Today's Holidays, National Days & Public Holidays

Discover what's happening today, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, or tomorrow.

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Calendar.cx is your complete guide to holidays, national days, and observances around the world. We track 2,000+ events every year — from quirky fun days like National Pizza Day and National Dog Day, to major public holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day.

Every day of the year gets its own page, packed with national days, public holidays from dozens of countries, religious observances, historical events, notable births and deaths, and sports fixtures. Whether you're a teacher planning a classroom theme, a brand manager building a content calendar, or just curious what today's quirky celebration is — Calendar.cx has it all.

Browse by month, search for a specific day, or check out the FAQ for answers about any holiday. New events and observances are added regularly to keep the calendar accurate and complete.


Today is Wednesday, May 20

On This Day in History — May 20

  • 2013 — An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
  • 2012 — At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.
  • 2002 — The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
  • 1996 — Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or...
  • 1990 — The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
  • 1989 — The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.

More about history on this day →

Notable Births on May 20

  • 1998 — Jamie Chadwick, English race car driver
  • 1998 — Nam Nguyen, Canadian figure skater
  • 1996 — Brian Kelly, Australian rugby league player
  • 1993 — Caroline Zhang, American figure skater
  • 1992 — Cate Campbell, Australian swimmer
  • 1992 — Jack Gleeson, Irish actor

Notable Deaths on May 20

  • 2015 — Bob Belden, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (b. 1956)
  • 2015 — Femi Robinson, Nigerian actor and playwright (b. 1940)
  • 2014 — Sandra Bem, American psychologist and academic (b. 1944)
  • 2014 — Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1934)
  • 2014 — Robyn Denny, English-French painter (b. 1930)
  • 2014 — Arthur Gelb, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1924)

Sports on May 20

  • MLB: Texas Rangers @ Colorado Rockies Scheduled
  • MLB: Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels Scheduled
  • MLB: Chicago White Sox @ Seattle Mariners Scheduled
  • MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Diego Padres Scheduled
  • MLB: San Francisco Giants @ Arizona Diamondbacks Scheduled
  • WNBA: Toronto Tempo @ Phoenix Mercury Scheduled

All sports schedules for May 20 →

About Today

Tomorrow is Thursday, May 21

Public Holidays on May 21

All public holidays for May 21 →

Religious Observances on May 21

Browse religious observances →

On This Day in History — May 21

  • 2012 — A bus accident near Himara, Albania kills 13 people and injures 21 others.
  • 2012 — A suicide bombing kills more than 120 people in Sana'a, Yemen.
  • 2011 — Radio broadcaster Harold Camping predicted that the world would end on this date.
  • 2010 — JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket. The vessel would make a Venus flyby late in the year.
  • 2006 — The Republic of Montenegro holds a referendum proposing independence from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro; 55% of Montenegrins vote for independence.
  • 2005 — The tallest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka opens at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.

More about history on this day →

Notable Births on May 21

  • 1997 — Ivan De Santis, Italian footballer
  • 1997 — Sisca Folkertsma, Dutch footballer
  • 1997 — Alex Gunning, Australian mathematician
  • 1997 — Viktoria Petryk, Ukrainian singer-songwriter
  • 1996 — Indy de Vroome, Dutch tennis player
  • 1994 — Tom Daley, English diver

Notable Deaths on May 21

  • 2016 — Nick Menza, American drummer and songwriter (b. 1964)
  • 2015 — Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
  • 2015 — Jassem Al-Kharafi, Kuwaiti businessman and politician, 8th Kuwaiti Speaker of the National Assembly (b. 1940)
  • 2015 — Fred Gladding, American baseball player and coach (b. 1936)
  • 2015 — Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (b. 1955)
  • 2014 — Evelyn Blackmon, American businesswoman and politician (b. 1924)

Sports on May 21

  • NHL: Vegas Golden Knights @ Colorado Avalanche Scheduled
  • NBA: San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder Scheduled
  • MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Diego Padres Scheduled
  • WNBA: Dallas Wings @ Chicago Sky Scheduled
  • MLB: Athletics @ Los Angeles Angels Scheduled
  • WNBA: Connecticut Sun @ Seattle Storm Scheduled

All sports schedules for May 21 →

About Tomorrow