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What happened in history on this day: October 20?
On October 20 in ...
- 1435 - Birth of Andrea Della Robbia Florence, sculptor, nephew of Luca.
- 1600 - Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's rulers (shoguns).
- 1632 - Birth of Christopher Wren England, astronomer/great architect.
- 1740 - Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia.
- 1784 - Birth of Henry John Temple; Viscount Palmerston (Whig) British Prime Minister (1855-65).
- 1785 - The Connecticut General Court authorizes coining up to 10,000 pounds of copper coins with an emblem of Liberty.
- 1803 - US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.
- 1810 - Jean Baptiste Bernadotte arrives in Sweden, converts to the Lutheran faith, and is given the name Prince Karl Johan.
- 1813 - German Kingdom of Westphalia is abolished.
- 1817 - First Mississippi showboat leaves Nashville on maiden voyage.
- 1818 - 49th parallel established as the border between US and Canada.
- 1818 - US and Britain agree to joint control of Oregon country.
- 1819 - Birth of Mirza Ali Mohammad [The Báb]; forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh.
- 1823 - Birth of Thomas Hughes in England; author (Tom Brown's School Days).
- 1854 - Birth of Arthur Rimbaud in France; poet/adventurer (Illuminations).
- 1859 - Birth of John Dewey in Vermont, USA; philosopher, educational theorist/writer (Learn by doing), founding member of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
- 1870 - In Canada, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurs, centered between Montreal and Quebec in the Saint Lawrence Valley. The shock is felt over an area estimated to be at least a million square miles, including Sault Sainte Marie.
- 1874 - Birth of Charles Edward Ives in Danbury, Connecticut, USA; composer (Holliday Quick Step).
- 1883 - Treaty of Ancon, Peru cedes Tarapaca to Chile.
- 1887 - Birth of Addison Richards in Zanesville, Ohio, USA; actor (Colonel - Pentagon).
- 1888 - Chicago and All America baseball teams play exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand.
- 1891 - First International six-day bike race (New York, Madison Square Gardens) begins.
- 1894 - French company Cie Novelle du Canal de Panama is incorporated.
- 1899 - Columbia (US) beats Shamrock (England) in 11th America's Cup.
- 1900 - Birth of Wayne Morse; American politician (Senator-Republican/Democrat-Oregon).
- 1903 - US wins disputed boundary between the District of Alaska and Canada.
- 1905 - Birth of Frederic Dannay; half of Ellery Queen and Barnaby Ross (Cat of Many Tales).
- 1905 - Great General Strike in Russia begins; lasts 11 days.
- 1906 - Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrates the electrical vaccuum radio tube.
- 1906 - William "Buck" Ewing, hall of fame catcher (New York Giants), dies at age 67.
- 1907 - Birth of Arlene Francis in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actress and broadcaster (25 Broadway shows, host of NBC-TV's Home show, panelist on What's My Line 1950-75).
- 1908 - Birth of Arlene Francis Boston Massachusetts, radio/TV hostess (What's My Line?).
- 1911 - Birth of Will Rogers Junior in New York, USA; actor (Down to Earth).
- 1911 - Roald Amundsen sets out on race to South Pole.
- 1913 - Birth of Barney Phillips in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; actor (Dragnet radio and TV shows, Twelve O'Clock High, Dan August, Jabberjaw, Betty White Show, Felony Squad).
- 1913 - Birth of Louis Marshal AKA Grandpa Jones in Kentucky, USA; musician (Grand Ole Opry), actor (Hee Haw TV show).
- 1917 - Birth of Jean-Pierre Melville in Paris, France; director (Un Flic).
- 1918 - Birth of Anton Diffring in Koblenz, Germany; actor (Assignment Vienna).
- 1921 - Birth of Pierre Laporte in Canada; journalist/statesman (Revolution Script).
- 1922 - Birth of John Anderson in Clayton, Illinois, USA; actor (Virgil - Legend of Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke).
