September 20 facts for kids

September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 102 days remain until the end of the year. September 20 is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient battles to modern-day discoveries and important moments for people around the world. Let's explore some of the key things that have happened on this date.

Historical Moments on September 20

Battles and Conflicts Through the Ages

• 1066 – In England, a big battle called the Battle of Fulford happened. Here, Harald Hardrada's army won against the English earls Morcar and Edwin.
• 1187 – The famous leader Saladin started the Siege of Jerusalem. This was a major event in the history of the Crusades.
• 1260 – The Great Prussian Uprising began. This was when the old Prussian people started fighting against the Teutonic Knights.
• 1792 – During the French Revolutionary Wars, French troops successfully stopped an invasion of France at the Battle of Valmy.
• 1835 – The Ragamuffin War started in Brazil. This was a long-lasting conflict that began when rebels took control of the city of Porto Alegre.
• 1854 – In the Crimean War, British and French soldiers defeated the Russian army at the Battle of Alma.
• 1857 – The Indian Rebellion of 1857 came to an end when British forces, loyal to the East India Company, recaptured Delhi.
• 1863 – During the American Civil War, the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia ended with a victory for the Confederate side.
• 1965 – In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Indian Army captured the town of Dograi after the Battle of Burki.

Important Political and Social Changes

• 1378 – Cardinal Robert of Geneva was chosen as Pope Clement VII. This event started a period known as the Papal schism, where there were two popes at the same time.
• 1697 – The Treaty of Ryswick was signed. This important agreement between France, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Dutch Republic officially ended the Nine Years' War.
• 1737 – The Walking Purchase was completed. This agreement forced the Lenape-Delaware Native American tribes to give up a huge amount of their land (about 1.2 million acres) to the Pennsylvania Colony.
• 1870 – Italian soldiers, known as the Bersaglieri, entered Rome through the Porta Pia. This event completed the unification of Italy, making it one country.
• 1881 – Chester A. Arthur became the U.S. President after President James A. Garfield passed away the day before.
• 1946 – Six days after a vote, King Christian X of Denmark canceled the Faroe Islands' declaration of independence.
• 1955 – The Treaty on Relations between the USSR and the GDR was signed, which was an important agreement between the Soviet Union and East Germany.
• 1962 – James Meredith, an African American student, was temporarily stopped from entering the University of Mississippi. This was a key moment in the American Civil Rights Movement.
• 1977 – Vietnam officially joined the United Nations, becoming a member of the global organization.
• 1979 – A coup d'état (a sudden takeover of government) happened in the Central African Empire, removing Emperor Bokassa I from power.
• 1990 – South Ossetia declared itself independent from Georgia. This independence is not fully recognized by all countries.
• 2001 – U.S. President George W. Bush announced a "War on Terror" in a speech to Congress and the American people.
• 2011 – The United States military ended its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. This allowed gay men and women to serve openly in the military for the first time.

Science, Technology, and Culture

• 1498 – A large tsunami in Nankai, Japan, washed away the building that housed the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in. Since then, the famous Buddha statue has been located outdoors.
• 1519 – The explorer Ferdinand Magellan began his famous journey from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. His expedition would eventually become the first to sail all the way around the world.
• 1893 – Charles Duryea and his brother tested the first American-made car powered by gasoline. This was a big step in the history of automobiles!
• 1911 – The famous ship RMS Olympic collided with the British warship HMS Hawke.
• 1946 – The very first Cannes Film Festival was held in France. It had been delayed for seven years because of World War II.
• 1967 – The large Cunard Liner Queen Elizabeth 2 was launched in Clydebank, Scotland.
• 1971 – Hurricane Irene regained strength after crossing from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific. It was renamed Hurricane Olivia, making it the first known hurricane to cross oceans.
• 1973 – In a famous tennis match called the Battle of the Sexes, Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome.
• 2019 – Around four million people, mostly students, protested around the world to bring attention to climate change. Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden led the protest in New York City.

Notable Incidents

• 1920 – During the Irish War of Independence, British police known as "Black and Tans" burned the town of Balbriggan and killed two local men. This was in revenge for an IRA assassination.
• 1941 – During The Holocaust in Lithuania, Lithuanian Nazis and local police carried out a mass execution of 403 Jewish people in Nemenčinė.
• 2000 – The United Kingdom's MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building was attacked with a Russian-built anti-tank missile.
• 2003 – Civil unrest (public disturbances and protests) broke out in the Maldives.
• 2007 – Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters marched in Jena, Louisiana, United States, to support six black youths who had been convicted of assaulting a white classmate.
• 2008 – A truck full of explosives exploded in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. This bombing killed 54 people and injured 266 others.
• 2017 – Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico as a very strong Category 4 hurricane. It caused many deaths and a lot of damage, leading to a major humanitarian crisis.
• 2018 – At least 161 people died when a ferry boat capsized near Ukara Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania.

People Born on September 20

Many interesting people have been born on this day throughout history.

