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

October 20: Facts & Myths About This Day

October 20 is the 293^rd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 72 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

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

When this day started, 29,348,640 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 ‘dihectaenneacontatrigon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 120 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 4,686 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

October 20 Historical Events

• 1781 –
  Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy.
• 1803 –
  The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.
• 1818 –
  The Convention of 1818 signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the Canada – United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.
• 1910 –
  The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
• 1935 –
  The Long March ends.
• 1944 –
  The Soviet Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia
• 1952 –
  Governor Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency in Kenya and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising, including Jomo Kenyatta, the future first President of Kenya.
• 1967 –
  A purported bigfoot is filmed by Patterson and Gimlin.
• 1977 –
  A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines along with backup singer Cassie Gaines, the road manager, pilot, and co-pilot.
• 1991 –
  The Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and destroys 3,469 homes and apartments, causing more than $2 billion in damage.

Who were born on October 20?

• 1785 –
  George Ormerod, British historian and antiquarian (d. 1873)
• 1913 –
  J. Michael Hagopian, Turkish-born American documentarian (d. 2010)
• 1937 –
  Juan Marichal, Dominican baseball player
• 1940 –
  Robert Pinsky, American poet and Poet Laureate of the United States
• 1966 –
  Fred Coury, American drummer (Cinderella)
• 1967 –
  Elizabeth Carling, English actress and singer
• 1970 –
  Chavo Guerrero, Jr., American professional wrestler
• 1977 –
  Sam Witwer, American actor
• 1980 –
  Jose Veras, Dominican baseball player
• 1986 –
  Priyanka Sharma, Indian actress

Who died on October 20?

• 460 –
  Aelia Eudocia, Byzantine Empress
• 1139 –
  Henry X, Duke of Bavaria
• 1570 –
  João de Barros, Portuguese historian (b. 1496)
• 1640 –
  John Ball, English Puritan clergyman (b. 1585)
• 1870 –
  Michael William Balfe, Irish composer (b. 1808)
• 1957 –
  Michalis Dorizas, Greek Olympic medalist (b. 1890)
• 1987 –
  Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician (b. 1903)
• 1993 –
  Sugiyama Yasushi, Japanese painter (b. 1909)
• 1999 –
  Jack Lynch, Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1917)
• 2002 –
  Barbara Berjer, American actress (b. 1920)