Historical Events on October 20, Facts & Special Events On This Day

1548

The city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace) is founded by Alonso de Mendoza by appointment of the king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

1568

Battle of Jodoigne: the Spanish Duke of Alba defeats a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent.

1572

Relief of Goes: Cristóbal de Mondragón, with 3000 soldiers of the Spanish Tercios, relieves the siege of the city.

1720

Caribbean pirate Calico Jack is captured by the Royal Navy.

1740

Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession begins.

1781

The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy.

1803

The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.

1818

The Convention of 1818 is signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which settles the Canada-United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.

1827

In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French, and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.

1873

Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules.

1883

Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province is ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.

1904

Chile and Bolivia sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, delimiting the border between the two countries.

1910

The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1935

The Long March, a mammoth retreat undertaken by the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party a year prior, ends.

1941

World War II: Thousands of civilians in Kragujevac in German-occupied Serbia are murdered in the Kragujevac massacre.

1944

The Soviet Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia

1944

Liquefied natural gas leaks from storage tanks in Cleveland and then explodes; the explosion and resulting fire level 30 blocks and kill 130.

1944

American general Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines when he commands an Allied assault on the islands, reclaiming them from the Japanese during the Second World War.

1946

Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam decides that October 20 is Vietnam Women's Day.

1947

The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of the cinema of the United States, resulting in a blacklist that prevents some from working in the industry for years.

1947

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

1951

The "Johnny Bright incident" occurs in Stillwater, Oklahoma

1952

Governor Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency in Kenya and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising, including Jomo Kenyatta, the future first President of Kenya.

1961

The Soviet Union performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine.

1962

People's Republic of China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.

1968

Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

1973

"Saturday Night Massacre": United States President Richard Nixon fires U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who is finally fired by Robert Bork.

1973

The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction.

1976

The ferry George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing the Mississippi River between Destrehan and Luling, Louisiana. Seventy-eight passengers and crew die, and only 18 people aboard the ferry survive.

1977

Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashes.

1981

Two police officers and an armored car guard are killed during an armed robbery in Rockland County, New York, carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground.

1982

During the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem, 66 people are crushed to death in the Luzhniki disaster.

1991

A 6.8 Mw earthquake strikes the Uttarkashi region of India, killing more than 1,000 people.

2011

Libyan Civil War: National Transitional Council rebel forces capture ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte and kill him shortly thereafter.

October 20 in History

Historical Events on October 20

The city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace) is founded by Alonso de Mendoza by appointment of the king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

Battle of Jodoigne: the Spanish Duke of Alba defeats a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent.

Relief of Goes: Cristóbal de Mondragón, with 3000 soldiers of the Spanish Tercios, relieves the siege of the city.

Caribbean pirate Calico Jack is captured by the Royal Navy.

Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession begins.

The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy.

The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.

The Convention of 1818 is signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which settles the Canada-United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.

In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French, and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.

Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules.

Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province is ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.

Chile and Bolivia sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, delimiting the border between the two countries.

The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The Long March, a mammoth retreat undertaken by the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party a year prior, ends.

World War II: Thousands of civilians in Kragujevac in German-occupied Serbia are murdered in the Kragujevac massacre.

The Soviet Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia

Liquefied natural gas leaks from storage tanks in Cleveland and then explodes; the explosion and resulting fire level 30 blocks and kill 130.

American general Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines when he commands an Allied assault on the islands, reclaiming them from the Japanese during the Second World War.

Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam decides that October 20 is Vietnam Women's Day.

The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of the cinema of the United States, resulting in a blacklist that prevents some from working in the industry for years.

The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

The "Johnny Bright incident" occurs in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Governor Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency in Kenya and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising, including Jomo Kenyatta, the future first President of Kenya.

The Soviet Union performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine.

People's Republic of China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.

Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

"Saturday Night Massacre": United States President Richard Nixon fires U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who is finally fired by Robert Bork.

The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction.

The ferry George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing the Mississippi River between Destrehan and Luling, Louisiana. Seventy-eight passengers and crew die, and only 18 people aboard the ferry survive.

Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashes.

Two police officers and an armored car guard are killed during an armed robbery in Rockland County, New York, carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground.

During the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem, 66 people are crushed to death in the Luzhniki disaster.

A 6.8 Mw earthquake strikes the Uttarkashi region of India, killing more than 1,000 people.

Libyan Civil War: National Transitional Council rebel forces capture ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte and kill him shortly thereafter.

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