What happened on September 20? There are more than 290 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 September 20

September 20 In HistorySeptember 20 is the 264th day of the year 2024. There are 102 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 38th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Colquitt, Georgia 31737 sunrise occured at 07:25 AM and sunset occured at 07:38 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Virgo. The modern birthstone for this month is Sapphire while the mystical birthstone is Agate.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 131 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Coffee Love Did you know that coffee and word games are an excellent combination to sharpen your vocabulary? Try this! Within 30 seconds, how many words can you think of from these letters VGOVAAX? Check your answers here: Make words with these letters VGOVAAX. (Sponsored by WordFinder.Cafe)

Historical Events For September 20

  • 1058
    Agnes de Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border-zone in present-day Burgenland.
  • 1187
    Saladin begins the Siege of Jerusalem.
  • 1260
    the Great Prussian Uprising among the old Prussians begins against the Teutonic Knights.
  • 1378
    Cardinal Robert of Geneva, called by some the Butcher of Cesena, is elected as Avignon Pope Clement VII, beginning the Papal schism.
  • 1498
    The 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake generates a tsunami that washes away the building housing the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan; since then the Buddha has sat in the open air.
  • 1519
    Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe.
  • 1596
    Diego de Montemayor founds the city of Monterrey in New Spain.
  • 1697
    The Treaty of Rijswijk is signed by France, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Republic ending the Nine Years’ War (1688–97).
  • 1737
    The finish of the Walking Purchase which forces the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony.
  • 1792
    French troops stop allied invasion of France, during the War of the First Coalition at Valmy.
  • 1835
    Ragamuffin rebels capture Porto Alegre, then capital of the Brazilian imperial province of Rio Grande do Sul, triggering the start of ten-year-long Farroupilha Revolution.
  • 1848
    The American Association for the Advancement of Science is created.
  • 1854
    Battle of Alma: British and French troops defeat Russians in the Crimea.
  • 1857
    The Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company.
  • 1860
    The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) visits the United States.
  • 1863
    American Civil War: The Battle of Chickamauga ends.
  • 1870
    Bersaglieri corps enter Rome through the Porta Pia and complete the unification of Italy.
  • 1871
    Bishop John Coleridge Patteson is martyred on the island of Nukapu, a Polynesian outlier island now in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. He is the first bishop of Melanesia.
  • 1881
    Chester A. Arthur is inaugurated as the 21st President of the United States following the assassination of James Garfield.
  • 1893
    Charles Duryea and his brother road-test the first American-made gasoline-powered automobile.
  • 1906
    Cunard Line’s RMS Mauretania is launched at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
  • 1909
    The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the South Africa Act 1909, creating the Union of South Africa from the British Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal Colony.
  • 1910
    The ocean liner SS France, later known as the “Versailles of the Atlantic”, is launched.
  • 1911
    White Star Line’s RMS Olympic collides with british warship HMS Hawke.
  • 1920
    Foundation of the Spanish Legion.
  • 1930
    Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is formed by Archbishop Mar Ivanios.
  • 1942
    Holocaust in Letychiv, Ukraine. In the course of two days the German SS murders at least 3,000 Jews.
  • 1961
    Greek general Konstantinos Dovas becomes Prime Minister of Greece.
  • 1962
    James Meredith, an African-American, is temporarily barred from entering the University of Mississippi.
  • 1967
    RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched at John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland. It is operated by the Cunard Line.
  • 1970
    Syrian tanks roll into Jordan in response to continued fighting between Jordan and the fedayeen.
  • 1971
    Having weakened after making landfall in Nicaragua the previous day, Hurricane Irene regains enough strength to be renamed Hurricane Olivia, making it the first known hurricane to cross from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific.
  • 1973
    Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in The Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
  • 1977
    The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is admitted to the United Nations.
  • 1979
    A coup d'état in the Central African Empire overthrows Emperor Bokasa I.
  • 1982
    The National Football League players begin a 57-day strike.
  • 1984
    A suicide bomber in a car attacks the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twenty-two people.
  • 1990
    South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia.
  • 2000
    The British MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by unapprehended forces using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank missile.
  • 2001
    In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a “war on terror”.
  • 2002
    The Kolka-Karmadon rock/ice slide.
  • 2003
    Maldives civil unrest: the death of prisoner Hassan Evan Naseem sparks a day of rioting in Malé.
  • 2007
    Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters marched on Jena, Louisiana, in support of six black youths who had been convicted of assaulting a white classmate.
  • 2008
    A dump truck full of explosives detonates in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 54 people and injuring 266 others.
  • 2011
    The United States ends its “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the October 11 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Who Were Born On September 20?

  • 524
    Kan B'alam I, ruler of Maya state of Palenque (d. 583)
  • 1486
    Prince Arthur Tudor, son of King Henry VII of England (d. 1502)
  • 1599
    Christian the Younger, German Protestant military leader (d. 1623)
  • 1608
    Jean-Jacques Olier, French catholic priest, founder of The Sulpicians (d. 1657)
  • 1746
    Móric Benyovszky Hungarian count (d. 1786)
  • 1758
    Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Emperor of Haiti (d. 1806)
  • 1778
    Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Russian naval officer and explorer (d. 1852)
  • 1800
    Benjamin Franklin White, shape note “singing master”, and compiler of the shape note tunebook known as The Sacred Harp (d. 1879)
  • 1820
    John F. Reynolds, American Civil War general (d. 1863)
  • 1831
    Kate Harrington, American teacher, writer and poet (d. 1917)
  • 1833
    Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italian pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1918)
  • 1842
    Sir James Dewar, Scottish chemist (d. 1923)
  • 1844
    William H. Illingworth, American photographer (d. 1893)
  • 1851
    Henry Arthur Jones, English writer (d. 1929)
  • 1853
    Chulalongkorn, King of Thailand (d. 1910)
  • 1861
    Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress (d. 1955)
  • 1872
    Maurice Gamelin, French army general (d. 1958)
  • 1873
    Ferenc Szisz, Hungarian race car driver (d. 1944)
  • 1873
    Sidney Olcott, Canadian film director (d. 1949)
  • 1878
    Upton Sinclair, American writer (d. 1968)
  • 1880
    Louise Peete, American murderess (d. 1947)
  • 1884
    Maxwell Perkins, American editor and publisher (d. 1947)
  • 1885
    Jelly Roll Morton, American jazz pianist, bandleader and composer (d. 1941)
  • 1886
    Charles Williams, British author (d. 1945)
  • 1889
    Charles Reidpath, American athlete (d. 1975)
  • 1892
    Roy Turk, U.S. songwriter/lyricist (d. 1934)
  • 1893
    Hermann Lux, German footballer (d. 1962)
  • 1899
    Leo Strauss, German-born philosopher (d. 1973)
  • 1902
    Stevie Smith, British poet (d. 1971)
  • 1906
    Jean Dréville, French Film director (d. 1997)
  • 1911
    Shriram Sharma Acharya, Indian spiritual leader (d. 1991)
  • 1913
    John Collins, jazz guitarist (d. 2001)
  • 1914
    Kenneth More, English actor (d. 1982)
  • 1916
    Malik Meraj Khalid, Former Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan (d. 2003)
  • 1917
    Clarice Taylor, American actress (d. 2011)
  • 1917
    Don Starr, American-born actor (d. 2005)
  • 1917
    Fernando Rey, Spanish-born actor (d. 1994)
  • 1917
    Red Auerbach, American basketball coach (d. 2006)
  • 1920
    Alberto de Lacerda, Portuguese poet (d. 2007)
  • 1920
    Jay Ward, American animated cartoonist (d. 1989)
  • 1921
    Chico Hamilton, American jazz drummer and bandleader
  • 1922
    William Kapell, American pianist (d. 1953)
  • 1923
    Geraldine Clinton Little, Irish-born poet (d. 1997)
  • 1923
    Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (d. 1992)
  • 1924
    Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Indian actor
  • 1924
    Gogi Grant, American singer
  • 1925
    Ananda Mahidol, King of Thailand (d. 1946)
  • 1925
    Bobby Nunn, American singer (The Coasters) (d. 1986)
  • 1925
    James Bernard, English film composer (d. 2001)
  • 1926
    Jackie Paris, American jazz singer and guitarist (d. 2004)
  • 1927
    Colette Bonheur, Canadian singer (d. 1966)
