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What happened in history on this day: May 20?
On May 20 in ...
- 1777 - "United States" replaces "United Colonies" on currency.
- 1861 - Kentucky proclaims its neutrality in War Between the States.
- 1861 - North Carolina becomes tenth state to secede from USA.
- 1862 - US President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, effective January 1, 1863. Eligible citizens and immigrants can claim up to 160 acres of land; promotion of western land settlement.
- 1864 - Battle at Ware Bottom Church, Virginia; 1,400 killed or injured.
- 1864 - Spotsylvania - campaign ends after 10,920 killed/injured persons.
- 1864 - The US Mint releases the first bronze 1-cent coins to circulation.
- 1873 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a US patent for "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings", work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of blue jeans.
- 1874 - Levi Strauss markets blue jeans with copper rivets, price US$13.50 per dozen.
- 1902 - US military occupation of Cuba (since January 1, 1899) ends.
- 1918 - The US launches the first electrically-propelled warship (the New Mexico).
- 1926 - US Congress passes Air Commerce Act, licensing of pilots and planes.
- 1926 - Railway Labor Act became law.
- 1926 - Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies.
- 1927 - At 7:52 AM, American pilot Charles Augustus Lindbergh takes off from New York in his Spirit of St. Louis Ryan monoplane to cross Atlantic for Paris.
- 1930 - University of California dedicates $1,500 to research on prevention and cure of athlete's foot.
- 1939 - Pan Am begins regular transatlantic airmail and passenger service across the North Atlantic.
- 1942 - US Navy first permits black recruits to serve.
- 1943 - French, British and US victory parade in Tunis, Tunisia.
- 1944 - US Communist Party dissolves.
- 1956 - Atomic fusion (thermonuclear) bomb dropped from plane-Bikini Atoll.
- 1958 - US performs nuclear test at Enwetak (atmospheric tests).
- 1959 - Japanese-Americans regain their citizenship.
- 1961 - White mob attacks "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
- 1967 - 10,000 demonstrate against war in Vietnam.
- 1969 - US troops capture Hill 937/Hamburger Hill Vietnam.
- 1970 - 100,000 march in New York supporting US policies in Vietnam.
- 1973 - In Los Angeles, California, the 25th Annual Emmy Awards are presented, hosted by Johnny Carson.
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama/Comedy - Limited Episodes): Anthony Murphy for Tom Brown's Schooldays
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama Series - Continuing): Richard Thomas for The Waltons
- Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Laurence Olivier for Long Day's Journey Into Night
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: Jack Klugman for The Odd Couple
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama Series - Continuing): Michael Learned for The Waltons
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama/Comedy - Limited Episodes): Susan Hampshire for Vanity Fair
- Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series: Mary Tyler Moore for Mary Tyler Moore
- Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Cloris Leachman for A Brand New Life
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy: Ted Knight for Mary Tyler Moore
- Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama: Scott Jacoby for That Certain Summer
- Outstanding Achievement by a Supporting Performer in Music or Variety: Tim Conway for The Carol Burnett Show
- Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Comedy: Valerie Harper for Mary Tyler Moore
- Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama: Ellen Corby for The Waltons
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy: Jay Sandrich for episode "It's Whether You Win Or Lose" of Mary Tyler Moore
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction of a Variety, Musical or Dramatic Program: Peter Matz for The Carol Burnett Show
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety or Music: Bill Davis for The Julie Andrews Hour
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program: Joseph Sargent for The Marcus-Nelson Murders
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program of a Series with Continuing Characters and/or Theme: Jerry Thorpe for episode "An Eye for an Eye" for Kung Fu
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music: Bob Fosse for Liza with a 'Z'
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama - Original Teleplay: Abby Mann for The Marcus-Nelson Murders
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama - Adaptation: Eleanor Perry for The House Without a Christmas Tree
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy: Michael Ross, Bernard West, and Lee Kalcheim for episode "The Bunkers And The Swingers" of All in the Family
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety or Music: Stan Hart, Larry Siegel, Gail Parent, Heywood Kling, Roger Beatty, Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses, Robert Hilliard, Arnie Kogen, Bill Angelos, and Buz Kohan for The Carol Burnett Show
- Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama: John McGreevey for episode "The Scholar" of The Waltons
- Outstanding Achievement in Makeup: Del Armstrong, Ellis Burman Junior, and Stan Winston for Gargoyles
- Outstanding Variety Musical Series: The Julie Andrews Hour
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition - For a Special Program: Jerry Goldsmith for The Red Pony
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition - For a Series or a Single Program of a Series (First Year of Music's Use Only): Charles Fox for Love, American Style
- Outstanding Single Program - Variety and Popular Music: Liza with a 'Z'
- Outstanding Achievement in Music, Lyrics and Special Material: Fred Ebb and John Kander for Liza with a 'Z'
- Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming - Informational/Factual: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera for "The Last of the Curlews" of ABC Afterschool Specials and Shari Lewis for A Picture of Us
- Outstanding Drama Series - Continuing: The Waltons
- Outstanding Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama: Mary Fickett for All My Children
- Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime Drama: Erwin Nicholson for The Edge of Night
- Outstanding Comedy Series: All in the Family
- Outstanding New Series: America
- Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming - Entertainment/Fictional: Tom Whedon, John Boni, Sara Compton, Tom Dunsmuir, Thad Mumford, Jeremy Stevens, and Jim Thurman for The Electric Company and Jon Stone and Robert Cunniff for Sesame Street and Christopher Sarson for Zoom
- Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime: Henry Jaffe, Fred Tatashore, and Dinah Shore for Dinah's Place
- Outstanding Drama/Comedy - Limited Episodes: Tom Brown's Schooldays
- Outstanding Achievement in Choreography: Bob Fosse for Liza with a 'Z'
- Outstanding Single Program - Drama or Comedy: A War of Children.
- 1978 - US launches Pioneer Venus 1; produces first global radar map of Venus.
- 1980 - 710 families in Love Canal area (Niagara Falls, New York) are evacuated.
- 1985 - FBI arrests John A Walker Junior, convicted of spying for USSR.
- 1985 - US begins broadcasts to Cuba on Radio Marti.
- 1986 - Christy Fichtner, age 23, of Texas, crowned 35th Miss USA.
- 1987 - Tennessee court rules that WWF can not promote Harley Race as the King of Wrestling in Tennessee, upholding Jerry Lawler's claim.
- 1988 - Apple Computer contracts with Quantum Computer Services to create AppleLink - Personal Edition.
- 1993 - Intel announces availability of the Pentium processor. Prices are US$878 for 60MHz, and US$965 for 66MHz.
- 1993 - NBC airs the 274th and final episode of the ensemble TV sitcom Cheers.
- 1994 - Sony Theaters and Cineplex (New York City) hike movie ticket prices to $8.00.
- 1996 - The Supreme Court of the United States rules (Romer v. Evans) against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of homosexuals.
- 2004 - The Olsen specimen of the US 1913 Liberty Head 5-cent piece (Proof 64 NGC) is sold for $3 million.
- 2008 - In the US Presidential Democratic race, caucus voting results in Oregon and Kentucky give Illinois Senator Barak Obama a majority of pledged delegates.
- 2013 - Edward Snowden, employee for the US National Security Administration, shares confidential documents with the Guardian newspaper, in Hong Kong.
Births on May 20
- 1899 - Birth of Estelle Taylor [Boylan] in Wilmington, Delaware, USA; actress (8 Commandments).
- 1899 - Birth of John M Harlan in Chicago, Illinois, USA; 91st Supreme Court justice (1955-71).
- 1904 - Birth of Russell Hardie in Buffalo, New York, USA; actor (Sequoia, In Old Kentucky).
- 1908 - Birth of James Maitland AKA Jimmy Stewart in Indiana, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Mr Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life).
- 1919 - Birth of George Gobel in Chicago, Illinois, USA; comedian/TV personality (I Love My Wife).
- 1923 - Birth of Edith Fellows in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; actress (Pennies From Heaven, City Streets).
- 1927 - Birth of David Hedison in Providence, Rhode Island, USA; actor (The Colbys, Voyage to Bottom of Sea).
- 1927 - Birth of [Harold] Bud Grant in Wisconsin, USA; Canadian Football League/NFL player/coach (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Minnesota Vikings).
- 1930 - Birth of James McEachin in Pennert, North Carolina, USA; actor (Harry - Tenafly).
- 1933 - Birth of Danny Aiello in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Moonstruck, Do the Right Thing).
- 1936 - Birth of Anthony Zerbe in Long Beach, California, USA; actor (Harry-O, Centennial, They Call Me Mr Tibbs).
- 1937 - Birth of Dave Hill in Jackson, Michigan, USA; PGA golfer (1967 Memphis).
- 1942 - Birth of Jill "Paula" Jackson in McCamey, Texas, USA; singer (Paul and Paula - "Hey Paula").
- 1944 - Birth of David M Walker in Columbus, Georgia, USA; Captain US Navy/astronaut (STS 51-A 30, 53, 69).
- 1946 - Birth of Cher [Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre] in El Centro, California, USA; rocker/actress ("I Got You Babe", Jack Lalane, Mask).
- 1951 - Birth of Thomas D Akers in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; Major US Air Force/astronaut (STS 41, 49, 61, 79).
- 1958 - Birth of Jane Wiedlin in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, USA; singer/guitarist (GoGos, Fur, Rush Hour).
- 1958 - Birth of Mike Engleman in Sonoma, California, USA; cyclist (Olympics-1996).
- 1958 - Birth of Ronald Prescot Reagan in Los Angeles, California, USA; President's son/TV host (Ron Reagan Show).
- 1959 - Birth of Bronson Pinchot in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Perfect Strangers, Beverly Hills Cop).
- 1959 - Birth of Peter Greene in Brooklyn, New York, USA; producer (After Midnight).
- 1960 - Birth of Susan Cowsill in Newport, Rhode Island, USA; rock vocalist (Cowsills - "We Can Fly").
- 1960 - Birth of Tony Goldwyn in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Ghost, Kuffs, Traces of Red).
- 1962 - Birth of Lydia Cheng in New York City, New York, USA; Ms Big Apple bodybuilder (1982) (Pumping Iron 2).
- 1963 - Birth of Brian Nash in Glendale, California, USA; actor (Joel - Please Don't Eat Daisies).
- 1963 - Birth of David Wells in Torrance, California, USA; pitcher (Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees).
- 1964 - Birth of Paul W Richards in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA; astronaut.
- 1965 - Birth of Fia Porter in Mexia, Texas, USA; actress (Audrey Ames - One Life to Live).
- 1965 - Birth of Joe Cioe in Cranston, Rhode Island, USA; Canadian Tour golfer (New Hampshire Open-1992, 1993).
- 1965 - Birth of Todd Stottlemyre in Yakima, Washington, USA; pitcher (Saint Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays).
- 1966 - Birth of Mindy Cohn in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Facts of Life).
- 1969 - Birth of Suzanne Lawrence in Humble, Texas, USA; Miss Texas-America (1991) (4th).
- 1970 - Birth of Missy Cress in Burbank, California, USA; female catcher (Colorado Silver Bullets).
- 1972 - Birth of Michael Cox in Hannibal, Missouri, USA; 1.5km runner.
- 1979 - Birth of Tamika Thomas; Miss Michigan Teen USA (1996).
Deaths on May 20
- 1959 - Alfred Schutz, Austrian/US architect/philosopher, dies at age 60.
- 1989 - Death of Gilda Radner at age 42 of ovarian cancer; actress/comedienne (Saturday Night Live, Haunted Honeymoon).
- 2000 - Death of Malik Sealy, Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player.
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