's Laboratory for a convention of the
National Federation of Women's Clubs).
*
1896 - The six ton
chandelier of the
Palais Garnier falls on the crowd resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others.
*
1902 -
Cuba gains independence from the
United States.
*
1913 - Henry Flagler, The Floridian Railroad & Hotel Tycoon dies in West Palm Beach.
*
1916 - The ''
Saturday Evening Post'' publishes its first cover with a
Norman Rockwell painting ("Boy with Baby Carriage").
*
1916 - The U.S. town of
Codell, Kansas Codell,
Kansas, is struck by an F2 tornado.
*
1917 - The U.S. town of
Codell, Kansas Codell,
Kansas, is struck by an F3 tornado.
*
1918 - For the third consecutive year on this date, the U.S. town of
Codell, Kansas Codell,
Kansas, is struck by a
tornado.
*
1920 - The
Weimarer Nationalversammlung, the national assembly of
Germany's
Weimar Republic, is permanently dissolved.
*
1920 -
Montreal Quebec station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled
radio programming in North America.
*
1927 - By the
Treaty of Jedda, the
United Kingdom recognizes the
sovereignty of
List of kings of Saudi Arabia King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of
Hejaz and
Najd Nejd, which later merged to become the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
*
1927 - At 07:52
Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in
Long Island,
New York, on the world's first solo nonstop flight across the
Atlantic Ocean, touching down at
Le Bourget Field in
Paris at 22:22 the next day).
*
1932 -
Amelia Earhart takes off from
Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the
Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in
Ireland the next day.
*
1940 -
Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new
concentration camp at
Auschwitz.
*
1941 -
World War II:
Battle of Crete –
Germany German paratroops invade
Crete.
*
1949 - In the
United States United States of America, the
AFSA (the predecessor of the
National Security Agency NSA) is established.
*
1954 -
Chiang Kai-shek is selected for another term as
President of the Republic of China by the
National Assembly of the Republic of China National Assembly
*
1965 - A Pakistani Airlines
Boeing 720-B crashes on landing at
Cairo airport, killing 121 people.
*
1969 - The
Battle of Hamburger Hill in
Vietnam ends.
*
1980 - In a
1980 Quebec referendum Referendum in
Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from
Canada.
*
1983 - First publications of the discovery of the
HIV virus that causes
AIDS in the journal ''Science'' by
Luc Montagnier[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6189183&query_hl=65] and
Robert Gallo[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=6601823&query_hl=62] individually.
*
1985 -
Radio MartÃ, part of the
Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to
Cuba.
*
1989 - The
People's Republic of China Chinese authorities declare
martial law in the face of pro-
democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the
Tiananmen Square massacre.
*
1990 - The first post-
communism Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in
Romania.
*
1992 -
FC Barcelona wins European soccer clubes cup
*
1993 - The
television sitcom, ''
Cheers'' ends an 11-year run on
NBC.
*
1995 - In a second Referendum in
Quebec, the population rejects by a slight majority the proposal from its government to move towards independence from
Canada.
*
1996 -
Gay rights: The
Supreme Court of the United States rules in ''
Romer v. Evans'' against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of
Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of
homosexuality homosexuals.
*
2002 -
East Timor becomes independent from
Indonesian rule.
Births
*
1315 -
Bonne of Luxembourg, wife of
John II of France (d.
1349)
*
1470 -
Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal (d.
1547)
*
1554 -
Paolo Bellasio, Italian composer (d.
1594)
*
1660 -
Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor (d.
1714)
*
1663 -
William Bradford (1663-1752) William Bradford, British-born printer (d.
1752)
*
1706 -
Seth Pomeroy, American gunsmith and soldier (d.
1777)
*
1726 -
Francis Cotes, English painter (d.
1770)
*
1737 -
William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne William Petty Fitzmaurice, British statesman (d.
1805)
*
1759 -
William Thornton, West Indian-born architect (d.
1828)
*
1768 -
Dolley Madison,
First Lady of the United States (d.
1849)
*
1772 - Sir
William Congreve (inventor) William Congreve, English inventor (d.
1828)
*
1799 -
Honoré de Balzac, French novelist (d.
1850)
*
1806 -
John Stuart Mill, English philosopher (d.
