May 20th in History

325 - The First Council of Nicea – the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held.

526 - An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia.

1498 - Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.

1570 - Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.


1802 - By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution

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.

1861 - American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3rd when Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.


1873 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.

1875 - Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.

1882 - The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is formed.

1891 - History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope.

1902 - Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President.


1927 - Treaty of Jedda: the United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

1932 - Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.


1940 - Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.

1941 - World War II: Battle of Crete – German paratroops invade Crete.

1948 - Chiang Kai-shek is elected as the first President of the Republic of China.


1980 - In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada.

1990 - The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.

2002 - The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and 3 years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976)

Famous Birthdays

1315 - Bonne of Bohemia, Duchess consort of Normandy, Countess consort of Anjou and Maine

1768 - Dolley Madison, First Lady of the United States 

1776 - Simon Fraser, explorer

1818 - William Fargo, businessman and politician, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express 

1851 - Emile Berliner, inventor, invented the Gramophone record 

1908 - Francis Raymond Fosberg, botanist

1927 - David Hedison, actor

1935 - José Mujica, 40th President of Uruguay

1944 - Dietrich Mateschitz, businessman, co-founded Red Bull GmbH

1946 - Cher, singer, actress, producer, and director

1957 - Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan

1960 - Tony Goldwyn, actor

1967 - HRH Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece

1977 - Angela Goethals, actress

1982 - Candace Bailey, actress

1983 - Michaela McManus, actress

1988 - Nathaniel Brown, actor and director

1992 - Cate Campbell, swimmer