Famous Events For December 20 – Today In History

What Happened on December 20 in World History?

Early Centuries – December 20 Historic Events – Before 1700

1. 69 – The army under the command of General Vespasian vanquishes Roman Empire Vitellius and seize Rome
2. December 20, 1046 – Resignation of Pope Gregory VI at the Council of Sutri; thus controversy between Gregory, Benedict IX, and Sylvester III cleared; appointment of Clement II as Pope
3. December 20, 1192 – apprehension of Richard, the Lionhearted, in Vienna
4. December 20, 1448 – appointment of Rudolf of Diepholt, Bishop of Utrecht, as cardinal by Pope Nicholas V

5. December 20, 1522 – the Knights of Rhodes surrendered to Suleiman the Magnificent and were allowed to vacate. They ultimately stay in Malta and come to be termed as Knights of Malta
6. December 20, 1585 – the arrival of the English navy and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in Vlissingen
7. December 20, 1600 – opera “Euridice” by Ontario Rinuccini and Giulio Caccini announced
8. December 20, 1606 – the pioneers of the Virginia Company exile from London to create Jamestown, Virginia
9. December 20, 1606 – The sailors of the English exploring team to America comprising the vessels Godspeed and Susan Constant leave Blackwall and discover Jamestown
10. December 20, 1626 – peace treaty between Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II and Prince Transylvania Gabor Bethlen – Peace of Pressburg (Bratislava)
11. December 20, 1661 – imposition of Corporation Act in England
12. December 20, 1669 – 1st bench hearing in Delaware: Marcus Jacobson convicted for rebellion, and punished to flogging, branding, and slavery
13. December 20, 1688 – The army under Prince William of Orange reaches London
14. December 20, 1699 – Change of Russian New Year from Sept.1 to Jan 1 by an order of the Russian Chief Peter the Great

18th Century – What Happened on December 20 – The 1700s

15. December 20, 1745 – The army under Bonnie Prince Charlie arrives near River Esk
16. December 20, 1780 – Declaration of war by Britain on Holland
17. December 20, 1790 – successful working in the US the 1st cotton spinning mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island created by Samuel Slater on the pattern of Richard Arkwright

19th Century – December 20 This Day That Year – The 1800s

18. December 20, 1803 – The official transfer of the Louisiana Purchase from France to the USA for $27M marked by the French flag being lowered in New Orleans
19. December 20, 1812 – publication of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” or “Children’s and Household Tales” by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
20. December 20, 1820 – a bachelor tax at $1 levied in Missouri on unwed men aged between 21 and 50
21. December 20, 1823 – first performance of the play “Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus” by Helmina von Chezy with related singing by Franz Schubert in Vienna
22. December 20, 1830 – Belgium accepted by Great Britain, France, Prussia, Austria and Russia
23. December 20, 1850 – founding of the post office in Hawaii
24. December 20, 1860 – separation of South Carolina from the Union
25. December 20, 1861 – war of Dranesville, VA
26. December 20, 1862 – war of Kelly’s Ford, VA
27. December 20, 1862 – crusade of Vicksburg
28. December 20, 1862 – allied nations attack the Union supplies at Holly Springs, Mississippi
29. December 20, 1862 – The Allied army under the command of Brigadier General Nathan Bedford Forrest seized Trenton, Kentucky
30. December 20, 1864 – war of Ft Fisher, NC
31. December 20, 1865 – inauguration of De Clear-Alkmaar railway
32. December 20, 1879 – display of glowing bulbs by Thomas Edison at Menlo Park
33. December 20, 1880 – Farmers defeat Britten during the war at Bronker’s Spruit, Transvaal
34. December 20, 1880 – electrical lighting of the NY’s Broadway later known as “Great White Way”

35. December 20, 1883 – inauguration of the Intl cantilever railway bridge at Niagara Falls
36. December 20, 1891 – Louis Cyr, strongman, endures the drag of 4 horses
37. December 20, 1892 – copyright for inventing pneumatic automobile tire in Syracuse, NY
38. December 20, 1893 – anti-lynching act approved in Georgia for the first time
39. December 20, 1894 – England defeated Australia by 10 runs in the 1st six-day Test cricket; Australia required 177 to achieve a victory but scored 166 on the 6th day losing all wickets

