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What happened in history on this day: October 20?
On October 20 in ...
- 1785 - The Connecticut General Court authorizes coining up to 10,000 pounds of copper coins with an emblem of Liberty.
- 1803 - US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.
- 1817 - First Mississippi showboat leaves Nashville on maiden voyage.
- 1818 - 49th parallel established as the border between US and Canada.
- 1818 - US and Britain agree to joint control of Oregon country.
- 1903 - US wins disputed boundary between the District of Alaska and Canada.
- 1942 - The office of US Alien Property Custodian operating under the "Trading With the Enemy Act" seizes shares of Union Banking Corporation in New York City, on grounds it was financing Adolf Hitler.
- 1942 - "Durham Manifesto" calls for fundamental changes in race relations.
- 1944 - 30 blocks of Cleveland, Ohio, USA burn after a liquid gas factory explodes.
- 1944 - American General Douglas MacArthur and 200,000 troops begin amphibious landings on Leyte in the central Philippines.
- 1947 - The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigating Communist influence in Hollywood.
- 1960 - First fully mechanized post office opened, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
- 1967 - Seven men are convicted of civil rights violations in Meridian, Mississippi.
- 1973 - Arab oil producers impose total oil embargo on USA.
- 1973 - Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox dismissed by Solicitor General Bork, Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General Ruckelshaus resign.
- 1977 - A privately-chartered plane crashes in a swamp in Mississippi, killing three members of rock music group Lynyrd Skynyrd: lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
- 1979 - John F Kennedy Library dedicated in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1986 - The US Mint launches the American Eagle 0.9167 fine gold bullion coin program.
- 1987 - Ten die as US Air Force jet crashed into a Ramada Inn near Indianapolis, Indiana.
- 1987 - New York subway gunman Bernhard Goetz sentenced to six months in jail.
- 1988 - Man armed with explosives blows self up in 125 Steet subway station (New York City).
- 1989 - US Senate impeaches US District Judge Alcee L Hastings.
- 1990 - Antiwar protest marches begin in 20 US cities (US-Iraq).
- 1997 - The U.S. Justice Department asks a federal court to hold Microsoft in contempt of court because it may be forcing PC makers to distribute Internet Explorer as a condition of selling Windows 95. Microsoft is formally charged with violating the terms of the 1995 Final Judgement. The federal court is asked to impose on Microsoft a US$1 million per day fine until the company stops tying the browser with Windows.
- 2001 - The Concert for New York City, "a celebration of the strength, resilience, and pride of New York and America" is held, featuring performances by The Who, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Backstreet Boys, Billy Joel, Destiny's Child, Eric Clapton, Adam Sandler, Bon Jovi, Elton John and many more.
- 2004 - Corporate Airlines Flight 5966 crashes in Missouri, killing 13 people and injuring two.
- 2007 - Georgia's governor Sonny Perdue declares a state of emergency due to drought conditions.
- 2007 - Jungle (open) primary election are held for governor and the legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
- 2007 - (to November 9) Wildfires in Southern California result in the evacuation of more than one million people and destruction of over 1,600 homes and businesses. Total damage estimate is US$1 billion.
- 2018 - US President Donald Trump announces that the US will "terminate" the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations.
- 2020 - NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touches down on Bennu, becoming the agency's first probe to retrieve samples from an asteroid, with its cargo due for return to Earth in 2023.
- 2020 - US Department of Justice files a lawsuit versus Alphabet for anti-trust, alleging anticompetitive practices to maintain monopoly in Internet search via Google.
Births on October 20
- 1859 - Birth of John Dewey in Vermont, USA; philosopher, educational theorist/writer (Learn by doing), founding member of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
- 1874 - Birth of Charles Edward Ives in Danbury, Connecticut, USA; composer (Holliday Quick Step).
- 1887 - Birth of Addison Richards in Zanesville, Ohio, USA; actor (Colonel - Pentagon).
- 1907 - Birth of Arlene Francis in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actress and broadcaster (25 Broadway shows, host of NBC-TV's Home show, panelist on What's My Line 1950-75).
- 1911 - Birth of Will Rogers Junior in New York, USA; actor (Down to Earth).
- 1913 - Birth of Barney Phillips in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; actor (Dragnet radio and TV shows, Twelve O'Clock High, Dan August, Jabberjaw, Betty White Show, Felony Squad).
- 1913 - Birth of Louis Marshal AKA Grandpa Jones in Kentucky, USA; musician (Grand Ole Opry), actor (Hee Haw TV show).
- 1922 - Birth of John Anderson in Clayton, Illinois, USA; actor (Virgil - Legend of Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke).
- 1923 - Birth of Herschel Bernardi in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Arnie TV show, Peter Gunn TV show, The Jetsons TV show, Hail to the Chief TV show, The Front TV show, voice of Charlie the Tuna on Starkist Tuna commercials).
- 1923 - Birth of Robert Craft in Kingston, New York, USA; conductor, Stravinsky-follower.
- 1925 - Birth of Art Buchwald in Mount Vernon, New York, USA; columnist/author (Have I Ever Lied to You).
- 1928 - Birth of Joyce Brothers was in New York City, New York, USA; pop psychologist and advice columnist.
- 1930 - Birth of "Grandpa" Louis M Jones in Niagra, Kentucky, USA; country singer/banjoist (Hee Haw).
- 1932 - Birth of Roosevelt Brown in Virginia, USA; NFL hall of fame tackle (New York Giants).
- 1932 - Birth of William Christopher in Evanstown, Illinois, USA; actor (Father Mulcahy - M*A*S*H).
- 1935 - Birth of Jerry Orbach in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Promises! Promises!, Dirty Dancing, Law and Order).
- 1937 - Birth of Wanda Jackson in Maud, Oklahoma, USA; country singer ("Let's Have a Party").
- 1942 - Birth of Earl Hindman in Bisbee, Arizona, USA; actor (Wilson - Home Improvement).
- 1950 - Birth of Tom Petty in Gainesville, Florida, USA; singer (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "Refugee").
- 1952 - Birth of Melanie Mayron in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actress (Thirty Something, Car Wash, Missing).
- 1953 - Birth of Keith Hernandez in San Francisco, California, USA; New York Mets' first baseman (nine golden gloves).
- 1958 - Birth of Eric Scott in Hollywood, California, USA; actor (Ben - The Waltons).
- 1966 - Birth of Fred Coury in Johnston City, New York, USA; rocker (Cinderella - "Heartbreak Station").
Deaths on October 20
- 1964 - Herbert Hoover, 31st president of US, dies in New York at age 90.
- 1977 - A privately-chartered plane crashes in a swamp in Mississippi, killing three members of rock music group Lynyrd Skynyrd: lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
- 1990 - Brian Jewell, teenager in New Jersey, dies of accidental hanging while playing the part of a hanged man for a "haunted hayride".
- 2006 - Death of Jane Wyatt at age 96 in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Father Knows Best TV show).
- 2014 - Death of Oscar de la Renta, Dominican-American fashion designer (born 1932).
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