What happened on July 20? There are more than 301 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About July 20

July 20 In HistoryJuly 20 is the 202nd day of the year 2024. There are 164 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday. This day falls under the 29th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Sahuarita, Arizona 85629 sunrise occured at 05:30 AM and sunset occured at 07:29 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Cancer. The modern birthstone for this month is Ruby while the mystical birthstone is Ruby.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 193 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

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Historical Events For July 20

  • 70
    First Jewish-Roman War: Siege of Jerusalem – Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, storms the Fortress of Antonia north of the Temple Mount. The Roman army is drawn into street fights with the Zealots.
  • 911
    Rollo lays siege to Chartres.
  • 1304
    Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle – King Edward I of England takes the stronghold using the War Wolf.
  • 1402
    Ottoman-Timurid Wars: Battle of Ankara – Timur, ruler of Timurid Empire, defeats forces of the Ottoman Empire sultan Bayezid I.
  • 1738
    Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye reaches the western shore of Lake Michigan.
  • 1807
    Nicéphore Niépce is awarded a patent by Napoleon Bonaparte for the Pyréolophore, the world’s first internal combustion engine, after it successfully powered a boat upstream on the river Saône in France.
  • 1810
    Citizens of Bogotá, New Granada declare independence from Spain.
  • 1864
    American Civil War: Battle of Peachtree Creek – Near Atlanta, Georgia, Confederate forces led by General John Bell Hood unsuccessfully attack Union troops under General William T. Sherman.
  • 1866
    Austro-Prussian War: Battle of Lissa – The Austrian Navy , led by Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, defeats the Italian Navy near the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.
  • 1871
    British Columbia joins the confederation of Canada.
  • 1885
    The Football Association legalizes professionalism in football under pressure from the British Football Association.
  • 1903
    The Ford Motor Company ships its first car.
  • 1917
    World War I: The Corfu Declaration, which leads to the creation of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia.
  • 1922
    The League of Nations awards mandates of Togoland to France and Tanganyika to the United Kingdom.
  • 1932
    In Washington, D.C., police fire tear gas on World War I veterans, part of the Bonus Expeditionary Force, who attempt to march to the White House.
  • 1934
    1934 West Coast waterfront strike: In Seattle, police fire tear gas on and club 2,000 striking longshoremen. The governor of Oregon calls out the National Guard to break a strike on the Portland docks.
  • 1934
    Labor unrest in the U.S.: as police in Minneapolis fire upon striking truck drivers, during the Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934, killing two and wounding sixty-seven.
  • 1935
    Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen.
  • 1936
    The Montreux Convention is signed in Switzerland, authorizing Turkey to fortify the Dardanelles and Bosphorus but guaranteeing free passage to ships of all nations in peacetime.
  • 1938
    The United States Department of Justice files suit in New York City against the motion picture industry charging violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act in regards to the studio system. The case would eventually result in a break-up of the industry in 1948.
  • 1940
    California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.
  • 1940
    Denmark leaves the League of Nations.
  • 1941
    Soviet leader Joseph Stalin consolidates the Commissariats of Home Affairs and National Security to form the NKVD and names Lavrenti Beria its chief.
  • 1944
    World War II: Adolf Hitler survives an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.
  • 1949
    Israel and Syria sign a truce to end their nineteen-month war.
  • 1950
    Cold War: In Philadelphia, Harry Gold pleads guilty to spying for the Soviet Union by passing secrets from atomic scientist Klaus Fuchs.
  • 1951
    King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by a Palestinian while attending Friday prayers in Jerusalem.
  • 1954
    Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany’s secret service, defects to East Germany.
  • 1960
    Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) elects Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, the world’s first elected female head of government.
  • 1960
    The Polaris missile is successfully launched from a submarine, the USS George Washington, for the first time.
  • 1961
    French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte.
  • 1964
    Vietnam War: Viet Cong forces attack the capital of Dinh Tuong Province, Cai Be, killing 11 South Vietnamese military personnel and 40 civilians (30 of which are children).
  • 1968
    The first Special Olympics is held.
  • 1969
    A cease fire is announced between Honduras and El Salvador, 6 days after the beginning of the “Football War”.
  • 1969
    Apollo Program: Apollo 11 successfully makes the first manned landing on the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility. Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on another world almost 7 hours later.
  • 1974
    Turkish occupation of Cyprus: Forces from Turkey invade Cyprus after a coup d'etat, organised by the dictator of Greece, against president Makarios.
