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What happened in history on this day: July 20?
On July 20 in ...
- 514 - Saint Hormisdas begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
- 1304 - Birth of Francesco Petrarch Italy, poet (Italia Mia).
- 1519 - Birth of Innocent IX 230th Roman Catholic pope (1591).
- 1572 - Captain Francis Drake and English privateer Captain James Rance, with five ships and several pinnaces, set sail from the west coast of the Gulf of Darien in west Caribbean, to attack Nombrede Dios and raid treasure houses of the Spanish.
- 1609 - Federico Zuccari Italian Mannerist painter, dies (birth date unknown).
- 1773 - Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia (Canada).
- 1785 - Birth of Mahmud II; Ottoman sultan, Westernizer, reformer.
- 1810 - Colombia declares independence from Spain.
- 1838 - Birth of John August Daly in Plymouth, North Carolina, USA; actor, playwright (Under the Gaslight play (1867), Pique play (1875)), manager (New York's Fifth Avenue Theatre, Grand Opera House), director, recipient of the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal.
- 1859 - At a racetrack on Long Island, about 1,500 fans become the first ever to pay to see a baseball game. The spectators spend fifty cents to watch New York defeat Brooklyn, 22-18.
- 1861 - Confederate States of America's congress begins holding sessions in Richmond, Virginia.
- 1864 - Birth of Erik Karlfeldt in Sweden; poet (Nobel Prize 1918-refused; 1931-posthumous).
- 1868 - First use of tax stamps on cigarettes.
- 1871 - British Columbia becomes 6th Canadian province.
- 1872 - The US Patent Office awards the first patent for wireless telegraphy to Mahlon Loomis.
- 1876 - First US intercollegiate track meet is held, in Saratoga, New York; Princeton wins.
- 1890 - Birth of Theda Bara; actress (Under Two Flags, Cleopatra).
- 1890 - Birth of Verna Felton in Salinas, California, USA; actress (Hilda - December Bride).
- 1903 - Ford Motor Company ships its first car.
- 1903 - Giuseppe Sarto is elected Pope Pius X.
- 1917 - Draft lottery held in US for war duty; number 258 is first drawn.
- 1919 - Birth of Edmund Hillary in Auckland, New Zealand; first of two men to scale Mount Everest (dies 2008).
- 1920 - Birth of Elliot L Richardson; US Attorney General (1973), US Secretary of Defense (1973).
- 1920 - Birth of Lev Aronin; USSR International Chess Master (1950).
- 1922 - Togo is made a mandate of the League of Nations.
- 1923 - Francisco Pancho Villa is killed in an ambush in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico.
- 1923 - New York Yankees hit into a triple-play but beat Philadelphia Athletics 9-2.
- 1924 - Birth of Lola Albright in Akron, Ohio, USA; actress (Delta Country, Kid Galahad).
- 1924 - Birth of Thomas Berger; American novelist (Vital Parts, Little Big Man).
- 1930 - 106 degrees F (41 degrees C), Washington, DC (district record high).
- 1930 - Birth of Sally Ann Howes in London, England; actress (Dead of Night, Judith Krantz's Secrets), singer.
- 1932 - Birth of Nam June Paik in Seoul Korea; video artist (The Medium is the Medium).
- 1933 - Birth of Nelson Doubleday; publisher (Doubleday)/owner (New York Mets).
- 1933 - A concordat is reached between Pope Pius XI and Nazi Germany, signed by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII), and Franz von Papen.
- 1933 - Birth of Buddy Knox in Happy, Texas, USA; rockabilly singer ("Party Doll" (1957)).
- 1934 - 118 degrees F (48 degrees C), Keokuk, Iowa (state record).
- 1938 - Birth of Diana Rigg in Doncaster, England; actress (Emma Peel - The Avengers, Hospital).
- 1938 - Birth of Jo Ann Campbell in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; singer, Lawrence Welk's champagne lady.
- 1938 - Birth of Natalie Wood AKA Natasha Gurdin in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (From Here To Eternity TV mini-series, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof TV show, Gypsy, Rebel Without a Cause).
- 1938 - Finland is awarded 1940 Olympic games after Japan withdraws.
- 1939 - Birth of Judy Chicago [Cohen] in Chicago, Illinois, USA; artist (The Dinner Party).
- 1940 - Birth of Tony Oliva; baseball player, batting champion (American League Rookie of Year 1964).
- 1940 - Billboard magazine publishes its first comprehensive singles record chart, combining the top sellers from all labels. The chart's first number-one record is "I'll Never Smile Again" by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers.
- 1941 - Birth of Vladimir A Lyakhov; cosmonaut (Soyuz 32, T-9).
- 1941 - New York Yankees beat Detroit Tigers 12-6 in 17 innings.
- 1942 - US Congress authorizes Legion of Merit medal.
- 1942 - Women's Army Auxiliary Corps begins basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
- 1943 - Birth of John Lodge; bassist (The Moody Blues).
- 1944 - Birth of T.G. Sheppard; country singer ("Only One You", "Without You").
- 1944 - US President Franklin Roosevelt is nominated for an unprecedented fourth term at Democratic convention.
- 1944 - (1242 hours) In Rastenburg, East Prussia, a bomb explodes in the Gästebaracke of Adolf Hitler's war headquarters. Hitler receives only minor injuries. Hitler's double, Heinrich Berger, dies a few hours later. Three others die later of injuries: Hitler's stenographer General Schmundt, Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe General Korten, and Colonel Brandt, aide to General Heusinger.
- 1944 - (about 1800 hours) Berlin Radio reports Adolf Hitler is alive.
- 1946 - Birth of Kim Carnes; singer ("Bette Davis Eyes").
- 1947 - Birth of Carlos Santana in Mexico; guitarist (Santana - "Black Magic Woman").
- 1947 - Birth of Gerd Binnig in Frankfurt, Germany; physicist (tunneling microscope-Nobel Prize 1986).
- 1947 - Birth of James Harris in Monroe, Louisiana, USA; NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers).
- 1949 - Israel's 19-month war of independence ends.
- 1950 - ABC TV premieres The Arthur Murray Party.
- 1951 - King Abdullah Ibn Hussein I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian in Jerusalem.
- 1954 - Birth of Jay Jay French in New York City, New York, USA; guitarist (Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It").
- 1954 - Death of Blair Moody at age 52; American politician (Senator-Michigan).
- 1954 - Tennis champ Maureen Connolly's right leg is crushed in an accident.
- 1956 - Birth of Mima Jausovec in Yugoslavia; tennis player (French Open-1977).
- 1956 - Birth of Paul Cook; drummer (Sex Pistols).
- 1956 - France recognizes Tunisia's independence.
- 1956 - New York Yankees' pitcher Whitey Ford ties American League record of six straight strike-outs.
- 1957 - Birth of Donna Dixon in Virginia, USA; actress (Couch Trip, Bosom Buddies).
- 1957 - Phil Hanna, singer ("Once Upon a Tune"), dies at age 46.
- 1958 - Birth of Michael McNeill; rocker (Simple Minds - "Don't You Forget About Me").
- 1960 - First submerged submarine to fire Polaris missile (George Washington).
- 1966 - Birth of Chris Cornell in Seattle, Washington, USA; singer (Audioslave, Soundgarden).
- 1966 - Stone Gossard is born in Seattle, Washington, USA; guitarist (Pearl Jam).
- 1967 - Race riots in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
- 1967 - Birth of Reed Diamond; actor (Judging Amy, Homicide: Life on the Street).
- 1968 - Birth of Chris Kennedy; actor (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure).
- 1968 - Conductor Joseph Keilberth dies at age 60 at the National Theatre in Munich while leading Tristan and Isolde.
- 1969 - Lunar module Eagle, manned by Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin separates from the command module of Apollo 11, and lands on the Moon 2.5 hours later. Armstrong radios Mission Control in Houston, Texas, "The Eagle has landed."
- 1969 - At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. Edwin Aldrin joins him 11:11 p.m., and the two take photographs, plant a U.S. flag, run scientific tests, and leave a plaque that reads: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon - July 1969 A.D. - We came in peace for all mankind."
- 1969 - Astronauts on the Moon hand-cancel a "moon letter" bearing a die proof of a stamp for later release, with a die cancel "Moon Landing USA JUL 20 1969".
- 1969 - Death of Roy Hamilton at age 40 of a heart attack; singer ("Unchained Melody" (1955), "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1954), "You Can Have Her" (1961), "If I Loved You", "Ebb Tide", "Don't Let Go").
- 1969 - Birth of Josh Holloway; (Lost).
- 1970 - Los Angeles Angels' Bill Singer no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0.
- 1973 - Bruce Lee, karate star/actor (Green Hornet), dies.
- 1974 - Death of Allen Jenkins at age 74; actor (Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Hey Jeannie, Waterfront, Damon Runyon Theatre).
- 1974 - Birth of Simon Rex; actor (What I Like About You, Jack and Jill).
- 1974 - Turkey invades Cyprus.
- 1975 - In the Solomon Islands, magnitude 7.9 and 7.7 earthquakes occurs, with several magnitude 6 quakes following. A local tsunami that demolished every house in the village of Torakina.
- 1975 - Birth of Judy Greer; actress (Arrested Development, Love Monkey).
- 1976 - US Viking 1 lands on Mars at Chryse Planitia, first Martian landing.
- 1976 - Hank Aaron hits his last big league homer, his 755th and establishes the all-time major league record for career home runs.
- 1977 - Flash flood hits Johnstown, Pennsylvania, kills 80 and causing US$350 million damage.
- 1978 - Birth of Charlie Korsmo; actor (Dick Tracy, What About Bob?).
- 1979 - 44kg Newfoundland dog pulls 2293kg load, in Bothell, Washington.
- 1980 - Birth of Mike Kennerty; American guitarist (The All-American Rejects).
- 1982 - The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in central London, killing 8 soldiers, wounding 47.
- 1983 - Death of Frank Reynolds at age 59; news anchor (ABC Evening News).
- 1984 - Uwe Hohn of German Democratic Republic throws javelin a record 104.8 metres.
- 1985 - Walt Disney World welcomes its 200-millionth guest, Virgil Waytes, Junior.
- 1985 - The main shipwreck site of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha (which sank in 1622) is found 40 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida by treasure hunters who begin to excavate US$400 million in coins and silver.
- 1985 - Birth of John Francis Daley; actor (Freaks and Geeks, Geena Davis Show).
- 1986 - Helen Craig, actress (Rich Man Poor Man), dies at age 74.
- 1987 - New York Yankees' Don Mattingly ties first base majors fielding record (Hal Chase, 1906) with 22 put-outs.
- 1988 - The Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia nominates Michael Dukakis for U.S. President and Lloyd Bentsen for Vice President.
- 1989 - Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest.
- 1990 - Justice William Brennan resigns from the US Supreme Court after 36 years.
- 1990 - Death of Morty Nevins of cancer at age 73 in Beverly Hills, California, USA; accordian player (Three Suns - "Peg of My Heart" (1947), "Twilight Time").
- 1992 - Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.
- 1993 - Vincent Foster, White House Counsel is found in park dead of gunshot, called suicide.
- 1994 - The last show of the TV series Dinosaurs airs.
- 1995 - Death of Helmut Gernsheim in Munich, Germany; initiator of photography as a serious form of art worthy of study and as an academic discipline.
- 1996 - Birth of Billi Bruno; actress (According to Jim).
- 1998 - Death of Jim Tyrrell at age 67 of heart failure in New York, USA; veteran musician, music executive, and manager (CBS Records).
- 1999 - Liberty Bell 7, part of the US Mercury program, is raised from the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1999 - Apple Computer introduces the iBook portable computer. It features 12.1-inch TFT display, 300 MHz G3 processor, 4 MB ATI Rage Mobility graphics chip, CD-ROM drive, 32 MB RAM, modem, USB and 10/100Base-T Ethernet ports, 3 GB hard drive, keyboard, Mac OS 8.6, V.90 modem, AppleWorks software, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and comes in a translucent cover in tangerine or blueberry colors. Battery power lasts about six hours. Price is US$1599; weight is 6.6 pounds; size is 2 x 13.5 x 11.6 inches.
- 2001 - (to July 22) The 27th G8 summit takes place in Genoa, Italy. Massive demonstrations are held against the meeting by anti-globalisation groups. One demonstrator, Carlo Giuliani, is shot dead by a carabiniere and several others are badly injured, during a police attack on a school used by the protesters as their headquarters.
- 2002 - A 250-kilogram American bomb from World War II is found in Berlin during a construction project. Hundreds of residents are evacuated for several hours during the defusing of the bomb.
- 2005 - Canada's Civil Marriage Act, legalizing same-sex marriage, receives Royal Assent.
- 2005 - Death of James Doohan at age 85 from pneumonia and Alzheimers at his home in Redmond, Washington, USA; actor (Scotty - Star Trek).
- 2006 - At Coney Island, New York, a New York-Penn League game between the Oneonta Tigers and the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Tigers win by 6-1 after 26 innings, lasting 6 hours 40 minutes. This is the third longest game by innings in professional baseball history.
- 2007 - Death of Bill Flemming at age 80 from prostate cancer; sportscaster (60-year career, ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961-), covered more than 600 events, TV announcer for 11 Olympics).
- 2007 - Death of senator Antonio Carlos Magalhães, three-time governor of Bahia state, in Brazil at age 79.
- 2010 - The New Jersey Devils and Russian left-winger Ilya Kovalchuk officially agree to a landmark 17-year, US$102-million contract, but the NHL rejects the deal a few hours later, saying it circumvents the $6 million per year salary cap by paying more in early years and less in later years.
- 2011 - Goran Hadžic is detained in Serbia, becoming the last of 161 people indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
- 2011 - The United Nations declares a famine in southern Somalia, the first in over thirty years.
- 2012 - Warner Bros. releases the film The Dark Knight Rises to theaters.
- 2015 - Cuba and the United States reestablish full diplomatic relations, ending a 54-year stretch of hostility between the nations.
- 2016 - The Turkish government declares a state of emergency for at least 3 months.
- 2017 - Death of Chester Bennington by suicide at age 41 in Los Angeles, California, USA; rocker (Linkin Park - Hybrid Therapy album, "In the End" song, "Numb" song, two Grammy awards).
- 2020 - From the spaceport on Tanegashima, Kyushu, Japan, the United Arab Emirates' Al Amal Mars orbiter is launched.
- 2021 - Heavy flooding in the city of Zhengzhou, China, leaves 398 people dead or missing, including 14 in a subway station.
- 2022 - Sri Lanka parliament elects Ranil Wickremesinghe as new President.
- 2023 - Death of Rachid Sfar at age 89; Prime Minister of Tunisia (1986-1987).
- 2023 - Death of Bill Geddie at age 68 at home in Rancho Mirage, California, USA; co-creator of The View TV show.
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