June 20

June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 194 days remaining until the end of the year.

On leap years, this day usually marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.

Events

• 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius' defeats Attila the Hun.
• 1214 - The University of Oxford receives its charter.
• 1631 - The sack of Baltimore: the Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates.
• 1685 - Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth declares himself King of England at Bridgwater.
• 1756 - A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.
• 1782 - The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.
• 1787 - Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the United States.
• 1789 - Deputies of the French Third Estate take the Tennis Court Oath.
• 1791 - King Louis XVI of France and his immediate family begin the Flight to Varennes during The French Revolution.
• 1819 - The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. She is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey was made under sail.
• 1837 - Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne.
• 1840 - Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
• 1862 - Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated.
• 1863 - American Civil War: West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state.
• 1877 - Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
• 1893 - Lizzie Borden is acquitted for the murders of her father and stepmother.
• 1919 - 150 die at the Teatro Yaguez fire, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
• 1944 - World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”.
• 1948 - Toast of the Town, later The Ed Sullivan Show, makes its television debut.
• 1956 - A Venezuelan Super-Constellation crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey, killing 74 people.
• 1960 - Independence of Mali and Senegal.
• 1963 - The so-called "red telephone" is established between the Soviet Union and the United States following the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 1973 - Ezeiza massacre in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured.
• 1979 - ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart is shot dead by a Nicaraguan soldier under the regime of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. The murder is caught on tape and sparked international outcry of the regime.
• 1990 - Asteroid Eureka is discovered.
• 1991 - The German parliament decides to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin.