  • 1976
    The American Viking 1 lander successfully lands on Mars.
  • 1977
    Johnstown, Pennsylvania is hit by a flash flood that kills eighty and causes $350 million in damage.
  • 1977
    The Central Intelligence Agency releases documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing it had engaged in mind control experiments.
  • 1980
    The United Nations Security Council votes 14-0 that member states should not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
  • 1982
    Hyde Park and Regents Park bombings: The Provisional IRA detonates two bombs in Hyde Park and Regents Park in central London, killing eight soldiers, wounding forty-seven people, and leading to the deaths of seven horses.
  • 1985
    The government of Aruba passes legislation to secede from the Netherlands Antilles.
  • 1989
    Burma’s ruling junta puts opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
  • 1992
    Václav Havel resigns as president of Czechoslovakia.
  • 1999
    Falun Gong is banned in the People’s Republic of China, and a large scale crackdown of the practice is launched.

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Who Were Born On July 20?

  • 356 BC
    Alexander the Great, Greek king of Macedonia and conqueror of Persia (d. 323 BC)
  • 810
    Imam Bukhari, Muslim scholar and compiler of Hadith (d. 870)
  • 1304
    Francesco Petrarch, Italian poet (d. 1374)
  • 1537
    Arnaud d'Ossat, French diplomat and writer (d. 1604)
  • 1620
    Nikolaes Heinsius, Dutch scholar (d. 1681)
  • 1754
    Destutt de Tracy, French philosopher (d. 1836)
  • 1757
    Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (d. 1811)
  • 1774
    Auguste Marmont, French marshal (d. 1852)
  • 1797
    Sir Paul Edmund de Strzelecki, Polish explorer and geologist (d. 1873)
  • 1804
    Richard Owen, English biologist (d. 1892)
  • 1822
    Gregor Mendel, German scientist, father of modern genetics (d. 1884)
  • 1838
    Augustin Daly, American playwright (d. 1899)
  • 1838
    George Otto Trevelyan, British statesman and biographer (d. 1928)
  • 1847
    Max Liebermann, German artist (d. 1935)
  • 1849
    Robert Anderson Van Wyck, Mayor of New York City (d. 1918)
  • 1852
    Theo Heemskerk, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1932)
  • 1858
    Ivan Vucetic, Croatian anthropologist (d. 1925)
  • 1864
    Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish writer, Nobel Prize in Literature laureate (d. 1931)
  • 1868
    Miron Cristea, 1st Patriarch of All Romania (d. 1939)
  • 1873
    Alberto Santos-Dumont, Brazilian aviator (d. 1932)
  • 1876
    Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician (d. 1944)
  • 1889
    Lord Reith, British broadcast executive (d. 1971)
  • 1890
    King George II of Greece (d. 1947)
  • 1893
    George Llewelyn-Davies, English Peter Pan character model (d. 1915)
  • 1895
    László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter, photographer, and sculptor (d. 1946)
  • 1896
    Eunice Sanborn, American supercentenarian (d. 2011)
  • 1897
    Tadeus Reichstein, Polish-born chemist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1996)
  • 1900
    Maurice Leyland, English cricketer (d. 1967)
  • 1901
    Heinie Manush, American baseball player (d. 1971)
  • 1902
    Jimmy Kennedy, Irish composer (d. 1984)
  • 1909
    Eric Rowan, South African cricketer, Wisden COY 1952 (d. 1993)
  • 1909
    Jean Focas, Greco-French astronomer (d. 1969)
  • 1910
    Vilém Tauský, Czech conductor and composer (d. 2004)
  • 1911
    Baqa Jilani, Indian cricketer (d. 1941)
  • 1912
    George Johnston, Australian journalist and novelist (d. 1970)
  • 1914
    Charilaos Florakis, leader of the Communist Party of Greece (d. 2005)
  • 1918
    Cindy Walker, American singer (d. 2006)
  • 1919
    Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer and explorer (d. 2008)
  • 1920
    Elliot Richardson, American politician (d. 1999)
  • 1922
    Alan Stephenson Boyd, American politician
  • 1923
