Who are famous people born on February 20?

Famous people born on February 20 include: Jared McCain, Olivia Rodrigo, Gavin Bazunu.

What famous people died on February 20?

Notable historical figures who died on February 20 include: David Boren, Jerry Butler, Peter Jason.

February 20 in History

Q: What happened on February 20 in history?

On February 20, 2014: Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers.

2014 — Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers

February 20 spans 54 recorded events across recorded history — from 1339 – 2016. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · February 20 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 54 events 1339 – 2016

Did you know

Euromaidan protests began on 21 November 2013 in Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv

Did you know

President Viktor Yanukovych's decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement sparked the protests

Did you know

Ukraine's parliament had approved the EU Association Agreement before Yanukovych's sudden reversal

Did you know

The 2014 Revolution of Dignity was a direct result of the Euromaidan movement

Did you know

Transparency International named Viktor Yanukovych as a prime example of corruption in the world at the time of the protests

The Milanese army and the St.

George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated.

Milan is the regional capital of Lombardy, in northern Italy, and the seat of the Metropolitan City of Milan. It is the second-most populous city in Italy after Rome, with a population of 1,362,863 in 2026. The city's wider metropolitan area is the largest in Italy, and the fourth-largest in the European Union, with an estimated population of 6.55 million. Milan is considered Italy's economic capital, and its metropolitan area accounts for about 20% of the country's GDP.

1339

Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.

Archipelago, county and council area in northern Scotland

Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name The Orkneys is also sometimes used. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre, is Kirkwall.

1472

Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León sets out from San Juan, Puerto Rico, for Florida with about 200 prospective colonists.

Spanish explorer and conquistador (1474–1521)

Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first European expeditions to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in 1474. Though little is known about his family, he was of noble birth and served in the Spanish military from a young age. He first came to the Americas as a "gentleman volunteer" with Christopher Columbus's second expedition in 1493.

1521

Edward VI of England is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

King of England and Ireland from 1547 to 1553

Edward VI was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his third wife, Jane Seymour, Edward was the first English monarch to be raised as a Protestant. During his reign, the realm was governed by a regency council because Edward never reached maturity. The council was first led by his uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset (1547–1549), and then by John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland (1550–1553).

1547

Yohannan Sulaqa professes his Catholic belief and is ordained as bishop shortly after; this marks the beginning of the Chaldean Catholic Church.

Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church from 1553 to 1555

Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was the first Patriarch of what was to become the Shemʿon line of the Chaldean Catholic Church, from 1553 to 1555, after it absorbed this Church of the East patriarchate into full communion with the Holy See and the Catholic Church.

1553

René-Robert Cavelier establishes Fort St.

Louis at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France's claim to Texas.

René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was a French explorer and fur trader in North America. He explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, and the Mississippi River. He is best known for an early 1682 expedition in which he canoed the lower Mississippi River from the mouth of the Illinois River to the Gulf of Mexico; there, on April 9, 1682, he claimed the Mississippi River basin for France after giving it the name La Louisiane, in honor of Saint Louis and Louis XIV. One source states that "he acquired for France the most fertile half of the North American continent". A later, ill-fated expedition in 1684 to the Gulf coast of Mexico gave the United States a putative claim to Texas in the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803; La Salle was assassinated during that expedition.

1685

The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by United States President George Washington.

1792 U.S. Federal law establishing the Post Office

The Postal Service Act was a piece of United States federal legislation that established the United States Post Office Department. It was signed into law by President George Washington on February 20, 1792.

1792

Louis-Alexandre Berthier removes Pope Pius VI from power.

French general and politician (1753–1815)

Louis-Alexandre Berthier, prince de Neuchâtel et Valangin, prince de Wagram was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister of War of France and was made a Marshal of the Empire in 1804. Berthier served as chief of staff to Napoleon Bonaparte from his first Italian campaign in 1796 until his first abdication in 1814. The operational efficiency of the Grande Armée owed much to his considerable administrative and organizational skills.

1798

Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of Pío de Tristán during the Battle of Salta.

Argentine military leader, politician, and lawyer (1770-1820)

Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano, usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and designed what became the flag of Argentina. Argentines regard him as one of the main Founding Fathers of the country. He was also a supporter of free trade.

1813

Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.

Italian opera composer (1792–1868)

Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer and conductor of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. While he gained most of his fame for his 39 operas, he also wrote many pieces of chamber music, piano, and some sacred music. He set new standards for both comic and serious opera before retiring from large-scale composition while still in his thirties, at the height of his popularity.

1816

William Buckland formally announces the name Megalosaurus, the first scientifically validly named non-avian dinosaur species.

English palaeontologist (1784–1856)

William Buckland DD, FRS was an English theologian, geologist and palaeontologist.

1824

The 1835 Concepción earthquake destroys Concepción, Chile.

Earthquake in Chile

The 1835 Concepción earthquake was an earthquake that occurred near the neighboring cities of Concepción and Talcahuano in Chile on 20 February at 11:30 local time, and had an estimated magnitude of about 8.5 Mw. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which caused the destruction of Talcahuano. A total of at least 50 people died from the effects of the earthquake and the tsunami. The earthquake caused damage from San Fernando in the north to Osorno in the south. It was felt over a still wider area from Copiapó in the north to the island of Chiloe in the south and as far west as the Juan Fernández Islands.

1835

Polish insurgents lead an uprising in Kraków to incite a fight for national independence.

1846 attempt at Polish independence

The Kraków Uprising of 1846 was an attempt, led by Polish insurgents such as Jan Tyssowski and Edward Dembowski, to incite a fight for national independence. The uprising was centered on the city of Kraków, the capital of the small Free City of Cracow. It was directed at the powers that partitioned Poland, especially the nearby Austrian Empire. The uprising lasted about nine days and ended with an Austrian victory.

1846

American Civil War: Battle of Olustee: The largest battle fought in Florida during the war.

1861–1865 conflict in the United States

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

1864

End of the Uruguayan War, with a peace agreement between President Tomás Villalba and rebel leader Venancio Flores, setting the scene for the destructive War of the Triple Alliance.

1864–1865 war between Brazil and Uruguay

The Uruguayan War was fought between Uruguay's governing Blanco Party and an alliance consisting of the Empire of Brazil and the Uruguayan Colorado Party, covertly supported by Argentina. Since its independence, Uruguay had been ravaged by intermittent struggles between the Colorado and Blanco factions, each attempting to seize and maintain power in turn. The Colorado leader Venancio Flores launched the Liberating Crusade in 1863, an insurrection aimed at toppling Bernardo Berro, who presided over a Colorado–Blanco coalition (fusionist) government. Flores was aided by Argentina, whose president Bartolomé Mitre provided him with supplies, Argentine volunteers and river transport for troops.

1865

The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City.

Art museum in New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the fourth-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5,727,258 visitors in fiscal year 2025, it was the most-visited museum in the United States and the fifth-most visited art museum in the world.

1872

Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake receives its premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

Russian composer (1840–1893)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the classical repertoire, including the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, several symphonies, the opera Eugene Onegin, and the ballets Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

1877

20 February bombings by Désiré Pauwels during the Ère des attentats (1892-1894).

1894 anarchist bombing in France

The 20 February bombings, also known as the Rue Saint-Jacques and Faubourg Saint-Martin bombings were two bomb attacks carried out in Paris on 20 February 1894 by the anarchist militant Désiré Pauwels against the French police and state. Organized six days after the Café Terminus bombing, these attacks occurred during the latter phase of the Ère des attentats (1892–1894).

1894

The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time.

Organized incorporated territory of the United States, 1900–1959

The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 30, 1900, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory was admitted to the United States as the 50th US state, the State of Hawaii. The Hawaii Admission Act specified that the State of Hawaii would not include Palmyra Island, the Midway Islands, Kingman Reef, Johnston Atoll and Sand Island.

1901

The U.S.

Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of Massachusetts's mandatory smallpox vaccination program in Jacobson v. Massachusetts.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on questions of U.S. constitutional or federal law. It also has original jurisdiction over a narrow range of cases, specifically "all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party". In 1803, the court asserted itself the power of judicial review, the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the Constitution. It is also able to strike down presidential directives for violating either the Constitution or statutory law.

1905

Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro.

1909 artistic manifesto by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti

The Manifesto of Futurism is a manifesto written by the Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, published in 1909. In it, Marinetti expresses an artistic philosophy called Futurism, which rejected the past and celebrated speed, machinery, violence, youth, and industry. The manifesto also advocated for the modernization and cultural rejuvenation of Italy.

1909

King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra.

Early 20th-century American-Australian politician (c.1858-1953)

King O'Malley was an American-born Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1901 to 1917, and served two terms as Minister for Home Affairs. He is remembered for his role in the development of the national capital Canberra as well as his advocacy for the creation of a national bank.

1913

An earthquake kills between 114 and 130 in Georgia and heavily damages the town of Gori.

Earthquake in Gori, Georgia

The 1920 Gori earthquake hit the Democratic Republic of Georgia on 20 February at 15:44 local time. The shock had a surface-wave magnitude of 6.2 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of IX (Violent). Heavy damage affected the town of Gori and its medieval fortress.

1920

The U.S.

Congress approves the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California.

The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both meet in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

1931

An anarchist uprising in Encarnación, Paraguay briefly transforms the city into a revolutionary commune.

Political philosophy and movement

Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy, primarily targeting the state and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state with stateless societies and voluntary free associations. Anarchism is described as being part of the libertarian wing of the socialist movement.

1931

The U.S.

Congress approves the Blaine Act to repeal federal Prohibition in the United States, sending the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution to state ratifying conventions for approval.

1933

Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party's upcoming election campaign.

Dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor of Germany in 1933 and then taking the title of Führer und Reichskanzler in 1934. Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 under his leadership marked the outbreak of the Second World War. Throughout the ensuing conflict, Hitler was closely involved in the direction of German military operations and was central to the perpetration of the genocide of about six million Jews in the Holocaust as well as the murders of millions of other victims.

1933

Caroline Mikkelsen becomes the first woman to set foot in Antarctica.

Danish-Norwegian explorer (1906–1998)

Caroline Mikkelsen was a Danish-Norwegian explorer who on 20 February 1935 was the first woman to set foot on Antarctica, although whether this was on the mainland or an island is a matter of dispute.

1935

Madison Square Garden Nazi rally: The largest ever pro-Nazi rally in United States history is convened in Madison Square Garden, New York City, with 20,000 members and sympathizers of the German American Bund present.

Fascist rally in New York City

On February 20, 1939, a Nazi rally took place at Madison Square Garden, organized by the German American Bund. More than 20,000 people attended, and Fritz Julius Kuhn was a featured speaker. The Bund billed the event, which took place two days before George Washington's Birthday, as a pro-"Americanism" rally; the stage at the event featured a huge portrait of George Washington with swastikas on each side. Anti-Nazi counter-protesters gathered outside and on three occasions attempted to break through lines of police officers guarding the rally.

1939

World War II: Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1942

World War II: American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.

Organization that produces films

A film studio is a major entertainment company that makes films. Today, studios are mostly financing and distribution entities. In addition, they may have their own studio facility or facilities; however, most firms in the entertainment industry have never had their own studios, but have rented space from other companies instead. Day-to-day filming operations are generally handled by a production company subsidiary.

1943

The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms.

American mainstream weekly magazine

The Saturday Evening Post is an American magazine published six times a year. It was first published in 1821, and published weekly from 1897 until 1963. It was published every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influential magazines among the American middle class, with fiction, nonfiction, cartoons, and features that reached two million homes every week.

1943

World War II: The "Big Week" begins with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers.

1944 series of aerial bombings of German industry by the U.S. during WWII

Operation Argument, after the war dubbed Big Week, was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Nazi Germany. The objective of Operation Argument was to destroy aircraft factories in central and southern Germany in order to defeat the Luftwaffe before the Normandy landings during Operation Overlord were to take place later in 1944.

1944

World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Atoll.

Coral atoll in the Marshall Islands; site of U.S. nuclear testing during the Cold War

Enewetak Atoll is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. With a land area total less than 5.85 square kilometers (2.26 sq mi), it is no higher than 5 meters (16.4 ft) and surrounds a deep central lagoon, 80 kilometers (50 mi) in circumference. It is the second-westernmost atoll of the Ralik Chain and is 305 kilometers (190 mi) west from Bikini Atoll.

1944

Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League.

American baseball umpire (1914–1980)

Emmett Littleton Ashford, nicknamed Ash, was an umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB), working in the American League from 1966 to 1970. He was MLB's first African American umpire.

1952

The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy.