Births

• 1005 - Ali az-Zahir, caliph (d. 1036)
• 1389 - John, Duke of Bedford, regent of England (d. 1435)
• 1566 (O.S.) - King Sigismund III Vasa (d. 1632)
• 1583 - Jacob De la Gardie, Swedish soldier and statesman (d. 1652)
• 1634 - Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy (d. 1675)
• 1642 (O.S.) - George Hickes, English minister and scholar (d. 1715)
• 1647 - John George III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1691)
• 1717 - Jacques Saly, French sculptor (d. 1776)
• 1723 (O.S.) - Adam Ferguson, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1816)
• 1723 (O.S.) - Theophilus Lindsey, English theologian (d. 1808)
• 1733 - Betty Washington- sister of George Washington
• 1737 - Tokugawa Ieharu, Japanese military (d. 1786)
• 1756 - Joseph Martin Kraus, Swedish composer (d. 1792)
• 1763 - Wolfe Tone, Irish patriot (d. 1798)
• 1770 - Moses Waddel, American educator/minister and bestselling author (d. 1840)
• 1771 - Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, Scottish philanthropist (d. 1820)
• 1786 - Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, French poet (d. 1859)
• 1808 - Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi (d. 1888)
• 1819 - Jacques Offenbach, German-born French composer (d. 1880)
• 1858 - Charles W. Chesnutt, American writer (d. 1932)
• 1860 - Jack Worrall, Australian cricketer, footballer, and coach (d. 1937)
• 1861 - Frederick Hopkins, English biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (d.1947)
• 1872 - George Carpenter, the 5th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1948)
• 1885 - Andrzej Gawroński, Polish scholar (d. 1927)
• 1887 - Kurt Schwitters, German painter and writer (d. 1948)
• 1889 - John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-South African astronomer (d. 1951)
• 1891 - John A. Costello, second Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland (d. 1976)
• 1894 - Lloyd Hall, American chemist (d. 1971)
• 1896 - Wilfrid Pelletier, Canadian conductor (d. 1982)
• 1897 - Elisabeth Hauptmann, German writer (d. 1973)
• 1899 - Jean Moulin, French Resistance leader (d. 1943)
• 1905 - Lillian Hellman, American playwright (d. 1984)
• 1907 - Jimmy Driftwood, American songwriter and musician (d. 1998)
• 1908 - Billy Werber, American baseball player
• 1909 - Errol Flynn, Australian actor (d. 1959)
• 1911 - Gail Patrick, American actress (d. 1980)
• 1912 - Anthony Buckeridge, English author (d. 2004)
• 1915 - Dick Reynolds, Australian rules footballer and coach (d. 2002)
• 1915 - Terence Young, British film director (d. 1994)
• 1916 - Jean-Jacques Bertrand, premier of Quebec (d. 1973)
• 1917 - Igor Śmiałowski, Polish actor (d. 2006)
• 1918 - George Lynch, American auto racer (d. 1997)
• 1918 - Zoltán Sztáray, Hungarian writer
• 1920 - Hans Gerschwiler, Swiss figure skater
• 1924 - Chet Atkins, American guitar player and producer (d. 2001)
• 1924 - Audie Murphy, American Medal of Honor recipient and actor (d. 1971)
• 1924 - Fritz Koenig, German sculptor
• 1928 - Eric Dolphy, American jazz musician (d. 1964)
• 1928 - Jean-Marie Le Pen, French politician
• 1930 - Paul Pender, American boxer
• 1930 - Magdalena Abakanowicz, Polish artist
• 1931 - Olympia Dukakis, Greek-American actress
• 1931 - Martin Landau, American actor
• 1932 - Robert Rozhdestvensky, Russian poet (d. 1994)
• 1933 - Danny Aiello, American actor
• 1934 - Wendy Craig, English actress
• 1934 - Rossana Podestà, Italian actress
• 1935 - Len Dawson, former football player
• 1935 - Neal Knox, gun rights activist (d. 2005)
• 1936 - Billy Guy, American singer (The Coasters) (d. 2002)
• 1937 - Jerry Keller, pop singer and songwriter
• 1938 - Mickie Most, British record producer (d. 2003)
• 1939 - Ramakant Desai, Indian cricketer (d. 1998)
• 1940 - Eugen Drewermann, German theologian
• 1940 - John Mahoney, English actor
• 1941 - Ulf Merbold, German physicist and astronaut
• 1941 - Stephen Frears, English film director
• 1942 - Brian Wilson, American musician; founder of The Beach Boys
• 1944 - Cheryl Holdridge, American actress
• 1944 - David Roper, English actor
• 1945 - Anne Murray, Canadian singer
• 1946 - Bob Vila, television presenter
• 1946 - Xanana Gusmão, President of East Timor
• 1946 - Andre Watts, American pianist
• 1947 - Dolores Brooks, American singer (the Crystals)
• 1947 - Candy Clark, American actress
• 1947 - Josef Clemens, German bishop and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity
• 1947 - Ivo Milazzo, Italian comic book artist
• 1948 - Ludwig Scotty, President of Nauru
• 1949 - Lionel Richie, American musician (The Commodores)
• 1949 - Alan Longmuir, Scottish bass guitarist (Bay City Rollers)
• 1951 - Tress MacNeille, American voice actress
• 1951 - Paul Muldoon, Northern Irish poet
• 1951 - Bill Simon, American businessman and politician
• 1952 - John Goodman, American actor
• 1952 - Larry Riley, American actor (d. 1992)
• 1952 - Vikram Seth, Indian poet
• 1953 - Ulrich Mühe, German actor (d. 2007)
• 1953 - Raúl Ramírez, Mexican tennis player
• 1952 - Willy Rampf, German F1 technical director (BMW Sauber)
• 1954 - Michael Anthony, American musician (Van Halen)
• 1954 - Ilan Ramon, Israeli combat pilot and astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1954 - Allan Lamb, South African born English cricketer
• 1956 - Peter Reid, English former footballer
• 1957 - Koko B. Ware, American professional wrestler
• 1958 - Chuck Wagner, American actor
• 1958 - Ron Hornaday, American racecar driver
• 1960 - John Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)
• 1963 - Amir Derakh, American musician (Orgy)
• 1963 - Don West, American professional wrestling announcer
• 1964 - Pierfrancesco Chili, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1964 - Silke Möller, German track and field athlete
• 1967 - Nicole Kidman, American-born Australian actress
• 1968 - Robert Rodriguez, American film director
• 1969 - MaliVai Washington, American former tennis player
• 1970 - Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco
• 1970 - Andrea Nahles, German politician
• 1970 - Bruce Woodcock, American computer games analyst
• 1971 - Josh Lucas, American actor
• 1971 - Jeordie White, American musician (Marilyn Manson)
• 1971 - Rodney Rogers, American basketball player
• 1972 - Paul Bako, American baseball player
• 1973 - Brian Maloney, Austin Designer and creator of snerst.com
• 1973 - Chino Moreno, American musician (Deftones)
• 1974 - Attila Czene, Hungarian swimmer
• 1974 - Jami Ferrell, American model and actress
• 1975 - Daniel Zítka, Czech footballer
• 1976 - Jerome Fontamillas,Filipino American musician (Switchfoot)
• 1976 - Carlos Lee, Panamanian baseball player
• 1976 - Rob Mackowiak, American baseball player
• 1976 - Juliano Belletti, Brazilian footballer
• 1977 - Gordan Giriček, Croatian basketball player
• 1978 - LaVar Arrington, American football player
• 1978 - Quinton Jackson, American Mixed Martial Artist
• 1978 - Frank Lampard, English footballer
• 1978 - Jan-Paul Saeijs, Dutch footballer
• 1978 - Bobby Seay, American baseball player
• 1979 - Charlotte Hatherley, English guitarist (Ash)
• 1979 - Charles Howell III, Professional Golfer
• 1979 - Cael Sanderson, Olympic Wrestler
• 1979 - Lani Billard, Canadian actress
• 1980 - Carlo Festuccia, Italian rugby union footballer
• 1980 - Fabian Wegmann, German road racing cyclist
• 1980 - Tony Lovato, American singer and guitarrist (Mest)
• 1980 - Franco Semioli, Italian footballer
• 1981 - Ardian Gashi, Albanian-Norwegian footballer
• 1983 - Darren Sproles, American football player
• 1983 - Josh Childress, American basketball player
• 1983 - Cherrie Ying, Hong Kong actress
• 1985 - Souleymane Mamam, Togolese footballer
• 1985 - Darko Miličić, Serbian basketball player
• 1988 - Shefali Chowdhury, Welsh actress
• 1989 - Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
• 1997 - Maria Lark, Russian-born American actress

