January 20 January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar . There are 345 days remaining until the end of the year (346 in leap years ).
Events
Up to 1900
250 – Emperor Decius begins widespread persecution of Christians in Rome 1265 – The English Parliament conducts its first meeting.1320 – Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes King of Poland .1356 – Edward Balliol abdicates as King of Scotland .1523 – Christian III is forced to abdicate the thrones of Denmark and Norway .1576 – The city of León in Mexico is founded.1649 – King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland goes on trial for treason and 'high crimes'.1778 – James Cook lands on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i .1783 – Great Britain signs a peace treaty with France and Spain .1788 – The third and main part of the First Fleet of convicts from Great Britain arrives at Botany Bay . Arthur Phillip decides to move the convict colony slightly further along the coast to Port Jackson , present–day Sydney , Australia .1801 – John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the United States .1839 – Battle of Yungay : Chile defeats Peru and Bolivia .1840 – Jules Dumont D'Urville 's expedition to Antarctica discovers Adelie Land .1841 – Hong Kong comes under British control.1855 – LaMarcus Adna Thompson patents the roller coaster .1877 – Last day of the Constantinople Conference , which results in an agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.1885 – L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster .1887 – Off the Brazilian coast, British immigrant ship Kapunda collides with the barque Ada Melmore , causing it to sink within 5 minutes , killing 297 of the 313 people on board, including all women and children.1887 – The United States Senate allows the United States Navy to lease Pearl Harbor , Hawaii as a naval base.1892 – The first basketball game under rules invented by James Naismith takes place in Springfield, Massachusetts .– 20001905 – The Egyptian Bridge in Saint Petersburg , Russia , collapses.1920 – The American Civil Liberties Union is founded.1921 – Turkey 's first constitution is adopted.1929 – In Old Arizona movie filmed outdoors, is released.1934 – The photography and electronics company Fujimovie is founded in Tokyo .1936 – King George V of the United Kingdom dies. His son, Edward VIII , succeeds him.1937 – At his second inauguration, Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first US President to be inaugurated on January 20.1941 – Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to start a third term in office. He starts his fourth term on this date in 1945 and dies shortly after.1941 – World War II : A German police officer is murdered in Bucharest , Romania , sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard , killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers .1942 – Senior Nazi officials meet at the Wannsee Conference, to plan the Holocaust .1945 – World War II : Hungary agrees to an Armistice with the Allies.1945 – World War II : Germany begins with the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia .1949 – Harry S. Truman proposes Point Four program to help the world's less developed areas.1953 – Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the United States ; he is the first President from the Republican Party since Herbert Hoover left office in 1933 .1960 – Hendrik Verwoerd announces a vote on whether South Africa should become a Republic .1961 – John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as President of the United States .1969 – Richard Nixon becomes President of the United States .1972 – Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program.1977 – Jimmy Carter becomes President of the United States .1980 – Jimmy Carter announces that the US will not participate at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow .1981 – The Iran hostage crisis ends within minutes of Ronald Reagan becoming US president.1985 – President Ronald Reagan is inaugurated for the second time. He becomes the first president in over a decade to serve two terms.1986 – In the United States , Martin Luther King Jr. Day is marked as a federal holiday for the first time.1987 – Church of England envoy Terry Waite is kidnapped in Lebanon .1989 – George H. W. Bush becomes President of the United States succeeding President Ronald Reagan .1990 – Soviet forces kill civilians in Baku , Azerbaijan .1991 – Sudan 's government imposes Islamic law around the country, worsening the civil war between the mainly Muslim North and mainly Christian South, which would become South Sudan in 2011 .1992 – Air Inter Flight 148 crashes near Strasbourg , France , killing 87 people.1993 – Bill Clinton becomes President of the United States , as the first Democratic President since Jimmy Carter left office in 1981 .1995 – Jean-Claude Juncker becomes Prime Minister of Luxembourg . He is Europe 's longest–serving Prime Minister at the time he leaves office on December 4 , 2013 .1996 – Yasser Arafat is elected Palestinian President .1999 – The China News Service announces new government limits on internet use.Births
Up to 1900
225 – Gordian III , Roman Emperor (d. 244 )1292 – Elisabeth of Bohemia (d. 1330 )1435 – Ashikaga Yoshimasa , Japanese Shogun (d. 1490 )1488 – Sebastian Münster , German humanist and teacher (d. 1552 )1554 – King Sebastian of Portugal (d. 1578 )1573 – Simon Marius , German astronomer (d. 1624 )1703 – Joseph-Hector Fiocco , Flemish composer and violinist (d. 1741 )1716 – King Charles III of Spain (d. 1788 )1732 – Richard Henry Lee , American statesman (d. 1794 )1761 – Giovanni Domenico Perotti , Italian composer (d. 1825 )1775 – André-Marie Ampère , French physicist (d. 1836 )1783 – Justus Johann Friedrich Dotzauer , German cellist and composer (d. 1860 )1798 – Anson Jones , President of Texas (d. 1858 )1812 – Thomas Meik , Scottish engineer (d. 1896 )1832 – William Larrabee , 13th Governor of Iowa (d. 1912 )1834 – George D. Robinson , 34th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1896 )1855 – Ernest Chausson , French composer (d. 1899 )1867 – Yvette Guilbert , French singer and actress (d. 1944 )1873 – Johannes Vilhelm Jensen , Danish writer (d. 1950 )1876 – Josef Hofmann , Polish inventor , composer and pianist (d. 1957 )1878 – Ruth St. Denis , American dancer (d. 1968 )1880 – Walter W. Bacon , American politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (d. 1962 )1889 – Allan Haines Loughead , American aviation executive (d. 1969 )1891 – Mischa Elman , Ukrainian–born violinist (d. 1967 )1894 – Walter Piston , American composer (d. 1976 )1894 – Harold Gray , American cartoonist (d. 1968 )1895 – Gabor Szego , Hungarian mathematician (d. 1985 )1896 – George Burns , American actor and comedian (d. 1996 )1896 – Isabel Withers , American actress (d. 1968 )1898 – U Razak , Burmese politician (d. 1947 )1899 – Kenjiro Takayanagi , Japanese television pioneer (d. 1990 )1899 – Clarice Cliff , English ceramic artist (d. 1972 )– 19501902 – Leon Ames , American actor (d. 1993 )1907 – Paul Wessely , Austrian actress (d. 2000 )1910 – Joy Adamson , Austrian–Czech conservationist (d. 1980 )1911 – Alfredo Foni , Italian footballer (d. 1985 )1913 – Cleon Skousen , American writer and political theorist (d. 2006 )1915 – Ghulam Ishaq Khan , President of Pakistan (d. 2006 )1920 – Federico Fellini , Italian movie director (d. 1993 )1920 – DeForest Kelley , American actor (d. 1999 )1920 – Thorleif Schjelderup , Norwegian writer and ski jumper (d. 2006 )1922 – Ray Anthony , American jazz musician and actor1922 – Don Mankiewicz , German–American screenwriter and inventor (d. 2015 )1923 – Nora Brockstedt , Norwegian singer (d. 2015 )1923 – Slim Whitman , American singer (d. 2013 )1924 – Yvonne Loriod , French pianist (d. 2010 )1925 – Ernesto Cardenal , Nicaraguan priest , politician and activist 1926 – Vitaly Vorotnikov , Soviet politician (d. 2012 )1926 – Patricia Neal , American actress (d. 2010 )1926 – David Tudor , American pianist and composer 1930 – Buzz Aldrin , American Apollo 11 astronaut 1931 – David Lee , American physicist 1931 – Hachidai Nakamura , Japanese songwriter and pianist1932 – Lou Fontinato , Canadian ice hockey player1933 – Don Thompson , British athlete (d. 2006 )1934 – Tom Baker , British actor1936 – Frances Shand Kydd (d. 2004 ), mother of Diana, Princess of Wales 1939 – Chandra Wickramasinghe , Sri Lankan–British mathematician and astronomer 1940 – Carol Heiss , American figure skater1940 – Mande Sidibe , Prime Minister of Mali (d. 2009 )1941 – Pierre Lalonde , Canadian singer and television presenter1943 – Armando Guebuza , President of Mozambique 1945 – Eric Stewart , British musician and songwriter1945 – Christopher Martin-Jenkins , British sportscaster and cricket journalist (d. 2013 )1946 – David Lynch , American movie director1946 – Vladimir Merta , Czech singer-songwriter , journalist and writer 1947 – Cyrille Guimard , French cyclist 1948 – Mel Pritchard , English musician1948 – Natan Sharansky , Russian–Israeli physicist and politician 1948 – Nigel Williams , English novelist 1949 – Göran Persson , former Prime Minister of Sweden 1950 – Mahamane Ousmane , former President of Niger 1950 – Liza Goddard , British actress– 19751952 – Ian Hill , British musician1952 – Paul Stanley , American musician1952 – Ute Hommola , German athlete1953 – Jeffrey Epstein , American financier and convicted sexual abuser1954 – Rudy la Scala , Venezuelan singer-songwriter 1955 – McKeeva Bush , Cayman Islands politician1956 – Bill Maher , American writer , comedian and political activist1956 – Maria Larsson , Swedish politician1957 – Andy Sheppard , English jazz saxophonist1958 – Lorenzo Lamas , American actor1959 – R. A. Salvatore , American science fiction writer 1960 – Apa Sherpa , Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer 1963 – David Baszucki , Founder of Roblox 1963 – James Denton , American actor1964 – Ozzie Guillén , Venezuelan baseball player1965 – Colin Calderwood , Scottish footballer 1965 – Greg Kriesel , American musician1965 – Heather Small , British singer1965 – Sophie, Countess of Wessex 1966 – Rainn Wilson , American actor1967 – Stacey Dash , American actress1969 – Nicky Wire , British musician1970 – Skeet Ulrich , American actor1971 – Gary Barlow , British singer (Take That )1971 – Derrick Green , American singer1971 – Wakanohana Masaru , Japanese sumo wrestler1972 – Nikki Haley , American politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina 1973 – Stephen Crabb , British politician1973 – Mathilde , Queen Consort of Belgium 1973 – Josh Weston , American gay porn actor (d. 2012 )1974 – Alvin Harrison , American athleteFrom 1976
1976 – Kirsty Gallacher , British television presenter1977 – Sid Wilson , American musician (Slipknot )1978 – Sonja Kesselschlaeger , German athlete 1979 – Will Young , British singer1979 – Rob Bourdon , American musician (Linkin Park )1980 – Philippe Cousteau, Jr. , French–American oceanographer 1981 – Owen Hargreaves , English footballer 1981 – Freddy Guzman , Dominican baseball player1982 – Joe Swash , English actor1983 – Mari Yaguchi , Japanese singer (Morning Musume )1984 – Olivia Hallinan , English actress1984 – Lil Scrappy , American rapper 1984 – Federico Peluso , Italian footballer 1985 – Johan Erikson , Swedish ski jumper1985 – Marina Inoue , Japanese voice actress 1987 – Marco Simoncelli , Italian motorcycle racer (d. 2011 )1987 – Evan Peters , American actor1991 – Polona Hercog , Slovenian tennis player1995 – Joey Badass , American rapper 1995 – Calum Chambers , English footballer 1999 – Shannon Tavarez , American actress (d. 2010 )Deaths
