Did you know
Freedom was selected as the third overall pick of the 2011 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz, and primarily played the center position.
Famous Birthdays on May 20
1992 — Enes Kanter
Turkish basketball player
May 20 has 212 recorded notable births across history, from 1315 to 2012. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Famous Birthdays
212 source records
1315 – 2012
Taurus
Today in history
Major events on May 20
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 1802 By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution. Source
- 1948 Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek wins the 1948 Republic of China presidential election and is sworn in as the first President of the Republic of China at Nanjing. Source
- 1902 Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President. Source
- 1996 Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in 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 gays and lesbians. Source
Did you know
In 1966, he moved to India and gained admission to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) to pursue a course in motion picture photography.
Did you know
Having sold over 25 million records globally and career spanning seven decades, he is one of the most recognisable Italian singers in the world.
Did you know
Platten won a Daytime Emmy Award for a live performance of the song on Good Morning America.
Did you know
On April 13, 2014, he became the host of another Food Network show, originally called America's Best Cook.
More major people born on May 20
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1939
Balu Mahendra
Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (died 2014)
Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran, commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan Tamil cinematographer, director, screenwriter, actor and film editor who worked in various Indian film industries, primarily in Tamil and…
1943
Albano Carrisi
Italian singer, actor, and winemaker
Albano Antonio Carrisi, better known as Al Bano, is an Italian singer and actor.
1981
Rachel Platten
American singer and songwriter
Rachel Ashley Platten is an American singer-songwriter and author. After releasing two albums independently in 2003 and 2011, she signed with Columbia Records in 2015.
1965
Ted Allen
American television host and author
Edward Reese Allen is an American author and television personality.
1963
David Wells
American baseball player and sportscaster
David Lee Wells is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams, most notably the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.
1977
Angela Goethals
American actress
Angela Bethany Goethals is an American film, television and stage actress.
1470
Pietro Bembo
Italian cardinal, poet, and scholar (died 1547)
Pietro Bembo, O.S.I.H. was a Venetian scholar, poet, and literary theorist who also was a member of the Knights Hospitaller and a cardinal of the Catholic Church.
1964
Kōichirō Genba
Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
Kōichirō Genba is a Japanese politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2011 to 2012.
1897
Diego Abad de Santillán
Spanish economist and author (died 1983)
Sinesio Baudillo García Fernández, commonly known by his pseudonym Diego Abad de Santillán, was a Spanish Argentine anarcho-syndicalist economist. Born in León, his family moved to Argentina while he was young.
1923
Edith Fellows
American actress (died 2011)
Edith Marilyn Fellows was an American actress who became a child star in the 1930s. Best known for playing orphans and street urchins, Fellows was an expressive actress with a good singing voice.
1921
Wolfgang Borchert
German author and playwright (died 1947)
Wolfgang Borchert was a German author and playwright whose work was strongly influenced by his experience of dictatorship and his service in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.
1947
Steve Currie
English bass player (died 1981)
T. Rex, originally Tyrannosaurus Rex, were an English rock band formed in London in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member.
1981
Iker Casillas
Spanish footballer
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and currently works as a football commentator.
1935
José Mujica
Uruguayan guerrilla leader and politician, 40th President of Uruguay (died 2025)
José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano was a Uruguayan politician, revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015.
1967
Gabriele Muccino
Italian director, producer, and screenwriter
Gabriele Muccino is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has worked his way from making short films only aired on Italian television to become a well-known and successful American filmmaker.
1921
Hal Newhouser
American baseball player and scout (died 1998)
Harold Newhouser, nicknamed "Prince Hal" and "Hurricane Hal," was an American professional baseball player.
1998
Jamie Chadwick
English race car driver
Jamie Laura Chadwick is a British racing driver who competes for IDEC Sport in the European Le Mans Series, and previously raced for Andretti Global in Indy NXT.
1315
Bonne of Luxembourg
first wife of John II of France (died 1349)
Bonne of Luxemburg or Jutta of Luxemburg, was born Jutta (Judith), the second daughter of King John of Bohemia, and his first wife, Elisabeth of Bohemia.
1908
James Stewart
American actor (died 1997)
James Maitland Stewart was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart appeared in 80 films from 1935 to 1991.