    Stanisław Albinowski, Polish economist and journalist (d. 2005)
  • 1924
    Mort Garson, Canadian composer (d. 2008)
  • 1924
    Thomas Berger, American novelist
  • 1925
    Frantz Fanon, West Indian psychiatrist and writer (d. 1961)
  • 1925
    Jacques Delors, French President of the European Commission
  • 1926
    Lola Albright, American actress
  • 1926
    Patricia Cutts, English actress (d. 1974)
  • 1927
    Michael Gielen, Austrian conductor and composer
  • 1928
    Peter Ind, British jazz double bass player
  • 1929
    Mike Ilitch, American businessman and sports executive
  • 1929
    Rajendra Kumar, Indian actor (d. 1999)
  • 1930
    Chuck Daly, American basketball coach (d. 2009)
  • 1930
    Giannis Agouris, Greek writer and journalist (d. 2006)
  • 1930
    Sally Ann Howes, English-born singer and actress
  • 1931
    Tony Marsh, English racing driver
  • 1932
    Nam June Paik, Video artist (d. 2006)
  • 1932
    Otto Schily, German politician
  • 1932
    Ove Verner Hansen, Danish actor
  • 1933
    Buddy Knox, American singer and songwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1933
    Cormac McCarthy, American author
  • 1933
    Rex Williams, English snooker player
  • 1934
    Aliki Vougiouklaki, Greek actress (d. 1996)
  • 1934
    Doug Padgett, English cricketer
  • 1934
    Uwe Johnson, German writer (d. 1984)
  • 1935
    Ted Rogers, English comedian (d. 2001)
  • 1936
    Barbara Mikulski, American politician
  • 1937
    Ken Ogata, Japanese actor (d. 2008)
  • 1938
    Dame Diana Rigg, English actress
  • 1938
    Natalie Wood, American actress (d. 1981)
  • 1938
    Roger Hunt, English footballer
  • 1938
    Tony Oliva, Cuban baseball player
  • 1939
    Judy Chicago, American artist
  • 1941
    Kurt Raab, German actor (d. 1988)
  • 1941
    Periklis Korovesis, Greek author and journalist
  • 1942
    Pete Hamilton, American race car driver
  • 1942
    Ron Bowden, Australian politician
  • 1942
    T. G. Sheppard, American country music singer
  • 1943
    Adrian Păunescu, Romanian poet, journalist, and politician (d. 2010)
  • 1943
    Chris Amon, New Zealand racing driver
  • 1943
    Dennis Yost, lead singer of the Classics IV (d. 2008)
  • 1943
    Wendy Richard, English actress (d. 2009)
  • 1944
    Olivier de Kersauson, French sailor
  • 1945
    Bo Rein, American football coach (d. 1980)
  • 1945
    Harrison Ellenshaw, American matte painter
  • 1945
    John Lodge, English musician (The Moody Blues)
  • 1945
    Johnny Loughrey, Irish singer (d. 2005)
  • 1945
    Kim Carnes, American singer and songwriter
  • 1945
    Larry Craig, American politician
  • 1946
    Randal Kleiser, American film director
  • 1947
    Carlos Santana, Mexican-born American guitarist
  • 1947
    Gerd Binnig, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
  • 1948
    Muse Watson, American actor
  • 1950
    Naseeruddin Shah, Indian actor
  • 1950
    Tantoo Cardinal, Canadian actress
  • 1951
    Jeff Rawle, English actor
  • 1952
    Keiko Matsuzaka, Japanese actress
  • 1953
    Dan Shaughnessy, American sports writer
  • 1953
    Dave Evans, Australian singer (AC/DC)
  • 1953
    Marcia Hines, American-born Australian singer
  • 1953
    Thomas Friedman, American journalist
  • 1954
    Jay Jay French, guitarist for Twisted Sister
  • 1954
    Larry Levan, American DJ (d. 1992)
  • 1954
    Moira Harris, American actress
  • 1955
    Jem Finer, English musician and composer (The Pogues)
  • 1956
    Jim Prentice, Canadian politician
  • 1956
    Michael Gordon, American composer
  • 1956
    Paul Cook, English musician (The Sex Pistols)
  • 1956
    Ryo Ishibashi, Japanese actor
  • 1957
    Donna Dixon, American actress
  • 1957
    Nancy Cruzan, American figure in right-to-die case (d. 1990)
  • 1958
    Billy Mays, American TV pitchman (d. 2009)
  • 1958
    Mick MacNeil, Scottish musician (Simple Minds)
  • 1958
    Peter Fraßmann, German footballer
  • 1959
    Radney Foster, Texas country music singer/songwriter
  • 1960
    Claudio Langes, Italian racing driver