Up to 1900
250 – Pope Fabian 842 – Theophilos , Byzantine Emperor (b. 813 )1156 – Bishop Henry , patron saint of Finland 1191 – Fredrick VI, Duke of Swabia (b. 1167 )1410 – King Martin of Aragon (b. 1356 )1479 – King John II of Aragon (b. 1397 )1568 – Myles Coverdale , English Bible translator1612 – Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1552 )1639 – Mustafa I , Ottoman Sultan (b. 1591 )1666 – Anna of Austria (b. 1601 )1745 – Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1697 )1770 – Charles Yorke , Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1722 )1779 – David Garrick , English actor (b. 1717 )1819 – King Charles IV of Spain (b. 1748 )1837 – John Soane , English architect (b. 1753 )1841 – Minh Mang , Vietnamese Emperor (b. 1791 )1848 – King Christian VIII of Denmark (b. 1786 )1852 – Onomatsu Midorinusuke , Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1794 )1859 – Bettina von Arnim , German writer (b. 1785 )1891 – King David Kalakaua of Hawaii (b. 1836 )1892 – John Couch Adams , English mathematician and astronomer (b. 1819 )1900 – John Ruskin , English art critic (b. 1819 )– 20001901 – Zenobe Gramme , Belgian engineer (b. 1826 )1913 – Jose Guadalupe Posada , Mexican engraver and illustrator (b. 1852 )1936 – King George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1865 )1940 – Omar Bundy , American general (b. 1861 )1957 – James Brendan Connolly , American athlete (b. 1865 )1971 – Minanogawa Tozo , Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1903 )1971 – Broncho Bill Anderson , American actor , director , producer and screenwriter (b. 1880 )1973 – Amilcar Cabral , Guinea-Bissau politician (b. 1924 )1979 – Gustav Winckler , Danish singer (b. 1925 )1983 – Garrincha , Brazilian footballer (b. 1933 )1984 – Johnny Weissmuller , American swimmer and actor (b. 1904 )1989 – Alamgir Kabir , Bangladeshi director , producer and screenwriter (b. 1938 )1990 – Hayedeh , Iranian singer (b. 1942 )1990 – Barbara Stanwyck , American actress (b. 1907 )1993 – Audrey Hepburn , Belgian–born actress (b. 1929 )1994 – Matt Busby , Scottish football player and manager (b. 1909 )1996 – Gerry Mulligan , American musician (b. 1927 )1997 – Curt Flood , American baseball player (b. 1938 )1998 – Bobo Brazil , American professional wrestler (b. 1923 )From 2001
2003 – Al Hirschfeld , American caricaturist (b. 1903 )2005 – Per Borten , Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1913 )2005 – Miriam Rothschild , English conservationist (b. 1908 )2008 – Louis de Cazenave , French World War I veteran and supercentenarian (b. 1897 )2009 – Stephanos II Ghattas , Patriarch of the Egyptian Coptic Church (b. 1920 )2011 – Sexy Cora , German pornographic actress (b. 1987 )2012 – Jiri Raska , Czech ski jumper (b. 1941 )2012 – Etta James , American singer (b. 1938 )2014 – Claudio Abbado , Italian conductor (b. 1933 )2014 – Vern Benson , American baseball player (b. 1924 )2015 – Anatol Hrytskievich , Belarussian historian (b. 1929 )2015 – Hitoshi Saito , Japanese gymnast (b. 1961 )2015 – Edgar Froese , German musician (b. 1944 )2015 – Ricardo dos Santos , Brazilian surfer (b. 1990 )2015 – James Walker , Australian television writer (b. 1973 )2016 – Edmonde Charles-Roux , French writer (b. 1920 )2016 – George Weidenfeld, Baron Weidenfeld , Austrian–British publisher, philanthropist and newspaper columnist (b. 1919 )2016 – Ronald Greenwald , American rabbi and activist (b. 1934 )2016 – David G. Hartwell , American editor, publisher and critic (b. 1941 )US Presidents inaugurated on January 20