  • 1927
    Johnny Dankworth, English musician and composer (d. 2010)
  • 1927
    Rachel Roberts, Welsh actress (d. 1980)
  • 1927
    Red Mitchell, American jazz bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet(d. 1992)
  • 1928
    Donald Hall, American poet and US Poet Laureate
  • 1928
    Kirsten Rolffes, Danish actress (d. 2000)
  • 1929
    Anne Meara, American comic and actress
  • 1930
    Eddie Bo, American singer and pianist (d. 2009)
  • 1931
    Cherd Songsri, Thai filmmaker (d. 2006)
  • 1933
    Dennis Viollet, English former footballer (d. 1999)
  • 1933
    Steve McCall, American jazz drummer (d. 1989)
  • 1934
    Sophia Loren, Italian actress
  • 1934
    Takayuki Kubota, Japanese martial artist
  • 1935
    David Pegg, English footballer (d. 1958)
  • 1935
    Jim Taylor, American football player
  • 1935
    Keith Roberts, British science fiction author (d. 2000)
  • 1937
    Birgitta Dahl, Swedish politician
  • 1937
    Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress and singer (d. 2005)
  • 1938
    Eric Gale, American jazz and session guitarist and record producer (d. 1994)
  • 1939
    Robert L. Gerry III, American businessman
  • 1940
    Taro Aso, Prime Minister of Japan
  • 1941
    Dale Chihuly, American glass artist
  • 1941
    Jim Cullum, Jr., American jazz cornetist noted for his contributions to the Dixieland jazz tradition
  • 1942
    Gérald Tremblay, Canadian politician
  • 1946
    Pete Coors, American businessman
  • 1947
    Billy Bang, American jazz violinist and composer (d. 2011)
  • 1947
    Bruce Pasternack, American CEO
  • 1947
    Chris Ortloff, former New York state Republican politician and admitted pedophile
  • 1947
    Mia Martini, Italian singer (d. 1995)
  • 1947
    Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, French TV journalist and writer
  • 1947
    Steve Gerber, American comics writer (d. 2008)
  • 1948
    Chuck Panozzo, American musician (Styx)
  • 1948
    George R. R. Martin, American writer
  • 1948
    John Panozzo, American musician (Styx) (d. 1996)
  • 1949
    Anthony Denison, American actor
  • 1949
    Mahesh Bhatt, Indian film director
  • 1951
    Cornelia Behm, German politician
  • 1951
    Guy Lafleur, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1951
    Javier Marías, Spanish author, translator and academic
  • 1954
    Henry Samueli, American NHL team owner
  • 1956
    Debbi Morgan, American actress
  • 1956
    Gary Cole, American actor
  • 1956
    John Harle, English saxophonist/composer
  • 1956
    Steve Coleman, African American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader
  • 1957
    Alannah Currie, New Zealander musician (Thompson Twins)
  • 1957
    Michael Hurst, New Zealand actor
  • 1957
    Rich DiSilvio, American new media developer & artist
  • 1958
    Arn Anderson, American wrestler
  • 1959
    Danny Devos, Belgian artist
  • 1959
    Joanna Domańska, Polish classical pianist and music teacher
  • 1960
    Dave Hemingway, British musician, songwriter, and vocalist
  • 1960
    Deborah Roberts, American journalist and TV reporter
  • 1961
    Lisa Bloom, American lawyer and television personality
  • 1963
    Velcrow Ripper, Canadian documentary filmmaker
  • 1964
    Maggie Cheung, Hong Kong actress
  • 1964
    Randy Bradbury, American musician (Pennywise)
  • 1965
    Robert Rusler, American actor
  • 1966
    Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese rock musician