1873)
*
1822 -
Frédéric Passy, French economist, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (d.
1912)
*
1830 -
Hector Malot, French writer (d.
1907)
*
1838 -
Jules Méline, French statesman (d.
1925)
*
1851 -
Emil Berliner, German-born telephone and recording pioneer (d.
1929)
*
1860 -
Eduard Buchner, German chemist,
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1917)
*
1882 -
Sigrid Undset, Norwegian author,
Nobel Prize in Literature Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1949)
*
1883 - King
Faisal I of Iraq (d.
1933)
*
1895 -
R. J. Mitchell R. J. (Reginald Joseph) Mitchell, British aircraft designer (d.
1937)
*
1901 -
Max Euwe, Dutch chess player (d.
1981)
*
1903 -
Barbara Hepworth, British sculptor (d.
1975)
*
1906 -
Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, Italian Catholic cardinal (d.
1989)
*
1908 -
James Stewart (actor) James Stewart, American actor (d.
1997)
*
1911 -
Gardner Fox, American writer (d.
1986)
*
1913 -
William Hewlett, American engineer and computer manufacturer (d.
2001)
*
1915 -
Moshe Dayan, Israeli general and politician (d.
1981)
*
1916 -
Trebisonda Valla, Italian athlete
*1916 -
Alexei Petrovich Maresiev, Russian flying ace (d.
2001)
*
1917 -
Bergur Sigurbjörnsson, Icelandic politician (d.
2005)
*
1918 -
Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d.
2004)
*
1919 -
George Gobel, American comedian (d.
1991)
*
1920 -
Betty Driver, English singer and actress
*
1921 -
Wolfgang Borchert, German writer (d.
1947)
*1921 -
Hal Newhouser, baseball player (d.
1998)
*
1926 -
Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (d.
1956)
*
1927 -
Bud Grant, American football coach
*
1931 -
Ken Boyer, baseball player (d.
1982)
*
1935 -
Marinella, Greek singer
*
1936 -
Anthony Zerbe, American actor
*
1940 -
Stan Mikita, Slovak-born hockey player
*1940 -
Sadaharu Oh, Japanese baseball player
*
1943 -
Albano Carrisi Al Bano, Italian singer
*
1944 -
Joe Cocker, British singer
*1944 -
Boudewijn de Groot, Dutch singer
*1944 -
Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman
*
1946 -
Cher (entertainer) Cher, American actress and singer
*
1947 -
Greg Dyke, British broadcast executive
*
1952 -
Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer
*
1953 -
Robert Doyle, Australian politician
*
1955 -
Zbigniew Preisner, Polish film composer
*
1956 -
Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Norwegian author
*
1958 -
Ron Reagan, American dancer and talk show host
*1958 -
Jane Wiedlin, American singer (
The Go-Go's)
*
1959 -
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, American singer
*1959 -
Bronson Pinchot, American actor
*
1960 -
John Billingsley, American actor
*1960 -
Chuck Brodsky, American musician
*1960 -
Tony Goldwyn, American actor
*
1962 -
Mike Jeffries, American soccer coach
*
1965 -
Ted Allen, American author and television celebrity
*
1966 -
Mindy Cohn, American actress
*
1968 -
Timothy Olyphant, American actor
*
1970 -
B.G. James, American professional wrestler
*1970 -
Louis Theroux, British television presenter
*
1971 -
Tony Stewart, American race car driver
*
1972 -
Tina Hobley, British actress
*1972 -
Busta Rhymes, American singer and rapper
*
1976 -
Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan
Major League Baseball player
*
1977 -
Miriam Parrish, American actress
*
1981 -
Ã?ker Casillas, Spanish footballer
*1981 -
Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
*
1982 -
Petr Cech, Czech footballer
Deaths
*
685 - King
Ecgfrith of Northumbria (b.
645)
*
1277 -
Pope John XXI (b.
1215)
*
1285 -
John II of Jerusalem, King of Cyprus (b.
1259)
*
1444 - Saint
Bernardino of Siena, Italian Franciscan missionary (b.
1380)
*
1503 -
Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, Italian patron of the arts (b.
1463)
*
1506 -
Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer (b.
1451)
*
1550 -
Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shogun (b.
