On This Day — September 20

Famous events, births, and deaths from September 20 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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45 events · 213 births · 92 deaths recorded for September 20.

🕰️ Notable Events on September 20

2011 — The United States military ends its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time. Wikipedia ↗
2008 — A dump truck full of explosives detonates in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 54 people and injuring 266 others. Wikipedia ↗
2007 — Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters marched on Jena, Louisiana, in support of six black youths who had been convicted of assaulting a white classmate. Wikipedia ↗
2003 — Maldives civil unrest: The death of prisoner sparks a day of rioting in Malé. Wikipedia ↗
2001 — In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "War on Terror". Wikipedia ↗
2000 — The United Kingdom's MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by individuals using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank missile. The perpetrators remain unidentified. Wikipedia ↗
1990 — South Ossetia declares its independence from Georgia. Wikipedia ↗
1984 — A suicide bomber in a car attacks the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twenty-two people. Wikipedia ↗
1982 — The National Football League players begin a 57-day strike. Wikipedia ↗
1979 — A coup d'état in the Central African Empire overthrows Emperor Bokassa I. Wikipedia ↗
1977 — The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is admitted to the United Nations. Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome. Wikipedia ↗
1973 — The death of Folk and Rock Singer Jim Croce along Musician and Songwriter Maury Muehleisen. Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Having weakened after making landfall in Nicaragua the previous day, Hurricane Irene regains enough strength to be renamed Hurricane Olivia, making it the first known hurricane to cross from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific. Wikipedia ↗
1967 — RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched at John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland. Wikipedia ↗
1962 — James Meredith, an African American, is temporarily barred from entering the University of Mississippi. Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Greek general Konstantinos Dovas becomes Prime Minister of Greece. Wikipedia ↗
1946 — The first Cannes Film Festival is held, having been delayed seven years due to World War II. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — The Holocaust in Ukraine: In the course of two days a German einsatzgruppen murders at least 3,000 Jews in Letychiv. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — The Holocaust in Lithuania: Four hundred three Jews (128 men, 176 women and 99 children) were murdered by Einsatzkommando 3 and the local police in Nemenčinė. Wikipedia ↗
1911 — White Star Line's RMS Olympic collides with British warship HMS Hawke. Wikipedia ↗
1910 — The ocean liner SS France, later known as the "Versailles of the Atlantic", is launched. Wikipedia ↗
1909 — The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the South Africa Act 1909, creating the Union of South Africa from the British Colonies of the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange River Colony, and the Transvaal Colony. Wikipedia ↗
1906 — Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania is launched at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Wikipedia ↗
1893 — Charles Duryea and his brother road-test the first American-made gasoline-powered automobile. Wikipedia ↗
1881 — U.S. President Chester A. Arthur is sworn in, the morning after becoming President upon James A. Garfield's death. Wikipedia ↗
1871 — Bishop John Coleridge Patteson is martyred on the island of Nukapu, a Polynesian outlier island now in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. He is the first bishop of Melanesia. Wikipedia ↗
1870 — Bersaglieri corps enter Rome through the Porta Pia and complete the unification of Italy, ending de facto the temporal power of popes. Wikipedia ↗
1863 — American Civil War: The conclusion of the Battle of Chickamauga in northwestern Georgia, the bloodiest two-day battle of the conflict, and the only significant Confederate victory in the war's Western Theater. Wikipedia ↗
1860 — The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) visits Canada and the United States. Wikipedia ↗
1857 — The Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company. Wikipedia ↗
1854 — Battle of Alma: British and French troops defeat Russians in Crimea. Wikipedia ↗
1835 — Ragamuffin rebels capture Porto Alegre, then capital of the Brazilian imperial province of Rio Grande do Sul, triggering the start of ten-year-long Ragamuffin War. Wikipedia ↗
1792 — French troops stop allied invasion of France, during the War of the First Coalition at the Battle of Valmy. Wikipedia ↗
1737 — The finish of the Walking Purchase which forces the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony. Wikipedia ↗
1697 — The Treaty of Ryswick is signed by France, England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Republic ending the Nine Years' War (1688-97). Wikipedia ↗
1596 — Diego de Montemayor founds the city of Monterrey in New Spain. Wikipedia ↗
1519 — Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe. Wikipedia ↗
1498 — The 1498 Nankai earthquake generates a tsunami that washes away the building housing the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan; since then the Buddha has sat in the open air. Wikipedia ↗
1378 — Cardinal Robert of Geneva, called by some the "Butcher of Cesena", is elected as Avignon Pope Clement VII, beginning the Papal schism. Wikipedia ↗
1260 — The Great Prussian Uprising among the old Prussians begins against the Teutonic Knights. Wikipedia ↗
1187 — Saladin begins the Siege of Jerusalem. Wikipedia ↗
1066 — Battle of Fulford, Viking Harald Hardrada defeats earls Morcar and Edwin Wikipedia ↗
1058 — Agnes of Poitou and Andrew I of Hungary meet to negotiate about the border-zone in present-day Burgenland. Wikipedia ↗
622 — Muhammad and Abu Bakr arrived in Medina Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on September 20

1996 — Ioana Loredana Roșca, Romanian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1995 — Laura Dekker, Dutch sailor Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Julian Draxler, German footballer Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Michał Żyro, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Isaac Cofie, Ghanaian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Phillip Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1990 — John Tavares, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Sergei Bobrovsky, Russian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Ayano Ōmoto, Japanese singer and dancer Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Ryan Simpkins, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Gain, South Korean singer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Jack Lawless, American drummer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Tito Tebaldi, Italian rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Hayato Fujita, Japanese wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1986 — İbrahim Kaş, Turkish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Jason Nightingale, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Ian Desmond, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Mami Yamasaki, Japanese model and actress Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Brian Joubert, French figure skater Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Freya Ross, Scottish runner Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Ángel Sánchez, Puerto Rican-American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Jason Bacashihua, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Aaron Burkart, German race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Brian Fortuna, American dancer and choreographer Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Sexy Star, Mexican wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Athanasios Tsigas, Greek footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — David McMillan, American football player (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Ryan Tandy, Australian rugby player (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Jordan Tata, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Vladimir Karpets, Russian cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Jason Bay, Canadian-American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Patrizio Buanne, Austrian-Italian singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Héctor Camacho Jr., Puerto Rican-American boxer Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Dante Hall, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Scott Minto, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Chris Mooney, American journalist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Ainsley Earhardt, Fox News commentator Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Asia Argento, Italian actress Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Joel Gertner, American wrestling announcer Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Juan Pablo Montoya, Colombian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Jason Robinson, American saxophonist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Ronald McKinnon, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Jo Pavey, English runner Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Victor Ponta, Romanian jurist and politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Romania Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Todd Blackadder, New Zealand rugby player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Masashi Hamauzu, Japanese pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Dominika Peczynski, Swedish singer and television host Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Patrick Pentland, Irish-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Tim Rogers, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Ben Shepherd, American musician and songwriter (Soundgarden) Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Richard Witschge, Dutch footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Ijaz Ahmed, Pakistani cricketer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Leah Pinsent, Canadian actress Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Darrell Russell, American race car driver (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Roger Anderson, American wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Martin Harrison, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Kristen Johnston, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Gunnar Nelson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Matthew Nelson, American singer-songwriter and bass player Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Nuno Bettencourt, Portuguese singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen, Danish badminton player Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Randy Bradbury, American bass player Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Scott Hudson, American wrestling commentator
1963 — Anil Dalpat, Pakistani cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Jim Al-Khalili, Iraqi-English physicist, author, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Lisa Bloom, American lawyer and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Caroline Flint, English politician, Minister of State for Europe Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Erwin Koeman, Dutch retired football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Lee Hall, English playwright and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Dave Hemingway, English singer-songwriter and drummer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Deborah Roberts, American journalist Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Joseph Alessi, American trombonist and educator Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Joanna Domańska, Polish pianist and educator Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Meral Okay, Turkish actress, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Arn Anderson, American wrestler and trainer Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Alannah Currie, New Zealand singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Michael Hurst, New Zealand actor and director Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Jennifer Tour Chayes, American mathematician and computer scientist Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Gary Cole, American actor Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Steve Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Wikipedia ↗
1956 — John Harle, English saxophonist, composer, conductor, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Betsy Brantley, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Johnny Kidd, English wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1955 — José Rivero, Spanish golfer Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Peter Scolari, American actor and director Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Anne McIntosh, Scottish lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Henry Samueli, American businessman, co-founded Broadcom Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Rocky Mattioli, Italian-Australian boxer Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Joanna Cameron, American actress and model (The Secrets of Isis) Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Guy Lafleur, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Javier Marías, Spanish journalist, author, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Greg Valentine, American wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Mahesh Bhatt, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Rey Langit, Filipino journalist and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Victoria Mallory, American singer and actress (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1948 — George R. R. Martin, American novelist and short story writer Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Chuck Panozzo, American bass player (Styx) Wikipedia ↗
1948 — John Panozzo, American drummer (Styx) (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Billy Bang, American violinist and composer (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Jude Deveraux, American author Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Chris Ortloff, American journalist and politician Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Bruce Pasternack, American businessman Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, French journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Pete Coors, American businessman and politician Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Markandey Katju, Indian lawyer and judge Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Jeremy Child, English actor Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Paul Madeley, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, President of Gabon (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Gérald Tremblay, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Montreal Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Dale Chihuly, American sculptor and educator Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Sammy McMillan, Irish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Tarō Asō, Japanese target shooter and politician, 92nd Prime Minister of Japan Wikipedia ↗
1940 — William Finley, American actor (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Anna Pavord, Welsh-English journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Eric Gale, American guitarist and producer (d. 1994) Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Jane Manning, English soprano and educator Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Birgitta Dahl, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for the Environment Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Geoffrey Dear, Baron Dear, English police officer Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Robert L. Gerry III, American businessman Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Garry Johnson, English general Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress and singer (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Andrew Davies, Welsh author, screenwriter, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Salvador Reyes Monteón, Mexican footballer and manager (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1935 — David Pegg, English footballer (d. 1958) Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Keith Roberts, English author and illustrator (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Jim Taylor, American football player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Hamit Kaplan, Turkish World and Olympic champion sports wrestler (d. 1976) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Takayuki Kubota, Japanese-American martial artist and actor Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Sophia Loren, Italian actress Wikipedia ↗
1934 — David Marquand, English academic and politician Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Jeff Morris, American actor (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Rajinder Puri, Indian cartoonist, journalist, and activist (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Dennis Viollet, English footballer and manager (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Cherd Songsri, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Richard Montague, American mathematician and philosopher (d. 1971) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Anne Meara, American actress and playwright (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Joe Temperley, Scottish saxophonist and clarinet player Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Alberto de Lacerda, Mozambican-Portuguese poet and radio host (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Olga Ferri, Argentinian dancer and choreographer (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Donald Hall, American poet, editor, and critic Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Colette Bonheur, Canadian singer (d. 1966) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — John Dankworth, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Red Mitchell, American bassist, composer, and poet (d. 1992) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Rachel Roberts, Welsh actress (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
1926 — Libero Liberati, Italian motorcycle racer (d. 1962) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — James Bernard, English composer and screenwriter (d. 2001) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Ananda Mahidol King Thailand (d. 1946) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Bobby Nunn, American R&B singer (The Robins; The Coasters) (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Gogi Grant, American singer (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Albert Marre, American director, and producer (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Jackie Paris, American singer and guitarist (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Indian actor and producer (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist, academic, and politician (d. 1992) Wikipedia ↗