20th Century – Important Events On This Day December 20 – The 1900s

40. December 20, 1900 – identification of a comet by Giacobini
41. December 20, 1906 – Venezuela under the guidance of vice-president Gomez, assaults the Dutch navy
42. December 20, 1907 – 91 laborers lost their lives in a detonation at the Yolande Alabama coal mine
43. December 20, 1912 – first performance of “Peg O’ My Heart” by J Hartley Manners in NYC
44. December 20, 1912 – the first show of “L’Annonce Faite a Marie” by Paul Claudel
45. December 20, 1915 – The Russian army occupies Qom, Persia in large numbers
46. December 20, 1915 – friendly nations’ army quit from AnzaCove
47. December 20, 1917 – Formation of Cheka, a succession to KGB under Felix Dzerzhinsky after ruling by Lenin
48. December 20, 1917 – The Australian nation rejects the reference to compulsory military recruitment in their second plebiscite
49. December 20, 1918 – first performance of “Moon of the Caribees” by Eugene O’Neill in NYC
50. December 20, 1918 – The attention of the friendly nation was drawn to the expansion of Bolshevik in the East and the army arriving in Crimea and Latvia
51. December 20, 1919 – Inauguration of the Canadian National Railways (N America’s lengthiest, 50,000 KM)
52. December 20, 1919 – limits imposed on migration by the US House of Representatives
53. December 20, 1920 – Australian Cricketer, Bert Collins achieved 104 runs in his first Cricket test Vs England SCG

54. December 20, 1920 – US citizenship granted to Bob Hope
55. December 20, 1921 – While the American League favored best-of-7 World Series, the NL advocated for best-of-9. The deciding casting vote by Judge Kenesaw Mountain decided in favor of best-of-7
56. December 20, 1922 – formation of the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (USSR) by 14 states
57. December 20, 1922 – appointment of Stanislaw Wojciechowski as President of Poland
58. December 20, 1924 – premature release of Adolf Hitler from jail after having served nine months of five-year after a failed coup known as the “Beer Hall Putsch”
59. December 20, 1925 – Chicago Cardinals achieved the first past the post title (11-2-1) in the National Football League Championship; deferment of Pottsville Maroons for participating in unofficial play
60. December 20, 1926 – Rogers Hornby of Cards was exchanged for Franke Frisch and Jimmy Ring of Giants
61. December 20, 1926 – punishment of followers of fascist policy in Italy by Pope Pius XI
62. December 20, 1926 – first performance of “Silver Cord” by Sidney Howard in NYC
63. December 20, 1928 – first international vehicle sliding on ice, mail service drawn by dogs between Minot, Maine for Montreal, Quebec
64. December 20, 1928 – inauguration of Ethel Barrymore Theater at 243 W 47th St NYC
65. December 20, 1929 – appointment of Heinie Wagner as Manager of Red Sox in place of Bill Carrigan
66. December 20, 1929 – bestowing of Mount Davidson as a San Francisco city park
67. December 20, 1930 – WI cricketer, Learie Constantine scored 100 in 52 minutes Vs Tas (10×4, 1×6, 1×5)
68. December 20, 1932 – Queensland was all out for 74 Vs Victoria, Ironmonger (age 50) 7-13
69. December 20, 1933 – pact between Bolivia and Paraguay to end war
70. December 20, 1935 – publication of circular communication Ad Catholic Sacerdotii by Pope Pius XI

