What Happened on May 20?
All
events
births
deaths
holidays
EVENTS ON MAY 20
Battle of Bautzen (1813)
Year:
1813
Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
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American Civil War
Year:
1861
American Civil War: The State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.
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Law of 20 May 1802
Year:
1802
By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.
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Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
Year:
1775
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is allegedly signed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Year:
1714
Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his cantata for Pentecost, Erschallet, ihr Lieder, BWV 172, at the chapel of Schloss Weimar.
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Battle of Cartagena de Indias
Year:
1741
The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substantial losses.
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American Civil War
Year:
1861
American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state.
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Abraham Lincoln
Year:
1862
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening eighty-four million acres (340,000 km2) of public land to settlers.
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Krakatoa
Year:
1883
Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
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Russo-Ukrainian war
Year:
2022
Russo-Ukrainian War: Russia claims full control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.
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BIRTHS ON MAY 20
Edith Fellows
Year of birth:
1923
Edith Fellows, American actress (died 2011)
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David Chavchavadze
Year of birth:
1924
David Chavchavadze, English-American CIA officer and author (died 2014)
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Sam Selvon
Year of birth:
1923
Sam Selvon, Trinidad-born writer (died 1994)
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Wolfgang Borchert
Year of birth:
1921
Wolfgang Borchert, German author and playwright (died 1947)
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Hal Newhouser
Year of birth:
1921
Hal Newhouser, American baseball player and scout (died 1998)
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Aleksey Tupolev
Year of birth:
1925
Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (died 2001)
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Franciszek Macharski
Year of birth:
1927
Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (died 2016)
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Sam Etcheverry
Year of birth:
1930
Sam Etcheverry, American football player and coach (died 2009)
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Pedro Trebbau
Year of birth:
1929
Pedro Trebbau, German-born Venezuelan zoologist (died 2021)
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Bud Grant
Year of birth:
1927
Bud Grant, American football player and coach (died 2023)
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DEATHS ON MAY 20
Valentine Fleming
Year of death:
1917
Valentine Fleming, Scottish soldier and politician (born 1887)
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Philipp von Ferrary
Year of death:
1917
Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (born 1850)
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Bogd Khan
Year of death:
1924
Bogd Khan, Mongolian ruler (c. 1869)
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Joseph Howard (Prime Minister)
Year of death:
1925
Joseph Howard, Maltese politician, 1st Prime Minister of Malta (born 1862)
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Ernest Noel
Year of death:
1931
Ernest Noel, Scottish businessman and politician (born 1831)
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Ernest Hogan
Year of death:
1909
Ernest Hogan, American actor and composer (born 1859)
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Clara Schumann
Year of death:
1896
Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (born 1819)
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Joseph Blanco White
Year of death:
1841
Joseph Blanco White, Spanish poet and theologian (born 1775)
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John Clare
Year of death:
1864
John Clare, English poet (born 1793)
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George-Étienne Cartier
Year of death:
1873
George-Étienne Cartier, Canadian soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th Premier of East Canada (born 1814)
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HOLIDAYS ON MAY 20
Independence Day (Timor-Leste)
Independence Restoration Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002.
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National Day of Remembrance (Cambodia)
Day of Remembrance (Cambodia)
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Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker Day (NAACP)
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National Day (Cameroon)
National Day (Cameroon)
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World Bee Day
World Bee Day
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Lucifer of Cagliari
Christian feast day: Lucifer of Cagliari
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May 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: May 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
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Ivo of Chartres
Christian feast day: Ivo of Chartres
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Baudilus
Christian feast day: Baudilus
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Austregisilus
Christian feast day: Austregisilus
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