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May 20: Today in History – Historical Events
Early Centuries – May 20 Historic Events – Before the 1700s
1. 20th May 1217: Price Louis of France was defeated today in the Battle of Lincoln fought near Lincoln in England by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke.
2. 20th May 1293: Earthquake struck Kamakura in Japan killing at least 30,000 people.
19th Century – May 20 This Day That Year – The 1800s
3. 20th May 1862: The Homestead Act which gave the applicant freehold title for up to 160 acres of undeveloped federal land outside the original 13 colonies was today signed into Law by President Abraham Lincoln.
4. 20th May 1867: The foundation for the Royal Albert Hall of Arts & Sciences was today laid by Queen Victoria in London.
5. 20th May 1868: The Republican National Convention met today in Chicago and nominated Grant.
6. 20th May 1870: Capital punishment in the Netherlands was today abolished by the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament.
7. 20th May 1873: Blue Jeans with copper rivets were today patented by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis.
8. 20th May 1875: The International Bureau of Weights and Measures was formed today by a treaty.
9. 20th May 1882: Germany, Italy, and Austria formed a triple alliance today.
10. 20th May 1882: The rail tunnel between Italy and Switzerland, the Gotthard Tunnel opened today.
11. 20th May 1892: The clothes drier was today patented by George Sampson.
12. 20th May 1895: The first commercial movie was screened today on Broadway.
13. 20th May 1896: One person died and many others were injured when a chandelier weighing about 6 tons fell on a crowd in the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris.
14. 20th May 1899: A cabbie violated the speed law for the first time when he drove his electric car down Lexington Street in New York City at 12 mph.
20th Century – Important Events On This Day May 20th – The 1900s
15. 20th May 1902: As the first Cuban President Tomas Estrada Palma assumed power, the United States withdrew its troops from Cuba.
16. 20th May 1903: The House of Commons in Britain today debated on the poor administration and ill-treatment of the natives in Belgium’s Colony of Congo Free State.
17. 20th May 1911: In a cricket match between Nottinghamshire and Sussex, Edwin Boaler Alletson scored 189 runs in 90 minutes.
18. 20th May 1915: Bataafsche Petroleum Me started oil extraction of Maracaibo.
19. 20th May 1916: A Norman Rockwell painting featured on the cover page of Saturday Evening Post.
20. 20th May 1917: Jews were today authorized by the Turkish government to return to Tel Aviv and Jaffa.
21. 20th May 1919: In Java, Volcano Keluit erupted killing at least 550 people.
22. 20th May 1920: Mexican President Venustiano Carranza, who was already under attack from American Oil Companies, after nationalizing sub-soil rights, is facing an armed rebellion by the the right-wing Sonoro Triumvirate.
23. 20th May 1926: An Air Commerce Act, which requires licensing of Pilots and airplanes, was passed by Congress.
24. 20th May 1926: Americans prefer silent movies over talkies says Thomas Alva Edison.
25. 20th May 1926: The Railway Labour Act today became a law in the United States.
26. 20th May 1927: Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York on an epic flight from London to Paris. He landed in Paris on 21st May after flying for 33 hours and 30 minutes.
27. 20th May 1927: Saudi Arabia’s Independence was recognized by Britain today.
28. 20th May 1930:The University of California today dedicated $1,500 for research on the prevention of athlete’s foot.
29. 20th May 1930: Charles Nicolson piloted the first airplane catapulted from a dirigible.
30. 20th May 1932: Engelbert Dollfuss became the Chancellor of Austria today.
31. 20th May 1932: Aviator Amelia Earhart left Newfoundland for a solo flight across the Atlantic. She became the first woman to achieve the feat.
32. 20th May 1939: The first regular trans- Atlantic was flown from New York to Marseille, France.
33. 20th May 1941: Germany today began an airborne invasion over Crete.
34. 20th May 1942: Black recruits were allowed to serve in the US Navy.