  • 1962
    Carlos Alazraqui, American actor and comedian
  • 1962
    Giovanna Amati, Italian racing driver
  • 1962
    Lee Harris, English drummer (Talk Talk, .O.rang)
  • 1963
    Frank Whaley, American actor
  • 1964
    Bernd Schneider, German racing driver
  • 1964
    Chris Cornell, American musician (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
  • 1964
    Dean Winters, American actor
  • 1964
    Kool G Rap, American musician
  • 1964
    Terri Irwin, American naturalist; widow of Steve Irwin
  • 1966
    Agot Isidro, Filipina actress
  • 1966
    Anton du Beke, British ballroom dancer
  • 1966
    Enrique Peña Nieto, American politician
  • 1966
    Stone Gossard, American musician (Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Brad)
  • 1967
    Courtney Taylor-Taylor, American musician (The Dandy Warhols)
  • 1967
    Reed Diamond, American actor
  • 1968
    Carlos Saldanha, Brazilian director
  • 1968
    Jimmy Carson, American ice hockey player
  • 1968
    Julian Rhind-Tutt, English actor
  • 1968
    Michael Park, American actor
  • 1969
    Giovanni Lombardi, Italian cyclist
  • 1969
    Josh Holloway, American actor
  • 1969
    Tobi Vail, American musician (Bikini Kill, The Go Team, The Frumpies)
  • 1971
    Charles Johnson, American baseball player
  • 1971
    DJ Screw, American hip hop deejay (d. 2000)
  • 1971
    Ed Giddins, English cricketer
  • 1971
    Sandra Oh, Korean Canadian actress
  • 1972
    Erik Ullenhag, Swedish jurist and politician
  • 1972
    Jozef Stümpel, Slovak ice hockey player
  • 1972
    Vitamin C, American singer
  • 1973
    Claudio Reyna, American soccer player
  • 1973
    Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway
  • 1973
    Mads Rieper, Danish footballer
  • 1973
    Nixon McLean, West Indian cricketer
  • 1973
    Omar Epps, American actor
  • 1973
    Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1974
    Bengie Molina, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • 1974
    Phofo, American musician
  • 1974
    Simon Rex, American actor
  • 1975
    Atiq-uz-Zaman, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1975
    Birgitta Ohlsson, Swedish politician
  • 1975
    El Zorro, Mexican professional wrestler
  • 1975
    Erik Hagen, Norwegian footballer
  • 1975
    Judy Greer, American actress
  • 1975
    Ray Allen, American basketball player
  • 1976
    Alex Yoong, Malaysian racing driver
  • 1976
    Andrew Stockdale, Australian musician (Wolfmother)
  • 1976
    Debashish Mohanty, Indian cricketer
  • 1976
    Erica Hill, American news anchor
  • 1977
    Alessandro dos Santos, naturalized Japanese footballer
  • 1977
    Kiki Musampa, Congolese footballer
  • 1978
    Charlie Korsmo, American actor
  • 1978
    Elliott Yamin, American Idol contestant
  • 1978
    Pavel Datsyuk, Russian ice hockey player
  • 1978
    Tamsyn Lewis, Australian athlete
  • 1978
    Will Solomon, American basketball player
  • 1979
    Claudine Barretto, Filipino actress
  • 1979
    David Ortega, Spanish freestyle swimmer
  • 1979
    Miklós Fehér, Hungarian footballer (d. 2004)
  • 1980
    Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian model
  • 1980
    Mike Kennerty, American guitarist (The All-American Rejects)
  • 1981
    Damien Delaney, Irish footballer
  • 1981
    Thorsten Engelmann, German rower
  • 1982
    Percy Daggs III, American actor
  • 1984
    Alexi Casilla, Dominican baseball player
  • 1984
    Matt Gilroy, American Hockey Player
  • 1985
    Anastasia Perraki, Greek fashion model
  • 1985
    David Mundy, Australian rules footballer
  • 1985
    John Francis Daley, American actor
  • 1988
    Julianne Hough, American ballroom dancer
  • 1988
    Stephen Strasburg, American baseball player
  • 1989
    Witwisit Hirunwongkul, Thai actor
  • 1991
    William Tomlin, British actor
  • 1997
    Billi Bruno, American actress
  • 1999
    Princess Alexandra of Hanover

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Who Died On July 20?

