# What happened on December 20 in history?

**Date:** December 20  
**Events recorded:** 44  
**Years spanned:** 69 – 2024  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/december/20/

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## Featured Event

**1991** — A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tina_Isa)

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## Events on this date

- **69** — Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_69))
- **944** — Byzantine Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos is arrested by two of his sons, forced to abdicate and to live as a monk for the rest of his life. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Byzantine_emperors))
- **1046** — Emperor Henry III convenes the synod of Sutri to mediate between different claimants to the papacy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor))
- **1192** — Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England after the Third Crusade. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England))
- **1334** — Cardinal Jacques Fournier, a Cistercian monk, is elected Pope Benedict XII. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_(Catholic_Church)))
- **1803** — The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase))
- **1808** — Peninsular War: The Siege of Zaragoza begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsular_War))
- **1832** — HMS Clio under the command of Captain Onslow arrives at Port Egmont under orders to take possession of the Falkland Islands. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Clio_(1807)))
- **1848** — French presidential election: Having won the popular vote in a landslide, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is inaugurated in the chamber of the National Assembly as the first (and only) president of the French Second Republic. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1848_French_presidential_election))
- **1860** — South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina))
- **1915** — World War I: The last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1917** — Cheka, the first Soviet secret police force, is founded. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka))
- **1924** — Adolf Hitler is released from Landsberg Prison. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler))
- **1940** — Captain America Comics #1, containing the first appearance of the superhero Captain America, is published. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America_Comics))
- **1941** — World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers", in Kunming, China. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1942** — World War II: Japanese air forces bomb Calcutta, India. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army_Air_Service))
- **1946** — It's a Wonderful Life premieres at the Globe Theatre in New York to mixed reviews. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life))
- **1946** — An earthquake in Nankaidō, Japan causes a tsunami which kills at least one thousand people and destroys 36,000 homes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_Nankai_earthquake))
- **1948** — Indonesian National Revolution: The Dutch military captures Yogyakarta, the temporary capital of the newly formed Republic of Indonesia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution))
- **1951** — The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Breeder_Reactor_I))
- **1952** — A United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington, killing 87 of the 115 people on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force))
- **1955** — Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff))
- **1957** — The initial production version of the Boeing 707 makes its first flight. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_707))
- **1960** — Vietnam War: The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, popularly known as the Viet Cong, is formally established in Tân Lập village, present day Tây Ninh province. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War))
- **1968** — The Zodiac Killer murders his first two officially confirmed victims, David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen, on Lake Herman Road in Benicia, California, United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer))
- **1970** — Koza riot: After a series of hit-and-runs and other vehicular incidents involving American service personnel, roughly 5,000 Okinawans take to the streets, clashing with American law enforcement in protest against the U.S. occupation of Okinawa. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koza_riot))
- **1973** — Assassination of Luis Carrero Blanco: A car bomb planted by ETA in Madrid kills three people, including the Prime Minister of Spain, Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Luis_Carrero_Blanco))
- **1977** — With the approval of the State Council, China's two largest newspapers, the People's Daily and the Guangming Daily, publish in full for the first time the Second Chinese Character Simplification Scheme. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Council_of_China))
- **1984** — The Summit Tunnel fire, one of the largest transportation tunnel fires in history, burns after a freight train carrying over one million liters of gasoline derails near the town of Todmorden, England, in the Pennines. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summit_Tunnel_fire))
- **1984** — Disappearance of Jonelle Matthews from Greeley, Colorado. Her remains were discovered on July 23, 2019, located about 24 km (15 mi) southeast of Jonelle's home. The cause of death "was a gunshot wound to the head." ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jonelle_Matthews))
- **1985** — Pope John Paul II announces the creation of World Youth Day. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II))
- **1987** — In the worst peacetime sea disaster, the passenger ferry Doña Paz sinks after colliding with the oil tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait of the Philippines, killing an estimated 4,000 people (1,749 official). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Do%C3%B1a_Paz))
- **1988** — War on drugs: The United Nations agrees upon and promulgates the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, one of three major drug control treaties currently in force. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_drugs))
- **1989** — The United States invasion of Panama deposes Manuel Noriega. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Panama))
- **1991** — A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tina_Isa))
- **1995** — American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia, killing 159 of the 163 people on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_965))
- **1999** — Macau is handed over to China by Portugal. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau))
- **2004** — A gang of thieves steal £26.5 million worth of currency from the Donegall Square West headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, one of the largest bank robberies in British history. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Bank_robbery))
- **2007** — Elizabeth II becomes the oldest monarch in the history of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years and 243 days. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II))
- **2007** — The Portrait of Suzanne Bloch (1904), by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, and O Lavrador de Café by Brazilian modernist painter Cândido Portinari, are stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art in Brazil. Both will be recovered a few weeks later. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Suzanne_Bloch))
- **2016** — Aerosucre Flight 157 crashes during takeoff from Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, Colombia, killing five people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerosucre_Flight_157))
- **2019** — The United States Space Force becomes the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces since 1947. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Space_Force))
- **2024** — Six people are killed and over 200 are injured when an anti-Islam activist drives a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Magdeburg_car_attack))
- **2024** — A mass stabbing occurs in a primary school in Zagreb, Croatia, in which a 7-year-old pupil is killed and six more are injured by a knife-wielding 19-year-old male. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb_school_stabbing))

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## Notable births on December 20

- **2001** — **Facundo Pellistri** — Uruguayan footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facundo_Pellistri))
- **2000** — **Gaboro** — Assyrian Swedish rapper and songwriter (died 2024) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaboro))
- **1998** — **Kylian Mbappé** — French footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylian_Mbapp%C3%A9))
- **1997** — **De'Aaron Fox** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De'Aaron_Fox))
- **1997** — **Suzuka Nakamoto** — Japanese singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuka_Nakamoto))
- **1996** — **Jarrod Bowen** — English football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarrod_Bowen))
- **1995** — **Anžejs Pasečņiks** — Latvian basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An%C5%BEejs_Pase%C4%8D%C5%86iks))
- **1994** — **Calvin Ridley** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Ridley))
- **1993** — **Andrea Belotti** — Italian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Belotti))
- **1993** — **Robeisy Ramírez** — Cuban boxer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robeisy_Ram%C3%ADrez))

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## Notable deaths on December 20

- **2024** — **Casey Chaos** — American singer (born 1965) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Chaos))
- **2024** — **George Eastham** — English footballer (born 1936) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Eastham))
- **2024** — **Rickey Henderson** — American baseball player (born 1958) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickey_Henderson))
- **2022** — **Franco Harris** — American football player (born 1950) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_Harris))
- **2020** — **Fanny Waterman** — British pianist (born 1920) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Waterman))
- **2020** — **Ezra Vogel** — American sociologist (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_F._Vogel))
- **2014** — **Per-Ingvar Brånemark** — Swedish surgeon and academic (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per-Ingvar_Br%C3%A5nemark))
- **2014** — **John Freeman** — English lawyer, politician, and diplomat, British Ambassador to the United States (born 1915) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Freeman_(British_politician)))
- **2013** — **Pyotr Bolotnikov** — Russian runner (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Bolotnikov))
- **2012** — **Stan Charlton** — English footballer and manager (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Charlton))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/december/20/](https://thisday.info/events/december/20/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.