35. 20th May 1943: In Tunisia, France, Britain,h and the U.S. take out a victory parade in Tunis.
36. 20th May 1944: A group of officers of the German Army attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler by exploding a bomb during a staffing meeting.
37. 20th May 1944: The US Communist Party was dissolved.
38. 20th May 1952: Workers in the United States requested a 15% wage increase to keep pace with the increase in the cost of living caused by inflation.
39. 20th May 1955: In Argentina, the parliament accepts the separation of church and state.
40. 20th May 1956: America today exploded the first Hydrogen Bomb dropped from an aircraft over Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific.
41. 20th May 1956: In Jordan, the government headed by Samir tendered its resignation.
42. 20th May 1958:The US today performed an atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak.
43. 20th May 1959: Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Persia visited the Netherlands today.
44. 20th May 1959: The legal battle between Ford and Chrysler was today settled in favor of Ford. Ford can now call their new model “Falcon”.
45. 20th May 1959: Japanese-Americans regained their citizenship today.
46. 20th May 1960: In Milwaukee, a Baseball game had to be postponed due to dense fog.
47. 20th May 1961: Mauritania adopted its constitution today.
48. 20th May 1961: Abusloadd of Freedom Riders who were testing the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the Boynton v. Virginia case that gave them legal rights to disregard local segregation ordinances regarding interstate transport facility was attacked by an angry white mob. The government had to despatch marshals to restore order.
49. 20th May 1963: In Indonesia, Sukarno was appointed as the first President of Indonesia today.
50. 20th May 1964: The US Ambassador today reiterated in the United Nations that America is committed to staying in South East Asia and helping those wishing to stay free from communist rule as long as it takes.
51. 20th May 1965: A Boeing 707 of Pakistan Airways crashed soon after landing at the Cairo airport in Egypt. The crash killed 124 people.
52. 20th May 1967: About 10,000 people demonstrated against war in Vietnam.
53. 20th May 1968: Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Terence O’Neill, was showered with eggs, flour, and stones after a meeting with Woodvale Unionist Association, a loyalist vigilante group.
54. 20th May 1969: In Vietnam US troops today captured Hill 937/Hamburger Hill.
55. 20th May 1970: Two New York City subway trains crashed in Queens today killing 2 and injuring 70.
56. 20th May 1970: About 100,000 people held a demonstration in support of US policy in Vietnam and Cambodia, in the Wall Street district of New York today.
57. 20th May 1971:The Pentagon today reported that blacks constitute 11% of US soldiers in SE Asea.
58. 20th May 1972: For the benefit of those who are incapacitated due to poor health due to working in coalmines, the Black Lung Benefits Bill was today signed into Law by President Richard Nixon. Over 100,000 coal miners, their widows, and dependents will now receive monthly benefits.
59. 20th May 1972: Cameroon ratified its constitution today and the Republic of Cameroon was declared.
60. 20th May 1973: Actress Mary Taylor Moore and Walton’s “All in the Family” won the 25th Emmy Awards today.
61. 20th May 1973: As the COD WAR between Britain and Ireland escalates British Royal Navy frigates are sent to the disputed 50-mile zone for the protection of British Trawlers fishing inside the zone.
62. 20th May 1974:Spacecraftt Soyuz returned to earth today.
63. 20th May 1976: The USSR today performed a nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR.
64. 20th May 1978:The US today launched Pioneer Venus I and produced 1st radar map of Venus.
65. 20th May 1978: A police officer was killed by 3 PFLP members near El AlAirliness in Orly Airport in Paris.
66. 20th May 1979: Singer Elton John toured USSR. He became the first Western pop star to tour the USSR.
67. 20th May 1980: A fire broke out in a nursing home in Kingston, Jamaica killing 157 people.
68. 20th May 1980: Quebec today rejected separatism in a referendum by 59.5% votes.
69. 20th May 1983: In South Africa’s capital city of Pretoria, a powerful car bomb explosion believed to have been set off by the anti-apartheid group killed 16 people and injured at least 130 people.