- 1923 - Birth of Herschel Bernardi in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Arnie TV show, Peter Gunn TV show, The Jetsons TV show, Hail to the Chief TV show, The Front TV show, voice of Charlie the Tuna on Starkist Tuna commercials).
- 1923 - Birth of Robert Craft in Kingston, New York, USA; conductor, Stravinsky-follower.
- 1925 - Birth of Art Buchwald in Mount Vernon, New York, USA; columnist/author (Have I Ever Lied to You).
- 1926 - Birth of Ursula Happe in Germany; 200m backstroke swimmer (Olympic-gold-1956).
- 1928 - Birth of Joyce Brothers was in New York City, New York, USA; pop psychologist and advice columnist.
- 1930 - Birth of "Grandpa" Louis M Jones in Niagra, Kentucky, USA; country singer/banjoist (Hee Haw).
- 1930 - British White Paper restricts Jews from buying Arab land.
- 1931 - Birth of Mickey Mantle; American baseball player (New York Yankees), home run slugger (1956 Triple Crown) (dies 1995).
- 1932 - Swedish Prince Gustav Adolf marries Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
- 1932 - Birth of Roosevelt Brown in Virginia, USA; NFL hall of fame tackle (New York Giants).
- 1932 - Birth of William Christopher in Evanstown, Illinois, USA; actor (Father Mulcahy - M*A*S*H).
- 1934 - Birth of Martin Landau; actor (Mission Impossible, Space 1999, Tucker).
- 1934 - Birth of Timothy West in Yorkshire, England; actor (Masada).
- 1935 - Birth of Jerry Orbach in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Promises! Promises!, Dirty Dancing, Law and Order).
- 1937 - Birth of Juan Marichal; baseball pitcher (San Francisco Giants).
- 1937 - Birth of Wanda Jackson in Maud, Oklahoma, USA; country singer ("Let's Have a Party").
- 1941 - Soviet resistance surrounded in Bryansk ceases. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners are taken.
- 1942 - The office of US Alien Property Custodian operating under the "Trading With the Enemy Act" seizes shares of Union Banking Corporation in New York City, on grounds it was financing Adolf Hitler.
- 1942 - "Durham Manifesto" calls for fundamental changes in race relations.
- 1942 - Birth of Earl Hindman in Bisbee, Arizona, USA; actor (Wilson - Home Improvement).
- 1944 - 30 blocks of Cleveland, Ohio, USA burn after a liquid gas factory explodes.
- 1944 - Revolution by workers and students in Guatemala.
- 1944 - American General Douglas MacArthur and 200,000 troops begin amphibious landings on Leyte in the central Philippines.
- 1946 - Frank Seno returns kickoff 105 yards, Chicago Cardinals versus New York Giants.
- 1947 - The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigating Communist influence in Hollywood.
- 1948 - Birth of Andrei Suraikin in the USSR; pairs figure skater (Olympic-silver-1972).
- 1949 - Birth of Valery Borzov in the USSR; 100m/200m dash (Olympic-gold-1972).
- 1949 - Birth of Wayne Collett; American 400m runner (Olympic-silver-1972).
- 1950 - Birth of Finola Hughes in London, England; actress (Anna Devane - General Hospital).
- 1950 - Birth of Tom Petty in Gainesville, Florida, USA; singer (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "Refugee").
- 1952 - Birth of Melanie Mayron in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actress (Thirty Something, Car Wash, Missing).
- 1953 - Birth of Keith Hernandez in San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets' first baseman (nine golden gloves).
- 1954 - Willie Shaw, race car driver (Indy 500-1937, 1939, 1940), dies at age 51.
- 1955 - New York Yankees begin 16-game exhibition in Japan.
- 1956 - 58 degrees F (15 degrees C), Esperanza Station, Antarctica (Antarctic record high).
- 1956 - Hannes Lindemann begins journey across Atlantic in a 17-foot craft.
- 1957 - CBS premieres The 20th Century 30-minute weekly documentary TV show, hosted by Walter Cronkite.
- 1957 - NBC begins airing The Dinah Shore Show expanded to 60 minutes.
