|
What happened in history on this day: July 20?
On July 20 in ...
- 1859 - At a racetrack on Long Island, about 1,500 fans become the first ever to pay to see a baseball game. The spectators spend fifty cents to watch New York defeat Brooklyn, 22-18.
- 1864 - Battle of Peachtree Creek - Atlanta Campaign.
- 1868 - First use of tax stamps on cigarettes.
- 1872 - The US Patent Office awards the first patent for wireless telegraphy to Mahlon Loomis.
- 1881 - Sioux Indian leader Sitting Bull surrenders to federal troops.
- 1894 - 2000 federal troops recalled from Chicago, having ended Pullman strike.
- 1903 - Ford Motor Company ships its first car.
- 1917 - Draft lottery held in US for war duty; number 258 is first drawn.
- 1921 - Air mail service begins between New York City and San Francisco.
- 1930 - 106 degrees F (41 degrees C), Washington, DC (district record high).
- 1934 - 118 degrees F (48 degrees C), Keokuk, Iowa (state record).
- 1942 - US Congress authorizes Legion of Merit medal.
- 1942 - Women's Army Auxiliary Corps begins basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
- 1944 - US President Franklin Roosevelt is nominated for an unprecedented fourth term at Democratic convention.
- 1960 - First submerged submarine to fire Polaris missile (George Washington).
- 1962 - US President John Kennedy prohibits the importation of any rare gold coins except under license issued by the Office of Domestic Gold and Silver Operations.
- 1965 - 46.18 cm (18.18 inches) of rainfall, Edgarton, Missouri (state 24-hour record).
- 1967 - Race riots in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
- 1969 - Lunar module Eagle, manned by Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin separates from the command module of Apollo 11, and lands on the Moon 2.5 hours later. Armstrong radios Mission Control in Houston, Texas, "The Eagle has landed."
- 1969 - At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. Edwin Aldrin joins him 11:11 p.m., and the two take photographs, plant a U.S. flag, run scientific tests, and leave a plaque that reads: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon - July 1969 A.D. - We came in peace for all mankind."
- 1969 - Astronauts on the Moon hand-cancel a "moon letter" bearing a die proof of a stamp for later release, with a die cancel "Moon Landing USA JUL 20 1969".
- 1976 - US Viking 1 lands on Mars at Chryse Planitia, first Martian landing.
- 1977 - Flash flood hits Johnstown, Pennsylvania, kills 80 and causing US$350 million damage.
- 1985 - Walt Disney World welcomes its 200-millionth guest, Virgil Waytes, Junior.
- 1988 - The Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia nominates Michael Dukakis for U.S. President and Lloyd Bentsen for Vice President.
- 1990 - Justice William Brennan resigns from the US Supreme Court after 36 years.
- 1993 - Vincent Foster, White House Counsel is found in park dead of gunshot, called suicide.
- 1999 - Liberty Bell 7, part of the US Mercury program, is raised from the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1999 - Apple Computer introduces the iBook portable computer. It features 12.1-inch TFT display, 300 MHz G3 processor, 4 MB ATI Rage Mobility graphics chip, CD-ROM drive, 32 MB RAM, modem, USB and 10/100Base-T Ethernet ports, 3 GB hard drive, keyboard, Mac OS 8.6, V.90 modem, AppleWorks software, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and comes in a translucent cover in tangerine or blueberry colors. Battery power lasts about six hours. Price is US$1599; weight is 6.6 pounds; size is 2 x 13.5 x 11.6 inches.
- 2015 - Cuba and the United States reestablish full diplomatic relations, ending a 54-year stretch of hostility between the nations.
Births on July 20
- 1838 - Birth of John August Daly in Plymouth, North Carolina, USA; actor, playwright (Under the Gaslight play (1867), Pique play (1875)), manager (New York's Fifth Avenue Theatre, Grand Opera House), director, recipient of the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal.
- 1890 - Birth of Verna Felton in Salinas, California, USA; actress (Hilda - December Bride).
- 1924 - Birth of Lola Albright in Akron, Ohio, USA; actress (Delta Country, Kid Galahad).
- 1924 - Birth of Thomas Berger; American novelist (Vital Parts, Little Big Man).
- 1933 - Birth of Buddy Knox in Happy, Texas, USA; rockabilly singer ("Party Doll" (1957)).
- 1938 - Birth of Jo Ann Campbell in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; singer, Lawrence Welk's champagne lady.
- 1938 - Birth of Natalie Wood AKA Natasha Gurdin in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (From Here To Eternity TV mini-series, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof TV show, Gypsy, Rebel Without a Cause).
- 1947 - Birth of James Harris in Monroe, Louisiana, USA; NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers).
- 1954 - Birth of Jay Jay French in New York City, New York, USA; guitarist (Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It").
- 1957 - Birth of Donna Dixon in Virginia, USA; actress (Couch Trip, Bosom Buddies).
- 1966 - Birth of Chris Cornell in Seattle, Washington, USA; singer (Audioslave, Soundgarden).
- 1980 - Birth of Mike Kennerty; American guitarist (The All-American Rejects).
Deaths on July 20
- 1954 - Death of Blair Moody at age 52; American politician (Senator-Michigan).
- 1983 - Death of Frank Reynolds at age 59; news anchor (ABC Evening News).
- 1993 - Vincent Foster, White House Counsel is found in park dead of gunshot, called suicide.
- 1998 - Death of Jim Tyrrell at age 67 of heart failure in New York, USA; veteran musician, music executive, and manager (CBS Records).
- 2005 - Death of James Doohan at age 85 from pneumonia and Alzheimers at his home in Redmond, Washington, USA; actor (Scotty - Star Trek).
- 2017 - Death of Chester Bennington by suicide at age 41 in Los Angeles, California, USA; rocker (Linkin Park - Hybrid Therapy album, "In the End" song, "Numb" song, two Grammy awards).
- 2023 - Death of Bill Geddie at age 68 at home in Rancho Mirage, California, USA; co-creator of The View TV show.
|
|
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.
Bookmark this URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/usa/ and revisit each day.
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events)
Or, visit my Timelines of History page.
|