What happened today in history
January
What happened on January 20
On January 20 history recorded 41 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 104 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 41events
- 160births
- 104deaths
- 16observances
Highlights
Highlights
1156According to legend, Lalli slew Bishop Henry of Finland with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Köyliö.
Lalli is an apocryphal character from Finnish history and one of the most well-known figures in Finnish medieval legend. According to tradition, he was a prosperous yeoman farmer who killed Bishop Henry, who was spreading Christianity to then pagan Finland, on
1265Simon de Montfort summoned local representatives to the Palace of Westminster to attend a parliament, now considered to be the forerunner of the House of Commons of England.
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester, also known as Simon V de Montfort, was an English nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the baronial opposition to the rule of King Henry III, culminating in the Se
1356Edward Balliol, whose father John was briefly King of Scotland, gave up his claim to the throne in exchange for an English pension.
Edward Balliol or Edward de Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of the kingdom from 1332 to 1356.
January 20
On this day
III century
- 250
250Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
XII century
XIII century
XIV century
XV century
XVI century
- 1523
1523Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway. - 1567
1567Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro. - 1576
1576The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1726
1726J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen (My sighs, my tears), BWV 13, for the second Sunday after Epiphany. - 1783
1783The Kingdom of Great Britain signs preliminary articles of peace with the Kingdom of France, setting the stage for the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year. - 1785
1785Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút. - 1788
1788The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
XIX century
- 1839
1839In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia. - 1841
1841Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British during the First Opium War. - 1874
1874The Treaty of Pangkor is signed between the British and Sultan Abdullah of Perak, paving the way for further British colonization of Malaya. - 1877
1877The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans. - 1887
1887The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base.
XX century
- 1909
1909Newly formed automaker General Motors (GM) buys into the Oakland Motor Car Company, which later becomes GM's long-running Pontiac division. - 1921
1921The British K-class submarine HMS K5 sinks in the English Channel; all 56 on board die. - 1921
1921The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty. - 1923
1923During the Irish Civil War the Irish Free State Army executes 11 members of the anti-treaty Irish Republican Army - 1941
1941A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers. - 1942
1942World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question". - 1945
1945World War II: The provisional government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies. - 1945
1945World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months. - 1954
1954In the United States, the National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations. - 1972
1972Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. - 1973
1973Amílcar Cabral, leader of the independence movement in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, is assassinated in Conakry, Guinea. - 1974
1974China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam. - 1981
1981Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America, Iran releases 52 American hostages. - 1986
1986In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time. - 1986
1986Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya. - 1990
1990Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. - 1991
1991Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south. - 1992
1992Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France, killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
XXI century
- 2001
2001President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent four-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. - 2009
2009A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start. - 2018
2018A group of four or five gunmen attack The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack kills 40 people and injures many others. - 2018
2018Syrian civil war: The Government of Turkey announces the initiation of the Afrin offensive and begins shelling Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Afrin Region.
Best known
Born on January 20
Best known
Died on January 20
640Eadbald of Kent
King of Kent from 616 to 640
820Al-Shafi'i
Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionist
842Theophilos (emperor)
Byzantine emperor from 829 to 842
882Louis the Younger
Rex Francorum
1095Wulfstan (died 1095)
11th-century Bishop of Worcester and saint
1156Henry (bishop of Finland)
Bishop of Finland (died 1156)
Holidays and observances
- Armed Forces Day (Mali)
- Army Day (Laos)
- Christian feast day: Abadios
- Christian feast day: Blessed Basil Moreau
- Christian feast day: Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
- Christian feast day: Euthymius the Great
- Christian feast day: Fabian
- Christian feast day: Manchán of Lemanaghan
- Christian feast day: Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception Brando
- Christian feast day: Richard Rolle (Church of England)
- Christian feast day: Sebastian
- Christian feast day: Stephen Min Kuk-ka (one of The Korean Martyrs)
- Christian feast day: January 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Heroes' Day (Cape Verde)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on January 20?
41 documented historical events happened on January 20, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: According to legend, Lalli slew Bishop Henry of Finland with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Köyliö. On the same day, in another year: Simon de Montfort summoned local representatives to the Palace of Westminster to attend a parliament, now considered to be the forerunner of the House of Commons of England. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on January 20?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on January 20, including Mischa Elman, Georg Åberg, Harold Gray. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on January 20?
104 people with a Wikipedia article died on January 20, including Eadbald of Kent, Al-Shafi'i, Theophilos (emperor). The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on January 20?
16 observances are celebrated on January 20 around the world: Armed Forces Day (Mali), Army Day (Laos), Christian feast day: Abadios, Christian feast day: Blessed Basil Moreau, Christian feast day: Eustochia Smeralda Calafato, Christian feast day: Euthymius the Great. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar