What happened this day in history February 20

What are the important events that happened on February 20? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

February 20: Facts & Myths About This Day

February 20 is the 51st day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 315 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is February 7, 2024 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 28,473,120 minutes has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘pentacontahenagon’ day.

Pisces is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Amethyst is the modern birthstone for this month. Bloodstone is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 344 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,078 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

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February 20 Historical Events

  • 1798
    Louis Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.
  • 1920
    New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Monkey in Chinese astrology.
  • 1933
    Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party’s upcoming election campaign.
  • 1943
    The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms.
  • 1952
    Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.
  • 1959
    The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.
  • 1965
    Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.
  • 1989
    An IRA bomb destroys a section of a British Army barracks in Ternhill, England
  • 1991
    A gigantic statue of Albania’s long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down in the Albanian capital Tirana, by mobs of angry protesters.
  • 2003
    During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the club ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.

Who were born on February 20?

  • 1898
    Jimmy Yancey, American pianist (d. 1951)
  • 1927
    Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2005)
  • 1936
    Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and coach
  • 1943
    Mike Leigh, British film director
  • 1947
    Peter Strauss, American actor
  • 1960
    Joel Hodgson, American comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
  • 1965
    Ron Eldard, American actor
  • 1967
    Kurt Cobain, American musician (Nirvana) (d. 1994)
  • 1973
    Kimberley Davies, Australian actress
  • 1988
    Rihanna, Barbadian singer

Who died on February 20?

  • 1408
    Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English statesman (b. 1342)
  • 1431
    Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
  • 1618
    Philip William, Prince of Orange (b. 1554)
  • 1626
    John Dowland, English composer and lutenist (b. 1563)
  • 1762
    Tobias Mayer, German astronomer (b. 1723)
  • 1806
    Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (b. 1725)
  • 1871
    Paul Kane, Irish-born painter (b. 1810)
  • 1970
    Sophie Treadwell, American playwright and journalist (b. 1885)
  • 1983
    Fritz Köberle, Austrian-Brazilian physician (b. 1910)
  • 1999
    Sarah Kane, English playwright (b. 1971)

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