  • 1967
    Gunnar Nelson, American musician (Nelson)
  • 1967
    Kristen Johnston, American actress
  • 1967
    Martin Harrison, American football player
  • 1967
    Matthew Nelson, American musician (Nelson)
  • 1968
    Ben Shepherd, American bassist (Soundgarden)
  • 1968
    Darrell Russell, American race car driver (d. 2004)
  • 1968
    Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress
  • 1968
    Van Jones, American attorney and activist
  • 1969
    Megumi Kudo, Japanese pro-wrestler
  • 1969
    Patrick Pentland, Canadian musician (Sloan)
  • 1969
    Richard Witschge, former Dutch footballer
  • 1969
    Tim Rogers, Australian musician
  • 1969
    Victoria Dillard, American actress
  • 1971
    Dominika Peczynski, Swedish singer (Army of Lovers)
  • 1971
    Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer
  • 1971
    Masashi Hamauzu, Japanese composer
  • 1971
    Sebastian Roth, German musician
  • 1971
    Todd Blackadder, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1973
    Ronald McKinnon, American football player
  • 1974
    Michael Waddington, American defense lawyer
  • 1975
    Asia Argento, Italian actress
  • 1975
    Jason Robinson, American jazz saxophonist, electronic musician, and composer
  • 1975
    Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombian race car driver
  • 1975
    Moon Bloodgood, American actress
  • 1976
    Agata Buzek, Polish actress
  • 1976
    Enuka Okuma, Canadian actress
  • 1976
    Jon Bernthal, American actor
  • 1976
    Reuben Singh, British entrepreneur
  • 1976
    Yo Hitoto, Japanese pop singer
  • 1976
    Yui Horie, Japanese seiyuu
  • 1977
    Chris Mooney, American writer
  • 1977
    Namie Amuro, Japanese pop singer
  • 1978
    Dante Hall, American football player
  • 1978
    Jason Bay, Canadian baseball player
  • 1978
    Patrizio Buanne, Italian singer
  • 1978
    Sarit Hadad, Israeli singer
  • 1978
    T.J. Tucker, American baseball player
  • 1979
    Dan Gillespie Sells, British musician The Feeling
  • 1979
    Sean Davis, English footballer
  • 1980
    Jonathan Le Billon, British actor
  • 1980
    Madison Young, American pornographic actress
  • 1980
    Mariacarla Boscono, Italian fashion model
  • 1980
    Mehrzad Marashi, German singer
  • 1980
    Ryan Donowho, American actor
  • 1980
    Vladimir Karpets, Russian cyclist
  • 1981
    Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player
  • 1981
    Joanie Dodds, American model
  • 1981
    Jordan Tata, American baseball player
  • 1982
    Aaron Burkart, German rally driver
  • 1982
    Athanasios Tsigas, Greek footballer
  • 1982
    Brian Fortuna, American dancer
  • 1982
    Jason Bacashihua, American ice hockey player
  • 1982
    Sarah Glendening, American actress
  • 1983
    Ángel Sánchez, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • 1983
    Freya Murray, Scottish athlete
  • 1983
    Yuna Ito, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1984
    Brian Joubert, French figure skater
  • 1986
    Aldis Hodge, American actor
  • 1987
    Jack Lawless, American drummer
  • 1987
    Tito Tebaldi, Italian rugby player
  • 1990
    Erich Gonzales, Filipina actress
  • 1990
    John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1990
    Marilou, Canadian pop singer
  • 1991
    Spencer Locke, American actress
  • 1995
    Laura Dekker, Dutch sailor
  • 1995
    Sammi Hanratty, American actress

