Events on July 20 in history

Otto John (July 20, 1954)

Germany: Otto John, head of West Germany's secret service, defects to East Germany.

Otto John (19 March 1909 – 26 March 1997) was a German lawyer and intelligence official. During World War Two, he was a conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Following the war, he became the first head of West Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. In July 1954, he surfaced in East Germany, where he made public appearances criticizing the government in Bonn and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. After his return to West Germany in 1955, despite maintaining that he was drugged and kidnapped, John was convicted and sentenced to prison for treason.

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Events on 1954

13 Feb

NCAA Division I
Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.
28 Feb

NTSC
The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.
1 Apr

United States Air Force Academy
United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
25 Apr

Bell Labs
The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories.
18 Jun

1954 Guatemalan coup d'état
Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état

Events on July 20 in history

Otto John (July 20, 1954)

References

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Events on 1954

NCAA Division I

NTSC

United States Air Force Academy

Bell Labs

1954 Guatemalan coup d'état