On This Day in History for February 20
Events in History
- 1280 Japanese Imperial Court orders all temples and shrines to pray for victory in the impending second Mongol invasion
- 1472 Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a dowry payment
- 1525 Swiss & German mercenaries desert Francois I's army
- 1547 King Edward VI of England crowned following the death of his father Henry VIII
- 1613 Gerard Reynst appointed Governor-General of Dutch East Indies
- 1619 Trial against Johan van Oldenbarnevelt begins in The Hague for alleged crimes against the federal government
- 1653 Defeat of Dutch fleet under Adm Van Tromp by Admiral Blake off Portsmouth
- 1673 1st recorded wine auction held in London
- More Events in History
Angelina Grimké
Vincent Massey
Ansel Adams
Joseph A. Walker
Mitch McConnell
Gordon BrownWeddings in History
- 1989 Future police violence victim Rodney King (23) weds Crystal Lynnette Waters; divorce in 1996
More Weddings in History
Frederick Douglass
Henri Moissan
Robert Peary
Chester Nimitz
Hunter S. Thompson
Alexander HaigFebruary in History
Theory That Put The World To Rights
Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born on this day. The Church dismissed as heresy his theory that Earth revolved around the sun and not the other way round.
February 19, 1473
John Glenn Orbits Earth
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, getting into his spacecraft Friendship 7 in 1962
February 20, 1962
Billy Graham, The Peerless Preacher
Billy Graham, one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century and friend to a line of presidents including Obama and Bush, died on this day.
February 21, 2018
Nixon Meets Mao
Richard Nixon meets Chairman Mao in Beijing
February 21, 1972