MyFirstName.Rocks What no one tells you about your first name’s personality. Are there magical powers hidden in your given name? Check out Jaime’s personality and get smart about names today. (Sponsored links)

Who Died On September 20?

  • 1246
    Mikhail of Chernigov of Kiev (b. 1185)
  • 1384
    King Louis I of Naples (b. 1339)
  • 1460
    Gilles Binchois, Flemish composer (b. 1400)
  • 1586
    Chidiock Tichborne, English conspirator and poet (b. 1558)
  • 1586
    John Ballard, English Jesuit priest and conspirator
  • 1590
    Lodovico Agostini, Italian composer (b. 1534)
  • 1625
    Heinrich Meibom, German historian and critic (b. 1555)
  • 1627
    Jan Gruter, Dutch critic (b. 1560)
  • 1630
    Claudio Saracini, Italian composer (b. 1586)
  • 1639
    Johannes Meursius, Dutch classical scholar (b. 1579)
  • 1643
    Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland, English politician and writer (b. 1610)
  • 1721
    Thomas Doggett, Irish actor (b. 1640)
  • 1803
    Robert Emmet, Irish patriot (b. 1780)
  • 1810
    Mir Taqi Mir Urdu poet (b. 1723)
  • 1815
    Nicolas Desmarest, French geologist (b. 1725)
  • 1839
    Sir Thomas Hardy, Royal Navy Vice-Admiral and First Lord of the Admiralty (b. 1769)
  • 1840
    José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguay dictator and National Hero (b. 1766)
  • 1852
    Philander Chase, American university founder (b. 1775)
  • 1855
    José Trinidad Reyes, Honduran Catholic priest and educator (b. 1797)
  • 1863
    Jacob Grimm, German writer and folklorist (b. 1785)
  • 1884
    Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist (b. 1802)
  • 1898
    Theodor Fontane, German writer (b. 1819)
  • 1906
    Robert R. Hitt, American politician (b. 1834)
  • 1908
    Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (b. 1844)
  • 1927
    George Nichols, American actor and film director (b. 1864)
  • 1930
    Gombojab Tsybikov, Russian explorer (b. 1873)
  • 1932
    Wovoka, American Northern Paiute religious leader (b. 1856)
  • 1933
    Annie Besant, English suffragette (b. 1847)
  • 1939
    Paul Bruchési, French Canadian Catholic archbishop (b. 1855)
  • 1945
    Augusto Tasso Fragoso, Brazilian president (b. 1869)
  • 1945
    Eduard Wirths, Nazi physician (b. 1909)
  • 1945
    William Buehler Seabrook, American occultist (b. 1884)
  • 1946
    Raimu, French actor (b. 1883)
  • 1947
    Fiorello La Guardia, American politician (b. 1882)
  • 1948
    Husain Salaahuddin, Maldivian writer (b. 1881)
  • 1957
    Heino Kaski, Finnish composer (b. 1885)
  • 1957
    Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer (b. 1865)
  • 1958
    Oscar O'Brien, Canadian catholic priest and folklorist (b. 1892)
  • 1970
    Alexandros Othonaios, Greek general, 126h Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1879)
  • 1971
    Giorgos Seferis, Greek poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
  • 1972
    Pierre-Henri Simon, French historian, essayist and novelist (b. 1903)
  • 1973
    Jim Croce, American singer and songwriter (b. 1943)
  • 1975
    Saint-John Perse, French diplomat and writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1887)
  • 1979
    Ludvík Svoboda, Czech politician (b. 1895)
  • 1980
    Sanpei Hayashiya, Japanese comedian (b. 1925)
  • 1984
    Steve Goodman, American folk music singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
  • 1987
    Michael Stewart, American playwright (b. 1924)
  • 1989
    Richie Ginther, American race car driver (b. 1930)
  • 1993
    Erich Hartmann, German fighter pilot (b. 1922)
  • 1994
    Abioseh Nicol, Sierra Leonean diplomat (b. 1924)
  • 1994
    Jule Styne, American songwriter (b. 1905)
  • 1996
    Paul Erdős, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1913)
  • 1996
    Paul Weston, American arranger and conductor (b. 1912)
  • 1997
    Nick Traina, American singer (Link 80) (b. 1978)
  • 1998
    Muriel Humphrey Brown, American politician (b. 1912)
  • 1999
    Raisa Gorbachova, wife of Mikhail Gorbachev (b. 1932)
  • 1999
    Robert Lebel, Quebec ice hockey administrator (b. 1905)
  • 2000
    Gherman Titov, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1935)
  • 2002
    Sergei Bodrov, Jr., Russian actor (b. 1971)
  • 2003
    Gordon Mitchell, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2003
    Lord Williams of Mostyn, British politician (b. 1941)
  • 2003
    Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwe politician (b. 1922)
  • 2004
    Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (b. 1935)
  • 2004
    Townsend Hoopes, American politician (b. 1922)
  • 2005
    Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Nazi hunter (b. 1908)
  • 2006
    Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (b. 1932)
  • 2006
    John W. Peterson, American songwriter (b. 1921)
  • 2007
    Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (b. 1928)
  • 2010
    Kenny McKinley, American football player (b. 1987)
  • 2010
    Leonard Skinner, American high school gym teacher; namesake of rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd (b. 1933)
  • 2011
    Burhanuddin Rabbani, President of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996. (b. 1940)

What Day Of The Week Are you looking for a day of the week calculator? Try it on any date like anniversaries, birthday of someone you know, or any other date that is special to you. You can even try it on historical dates. For example: October 11
(Sponsored by DayOfTheWeek.org)



Bookmark, Share, Like Or Link To This Page: