January 20 facts for kids

January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 345 days remain until the end of the year (346 in leap years).

January 20th is a day filled with many important events throughout history, from ancient times to today. It's a day when kings gave up their thrones, new countries were settled, and important leaders took office. Many famous people, like astronauts and actors, were also born on this day.

Historic Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 250 – Pope Fabian was killed during a time when Christians were being persecuted.
• 1156 – A Finnish farmer named Lalli killed Bishop Henry of Turku on a frozen lake.
• 1265 – The first English parliament that included representatives from major towns, not just nobles, met for the first time in the Palace of Westminster.
• 1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek became the King of Poland.
• 1356 – Edward Balliol gave up his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III of England for money.
• 1401 – The Taula de canvi (meaning "Table of change"), which was Europe's first public bank, started operating in Barcelona.
• 1523 – Christian II was forced to step down as King of Denmark and Norway.
• 1567 – In the Battle of Rio de Janeiro, Portuguese forces led by Estácio de Sá finally drove the French out of Rio de Janeiro.
• 1576 – The Mexican city of León was founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1649 – The court that would try Charles I of England began its work.
• 1783 – Great Britain signed early peace agreements with France, preparing for the end of the American Revolutionary War.
• 1788 – The main part of the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay, starting the British settlement of Australia. Arthur Phillip soon chose Port Jackson (modern-day Sydney Harbour) as a better place for the colony.
• 1839 – In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeated an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
• 1841 – Hong Kong Island was taken over by the British.
• 1874 – The Treaty of Pangkor was signed between the British and Sultan Abdullah of Perak, leading to more British control in Malaya.
• 1887 – The United States Senate allowed the U.S. Navy to use Pearl Harbor as a naval base.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1909 – The new car company General Motors (GM) bought into the Oakland Motor Car Company, which later became GM's Pontiac division.
• 1921 – The British submarine HMS K5 sank in the English Channel, and all 56 people on board died.
• 1921 – The first Constitution of Turkey was adopted, giving power to the people.
• 1929 – In Old Arizona, the first full-length talking movie filmed outdoors, was released.
• 1936 – King George V of the United Kingdom died. His oldest son became King Edward VIII.
• 1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner started their second terms as U.S. President and Vice President. This was the first time a presidential inauguration happened on January 20th, due to a change in the law.
• 1942 – During World War II, senior Nazi German officials met at the Wannsee Conference to discuss plans for dealing with Jewish people.
• 1945 – World War II: The temporary government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agreed to stop fighting the Allies.
• 1945 – World War II: Germany began moving 1.8 million people out of East Prussia, a process that took almost two months.
• 1949 – U.S. President Harry S. Truman announced the Point Four Program, which was a plan to give economic help to poorer countries.
• 1953 – Dwight D. Eisenhower became the 34th U.S. President. He was the first president to start his term on January 20th after the new law.
• 1961 – John F. Kennedy became the 35th U.S. President. He was the youngest person elected to the office and the first Catholic president.
• 1972 – Pakistan started its nuclear weapons program after losing the Bangladesh Liberation War.
• 1974 – China took control of all the Paracel Islands after a fight with South Vietnam's navy.
• 1981 – Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan became the 40th U.S. President, Iran released 52 American hostages.
• 1986 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated as a national holiday in the United States for the first time.
• 1990 – Protests happened in Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union began to break apart.
• 1991 – Sudan's government made Islamic law apply across the whole country, making the civil war worse.
• 2001 – President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada was removed from power in a peaceful four-day revolution, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took his place.
• 2009 – Barack Obama became the 44th U.S. President, making him the first African-American president.
• 2018 – Gunmen attacked The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, leading to a 12-hour battle that killed 40 people.
• 2021 – Joe Biden became the 46th U.S. President. At 78, he was the oldest person ever to be inaugurated. Kamala Harris became the first female Vice President of the United States.

Famous Births

Born Before 1900

• 225 – Gordian III, a Roman emperor.
• 1029 – Alp Arslan, a Seljuk sultan.
• 1292 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, who became queen of Bohemia.
• 1436 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa, a Japanese shōgun.
• 1488 – Sebastian Münster, a German scholar and mapmaker.
• 1526 – Rafael Bombelli, an Italian mathematician.
• 1554 – Sebastian of Portugal, a king of Portugal.
• 1573 – Simon Marius, a German astronomer.
• 1586 – Johann Hermann Schein, a German composer.
• 1775 – André-Marie Ampère, a French physicist and mathematician who studied electricity.
• 1812 – William Fox, who became the second Prime Minister of New Zealand.
• 1855 – Ernest Chausson, a French composer.
• 1873 – Johannes V. Jensen, a Danish author and poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1876 – Josef Hofmann, a Polish-American pianist and composer.
• 1888 – Lead Belly, a famous American folk and blues musician.
• 1894 – Harold Gray, the American cartoonist who created Little Orphan Annie.
• 1896 – George Burns, a well-known American actor and comedian.

