October 20 facts for kids

October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 72 days remain until the end of the year.

This page shares important events, famous birthdays, and notable deaths that happened on this day throughout history. You'll also find a list of special holidays and observances.

Historic Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 1568 – In 1568, the Spanish Duke of Alba defeated Dutch rebels led by William the Silent.
• 1572 – During the Eighty Years' War in 1572, Spanish soldiers marched through water for miles to help the city of Goes.

Important Moments (1601–1900)

• 1740 – In 1740, the War of the Austrian Succession began. This happened because several European countries disagreed about who should rule Austria.
• 1774 – In 1774, during the American Revolution, the First Continental Congress decided to stop buying and selling goods with Great Britain and its colonies. This was called the Continental Association.
• 1781 – Austria approved the Patent of Toleration in 1781. This law gave people some freedom to practice their religion.
• 1803 – The United States Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. This deal greatly expanded the size of the United States.
• 1818 – In 1818, the Convention of 1818 was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom. It set the border between the U.S. and Canada along the 49th parallel for much of its length.
• 1827 – During the Greek War of Independence in 1827, a combined fleet from Britain, France, and Russia defeated Turkish and Egyptian ships in the Battle of Navarino. This was one of the last major battles fought with wooden sailing ships.
• 1883 – Peru and Chile signed the Treaty of Ancón in 1883. This treaty ended Peru's part in the War of the Pacific and gave the Tarapacá province to Chile.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1904 – Chile and Bolivia signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1904. This agreement set the border between the two countries.
• 1910 – The British ocean liner RMS Olympic was launched in 1910.
• 1935 – The Long March, a long and difficult journey by the Communist Party of China's armed forces, ended in 1935.
• 1941 – During World War II in 1941, many civilians were killed in the Kragujevac massacre in German-occupied Serbia.
• 1944 – In 1944, the Soviet Red Army and Yugoslav Partisans worked together to free Belgrade during the Belgrade Offensive.
• 1944 – A Liquefied natural gas leak in Cleveland led to an explosion that destroyed many blocks and caused many deaths.
• 1944 – American general Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte, fulfilling his promise.
• 1947 – In 1947, during the Cold War, the House Un-American Activities Committee started investigating whether Communists had influenced the Hollywood film industry. This led to a blacklist that stopped some people from working.
• 1948 – A KLM plane crashed near Glasgow Prestwick Airport in 1948, resulting in many deaths.
• 1951 – The "Johnny Bright incident" happened in 1951 during a football game between the Drake Bulldogs and Oklahoma A&M Aggies.
• 1952 – In 1952, the Governor of Kenya, Evelyn Baring, declared a state of emergency and arrested many suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising.
• 1961 – The Soviet Navy tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile for the first time in 1961.
• 1962 – China launched attacks in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line in 1962, starting the Sino-Indian War.
• 1973 – In 1973, during the Watergate scandal, U.S. President Richard Nixon fired several officials who refused to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox.
• 1973 – The famous Sydney Opera House in Australia was officially opened by Elizabeth II in 1973, after 14 years of building.
• 1976 – In 1976, the Luling–Destrehan Ferry MV George Prince was hit by a freighter while crossing the Mississippi River. Many people on the ferry did not survive.
• 1977 – A plane carrying the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in Mississippi in 1977. Several people, including band members, were killed.
• 1982 – In 1982, during a UEFA Cup football match in Moscow, 66 people were crushed to death in the Luzhniki disaster.
• 1986 – Aeroflot Flight 6502 crashed while landing in Russia in 1986, killing many people.
• 1991 – A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Uttarkashi district in India in 1991, causing many deaths.
• 1991 – A huge firestorm broke out in the hills of Oakland and Berkeley, California, in 1991. It killed 25 people and destroyed over 3,000 homes.
• 2002 – Top Gear, a popular British TV show about cars, premiered its revived version on BBC in 2002.
• 2003 – The Sloan Great Wall, once the largest known structure in the universe, was discovered by students at Princeton University in 2003.
• 2005 – In 2005, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed an important agreement to protect and promote different cultural expressions.
• 2011 – During the Libyan Crisis in 2011, rebel forces captured and killed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown, ending the first Libyan civil war.
• 2017 – In 2017, during the Syrian civil war, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced their victory in the Raqqa campaign.
• 2022 – Liz Truss stepped down as British Prime Minister in 2022. She served the shortest time of any British Prime Minister, only 49 days.