  • 985
    Pope Boniface VII
  • 1031
    King Robert II of France (b. 972)
  • 1156
    Emperor Toba of Japan (b. 1103)
  • 1160
    Peter Lombard, French theologian
  • 1320
    King Oshin of Armenia (b. 1282)
  • 1351
    Margaretha Ebner, German visionary (b. 1291)
  • 1387
    Robert IV of Artois, Count of Eu (b. 1356)
  • 1398
    Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, English noble (b. 1374)
  • 1453
    Enguerrand de Monstrelet, French chronicler
  • 1454
    King John II of Castile (b. 1405)
  • 1524
    Claude of France, wife of Francis I of France (b. 1499)
  • 1616
    Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, Irish soldier
  • 1704
    Peregrine White, first English child born to the Pilgrims in the New World (b. 1620)
  • 1752
    Johann Christoph Pepusch, German composer (b. 1667)
  • 1816
    Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, Russian poet (b. 1743)
  • 1866
    Bernhard Riemann, German mathematician (b. 1826)
  • 1897
    Jean Ingelow, English poet (b. 1820)
  • 1901
    William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
  • 1903
    Pope Leo XIII (b. 1810)
  • 1908
    Demetrius Vikelas, Greek author (b. 1835)
  • 1908
    Karl Bernhard Zoeppritz, German geophysicist (b. 1881)
  • 1922
    Andrey Markov, Russian mathematician (b. 1856)
  • 1923
    Francisco “Pancho” Villa, Mexican rebel (b. 1878)
  • 1926
    Felix Dzerzhinsky, Soviet law enforcement official (b. 1877)
  • 1927
    King Ferdinand I of Romania (b. 1865)
  • 1928
    Kostas Karyotakis, Greek poet (b. 1896)
  • 1932
    René Bazin, French novelist (b. 1853)
  • 1937
    Guglielmo Marconi, Italian inventor, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (b. 1874)
  • 1941
    Lew Fields, American vaudeville performer (b. 1867)
  • 1944
    Ludwig Beck, German colonel general, part of July 20 Plot (b. 1880)
  • 1944
    Mildred Harris, American actress (b. 1901)
  • 1945
    Paul Valéry, French author and poet (b. 1871)
  • 1951
    Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany, German prince (b. 1882)
  • 1951
    King Abdullah I of Jordan (b. 1882)
  • 1953
    Dumarsaid Estime, President of Haiti (b. 1900)
  • 1953
    Jan Struther, British author (b. 1901)
  • 1955
    Calouste Gulbenkian, Armenian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1869)
  • 1956
    James Alexander Calder, Canadian politician (b. 1868)
  • 1959
    William D. Leahy, American admiral (b. 1875)
  • 1969
    Roy Hamilton, American singer (b. 1929)
  • 1970
    Iain Macleod, English politician (b. 1913)
  • 1973
    Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1940)
  • 1973
    Robert Smithson, American land artist (b. 1938)
  • 1976
    Joseph Rochefort, American Naval officer and cryptanalyst (b. 1900)
  • 1977
    Gary Kellgren, American music producer (b. 1939)
  • 1981
    Kostas Choumis, Greek-Romanian footballer (b. 1913)
  • 1982
    Okot p'Bitek, Ugandan poet (b. 1931)
  • 1983
    Frank Reynolds, American television news anchor (b. 1923)
  • 1987
    Richard Egan, American actor (b. 1921)
  • 1989
    Forrest H. Anderson, Governor of Montana (b. 1913)
  • 1990
    Herbert Jenkins, American law enforcement official (b. 1907)
  • 1993
    Vincent Foster Jr., White House deputy counsel (b. 1945)
  • 1998
    June Byers, American professional wrestler (b. 1922)
  • 1999
    Sandra Gould, American actress (b. 1916)
  • 2000
    Gregory Hill American writer (b. 1941)
  • 2001
    Carlo Giuliani, Italian anarchist (b. 1978)
  • 2003
    Nicolas Freeling, English writer (b. 1927)
  • 2004
    Adi Lady Lala Mara, Fijian chieftainess (b. 1931)
  • 2004
    Scott Andrew Mink, American convicted murderer (b. 1963)
  • 2005
    Finn Gustavsen, Norwegian politician (b. 1926)
  • 2005
    James Doohan, Canadian actor (b. 1920)
  • 2005
    Kayo Hatta, American film director (b. 1958)
  • 2006
    Gérard Oury, French filmmaker (b. 1919)
  • 2006
    Ted Grant, British Trotskyist (b. 1913)
  • 2007
    Tammy Faye Messner (Bakker), American televangelist (b. 1942)
  • 2008
    Artie Traum, American guitarist (b. 1943)
  • 2009
    Mark Rosenzweig, American brain researcher (b. 1922)
  • 2009
    Ria Brieffies, Dutch singer (b. 1957)

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