1510)
*
1622 -
Osman II,
Ottoman Sultan (b.
1604)
*
1648 - King
Wladislaus IV of Poland (b.
1595)
*
1677 -
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, English statesman (b.
1612)
*
1713 -
Thomas Sprat, English writer (b.
1635)
*
1717 -
John Trevor (1637-1717) John Trevor, Speaker of the English House of Commons (b.
1637)
*
1722 -
Sébastien Vaillant, French botanist (b.
1669)
*
1732 -
Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (b.
1676)
*
1782 -
William Emerson, English mathematician (b.
1701)
*
1793 -
Charles Bonnet, Swiss naturalist (b.
1720)
*
1834 -
Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, French soldier and statesman (b.
1757)
*
1841 -
Joseph Blanco White, British theologian (b.
1775)
*
1873 - Sir
George-Étienne Cartier, French-Canadian statesman (b.
1814)
*
1896 -
Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (b.
1819)
*
1917 -
Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b.
1850)
*
1940 -
Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish writer,
Nobel Prize in Literature Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1859)
*
1946 -
Jacob Ellehammer, Danish inventor (b.
1871)
*
1947 -
Philipp Lenard, Austrian physicist,
Nobel Prize in Physics Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1862)
*
1956 -
Max Beerbohm, English theater critic (b.
1872)
*
1971 -
Waldo Williams, Welsh poet (b.
1904)
*
1989 -
John Hicks, English economist,
Nobel Prize in Economics Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1904)
*1989 -
Gilda Radner, American comedian and actress (b.
1946)
*
1996 -
Jon Pertwee, British actor (b.
1919)
*
2000 -
Jean Pierre Rampal, French flutist (b.
1922)
*
2001 -
Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer (b.
1920)
*
2002 -
Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist (b.
1941)
*
2005 -
Paul Ricoeur, French philosopher (b.
1913)
Holidays and observances
*
Feast day of the following
saints in the
Roman Catholic Church:
**
Bernadine of Siena
**
Theodore of Pavia
**
Saint Lucifer
**
Austregisilus
**
Ivo of Chartres
*
Cameroon National Day
*
East Timor National Day
Miscellaneous
Eliza Doolittle Day from ''
My Fair Lady'': In the song "Just You Wait", Eliza sings "Next week, on the twentieth of May/ I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day!"
External links
-
BBC: On This Day
----
19 May -
21 May -
20 April -
20 June –
historical anniversaries listing of all days
{{months}}
af:20 Mei
ar:20 مايو
an:20 de mayo
ast:20 de mayu
bg:20 май
bs:20. maj
ca:20 de maig
ceb:Mayo 20
cv:Çу, 20
co:20 di maghju
cs:20. květen
cy:20 Mai
da:20. maj
de:20. Mai
et:20. mai
el:20 ΜαÎ?ου
es:20 de mayo
eo:20-a de majo
eu:Maiatzaren 20
fo:20. mai
fr:20 mai
fy:20 maaie
fur:20 di Mai
ga:20 Bealtaine
gl:20 de maio
ko:5ì›” 20ì?¼
hr:20. svibnja
io:20 di mayo
ilo:Mayo 20
id:20 Mei
ia:20 de maio
ie:20 may
is:20. maÃ
it:20 maggio
he:20 במ×?×™
jv:20 Mei
ka:20 მ�ისი
csb:20 môja
ku:20'ê gulanê
la:20 Maii
lt:Gegužės 20
lb:20. Mee
li:20 mei
hu:Május 20
mk:20 мај
ms:20 Mei
nap:20 'e maggio
nl:20 mei
ja:5月20日
no:20. mai
nn:20. mai
oc:20 de mai
pl:20 maja
pt:20 de Maio
ro:20 mai
ru:20 маÑ?
sq:20 Maj
scn:20 di maiu
simple:May 20
sk:20. máj
sl:20. maj
sr:20. мај
fi:20. toukokuuta
sv:20 maj
tl:Mayo 20
tt:20. May
te:మే 20
th:20 พฤษภาคม
vi:20 tháng 5
tr:20 Mayıs
uk:20 травнÑ?
wa:20 d' may
war:Mayo 20
zh:5月20日
pam:Mayu 20
*** Shopping-Tip: May 20
