What Happened on January 20
Significant Events
- 1265 First English Parliament summoned other than by royal command (in this instance by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester) mets in Westminster Hall
- 1841 China cedes Hong Kong to the British during the 1st Opium War
- 1921 Republic of Turkey declared out of remnants of Ottoman Empire
- 1942 Nazi officials hold notorious Wannsee conference in Berlin to organise the "final solution", the extermination of Europe's Jews
- 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt sworn-in for an unprecedented (and never to be repeated) 4th term as US President
- 1981 Ronald Reagan inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America
- 2009 Barack Obama, inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becomes the United States' first African-American president
Did You Know?
Houston Cougars defeat the UCLA Bruins 71-69 to win basketball's Game of the Century and end UCLA's 47 game winning streak
On January 20, 1968
Famous Birthdays
Lead Belly
(1888 - 1949)
Joy Adamson
(1910 - 1980)
Federico Fellini
(1920 - 1993)
Patricia Neal
(1926 - 2010)
Buzz Aldrin
88 Years Old
Bill Maher
62 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Heavy metal musician Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a bat on stage in Des Moines, Iowa
On January 20, 1982
Famous Weddings
- 1382 King Richard II of England marries Anne of Bohemia and daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor at Westminster Abbey. Anne died of plague in 1394.
- 1800 Napoleon I's sister Carolina marries King Joachim Murat of Naples
- 1968 Actress Sharon Tate (24) weds actor/director Roman Polanski (34) in Chelsea, London
- 2001 "Fast Lane" actor Peter Facinelli (27) weds actress and director Jennie Garth (28) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montecito, California
George V
Audrey HepburnJanuary in History
British Museum Opens its Doors
The British Museum opened to visitors on January 15, 1759. Fearing damage to the collections by unruly hordes, nobody was admitted without a ticket.
January 15, 1759
Squaring Up for Radio Commentary
This was the day when the BBC broadcast live sports commentary for the first time and introduced a novel way of involving listeners in the action.
January 15, 1927
The British: 139. Zulu Warriors: 4,000. Let Battle Begin
It was one of the most remarkable military engagements ever: the day that 139 British soldiers took on 4,000 Zulu warriors – and won.
January 22, 1879
'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman'
One of the most notorious denials in political history came on this day when President Bill Clinton held a news conference on his relations with Monica Lewinsky.
January 26, 1998