20 March - Today in History - Important historical events happened on this day in India and World History
According to Gregory calendar, on March 20, the day number in a year is 79 and if it is a leap year then the day number is 80. March 20 has a special significance in India and world history, because many such incidents have occurred on this day which have been recorded forever in the pages of history. Let's know some such important events which will increase your general knowledge. The facts collected will be as follows: People born on this day, demise of famous people, war treaty, freedom of any country, invention of new technologies, change of power, important National and International Day etc.
March 20 in History - Top Historical Events
Year | Event / Incidence / Incident |
325 | The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened in present-day Iznik, Turkey. |
685 | The Picts defeated the Northumbrian near Dunnichen, severely weakening the latter's power in northern Great Britain. |
794 | According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia was beheaded on the order of King Offa of Mercia. |
1217 | In the Battle of Lincoln, the last land battle of the First Barons' War, William the Marshal drove Prince Louis of France out of England. |
1351 | Sultan Mohammad bin Tughlaq of Delhi died. |
1602 | United Dutch East India Company was established. |
1609 | Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's Sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's Consent. |
1713 | Tuscara War: Colonel James Moore's Carolina Militia waged a major offensive against Fort Neoroka. |
1739 | Nadir Shah captured the city of Delhi in India and stole all the jewels of the Mayur throne including Koh-Noor. |
1760 | The largest fire in the city of Boston destroyed 349 buildings. |
1816 | The US Supreme Court affirmed the authority to review the state's decision. |
1819 | Burlington Arcade opened in London. |
1861 | The city of Mendona in Argentina was completely devastated by a powerful earthquake. |
1873 | Clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis weregranted a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets ofdenim overalls, allowing their company to start manufacturing theirfirst line of blue jeans. |
1875 | Representatives from seventeen countries signed the MetreConvention which set up an institute for the purpose of coordinatinginternational metrology and for coordinating the development of themetric system. |
1876 | Taking legal effect through constitutional reform, Louis de Geyer became the first Prime Minister of Sweden. |
1882 | The Triple Alliance was created between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy. |
1916 | Albert Einstein's book General Theory of Relatively was published. |
1919 | The Turkish War of Independence took place on May 19, 1919 between the Turkish nationalists and the Allies Greece, Armenia, France and Great Britain on three different fronts namely the Western front, the Eastern front and the Southern front. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk led the Turkish movement and defeated the forces of Allies. |
1927 | By the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud over Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged to become Saudi Arabia. |
1930 | The Women's Enfranchisement Act, 1930 was passed on May 19, 1930 by the South African Parliament which granted voting rights to only white women aged 21 or above. |
1952 | The United States Senate ratified the peace treaty with Japan. |
1956 | The first United States airborne test of hydrogen bomb was conducted on May 20, 1956 over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. |
1964 | American physicists Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias discovered cosmic microwave background radiation on May 20, 1964. Both of them earned the 1978 Nobel Prize in physics for this discovery which is of great importance because cosmic microwave is the thermal radiation left over from the Big Bang that means it is the oldest light in the universe. |
1966 | National Film Award winning singer Alka Yagnik was born in Kolkata. |
1969 | The Battle of Hamburger Hill came to an end on May 20, 1969, fought between the United States and South Vietnamese against North Vietnamese forces. After getting tactical victory over North Vietnamese forces, US President Richard Nixon announced the withdrawal from South Vietnam. |
1969 | US President Nixon announced the end of the Vietnam War in 1970. |
1981 | Former Argentine President Isabel Perón was sentenced to eight years. |