- 1957 - NBC begins airing the Omnibus 60-minute educational TV show.
- 1958 - Birth of Eric Scott in Hollywood, California, USA; actor (Ben - The Waltons).
- 1958 - Birth of Ivo Pogorelich in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; pianist (1978 Casagrande winner).
- 1958 - Birth of Mark King; bass/vocalist (Level 42 - "Standing in the Light").
- 1960 - First fully mechanized post office opened, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
- 1960 - Ralph Houk replaces Casey Stengel as New York Yankees manager.
- 1963 - Jim Brown sets NFL single-season rushing record, 1,863 yards.
- 1963 - South Africa begins trial of Nelson Mandela and eight others on conspiracy.
- 1964 - Birth of David Ryan; rock musician (The Lemonheads).
- 1964 - Herbert Hoover, 31st president of US, dies in New York at age 90.
- 1964 - Riot at Rolling Stones show in Paris, France (150 arrested).
- 1965 - Birth of Jim Sonefeld; rock musician (Hootie & The Blowfish).
- 1966 - Birth of Fred Coury in Johnston City, New York, USA; rocker (Cinderella - "Heartbreak Station").
- 1967 - Seven men are convicted of civil rights violations in Meridian, Mississippi.
- 1967 - Birth of Susan Tulley; British actress (Michelle - EastEnders).
- 1967 - Birth of Doug Eldridge; Rock musician (Oleander).
- 1972 - Harlow Shapley, discoverer of the Sun's position in the galaxy, dies.
- 1973 - Arab oil producers impose total oil embargo on USA.
- 1973 - US President Richard Nixon proclaims Jim Thorpe greatest athlete of first half century.
- 1973 - Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox dismissed by Solicitor General Bork, Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General Ruckelshaus resign.
- 1976 - 70 die as Norwegian tanker Frosta collides with George Prince.
- 1976 - New York Nets' Julius "Dr J" Erving sold to the Philadelphia 76ers.
- 1977 - A privately-chartered plane crashes in a swamp in Mississippi, killing three members of rock music group Lynyrd Skynyrd: lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
- 1979 - John F Kennedy Library dedicated in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1979 - Birth of John Krasinski; American actor (The Office).
- 1980 - Death of Lady Isobel Barnett, British television personality (suicide following her conviction for shoplifting) (born 1918).
- 1982 - The Saint Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 in Game 7, winning the World Series.
- 1982 - During the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem at least 63 people are crushed to death.
- 1982 - Billy Martin fired as manager of the Oakland Athletics.
- 1983 - Death of Merle Travis of heart failure at age 75; country singer, songwriter ("Sixteen Tons").
- 1984 - Death of Paul Dirac, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902).
- 1984 - Death of Carl Ferdinand Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1896).
- 1984 - New York Islander's Mike Bossy's 30th career hat trick-4 goals.
- 1985 - Birth of Jennifer Nicole Freeman; actress (My Wife and Kids).
- 1986 - In the Kermadec Islands region, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake occurs.
- 1986 - The US Mint launches the American Eagle 0.9167 fine gold bullion coin program.
- 1987 - Ten die as US Air Force jet crashed into a Ramada Inn near Indianapolis, Indiana.
- 1987 - London's FTSE index drops another 12.2 percent ($92.5 billion value).
- 1987 - New York subway gunman Bernhard Goetz sentenced to six months in jail.
- 1988 - Britain ends suspects right to remain silent in crackdown on Irish Republican Army.
- 1988 - Gastineau sacks New York Jets, retires from football "for personal reasons".
- 1988 - Los Angeles first to have both NBA and baseball champions as Los Angeles Dodgers beat Oakland Athletics, four games to one in 85th World Series.
- 1988 - Man armed with explosives blows self up in 125 Steet subway station (New York City).
- 1988 - Reggie Rogers, Detroit Lions' number one pick, kills three by driving intoxicated.
- 1989 - US Senate impeaches US District Judge Alcee L Hastings.
- 1990 - Antiwar protest marches begin in 20 US cities (US-Iraq).