Famous Figures from Before 1900

• 1486 – Arthur, Prince of Wales, who was the older brother of King Henry VIII of England.
• 1758 – Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and later the first emperor of Haiti.
• 1778 – Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Russian admiral and explorer who helped discover Antarctica.
• 1833 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, an Italian soldier and journalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1842 – James Dewar, a Scottish-English chemist and physicist known for inventing the vacuum flask.
• 1853 – Chulalongkorn, who was the King of Siam (now Thailand) and a very important reformer.
• 1878 – Upton Sinclair, an American novelist and writer, famous for his book The Jungle.

Notable People Born After 1900

• 1910 – Dorothy Vaughan, an American mathematician who worked for NASA and was a pioneer in computing.
• 1917 – Red Auerbach, a legendary American basketball coach and executive for the Boston Celtics.
• 1920 – Jay Ward, an American animator and producer, who created famous cartoons like Rocky and Bullwinkle.
• 1923 – Akkineni Nageswara Rao, a very popular Indian actor and producer.
• 1925 – Ananda Mahidol, who was King Rama VIII of Thailand.
• 1929 – Anne Meara, an American actress and playwright, known for her comedy.
• 1934 – Sophia Loren, a famous Italian actress and one of the most beautiful women in cinema history.
• 1940 – Tarō Asō, a Japanese politician who served as the 92nd Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1948 – George R. R. Martin, an American novelist and short story writer, best known for A Song of Ice and Fire series, which became the TV show Game of Thrones.
• 1951 – Guy Lafleur, a legendary Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1956 – Gary Cole, an American actor known for many film and TV roles.
• 1961 – Erwin Koeman, a Dutch retired football player and coach.
• 1967 – Kristen Johnston, an American actress known for her roles in TV comedies.
• 1971 – Henrik Larsson, a famous Swedish footballer and manager.
• 1975 – Asia Argento, an Italian actress and director.
• 1975 – Juan Pablo Montoya, a Colombian race car driver who competed in Formula One and IndyCar.
• 1976 – Jon Bernthal, an American actor known for his roles in action and drama series.
• 1981 – Feliciano López, a Spanish professional tennis player.
• 1988 – Khabib Nurmagomedov, a famous Russian mixed martial artist.
• 1990 – Phillip Phillips, an American singer-songwriter who won American Idol.
• 1990 – John Tavares, a Canadian ice hockey player and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• 1995 – Laura Dekker, a Dutch sailor who became the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
• 1998 – Trevon Diggs, an American football player.

People Who Passed Away on September 20

This day also marks the passing of many notable individuals.

Historical Figures Before 1900

• 1328 – Ibn Taymiyyah, an influential Syrian Islamic scholar and theologian.
• 1440 – Frederick I, Elector of Brandenburg, a German nobleman who was the first Elector of Brandenburg.
• 1460 – Gilles Binchois, a Flemish composer from the early Renaissance period.
• 1533 – Veit Stoss, a German sculptor known for his amazing wood carvings.
• 1586 – Sir Anthony Babington, an English Catholic who was involved in a plot against Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1793 – Fletcher Christian, an English lieutenant known for leading the mutiny on the HMS Bounty.
• 1803 – Robert Emmet, an Irish republican who led a rebellion against British rule.
• 1863 – Jacob Grimm, a German philologist and mythologist, famous for collecting fairy tales with his brother.
• 1898 – Theodor Fontane, a German author and poet.

Notable Deaths After 1900

• 1908 – Pablo de Sarasate, a Spanish violinist and composer.
• 1933 – Annie Besant, an English social reformer and activist.
• 1942 – Kārlis Ulmanis, a Latvian politician who served as prime minister and president of Latvia.
• 1947 – Fiorello H. La Guardia, a well-known American lawyer and politician who was the 99th Mayor of New York City.
• 1957 – Jean Sibelius, a famous Finnish violinist and composer.
• 1971 – Giorgos Seferis, a Greek poet and diplomat who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1973 – Jim Croce, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, known for his folk and rock songs.
• 1975 – Saint-John Perse, a French poet and diplomat who also won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1996 – Paul Erdős, a Hungarian-Polish mathematician who published more papers than almost anyone else in history.
• 2000 – Gherman Titov, a Russian cosmonaut who was the second person to orbit the Earth.
• 2005 – Simon Wiesenthal, an Austrian human rights activist and Holocaust survivor who dedicated his life to hunting down Nazi war criminals.
• 2011 – Burhanuddin Rabbani, an Afghan academic and politician who served as the 10th President of Afghanistan.
• 2014 – Polly Bergen, an American actress and singer.
• 2016 – Curtis Hanson, an American film director and screenwriter, known for movies like L.A. Confidential.

Holidays and Celebrations on September 20

• Constitution Day (Nepal) – A national holiday in Nepal celebrating their constitution.
• Independence Day of South Ossetia – Celebrates the declaration of independence, though it's not recognized by all countries.
• National Youth Day (Thailand) – A day in Thailand dedicated to celebrating and recognizing young people.
• Oil Workers' Day (Azerbaijan) – A day to honor workers in the oil industry in Azerbaijan.
• Universal Children's Day (Germany) – Germany celebrates a day for children on this date.

See also

In Spanish: 20 de septiembre para niños