70. 20th May 1985:The US today began broadcasting to Cuba on Radio Marti.
71. 20th May 1985: John A Walker who was convicted of spying for the USSR was arrested by the FBI today.
72. 20th May 1985: For the first time Dow Jones industrial average closes at 1300.
73. 20th May 1986: In the 35th Miss USA contest23-year-old Christy Fichtner from Texas was crowned Miss USA.
74. 20th May 1989:57-year-old Walter McConnell reached the top of Mount Everest and became the oldest to climb the peak.
75. 20th May 1989: Marshall law was declared in Beijing by China today.
76. 20th May 1990: The first photographs from space were sent by Hubble Space Telescope.
77. 20th May 1991: A law allowing citizens to travel abroad was today approved by the Soviet Parliament.
78. 20th May 1992: India today independently launched its first satellite.
79. 20th May 1992: King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, in a TV broadcast during the height of the “Black May” political crisis demanded his generals Suchinda and Chamlong to work together.
80. 20th May 1993: A 10m meteor comes as close as 150,000 km from Earth.
81. 20th May 1994: North Korea’s continued insistence on not allowing full international inspection of its nuclear facilities is causing concern among some that they may be developing a nuclear weapons program.
82. 20th May 1994: Eighteen-year-old Sushmita Sen was crowned 43rd Miss Universe today.
83. 20th May 1996: The United Nations and Iraq today agreed to Resolution 986. The resolution allows Iraq to sell $ 1 billion of oil for 90 days for a 180-day trial period and then proceed from the sale to be used for humanitarian purposes.
84. 20th May 1997: US President Bill Clinton today signed an executive order which barred new investment in Burma or Myanmar, effective 21st May and renewable annually.
21st Century – May 20 This Day In History – The 2000s
85. 20th May 2002: After 20 years of struggle, East Timor gained independence from the Philippines.
86. 20th May 2005: After completing 7½ years of jail term for raping her 12-year-old sixth-grade student, 43-year-old Mary K Letourneau married the boy who was now 2,2, and had fathered two of her children.
87. 20th May 2005: When villagers of the Etoumbi village in Congo returned from hunting with a dead chimpanzee, the Ebola virus broke out in the village. The village was quarantined. The World Health Organization promised to deliver them food and prevent the spread of the virus.
88. 20th May 2007: In the 53rd British Academy Television Awards, “The Street” was adjudged the best dram, and “That Mitchell and Webb Look” got the best comedy award.
89. 20th May 2009: Mexico entered recession today. It was the first Latin American country to enter recession.
90. 20th May 2010: Five paintings, masterpieces from the early 20th century, worth $ 100 million were stolen from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. This was the biggest theft after the theft in the Stewart Garden Museum in Boston.
91. 20th May 2011: Northwest Turkey was today struck by an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 on the Richter scale. At least two people died and 79 others were injured.
92. 20th May 2012: In Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic was elected as its President today.
93. 20th May 2012: An earthquake of magnitude 6 on the Richter scale struck northern Italy killing 6 and injuring dozens.
94. 20th May 2013: The Church of Scotland today voted for guy men and women to become ministers.
95. 20th May 2013: A massive tornado struck the suburbs of Oklahoma City in the state of Oklahoma. The tornado killed at least two people and left several homeless.
96. 20th May 2013: In a continued wave of insurgency in Iraq, 133 people were killed and 283 were injured.
97. 20th May 2013: Yahoo today purchased Tumbler for $ 1.1 billion.
98. 20th May 2013: A hot balloon crashed in Cappadocia, Turkey killing 2 and injuring 20.
99. 20th May 2015: In some of the largest fines, five major world banks, J.P. Morgan, Barclays, Citigroup, RB, S, and UBS were fined US $ 5.7 billion for manipulating currency markets.
100. 20th May 2017: US President Donald Trump today commenced his first foreign trip after assuming office as President. He arrived in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.