Deaths

• 451 - Theodorid, King of the Visigoths
• 840 - Louis the Pious, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (b. 778)
• 885 - Bernard Plantapilosa, Count of Auvergne (b. 841)
• 1597 - Willem Barentsz, Dutch navigator
• 1668 - Heinrich Roth, German Sanskrit scholar (b. 1620)
• 1776 - Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and manufacturer (b. 1704)
• 1787 - Carl Friedrich Abel, German composer (b. 1723)
• 1800 - Abraham Gotthelf Kästner, German mathematician (b. 1719)
• 1820 - Manuel Belgrano, Argentine lawyer and politician (b. 1770)
• 1837 - William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1765)
• 1869 - Toshizou Hijikata, Shinsengumi vice-commander (b. 1835)
• 1870 - Jules de Goncourt, French writer (b. 1830)
• 1906 - John Clayton Adams, British landscape artist (b. 1840)
• 1925 - Josef Breuer, Austrian psychologist (b. 1842)
• 1945 - Bruno Frank, German author (b. 1878)
• 1947 - Bugsy Siegel, American crime figure (b. 1906)
• 1952 - Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (b. 1898)
• 1958 - Kurt Alder, German chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1902)
• 1963 - Raphaël Salem, Greek mathematician (b. 1898)
• 1972 - Howard Johnson, American businessman, originator of restaurant chain (b. 1897)
• 1976 - Lou Klein, American baseball player (b. 1918)
• 1978 - Mark Robson, Canadian film director and producer (b. 1913)
• 1995 - Emil Cioran, Romanian-born French philosopher (b. 1911)
• 1996 - Jim Ellison, Singer/Guitarist for the band Material Issue (b. 1964)
• 1997 - Lawrence Payton, American singer (The Four Tops) (b. 1938)
• 1998 - Conrad Schumann, East German border guard (b. 1942)
• 1999 - Clifton Fadiman, American author (b. 1902)
• 2002 - Erwin Chargaff, Austrian biochemist (b. 1905)
• 2002 - Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (b. 1916)
• 2003 - Bob Stump, American politician (b. 1927)
• 2005 - Jack Kilby, American electrical engineer, Nobel laureate (b. 1923)
• 2005 - Larry Collins, American writer (b. 1929)
• 2006 - Billy Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1918)
• 2007 - Trevor Henry, New Zealand Justice (b. 1902)

Holidays and observances

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - World Refugee Day.
• Flag Day in Argentina (1938).
• West Virginia – West Virginia Day.
• International Surfing Day.
• Saint Adalbert of Magdeburg (d. 981)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada