December 20 8849 226067350 2008-07-16T18:04:08Z PseudoBot 6290400 Reverting edits by [[Special:Contributions/74.196.165.79|74.196.165.79]]: page linked does not exist {| style="float:right;" |- |{{DecemberCalendar}} |- |{{ThisDateInRecentYears|Month=December|Day=20}} <!-- preserves autoscroll --> |} {{Day}} ==Events== * [[69]] - [[Vespasian]], formerly a general under [[Nero]], enters [[Rome]] to claim the title of [[emperor]]. *[[1192]] - [[Richard the Lion-Heart]] is captured and imprisoned by [[Leopold V]] of [[Austria]] on his way home to [[England]] after signing a treaty with [[Saladin]] ending the [[crusade]]. *[[1522]] - [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] accepts the surrender of the surviving [[Knights of Rhodes]], who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on [[Malta]] and become known as the [[Knights of Malta]]. *[[1606]] - The [[Virginia Company]] loads three ships with settlers and sets sail to establish [[Jamestown, Virginia]], the first permanent English settlement in the [[Americas]]. *[[1803]] - The [[Louisiana Purchase]] is completed at a ceremony in [[New Orleans]]. *[[1835]] - First signing of the [[Texas Declaration of Independence]] at [[Goliad, Texas]]. *[[1860]] - [[South Carolina]] becomes the first state to [[secession|secede]] from the [[United States]]. *[[1915]] - [[World War I]]: Last [[Australia]]n troops evacuated from [[Gallipoli]]. *[[1917]] - [[Cheka]], the first [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] secret police, is founded. *[[1941]] - [[World War II]]: First battle of the [[American Volunteer Group]], better known as the "Flying Tigers" in [[Kunming, China]]. *[[1942]] - World War II: Bombing of [[Calcutta]] by the [[Japan]]ese. *[[1951]] - The [[Experimental Breeder Reactor I|EBR-1]] in [[Arco, Idaho]] becomes the first [[nuclear power|nuclear power plant]] to generate [[electricity]] for the first time. The electricity powered four light bulbs. *[[1952]] - [[United States Air Force]] [[C-124]] crashes and burns in [[Moses Lake, Washington]] killing 87. *[[1955]] - [[Cardiff]] is proclaimed the capital city of [[Wales]], [[United Kingdom]]. *[[1960]] - [[Viet Cong|National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam]] is formed. *[[1968]] - The [[Zodiac Killer]] kills Betty Lou Jenson and [[David Faraday]] in [[Vallejo, California]]. *[[1973]] - The Spanish [[Prime Minister]], [[Admiral]] [[Luis Carrero Blanco]], is assassinated by a [[car bomb]] attack in [[Madrid]]. *[[1984]] - The [[Summit tunnel fire]] is the largest underground fire in history, as a [[freight train]] carrying over 1 million litres of [[petrol]] derails near the town of [[Todmorden]] in the [[Pennines]]. *[[1988]] - The [[United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances]] is signed in [[Vienna]]. *[[1989]] - [[United States invasion of Panama]]: The [[United States]] sends troops into [[Panama]] to overthrow government of [[Manuel Noriega]]. *[[1991]] - A [[Missouri]] court sentences the Palestinian militant [[Zein Isa]] and his wife Maria to [[capital punishment|death]] for the [[honor killing]] of their daughter Palestina. *[[1995]] - [[NATO]] begins peacekeeping in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]]. * 1995 - [[American Airlines]] [[American Airlines Flight 965|Flight 965]], a [[Boeing 757]], crashes into a mountain 50 km north of [[Cali]], [[Colombia]] killing 160. * 1995 - The [[Democratic Social Movement]] is founded in [[Greece]]. *[[1996]] - [[NeXT]] merges with [[Apple Computer]], starting the path to [[Mac OS X]]. *[[1999]] - [[Macau]] is handed over to the [[People's Republic of China]] by [[Portugal]]. *[[2001]] - [[Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)|Argentine economic crisis]]: [[President of Argentina]] [[Fernando de la Rúa]] is forced out of office. *[[2002]] - US Senator [[Trent Lott]] resigns as [[United States Senate Majority Leader|majority leader]]. *[[2005]] - [[2005 New York City transit strike]]: [[New York City]]'s [[Transport Workers Union of America|Transport Workers Union]] Local 100 goes on strike, shutting down all [[New York City Subway]] and [[New York City Bus|Bus]] services. * 2005 - [[US District Court]] Judge [[John E. Jones III]] rules against mandating the teaching of "[[intelligent design]]" in his ruling of [[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]. *[[2005]] - The first same sex [[civil partnerships]] in [[Scotland]] are celebrated. *[[2006]] - A [[judge]] rules against the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] in the case of [[Naveed Haq]], a man convicted in the shooting death and injuries at the [[Jewish Federation]] in [[Seattle]]. *[[2007]] - [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II]] becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing [[Queen Victoria]], who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days. * 2007 - The painting [[Portrait of Suzanne Bloch]] (1904), by the Spanish artist [[Pablo Picasso]], was stolen from the [[São Paulo Museum of Art]], along with ''O Lavrador de Café'', by the major Brazilian modernist painter [[Candido Portinari]]. ==Births== *[[1494]] - [[Oronce Finé]], French [[mathematician]] (d. [[1555]]) *[[1537]] - King [[John III of Sweden]] (d. [[1592]]) *[[1566]] - [[Edward Wightman]], English Baptist preacher (d. [[1612]]) *[[1579]] - (baptized) [[John Fletcher (playwright)|John Fletcher]], English playwright (d. [[1625]]) *[[1626]] - [[Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff]], German statesman (d. [[1692]]) *[[1629]] - [[Pieter de Hooch]], Dutch painter (d. [[1684]]) *[[1717]] - [[Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes]], French statesman and diplomat (d. [[1787]]) *[[1786]] - [[Pietro Raimondi]], Italian composer (d. [[1853]]) *[[1792]] - [[Nicolas Charlet]], French painter (d. [[1845]]) *[[1833]] - [[Samuel Mudd]], American physician (d. [[1883]]) *[[1838]] - [[Edwin Abbott Abbott]], English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (d. [[1926]]) *[[1841]] - [[Ferdinand Buisson]], French pacifist, recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] (d. [[1932]]) *[[1860]] - [[Dan Leno]], English entertainer (d. [[1904]]) *[[1861]] - [[Ivana Kobilca]], Slovenian painter (d. [[1926]]) *[[1865]] - [[Elsie De Wolfe]], American socialite and interior decorator (d. [[1950]]) *[[1868]] - [[Harvey Firestone]], American automobile pioneer (d. [[1938]]) *[[1873]] - [[Kwan-Ichi Asakawa]], Japanese historian(d. [[1948]]) *[[1881]] - [[Branch Rickey]], baseball executive (d. [[1965]]) *[[1886]] - [[Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman]], American tennis player (d. [[1974]]) *[[1888]] - [[Fred Merkle]], American baseball figure (d. [[1958]]) *[[1890]] - [[Yvonne Arnaud]], French-born actress (d. [[1958]]) * 1890 - [[Jaroslav Heyrovský]], Czech chemist, [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|Nobel Prize]] laureate (d. [[1967]]) *[[1894]] - Sir [[Robert Menzies]], twelfth [[Prime Minister of Australia]] (d. [[1978]]) *[[1898]] - [[Irene Dunne]], American actress (d. [[1990]]) *[[1901]] - [[Robert Van de Graaff]], American physicist and inventor (d. [[1967]]) *[[1902]] - [[Sidney Hook]], American philosopher (d. [[1989]]) * 1902 - [[George Edward Alexander Windsor]], Duke of Kent (d. [[1942]]) *[[1904]] - [[Spud Davis]], baseball player (d. [[1984]]) * 1905 - [[Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)|Bill O'Reilly]], Australian cricket player *[[1907]] - [[Paul Francis Webster]], songwriter (d. [[1984]]) *[[1908]] - [[Dennis Morgan]], American actor (d. [[1994]]) *[[1909]] - [[Vakkom Majeed]], Indian politician (d. [[2000]]) *[[1911]] - [[Hortense Calisher]], American author *[[1916]] - [[Michel Chartrand]], Quebec union leader *[[1917]] - [[David Bohm]], American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. [[1992]]) *[[1918]] - [[Jean Marchand]], French Canadian [[trade unionist]] and politician (d. [[1988]]) * 1918 - [[Audrey Totter]], American actress *[[1922]] - [[George Roy Hill]], American film director (d. [[2002]]) * 1922 - [[Beverly Pepper]], American sculptor and painter *[[1924]] - [[Charlie Callas]], American comedian * 1924 - [[Judy LaMarsh]], Canadian politician and broadcaster (d. [[1980]]) *[[1925]] - [[Benito Lorenzi]], Italian footballer (d. [[2007]]) * 1925 - [[Mahathir bin Mohamad]], Prime Minister of Malaysia *[[1926]] - Sir [[Geoffrey Howe]], British politician * 1926 - [[Otto Graf Lambsdorff]], German politician *[[1927]] - [[Kim Young-sam]], [[President of South Korea]] *[[1931]] - [[Mala Powers]], American film actress (d. [[2007]]) *[[1932]] - [[John Hillerman]], American actor, Magnum P.I. *[[1933]] - [[Jean Carnahan]], U.S. Senator * 1933 - [[Rik van Looy]], Belgian cyclist * 1935 - [[Khalid Ibadulla]], Pakistani cricket player *[[1938]] - [[John Harbison]], American composer *[[1942]] - [[Rana Bhagwandas]], Former Pakistani Chief Justice *[[1944]] - [[Bobby Colomby]], American musician ([[Blood, Sweat & Tears]]) * 1944 - [[Jean Fergusson]], English actress *[[1945]] - [[Peter Criss]], American drummer and singer ([[Kiss (band)|Kiss]]) *[[1946]] - [[Uri Geller]], Israeli psychic * 1946 - [[John Spencer (actor)|John Spencer]], American actor (d. [[2005]]) * 1946 - [[Dick Wolf]], American television series creator *[[1947]] - [[Gigliola Cinquetti]], Italian singer *[[1948]] - [[Alan Parsons]], British music producer and artist *[[1949]] - [[Soumaïla Cissé]], Malian politician * 1949 - [[Cecil Cooper]], American baseball player *[[1951]] - [[Gilbert Montagné]], French musician * 1951 - [[Peter May (writer)|Peter May]], Scottish novelist and scriptwriter *[[1952]] - [[Jenny Agutter]], English actress *[[1954]] - [[Michael Badalucco]], American actor * 1954 - [[Sandra Cisneros]], American writer *[[1955]] - [[Ed Kuepper]], German-born Australian musician ([[The Saints (band)|The Saints]], [[Laughing Clowns]]) *[[1956]] - [[Blanche Baker]], American actress * 1956 - [[Junji Hirata]], Japanese professional wrestler *[[1957]] - [[Billy Bragg]], English singer and songwriter * 1957 - [[Mike Watt]], American bassist * 1957 - [[Stephen Bicknell]], British organ builder and scholar (d. [[2007]]) * 1957 - [[Joyce Hyser]], American actress * 1957 - [[Anna Vissi]], Greek-Cypriot singer *[[1958]] - [[Steve Sailer]], American political commentator *[[1960]] - [[Nalo Hopkinson]], Canadian writer *[[1961]] - [[Mohammad Fouad]], Arab singer and actor *[[1963]] - [[Infanta Elena of Spain]] * 1963 - [[Joel Gretsch]], American actor *[[1964]] - [[Mark Coleman]], American Mixed Martial Artist, UFC Hall of Famer *[[1965]] - [[Robert Cavanah]], Scottish actor * 1965 - [[Rich Gannon]], American football player *[[1966]] - [[Matt Neal]] , British Race Driver * 1966 - [[Chris Robinson (singer)|Chris Robinson]], American singer ([[Black Crowes]]) * 1966 - [[Myrra Malmberg]], Swedish singer *[[1968]] - [[Karl Wendlinger]], Austrian racing driver * 1968 - [[Joe Cornish (comedian)|Joe Cornish]], British comedian * 1968 - [[Phil Andrews]], British racing driver *[[1970]] - [[Nicole DeBoer]], Canadian actress * 1970 - [[Grant Flower]], Zimbabwean cricketer *[[1973]] - [[Cory Stillman]], National Hockey League forward *[[1974]] - [[Die (musician)|Die]], Japanese musician ([[Dir en grey]]) *[[1975]] - [[Bartosz Bosacki]], Polish footballer * 1975 - [[Jaydy Michel]], Mexican model *[[1976]] - [[Jang Hyuk]], Korean actor * 1976 - [[Aubrey Huff]], American baseball player * 1976 - [[Adam Powell]], Neopets creator * 1976 - [[Ramon Stoppelenburg]], world traveler and Dutch author *[[1977]] - [[Saukrates]], Canadian rapper *[[1978]] - [[Geremi Njitap]], Cameroon footballer * 1978 - [[Andrei Markov (ice hockey)|Andrei Markov]], Russian ice hockey player *[[1979]] - [[David DeJesus]], American baseball player * 1979 - [[Michael Rogers]], Australian cyclist *[[1980]] - [[Ashley Cole]], English footballer * 1980 - [[Fitz Hall]], English footballer * 1980 - [[Anthony da Silva|Tony]], French-born Portuguese footballer *[[1981]] - [[Roy Williams (wide receiver)|Roy Williams]], American football player * 1981 - [[James Shields (pitcher)|James Shields]], American baseball player * 1981 - [[Chris Edwards (musician)|Chris Edwards]], British musician (Kasabian) *[[1982]] - [[David Cook (singer)|David Cook]], American singer, winner of [[American Idol (season 7) |American Idol]]. * 1982 - [[Mohammed Asif]], Pakistani cricket player * 1982 - [[Kasper Klausen]], Danish footballer * 1982 - [[David Wright (baseball player)|David Wright]], American baseball player *[[1983]] - [[Jonah Hill]], American actor * 1983 - [[Lucy Pinder]], British model * 1983 - [[Darren Sammy]], St. Lucian [[West Indies cricket team|West Indies]] cricketer * 1983 - [[Lara Stone]], Dutch model * 1983 - [[Adrián Varela]], Mexican singer *[[1987]] - [[Tariel Zintiridis]], Greek judoka *[[1989]] - [[Virgilio Falco]], Italian politician *[[1990]] - [[JoJo (singer)|JoJo]], American singer <!-- Do not add yourself or people without Wikipedia articles to this list Do not trust "this year in history" websites for accurate date information. Do not link multiple occurrences of the same year, just link the first occurrence. --> ==Deaths== * [[217]] - [[Pope Zephyrinus]] * [[860]] - King [[Ethelbald of Wessex]] * [[910]] - [[Alfonso III of Leon]] *[[1022]] - [[Elvira Mendes]], wife of [[Alfonso V of Castile]] (b. [[996]]) *[[1355]] - [[Stefan Dušan]], Serb king and tsar (b. circa [[1308]]) *[[1494]] - [[Matteo Maria Boiardo]], Italian poet *[[1524]] - [[Thomas Linacre]], English scholar and physician *[[1539]] - [[Johannes Lupi]], Flemish composer *[[1590]] - [[Ambroise Paré]], French physician (b. [[1510]]) *[[1722]] - [[Kangxi Emperor]] of China (b. [[1654]]) *[[1723]] - [[Augustus Quirinus Rivinus]] (b. [[1652]]) *[[1740]] - [[Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon]], English military officer and statesman (b. [[1675]]) *[[1768]] - [[Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni]], Italian poet (b. [[1692]]) *[[1783]] - [[Antonio Soler]], Spanish composer (b. [[1729]]) *[[1812]] - [[Sacagawea]], Shoshone guide for the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]] *[[1856]] - [[Francesco Bentivegna]], Italian revolutionary (b. [[1820]]) *[[1862]] - [[Robert Knox]] *[[1917]] - [[Lucien Petit-Breton]], Argentine-French cyclist (b. [[1882]]) *[[1921]] - [[Hans Hartwig von Beseler]], German general (b. [[1850]]) *[[1929]] - [[Émile Loubet]], 7th [[President of France]] (b.[[1838]]) *[[1935]] - [[Martin O'Meara]], Australian soldier (b. [[1882]]) *[[1937]] - [[Erich Ludendorff]], German general (b. [[1865]]) *[[1938]] - [[Annie Armstrong]], US [[Christian missions|missionary]] leader (b. 1850) *[[1941]] - [[Igor Severyanin]], Russian poet (b. [[1887]]) *[[1954]] - [[James Hilton]], British author (b. [[1900]]) *[[1956]] - [[Ramon Carrillo]], Argentine neuroscientist and Public Health minister (b. [[1906]]) *[[1961]] - [[Moss Hart]], American dramatist (b. [[1904]]) * 1961 - [[Earle Page]], eleventh [[Prime Minister of Australia]] (b. [[1880]]) *[[1968]] - [[John Steinbeck]], American writer, [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]] laureate (b. [[1902]]) *[[1973]] - [[Luis Carrero Blanco]], [[Prime Minister of Spain]] (assassinated) (b. [[1903]]) * 1973 - [[Bobby Darin]], American singer (b. [[1936]]) *[[1974]] - [[André Jolivet]], French composer (b. [[1905]]) *[[1976]] - [[Richard J. Daley]], Mayor of Chicago (b. [[1902]]) *[[1981]] - [[Dimitris Rontiris]], Greek actor and director (b. [[1899]]) *[[1982]] - [[Arthur Rubinstein]], Polish-born pianist (b. [[1887]]) *[[1984]] - [[Gonzalo Márquez]], Venezuelan [[Major League Baseball]] player (b. [[1946]]) *[[1986]] - [[Joe DeSa]], baseball player (b. [[1959]]) *[[1988]] - [[Alphonse Ouimet]], Canadian television pioneer, president of the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] (b. [[1908]]) *[[1989]] - [[Kurt Böhme]], German bass (b. [[1908]]) *[[1991]] - [[Simone Beck]], French chef (b. [[1904]]) *[[1994]] - [[Dean Rusk]], [[United States Secretary of State]] (b. [[1909]]) *[[1996]] - [[Carl Sagan]], American astronomer and writer (b. [[1934]]) *[[1997]] - [[Denise Levertov]], English-born poet (b. [[1923]]) * 1997 - [[Juzo Itami]], Japanese actor and director (b. [[1933]]) * 1997 - [[Dawn Steel]], American film producer (b. [[1946]]) *[[1998]] - [[Irene Hervey]], American actress (b. [[1910]]) * 1998 - [[Alan Lloyd Hodgkin]], British scientist, recipient of the [[Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine]] (b. [[1916]]) *[[1999]] - [[Hank Snow]], Canadian singer (b. [[1914]]) * 1999 - [[Riccardo Freda]], Italian film director (b. [[1909]]) *[[2000]] - [[Mirza Ghulam Hafiz]], Bangladesh statesman, politician, and philanthropist (b. [[1920]]) *[[2001]] - [[Foster Brooks]], American actor and comedian (b. [[1912]]) * 2001 - [[Léopold Sédar Senghor]], first [[President of Senegal]] (b. [[1906]]) * [[2005]] - [[Maniam Moorthy]], member of the first [[Malaysia]]n team to [[Timeline of climbing Mount Everest|summit]] [[Mount Everest]] *[[2006]] - [[Shi Yuejun]], Chinese serial killer. Executed. *[[2007]] - [[Nataline Sarkisyan]], a seventeen-year-old [[leukemia]] patient whose insurer, [[Cigna HealthCare]], refused to pay for treatment. <!-- Do not add people without Wikipedia articles to this list Do not trust "this year in history" websites for accurate date information Do not link multiple occurrences of the same year, just link the first occurrence. --> ==Holidays and observances== * [[Calendar of Saints|R.C. Saints]] - Saint [[Dominic of Silos]], [[O Clavis]], [[Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne]] ==External links== * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/20 BBC: On This Day] * {{NYT On this day|month=12|day=20}} * [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Dec&day=20 On This Day in Canada] ---- {{months}} [[Category:December]] [[af:20 Desember]] [[ar:20 ديسمبر]] [[an:20 d'abiento]] [[frp:20 dècembro]] [[ast:20 d'avientu]] [[az:20 dekabr]] [[bn:ডিসেম্বর ২০]] [[be:20 снежня]] [[be-x-old:20 сьнежня]] [[bs:20. decembar]] [[br:20 Kerzu]] [[bg:20 декември]] [[ca:20 de desembre]] [[cv:Раштав, 20]] [[ceb:Disyembre 20]] [[cs:20. prosinec]] [[co:20 di decembre]] [[cy:20 Rhagfyr]] [[da:20. december]] [[de:20. Dezember]] [[et:20. detsember]] [[el:20 Δεκεμβρίου]] [[es:20 de diciembre]] [[eo:20-a de decembro]] [[eu:Abenduaren 20]] [[fa:۲۰ دسامبر]] [[fo:20. desember]] [[fr:20 décembre]] [[fy:20 desimber]] [[fur:20 di Dicembar]] [[ga:20 Nollaig]] [[gan:12月20號]] [[gv:20 Mee ny Nollick]] [[gd:20 an Dùbhlachd]] [[gl:20 de decembro]] [[ko:12월 20일]] [[hy:Դեկտեմբերի 20]] [[hi:20 दिसंबर]] [[hr:20. prosinca]] [[io:20 di decembro]] [[ig:December 20]] [[bpy:ডিসেম্বর ২০]] [[id:20 Desember]] [[ia:20 de decembre]] [[is:20. desember]] [[it:20 dicembre]] [[he:20 בדצמבר]] [[jv:20 Desember]] [[pam:Disiembri 20]] [[kn:ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ ೨೦]] [[ka:20 დეკემბერი]] [[csb:20 gòdnika]] [[kk:Желтоқсанның 20]] [[sw:20 Desemba]] [[ht:20 desanm]] [[ku:20'ê berfanbarê]] [[la:20 Decembris]] [[lb:20. Dezember]] [[lt:Gruodžio 20]] [[lmo:20 12]] [[hu:December 20]] [[mk:20 декември]] [[ml:ഡിസംബര്‍ 20]] [[mr:डिसेंबर २०]] [[ms:20 Disember]] [[nah:Tlamahtlācōnti 20]] [[nl:20 december]] [[nds-nl:20 december]] [[ja:12月20日]] [[nap:20 'e dicembre]] [[no:20. desember]] [[nn:20. desember]] [[nrm:20 Dézembre]] [[nov:20 de desembre]] [[oc:20 de decembre]] [[uz:20 dekabr]] [[pag:December 20]] [[nds:20. Dezember]] [[pl:20 grudnia]] [[pt:20 de Dezembro]] [[ksh:20. Dezemmber]] [[ro:20 decembrie]] [[ru:20 декабря]] [[se:Juovlamánu 20.]] [[sco:20 December]] [[sq:20 Dhjetor]] [[scn:20 di dicèmmiru]] [[simple:December 20]] [[sk:20. december]] [[sl:20. december]] [[sr:20. децембар]] [[sh:20.12.]] [[su:20 Désémber]] [[fi:20. joulukuuta]] [[sv:20 december]] [[tl:Disyembre 20]] [[ta:டிசம்பர் 20]] [[tt:20. Dekäber]] [[te:డిసెంబర్ 20]] [[th:20 ธันวาคม]] [[vi:20 tháng 12]] [[tr:20 Aralık]] [[uk:20 грудня]] [[vec:20 de diçenbre]] [[vo:Dekul 20]] [[fiu-vro:20. joulukuu päiv]] [[wa:20 di decimbe]] [[vls:20 december]] [[war:Disyembre 20]] [[yi:20 דעצעמבער]] [[zh-yue:12月20號]] [[cbk-zam:20 de Diciembre]] [[bat-smg:Groudė 20]] [[zh:12月20日]]