Born After 1900

• 1906 – Aristotle Onassis, a famous Greek shipping businessman.
• 1910 – Joy Adamson, an Austria-Kenyan painter and conservationist, known for her work with lions.
• 1920 – Federico Fellini, a famous Italian film director.
• 1920 – DeForest Kelley, an American actor best known as Dr. McCoy in Star Trek.
• 1926 – Patricia Neal, an American actress.
• 1930 – Buzz Aldrin, an American astronaut, one of the first people to walk on the Moon.
• 1931 – David Lee, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1934 – Tom Baker, an English actor, famous for playing Doctor Who.
• 1946 – David Lynch, an American film director and producer.
• 1948 – Natan Sharansky, a Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and politician.
• 1952 – Paul Stanley, an American singer and guitarist from the band Kiss.
• 1956 – Bill Maher, an American comedian and TV host.
• 1958 – Lorenzo Lamas, an American actor.
• 1964 – Ozzie Guillén, a Venezuelan-American baseball player and manager.
• 1965 – Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, a member of the British royal family.
• 1966 – Rainn Wilson, an American actor, known for his role in The Office.
• 1967 – Kellyanne Conway, an American political strategist.
• 1971 – Gary Barlow, an English singer-songwriter from the band Take That.
• 1972 – Nikki Haley, an American politician and former Governor of South Carolina.
• 1973 – Queen Mathilde of Belgium.
• 1979 – Rob Bourdon, an American musician from the band Linkin Park.
• 1979 – Will Young, an English singer and actor.
• 1981 – Owen Hargreaves, an English footballer.
• 1987 – Evan Peters, an American actor.
• 1989 – Nick Foles, an American football player.
• 1995 – Joey ..., an American rapper and actor.
• 2000 – Tyler Herro, an American basketball player.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 640 – Eadbald, a king of Kent.
• 820 – Al-Shafi‘i, an Arab scholar and lawyer.
• 842 – Theophilos, a Byzantine emperor.
• 1095 – Wulfstan, a bishop of Worcester.
• 1156 – Henry, an English bishop and saint.
• 1343 – Robert, a king of Naples.
• 1479 – John II, a king of Sicily.
• 1568 – Myles Coverdale, an English bishop and Bible translator.
• 1612 – Rudolf II, a Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1666 – Anne of Austria, who was Queen and regent of France.
• 1779 – David Garrick, a famous English actor and playwright.
• 1819 – Charles IV, a Spanish king.
• 1837 – John Soane, an English architect who designed the Bank of England.
• 1891 – Kalākaua, the last king of Hawaii.
• 1900 – John Ruskin, an English painter and critic.

Died After 1900

• 1901 – Zénobe Gramme, a Belgian engineer who invented the Gramme machine.
• 1907 – Agnes Mary Clerke, an Irish astronomer and author.
• 1936 – George V of the United Kingdom, a British king.
• 1947 – Josh Gibson, a legendary American baseball player.
• 1965 – Alan Freed, an American radio host who helped popularize rock and roll.
• 1971 – Broncho Billy Anderson, an American actor and director, known as the first movie cowboy.
• 1983 – Garrincha, a famous Brazilian footballer.
• 1984 – Johnny Weissmuller, an American swimmer and actor, famous for playing Tarzan.
• 1990 – Barbara Stanwyck, an American actress.
• 1993 – Audrey Hepburn, a beloved British actress and humanitarian.
• 1994 – Matt Busby, a famous Scottish footballer and coach.
• 1996 – Gerry Mulligan, an American saxophonist and composer.
• 2012 – Etta James, a famous American singer-songwriter.
• 2014 – Claudio Abbado, a renowned Italian conductor.
• 2018 – Paul Bocuse, a famous French chef.
• 2022 – Meat Loaf, an American singer and actor.
• 2024 – Norman Jewison, a Canadian director and producer.

Holidays and Observances

• Armed Forces Day (Mali)
• Army Day (Laos)
• Christian feast day:
  • Fabian
  • Euthymius the Great
  • Henry
  • Sebastian
• Heroes' Day (Cape Verde)
• Martyrs' Day (Azerbaijan)

See also

In Spanish: 20 de enero para niños