71. December 20, 1937 – Bill O’Reilly achieves 9-41 for NSW Vs South Australia
72. December 20, 1938 – Boston Bruins defeats New York Americans, 3-0; rookie goalie Frankie Brimsek achieves this 3rd successive shutout and it was his sixth shutout in the first 8 NHL plays
73. December 20, 1939 – inauguration of shortwave service on Radio Australia
74. December 20, 1940 – Connie Mack secures interest in the Athletics for $42,000
75. December 20, 1941 – France under the guidance of Adm Muselier captures St-Pierre et Miquelon
76. December 20, 1941 – Japanese army arrives in Mindanao, Philippines
77. December 20, 1941 – World War II: First War of the American Volunteer Group, also known as “Flying Tigers” in Kunming, China
78. December 20, 1942 – Japan drops bombs on Calcutta for the first time
79. December 20, 1943 – The USSR National Anthem “Internationale” banned forever
80. December 20, 1944 – unlawful or illegal trade in any form condemned by Archbishop De Young & bishop Huibers
81. December 20, 1944 – seize of Bastogne Nazis encircle 1-1st Airborne group
82. December 20, 1944 – Bishop bans membership to non-Catholic associations
83. December 20, 1944 – first performance of “O Mistress Mine” by Terence Rattigan in London
84. December 20, 1945 – restriction on the sale of auto tires removed in the US
85. December 20, 1946 – first performance of the 2nd concerto by Darius Milhaud
86. December 20, 1946 – The film guided by Frank Capra and featuring James Stewart, Donna Red, and Lionel Barrymore, a Christmas Classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life” debuts in New York
87. December 20, 1948 – 2nd Police action in Indonesia approved by the Second Chamber
88. December 20, 1949 – a dance program “Beauty and the Beast” by Maurice Ravel and John Crank debuts
89. December 20, 1950 – first performance of “Harvey” featuring James Steward in New York
90. December 20, 1951 – first nuclear Breeder Reactor – Walter Zinn’s Experimental – to generate electric power at the Argonne National Laboratory, USA
91. December 20, 1952 – TV Transmission channel no.6 commences airing in Spokane, WA on NBC
92. December 20, 1953 – TV transmission channel 3 on CBS at Idaho Falls, ID
93. December 20, 1953 – TV transmission channel 9 in Oklahoma City, OK on CBS commences working

94. December 20, 1955 – Cardiff declared the Capital of Wales
95. December 20, 1956 – Military rebellion under Colonel Simbolon in Sumatra
96. December 20, 1956 – seating arrangements based on racial discrimination in buses eliminated in Montgomery, Alabama
97. December 20, 1957 –Elvis Presley was requested to serve in the US Army for National Service
98. December 20, 1959 – In cricket, India Vs Australia play Jasu Patel achieves 9-69
99. December 20, 1960 – Detention of Richard Bar, Auschwitz commandant of Auschwitz in German FR
100. December 20, 1960 – the founding of The National Liberation Front, popularly called the Vet Cong, in South Vietnam
101. December 20, 1962 – first performance of the Osmond brothers on the Andy Williams Show
102. December 20, 1963 – West Berliners allowed to cross the Berlin Wall to East Berlin for the first time
103. December 20, 1963 – nomination of Massemba-Debate as President of Congo-Brazzaville
104. December 20, 1963 – 21 camp guards of Auschwitz were prosecuted and hearings commenced
105. December 20, 1963 – premiere of “Contempt” guided by Jean-Luc Godard, featuring Brigitte Bardot and Jack Palance
106. December 20, 1964 – 12th Israeli administration under Levi Eshkol comes into effect
107. December 20, 1966 – license granted to Seattle Supersonics by NBA for 1967-68 season
108. December 20, 1966 – authorization of Nuclear Planning Group in Brussels
109. December 20, 1966 – atomic test by the US at Nevada Test Site
110. December 20, 1967 – US authorizes 474,300 army soldiers in Vietnam
111. December 20, 1967 – formation of rock group Jethro Tull by Ian Anderson & Glenn Cornick
112. December 20, 1968 – The fictitious murderer, The Zodiac Killer murders Betty Lou Jenson and David Faraday in Vallejo, California
113. December 20, 1968 – demonstration proposal by the People’s Democracy (PD) starting from 1 January 1969 from Belfast to Derry

114. December 20, 1969 – The musical “Leaving on a Jet Lane” by Petr, Paul, and Mary rated #1
115. December 20, 1970 – Edward Gierek elected leader of Poland’s communist party in place of Wladyslaw Gomulka
116. December 20, 1971 – stepping down of Yahya Khan as President of Pakistan
117. December 20, 1971 – a first view of the periodical “Ms” printed in the US introduced by Gloria Steinem
118. December 20, 1972 – first performance of “Sunshine Boys” by Neil Simons in NYC
119. December 20, 1972 – In a gun attack, five persons, four Catholics, one Protestant) lost their life on the Top of the Hill Bar in Derry, North Ireland
120. December 20, 1973 – Dick Williams was banned from handling Yankees by AL president Joe Cronis
121. December 20, 1973 – installation of Evertsz as Prime Minister of Dutch Antillean
122. December 20, 1973 – achievement Henri Richard of Montreal Canadien in scoring his 1000th NHL point
123. December 20, 1974 – socialist Ethiopia comes adopts a one-party rule
124. December 20, 1974 – announcement of the collection of music, “Dark Horse” by George Harrison in the UK
125. December 20, 1974 – premiere of “The Godfather Part II” guided by Francis Ford Coppola and featuring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (Academy Awards Best Picture 1975)
126. December 20, 1975 – selection of Joe Walsh to Eagles
127. December 20, 1975 – appointment of Pope Paul VI as J Willebrands archbishop of Utrecht
128. December 20, 1976 – premiere of “Music Is” at St James Theater NYC to give 8 presentations
129. December 20, 1976 – stepping down of Yitzhak Rabin as Prime Minister of Israel
130. December 20, 1977 – cosmonaut Georgy Grechko walks into space for the first time when Salyut 6 EO-1 was in space assignment
131. December 20, 1977 – Knut Folkerts, RAF terrorist awarded the 20-year jail term
132. December 20, 1978 –H R Haldeman, Nixon’s White House Chief of Staff was set free from prison
133. December 20, 1980 – The match between the NY Jets and Dolphins when the Jets defeated the Dolphins (24-17), was relayed by NBC sans audio
134. December 20, 1980 – official announcement of the demise of Alexei Kosygin by the USSR

135. December 20, 1981 – premiere of the musical “Dreamgirls” by Harry Krieger and Tom Eyen at Imperial Theater NYC to give 1522 presentations
136. December 20, 1981 – maximum fumbles (9) and turnovers (10) by team Browns
137. December 20, 1983 – The constitution of El Salvador approved
138. December 20, 1983 – achievement of 500 goals by Guy Lafleur, Montreal. He was the 10th NHLer to achieve this distinction
139. December 20, 1983 – NY Islanders achieve 11 goals Vs Pitts Penguins
140. December 20, 1983 – PLO chairman Yasser Arafat along with his followers, 4000 in number, vacate Lebanon
141. December 20, 1984 – discovery of 33 hitherto not known keyboard works by Bach in Yale library
142. December 20, 1984 – Atomic test by the US at Nevada Test Site
143. December 20, 1985 – Denis Potvin broke the NHL record for a defenseman by achieving 916 points; Potvin’s assist helped him pass Bobby Orr’s previous record
144. December 20, 1985 – the retirement of Sports commentator Howard Cosell from television sports after 20 years of service with ABC
145. December 20, 1985 – creation of the position of American Poet Laureate
146. December 20, 1986 – clash between White teenagers and blacks in Howard Beach, New York
147. December 20, 1987 – first performance of “Nuts” with Barbra Streisand
148. December 20, 1987 – Sweden defeats India at the 76th Davis Cup in Gothenburg (5-0)
149. December 20, 1987 – In an accident between Dona Paz boat and oil tanker Victor in Philippine water, 4386 lost their life – lethal sea accident of peacetime
150. December 20, 1988 – a fire-bomb attack on Harrod’s departmental store in London by animal rights radicals
151. December 20, 1988 – The lease period of stay of NBC at NYC was extended by 33 more years
152. December 20, 1988 – election of Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa as President of Sri Lanka
153. December 20, 1988 – the first release of “Working Girl” guided by Mike Nicols, featuring Melanie Griffin, Harrison Ford, and Sigourney Weaver
154. December 20, 1989 – Prime Minister Lubbers foresees that the CDA-party chief Elco Brinkman as his successor