Famous Birthdays

Born Before 1900

• 888 – Zhu Youzhen, an emperor of the Later Liang dynasty.
• 1475 – Giovanni di Bernardo Rucellai, an Italian poet and playwright.
• 1496 – Claude, Duke of Guise, a French nobleman.
• 1554 – Bálint Balassi, a Hungarian writer and noble.
• 1612 – Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington, an important Anglo-Irish nobleman.
• 1616 – Thomas Bartholin, a Danish physician and mathematician.
• 1620 – Aelbert Cuyp, a Dutch painter known for his landscapes.
• 1632 – Christopher Wren, a famous English architect who designed St Paul's Cathedral.
• 1677 – Stanisław Leszczyński, who became King of Poland.
• 1740 – Isabelle de Charrière, a Dutch author and poet.
• 1784 – Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1819 – Báb, an Iranian religious leader who founded Bábism.
• 1854 – Arthur Rimbaud, a well-known French poet.
• 1859 – John Dewey, an influential American psychologist and philosopher.
• 1873 – Nellie McClung, a Canadian author and a leader in the women's suffrage movement.
• 1874 – Charles Ives, an American composer.
• 1882 – Bela Lugosi, a Hungarian-American actor famous for playing Dracula.
• 1891 – James Chadwick, an English physicist who won the Nobel Prize.

Born After 1900

• 1904 – Tommy Douglas, a Scottish-Canadian minister and politician, known for his work in healthcare.
• 1907 – Arlene Francis, an American actress and television personality.
• 1913 – Grandpa Jones, an American singer and banjo player.
• 1914 – Fayard Nicholas, an American dancer and choreographer.
• 1917 – Stéphane Hessel, a German-French activist and diplomat.
• 1920 – Janet Jagan, who became the 6th President of Guyana.
• 1925 – Art Buchwald, an American journalist and humorist.
• 1927 – Joyce Brothers, an American psychologist and author.
• 1931 – Mickey Mantle, a legendary American baseball player.
• 1932 – William Christopher, an American actor.
• 1935 – Jerry Orbach, an American actor and singer.
• 1937 – Wanda Jackson, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1938 – Viggo Mortensen, a well-known American-Danish actor and producer.
• 1942 – Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, a German biologist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1946 – Elfriede Jelinek, an Austrian author and playwright who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1950 – Tom Petty, a famous American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1951 – Snoop Dogg, an American rapper, producer, and actor.
• 1955 – Danny Boyle, an English director and producer.
• 1958 – Scott Hall, an American professional wrestler.
• 1961 – Ian Rush, a famous Welsh footballer.
• 1963 – Julie Payette, a Canadian engineer and astronaut.
• 1964 – Kamala Harris, an American politician and lawyer, who became the 49th Vice President of the United States.
• 1971 – Dannii Minogue, an Australian singer and actress.
• 1979 – John Krasinski, an American actor, director, and producer.
• 1988 – Candice Swanepoel, a South African supermodel.
• 1989 – Jess Glynne, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1997 – Andrey Rublev, a Russian tennis player.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 460 – Aelia Eudocia, the Byzantine empress and wife of Theodosius II.
• 1187 – Pope Urban III, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1401 – Klaus Störtebeker, a German pirate.
• 1524 – Thomas Linacre, an English physician and scholar.
• 1640 – John Ball, an English clergyman.
• 1740 – Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, a powerful European ruler.
• 1870 – Michael William Balfe, an Irish violinist and composer.
• 1880 – Lydia Maria Child, an American journalist and activist.
• 1890 – Richard Francis Burton, an English explorer and writer.

Died After 1900

• 1926 – Eugene V. Debs, an American union leader and politician.
• 1935 – Arthur Henderson, a Scottish-English politician and Nobel Prize winner.
• 1936 – Anne Sullivan, an American educator, famous for teaching Helen Keller.
• 1950 – Henry L. Stimson, an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State.
• 1964 – Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States.
• 1967 – Shigeru Yoshida, who served as Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1977 – Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant, members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
• 1984 – Paul Dirac, an English-American physicist and mathematician who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1987 – Andrey Kolmogorov, a Russian mathematician.
• 1994 – Burt Lancaster, a famous American actor.
• 1999 – Jack Lynch, an Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland.
• 2011 – Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader of Libya.
• 2012 – E. Donnall Thomas, an American physician who won the Nobel Prize.
• 2013 – Lawrence Klein, an American economist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 2014 – Oscar de la Renta, a famous Dominican-American fashion designer.
• 2020 – James Randi, a Canadian-American stage magician and author.

Holidays and Observances

• Christian feast days:

* Acca of Hexham * Aderald * Artemius * Caprasius of Agen * Hedwig (in Canada, moved from Oct. 16) * Irene of Tomar * Magdalene of Nagasaki * Margaret Marie Alacoque (in Canada, moved from Oct. 16) * Paul of the Cross (in USA, moved from Oct. 19) * Maria Bertilla Boscardin * Mater Admirabilis * October 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Arbor Day (Czech Republic)
• Heroes' Day (Kenya) (Kenya)
• Revolution Day (Guatemala), one of the two Patriotic Days (Guatemala)
• Vietnamese Women's Day (Vietnam)
• World Osteoporosis Day
• World Statistics Day

See also

In Spanish: 20 de octubre para niños