1983 | A team of researchers led by French virologist Luc Montagnier Published their discovery of HIV, although they did not know yet if it causes AIDS. |
1987 | The Food and Drug Administration approved the anti-AIDS drug AZT. It was the first drug approved by the US government to treat AIDS. |
1989 | The Chinese government declared martial law on May 20, 1989 following a demonstration by a million of residents to support the movement started by students at Tiananmen Square. The order of martial law soon resulted into Tiananmen Square Massacre or commonly known as June Fourth Massacre in which troops with assault rifles and tanks inflicted casualties on unarmed civilians. |
1990 | Romanian first post-communist presidential and parliamentary elections were held on May 20, 1990. Ion Iliescu won the election with 90% of the votes and became the first elected President of Romania. |
1991 | Begum Khalida Zia elected President of Bangladesh. |
1993 | One for the Road, the series finale of American television sitcom Cheers, was watched by 42.4 million American households on its original airing. |
1995 | Leaking toxic gas into the Underground Railroad in Tokyo killed 12 people and injured 4,700 people. |
1996 | The US Supreme Court struck down laws in Colorado that would have prevented any jurisdiction in the state from taking any governmental action to protect homosexual citizens from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. |
1999 | Renowned British abstract painter Patrick Heron passed away. |
2002 | Southeast Asian country East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent nation on May 20, 2002. East Timor was invaded by Indonesian occupation for more than two decades after self declaration of independence on 28th November 1975 from Portugal Colonization. |
2002 | East Timor gained independence from Indonesia, becoming the first new sovereign state of the 21st century. |
2003 | Allied military missile attacks on Baghdad began on this day. The purpose of these attacks started under the leadership of America was to remove Saddam Hussein from power. |
2006 | Dhaka wildcat strikes took place on May 20, 2006 and lasted for 18 days in and around the capital of Bangladesh. More than 1.8 million workers from 4000 garment factories demonstrated and were engaged in a series of massive strikes. |
2012 | The first of two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, resulting in seven deaths. |
2014 | The journalist, writer and historian Khushwant Singh, who is known for his impeccable comment, died. |
Famous Birthdays of March 20:
Year | Name / Profession / Country |
1937 | Lois Lowry / Author / United States of America |
1851 | Ismail Gasprinski / Educator / Ukraine |
1989 | Xavier Dolan / Actor / Canada |
1907 | Hugh MacLennan / Author / Canada |
1903 | Edgar Buchanan / Actor / United States of America |
1973 | Nicky Boje / Cricketer / South Africa |
1836 | Edward Poynter / Painter / United Kingdom |
1856 | Frederick Winslow Taylor / Engineer / United States of America |
1985 | Ronnie Brewer / Basketball Player / United States of America |
1971 | Touré / Author / United States of America |
1969 | Fabien Galthie / Rugby Player / France |
1834 | Charles William Eliot / Academic / United States of America |
1898 | Eduard Wiiralt / Artist / Estonia |
1908 | Michael Redgrave / Actor / United Kingdom |
1958 | Rickey Jackson / Footballer / United States of America |
1948 | Bobby Orr / Ice Hockey Player / Canada |
1979 | Shinnosuke Abe / Baseball Player / Japan |
1916 | Pierre Messmer / Politician / France |
1973 | Natalya Khrushcheleva / Runner / Russia |
1955 | Ian Moss / Writer / Australia |
1943 | Douglas Tompkins / Business Man / United States of America |
1960 | Yuri Shargin / Engineer / Russia |
1961 | Slim Jim Phantom / Drummer / United States of America |
1956 | Catherine Ashton / Politician / United Kingdom |
1941 | Kenji Kimihara / Runner / Japan |
1955 | Nina Kiriki Hoffman / Author / United States of America |
1991 | Mattia Destro / Footballer / Italy |
1940 | Stathis Chaitas / Footballer / Greece |
1947 | John Boswell / Historian / United States of America |
1954 | Liana Kanelli / Politician / Greece |
This day in other months
January 20 | February 20 | March 20 | April 20 | May 20 | June 20 | July 20 | August 20 | September 20 | October 20 | November 20 | December 20
Related search terms
Today in history | 20 March Major Events | 20 March Important Days | 20 March in Indian History | March 20 in World History | What Happened on 20 March | March 20 Famous Birthdays
Read in Hindi : 20 मार्च की प्रमुख ऐतिहासिक घटनाएं