- 1990 - Cincinnati Reds sweep Oakland Athletics in four games in the 87th World Series.
- 1990 - Brian Jewell, teenager in New Jersey, dies of accidental hanging while playing the part of a hanged man for a "haunted hayride".
- 1991 - In Northern India, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. Two events about 1.6 seconds apart. At least 2,000 people killed, more than 1,800 injured and 18,000 buildings destroyed.
- 1991 - The Harare Declaration lays down the membership criteria for the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1994 - In Coleman, Michigan, USA a meteorite penetrates the roof of a house.
- 1994 - Death of Burt Lancaster of a heart attack at age 80 after a heart attack; American actor (On Wings of Eagles, Marco Polo, Verdi, Moses the Lawgiver).
- 1995 - PBS airs final MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour TV show as Robert MacNeil co-hosts for the last time.
- 1997 - The U.S. Justice Department asks a federal court to hold Microsoft in contempt of court because it may be forcing PC makers to distribute Internet Explorer as a condition of selling Windows 95. Microsoft is formally charged with violating the terms of the 1995 Final Judgement. The federal court is asked to impose on Microsoft a US$1 million per day fine until the company stops tying the browser with Windows.
- 1999 - Death of Jack Lynch, Prime Minister of Ireland (born 1917).
- 2000 - Toronto Blue Jays signs Carlos Delgado to a Major League record four-year $68 million contract.
- 2001 - The Concert for New York City, "a celebration of the strength, resilience, and pride of New York and America" is held, featuring performances by The Who, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Backstreet Boys, Billy Joel, Destiny's Child, Eric Clapton, Adam Sandler, Bon Jovi, Elton John and many more.
- 2004 - Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Missouri, killing 13 people and injuring two.
- 2004 - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono becomes the first directly-elected President of Indonesia.
- 2004 - The Boston Red Sox defeat the New York Yankees 10-3 in Game 7 of the Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series to win the series 4 games to 3. The Boston Red Sox become the first team in baseball history to come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a series. Overcoming a 3-0 series deficit has only happened twice previously in all of professional sports.
- 2005 - Hurricane Wilma enters the Mexican Caribbean, passing through Cozumel and then the Yucatán Peninsula, staying over Cancún for over 60 hours.
- 2006 - Death of Eric Newby at age 86; British travel writer of 25 books (A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush (1958), Love and War in the Apennines (1970)).
- 2006 - Death of Jane Wyatt at age 96 in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Father Knows Best TV show).
- 2007 - Georgia's governor Sonny Perdue declares a state of emergency due to drought conditions.
- 2007 - South Africa defeats England at the Rugby World Cup 2007 final in Stade de France, Paris.
- 2007 - Jungle (open) primary election are held for governor and the legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
- 2007 - (to November 9) Wildfires in Southern California result in the evacuation of more than one million people and destruction of over 1,600 homes and businesses. Total damage estimate is US$1 billion.
- 2009 - A national election is held in Niger, won by President Mamadou Tandja's party with 76 of 113 seats. The election was boycotted by the opposition in protest against changes to the constitution allowing the president to stand for a third term.
- 2010 - Death of Farooq Leghari, 9th President of Pakistan (born 1940).
- 2011 - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is killed in Sirte, with National Transitional Council forces taking control of the city, and ending the war.
- 2011 - Basque separatist militant organisation ETA declares an end to its 43-year campaign of political violence, which has killed over 800 people since 1968.
- 2012 - Death of E. Donnall Thomas, American Nobel physician (born 1920).
- 2018 - US President Donald Trump announces that the US will "terminate" the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations.
- 2018 - 700,000 people march through central London demanding a second referendum on the final Brexit deal.
- 2020 - NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touches down on Bennu, becoming the agency's first probe to retrieve samples from an asteroid, with its cargo due for return to Earth in 2023.
- 2020 - US Department of Justice files a lawsuit versus Alphabet for anti-trust, alleging anticompetitive practices to maintain monopoly in Internet search via Google.
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