155. December 20, 1989 – The US army throws out Manuel Noriega after capturing Panama but does not arrest him
156. December 20, 1990 – preparation by US Pentagon to attack by air on 1/15 was cautioned Saddam
157. December 20, 1990 – sale of WAFL NY-NJ Knights for $11 million to Robert F X Sillerman
158. December 20, 1990 – stepping down of Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze
159. December 20, 1990 – CERN hosts the world’s first website and server
160. December 20, 1991 – Tampa Lightning and Ottawa Senators become permanent members of the NHL
161. December 20, 1991 – Paul Keating assumes power as Prime Minister of Australia and continues Bob Hawke as leader of the Labor party
162. December 20, 1991 – capital punishment awarded to Palestinian radical Zein Isa and his wife Maria for subjecting their daughter Palestina to honor killing by the Missouri court
163. December 20, 1991 – premiere of “Father of the Bride” featuring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Martin Short
164. December 20, 1992 – a joint venture insignia “Worldwide Reliability” by Northwest and KLM announced
165. December 20, 1992 – election of Slobodan Milosevic as President of Serbia for the second time
166. December 20, 1994 -Honor to Hristo Stoichkov, FC Barcelona’s Bulgarian forward as the best football player in Europe earlier to Juventus striker Robert Baggio and Milan defender Paolo Maldini
167. December 20, 1995 – premiere of “Paul Robeson” at Longacre Theater NYC to give 14 presentations
168. December 20, 1995 – 159 passengers lost their life with 5 surviving in an American Flight 965 accident destroyed in Columbia
169. December 20, 1995 – peacekeeping preparations in Bosnia by NATO
170. December 20, 1996 – premiere of the scary film “Scream” featuring Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox
171. December 20, 1999 – China receives Macau from Portugal

21st Century – December 20 This Day In History – The 2000s

172. December 20, 2001 – stepping down of Fernando de la Rua, President of Argentina under pressure due to the financial crisis in Argentina
173. December 20, 2001 – France defeats Australia in Melbourne (3-2) during the 90th Davis Cup
174. December 20, 2002 -Majority leader and US Senator Trent Lott steps down
175. December 20, 2002 – premiere of “Gangs of New York” featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz

176. December 20, 2005 – In a dispute of Kitzmiller Vs Dover Area School District the US District Court Judge John E Jones decides against teaching “intelligent design”
177. December 20, 2005 – The same-sex civil partnership was held in Scotland for the first time
178. December 20, 2005 – The workers union of Transport Workers Union of New York City, 100 members, demonstrate over pension interrupting bus transport and closing the subway for 3 days
179. December 20, 2005 – premiere of the 7th musical collection, “The Breakthrough” by Mary. J Bilge
180. December 20, 2006 – Naveed Haq, the man accused of shooting at the Jewish Federation, and awarded capital punishment, was not executed as per the judgment of the Court which ruled against capital punishment in Seattle
181. December 20, 2007 – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who lived for 81 years, 7 months, and 29 days was the oldest queen of the United Kingdom, longer than Queen Victoria
182. December 20, 2007 – the paintings of Pablo Picasso, the picture Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), and that of O Lavrador de Café by major Brazilian artist Candido Portinari were pilfered from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art
183. December 20, 2009 – vaccine injection shot against swine flue for US President Obama
184. December 20, 2012 – copy right not granted to Apple for mobile pinch-to-zoom signals by the US patent officials
185. December 20, 2012 – sale of the New York Stock Exchange for $8 billion to Intercontinental Exchange
186. December 20, 2014 – a revenge killing of 2 NYPD officials in Brooklyn, New York by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley for murdering Eric Garner before he committed suicide
187. December 20, 2015 – The mud waste from a construction cave left 74 dead or missing in Shenzhen, China, and 30 buildings also buried
188. December 20, 2017 – singer and songwriter, Lady Gaga, acquires Las Vegas residency contract for $75 m at MGM Park Theatre
189. December 20, 2017 – US House and Senate approve $1.5 trillion tax and jobs bill – considered as a major tax overhaul for over decades
190. December 20, 2017 – EU takes disciplinary steps against Poland
191. December 20, 2018 – stepping down of US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis after differences with President Donald Trump
192. December 20, 2018 – A new study shows the average weight of a US male at 198 pounds and a height of 5 feet 9 inches while women weigh 171 lbs and height of 5 feet 4 inches

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