U.S. service academy

The United States Merchant Marine Academy is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen to serve as officers in the United States Merchant Marine, branches of the United States Armed Forces, and the transportation industry. Midshipmen are trained in marine engineering, navigation, ship's administration, maritime law, personnel management, international law, customs, and other subjects important to the task of running a large ship.

1956

The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate.

Canadian interceptor aircraft family

The Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow was an interceptor aircraft designed and built by Avro Canada. The CF-105 held the promise of Mach 2 speeds at altitudes exceeding 50,000 feet (15,000 m) and was intended to serve as the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) primary interceptor into the 1960s and beyond.

1959

Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes.

Initial American crewed spaceflight program (1958–1963)

Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Union. Taken over from the US Air Force by the newly created civilian space agency NASA, it conducted 20 uncrewed developmental flights, and six successful flights by astronauts. The program, which took its name from Roman mythology, cost $2.83 billion. The astronauts were collectively known as the "Mercury Seven", and each spacecraft was given a name ending with a "7" by its pilot.

1962

Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts.

1965 NASA spacecraft to explore the Moon

Ranger 8 was a lunar probe in the Ranger program, a robotic spacecraft series launched by NASA in the early-to-mid-1960s to obtain the first close-up images of the Moon's surface. These pictures helped select landing sites for Apollo missions and were used for scientific study. During its 1965 mission, Ranger 8 transmitted 7,137 lunar surface photographs before it crashed into the Moon as planned. This was the second successful mission in the Ranger series, following Ranger 7. Ranger 8's design and purpose were very similar to those of Ranger 7. It had six television vidicon cameras: two full-scan and four partial-scan. Its sole purpose was to document the Moon's surface.

1965

The China Academy of Space Technology, China's main arm for the research, development, and creation of space satellites, is established in Beijing.

Chinese research institute

The China Academy of Space Technology is a research institute affiliated with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), located in Haidian, Beijing, China. The institute was founded on 20 February 1968, and is a major spacecraft development and production facility in China. On 24 April 1970, CAST successfully launched China's first artificial satellite Dong Fang Hong I.

1968

The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert.

Former United States emergency warning system

The Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), sometimes called the Emergency Action Notification System (EANS), was an emergency warning system used in the United States. It was the most commonly used, along with the Emergency Override system. It replaced the previous CONELRAD system and was used from 1963 to 1997, at which point it was replaced by the Emergency Alert System.

1971

An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java.

Sudden movement of the Earth's crust

An earthquake, also called a quake, tremor, or temblor, is the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy released per unit volume.

1979

The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft.

Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years.

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, the largest by area, and bordered twelve countries. A diverse multinational state, it was organized as a federal union of national republics, with the largest and most populous being the Russian SFSR. In practice, its government and economy were highly centralized. As a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, it was the flagship communist state. Its capital and largest city was Moscow.

1986

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Autonomous region of the Azerbaijan SSR (1923–1991)

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The majority of the population were ethnic Armenians.

1988

In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters.

Capital city of Albania

Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.

1991

American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

American sports commentator (born 1982)

Tara Kristen Lipinski is an American sports commentator and former competitive figure skater. A former competitor in women's singles, she was the 1997 U.S. national champion and world champion, a two-time Champions Series Final champion (1997–1998), and the 1998 Olympic champion. She is the youngest single skater Olympic champion and World champion ever, and until 2019 was the youngest to win the U.S. Nationals. She was the first woman to complete a triple loop–triple loop combination, which became her signature jump element, in competition.

1998

A cooking gas cylinder explodes on board an Egyptian National Railways train in El Ayyat, causing a fire and killing over 370 people.

Fire on an Egyptian National Railways Cairo–Luxor train, 20 February 2002

The El Ayyat train disaster occurred at 2 a.m. on 20 February 2002 in an eleven-carriage passenger train traveling from Cairo to Luxor. A cooking gas cylinder exploded in the fifth carriage, causing a fire which destroyed seven third-class carriages.

2002

During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.

American rock band

Great White is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The band is named after both the shark with the same name, and guitarist Mark Kendall's former stage nickname. In August 2008, the band estimated they had sold around eight million records worldwide.

2003

2005_Spanish_European_Constitution_referendum

Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.

2005 Spanish referendum on the introduction of a European Constitution

A referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held in Spain on Sunday, 20 February 2005. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe?". The consultative referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution for the European Union was approved by 81.8% of valid votes, although turnout was just 41.8%, the lowest since the end of the Franco era.

2005

Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack.

Failed terrorist attack in Sri Lanka

On February 20, 2009, the air wing of the Tamil Tigers separatist militia launched a suicide attack against military locations in and around Colombo, Sri Lanka, using two weaponized light aircraft. It is speculated that the raids were intended to mimic the September 11 attacks, where aircraft were used as flying bombs and crashed directly into their targets. The attackers failed to reach their presumed targets and crashed to the ground after being shot down by the Sri Lanka Air Force, although one of the aircraft struck a government building in Colombo, killing two people, and over 50 people in total were injured in both crashes.

2009

In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago.

Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic

Madeira, officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira, is an autonomous region of Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean about 805 km southwest of mainland Portugal. Together with the Azores, it is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal and a special territory of the European Union. It is the southernmost point and region of Portugal.

2010

Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services.

2015 rail transport accident in Rafz, Switzerland

The Rafz train crash occurred at approximately 6.43 am on 20 February 2015. An S-Bahn and an Interregio express train collided at Rafz railway station in Rafz, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.

2015

Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

Spree shooting in Michigan, U.S.

On the night of February 20, 2016, a spree shooting took place at an apartment complex, a Kia car dealership, and outside a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Six people were killed, and two others were injured.

2016

Born on February 20

20 people 1986 – 2004

Jared McCain

American basketball player

Jared Dane McCain is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked among the top players in the…

2004

Olivia Rodrigo

American actress and singer

Olivia Isabel Rodrigo is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success (2015). She rose to…

2003

Gavin Bazunu

Irish footballer

Gavin Okeroghene Bazunu is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Southampton and the Republic of Ireland national team.

2002

Josh Sargent

American soccer player

Joshua Thomas Sargent is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC and the United States national team.

2000

Jarrett Culver

American basketball player

Jarrett Ryan Culver is an American professional basketball player for the Sendai 89ers of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the sixth…

1999

Emam Ashour

Egyptian footballer

Emam Ashour Metwally Abdel Ghany is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly and the Egypt national team.

1998

Clarke Schmidt

American baseball player

Clarke Douglas Schmidt is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Schmidt played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and was selected by the…

1996

Elle Purrier St. Pierre

American track and field athlete

Elinor Purrier St. Pierre, better known as Elle Purrier St. Pierre, is an American track and field athlete who specializes in middle-distance and long-distance running. She won a gold medal in the 3000 meters at the…

1995

Kateryna Baindl

Ukrainian tennis player

Kateryna Baindl is a Ukrainian inactive tennis player. On 19 February 2018, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 62. On 22 October 2012, she peaked at No. 139 in the doubles rankings. She has won one…

1994

Luis Severino

Dominican baseball player

Luis Severino, nicknamed "Sevy", is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees and New York Mets.

1994

Jurickson Profar

Curaçaoan baseball player

Jurickson Barthelomeus Profar is a Curaçaoan professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego…

1993

Hidilyn Diaz

Filipino weightlifter

Hidilyn Francisco Diaz-Naranjo is a Filipino weightlifter, educator, and airwoman. The first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal, she holds two Olympic records in weightlifting for her performance at the women's 55 kg…

1991

Angelique van der Meet

Dutch tennis player

Angelique van der Meet is a former professional Dutch tennis player.

1991

Sally Rooney

Irish novelist

Sally Rooney is an Irish author. She is the author of the novels Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018), Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021), and Intermezzo (2024). The first two works were adapted…

1991

Ciro Immobile

Italian footballer

Ciro Immobile is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for French Ligue 1 club Paris FC.

1990

Ki Bo-bae

South Korean archer

Ki Bo-bae is a South Korean recurve archer and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She was the winner of the women's team and women's individual events at the 2012 Summer Olympics and of the women's team event again at…

1988

Luke Burgess

English rugby league player

Luke Burgess is an English former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. Luke Burgess is the brother of fellow rugby league players Sam, George and Tom…

1987

Martin Hanzal

Czech ice hockey player

Martin Hanzal is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL entry draft.

1987

James Johnson

American basketball player

James Patrick Johnson is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the starting power forward for the Wake Forest Demon…

1987

Julio Borbón

American baseball player

Julio Alberto Borbón is an American former professional baseball center fielder who most recently served as the first base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Texas…

1986

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20 people 2013 – 2025

David Boren

American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma (born 1941)

David Lyle Boren was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate from 1979…

2025

Jerry Butler

American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939)

Jerry Butler Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…

2025

Peter Jason

American actor (born 1944)

Peter Edward Ostling, known professionally as Peter Jason, was an American character actor. He appeared in over 250 film and television roles from his debut in 1967 through the mid-2020's, and was notably a regular in…

2025

Andreas Brehme

German footballer (born 1960)

Andreas "Andi" Brehme was a German professional football player and coach. At international level, he is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina from an…

2024

Yoko Yamamoto

Japanese actress (born 1942)

Yoko Yamamoto was a Japanese actress represented by Kabushikigaisha Sanyō Kikaku. Yamamoto was born on March 17, 1942, and died on February 20, 2024, at the age of 81.

2024

Nurul Haque Miah

Bangladeshi professor and writer (born 1944)

Muhammad Nurul Haque Miah was a professor at Dhaka College and the head of its Department of Chemistry. He is renowned for writing high school and degree textbooks.

2021

Mauro Bellugi

Italian footballer (born 1950)

Mauro Bellugi was an Italian footballer who played as a defender.

2021

Joaquim Pina Moura

Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP (born 1952)

Joaquim Pina Moura was a Portuguese politician and economist. He was a member of the Socialist Party.

2020

Vitaly Churkin

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Nations (born 1952)

Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin was a Russian diplomat. He served as Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 until his death in 2017. Previously he was Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign…

2017

Mildred Dresselhaus

American physicist (born 1930)

Mildred Spiewak Dresselhaus, known as the "Queen of Carbon Science", was an American physicist, materials scientist, and nanotechnologist. She was an Institute Professor and professor of both physics and electrical…

2017

Steve Hewlett

British journalist (born 1958)

Stephen Edward Hewlett was a British print, radio and TV journalist, and visiting professor of Journalism and Broadcast Policy at the University of Salford.

2017

Fernando Cardenal

Nicaraguan priest and politician (born 1934)

Fernando Cardenal Martínez was a Nicaraguan Jesuit and liberation theologian.

2016

Govind Pansare

Indian author and activist (born 1933)

Govind Pansare was a left-wing Indian politician of the Communist Party Of India (CPI). He authored the Marathi language biography of 17th century ruler Shivaji, Shivaji Kon Hota. He and his wife were attacked on 16…

2015

Henry Segerstrom

American businessman and philanthropist (born 1923)

Henry Thomas Segerstrom was an American philanthropist, entrepreneur, cultural leader, and patron of the arts. Managing Partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, he was the founding chairman of the Orange County Performing…

2015

John C. Willke

American physician, author, and activist (born 1925)

John Charles Willke was an American author, physician, and anti-abortion activist. He served as president of National Right to Life and, along with his wife Barbara, authored a number of books on abortion and human…

2015

Rafael Addiego Bruno

Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (born 1923)

Rafael Addiego Bruno was a Uruguayan jurist and political figure.

2014

Walter D. Ehlers

American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1921)

Walter David Ehlers was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the US armed forces' highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II.

2014

Garrick Utley

American journalist (born 1939)

Clifton Garrick Utley was an American television journalist. He established his career reporting about the Vietnam War and has the distinction of being the first full-time television correspondent covering the war…

2014

Kenji Eno

Japanese game designer and composer (born 1970)

Kenji Eno was a Japanese musician and video game designer. He gained a reputation as a maverick during the mid-1990s for creating unorthodox games like Real Sound and is perhaps best remembered today for his rebellious…

2013

David S. McKay

American biochemist and geologist (born 1936)

David Stewart McKay was the chief scientist for Astrobiology at the Johnson Space Center. During the Apollo program, McKay provided geology training to the first men to walk on the Moon in the late 1960s. McKay was the…

2013

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February 20 in the Blog

Grenada Revolution - February 20, 1979

Maurice Bishop's 1979 coup in St. George's, Grenada, sparks a socialist uprising that changes the island nation's course completely

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What happened on February 20 in history?

On February 20, one notable event in history was 2014: Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers..

This date currently highlights 54 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 1339 – 2016.

DateFebruary 20

Featured year2014

LocationUkraine

Events listed54

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February 20 in History

2014 — Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers

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February 20 in History

2014 — Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers

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