What Happened on January 20
Important 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 organize 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
Jan 20 in Film & TV
- 2008 "Breaking Bad", created by Vince Gilligan and starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul premieres on AMC
Jan 20 in Music
- 1971 Single "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye about police brutality is released
Jan 20 in Sport
- 1980 President Jimmy Carter announces US boycott of Olympics in Moscow
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
91 Years Old - Bill Maher
65 Years Old
Lead Belly
Joy Adamson
Federico Fellini
Patricia Neal
Buzz Aldrin
Bill MaherWould 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 dies of plague in 1394.
- 1800 Napoleon I's sister Carolina marries King Joachim Murat of Naples
- 1968 Actress Sharon Tate (24) weds actor and director Roman Polanski (34) in Chelsea, London
Famous Divorces
- 2020 Actor Liam Hemsworth and singer Miley Cyrus divorce after a year of marriage
George V
Johnny Weissmuller
Audrey HepburnArticles, Photos and Quiz
Wannsee Conference
Adolf Eichmann's infamous list with estimates of the number of Jews in European countries as presented at the Wannsee Conference
January 20, 1942‘My Name is Jimmy Carter and I’m Running for President’
Jimmy Carter is a one-term President but a man who worked tirelessly through a long life to help others and to end conflicts. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
January 20, 1977Weekly Quiz for January 20 -26
What year was Ronald Reagan sworn in as US President? What is Marvin Gaye's 1971 single What's Going On about? Who became the 1st elected PM of India in 1952?
January in History
War Victim Goes to Bottom of the Pile
One of the first to die in World War I fell not in the trenches of France but in a leafy lane in rural England. So should he be ranked alongside battle heroes?
January 19, 1915The Pain Behind Cleopatra's Needle
First-time visitors to London could be surprised when they see an Egyptian obelisk standing beside the River Thames. It was welcomed to the city on this day.
January 21, 1878The 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, 1879Pitman Shorthand: An Invention of Note
Shorthand inventor Isaac Pitman died on this day. Other systems evolved before and after Pitman, but the long and short of it is, his is the most widespread.
January 22, 1897
