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

May 20: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 20 is the 140^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 225 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is May 7, 2025 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 29,128,320 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 ‘hectatetracontagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 273 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 4,533 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 20 Historical Events

• 526 –
  An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia.
• 685 –
  The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
• 1217 –
  The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
• 1293 –
  King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Study of General Schools of Alcalá.
• 1497 –
  John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Ship looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
• 1498 –
  Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
• 1521 –
  Battle of Pampeluna: Ignatius Loyola is seriously wounded.
• 1840 –
  York Minster is badly damaged by fire
• 1873 –
  Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
• 1941 –
  World War II: Battle of Crete – German paratroops invade Crete.

Who were born on May 20?

• 1470 –
  Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal (d. 1547)
• 1886 –
  Ali Sami Yen, Turkish founder of Galatasaray Sports Club (d. 1951)
• 1945 –
  Vladimiro Montesinos, Peruvian politician
• 1954 –
  Guy Hoffman, American musician (Violent Femmes)
• 1959 –
  Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Hawaiian singer (d. 1997)
• 1976 –
  Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1976 –
  Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
• 1981 –
  Morgan Knabe, Canadian swimmer
• 1982 –
  Candace Bailey, American actress
• 1982 –
  Imran Farhat, Pakistani cricketer

Who died on May 20?

• 685 –
  King Ecgfrith of Northumbria (b. 645)
• 1793 –
  Charles Bonnet, Swiss naturalist (b. 1720)
• 1909 –
  Ernest Hogan, American comedian and musician, one of the creators of ragtime (b. 1859)
• 1917 –
  Philipp von Ferrary, Italian philatelist (b. 1850)
• 1947 –
  Philipp Lenard, German physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1862)
• 1975 –
  Barbara Hepworth, British sculptor (b. 1903)
• 2005 –
  Paul Ricoeur, French philosopher (b. 1913)
• 2007 –
  Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer (b. 1914)
• 2008 –
  Hamilton Jordan, American White House Chief of Staff under President Carter (b. 1944)
• 2011 –
  Randy Savage, American Pro-Wrestler (b. 1952)