Did you know
In 2003, The Sloan Great Wall, once the largest cosmic structures known to humanity, is discovered by students at Princeton University. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.
October 20 in History
2003 — The Sloan Great Wall, once the largest cosmic structures known to humanity, is discovered by students at Princeton University
October 20 spans 38 recorded events across recorded history, from 1568 to 2022. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
38 events
1568 – 2022
Today in history
More major events on October 20
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1961 The Soviet Navy performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine. Source
- 2011 Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war. Source
- 1883 Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province is ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific. Source
Did you know
This is a list of the largest cosmic structures so far discovered. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.
Did you know
The unit of measurement used is the light-year. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.
Did you know
In 2003, The Sloan Great Wall, once the largest cosmic structures known to humanity, is discovered by students at Princeton University had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
Did you know
In 2003, The Sloan Great Wall, once the largest cosmic structures known to humanity, is discovered by students at Princeton University had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.
1568
The Spanish Duke of Alba defeats a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent.
Spanish military officer, statesman and diplomat (1507–1582)
1572
Eighty Years' War: Three thousand Spanish soldiers wade through fifteen miles of water in one night to effect the relief of Goes.
c. 1566/1568–1648 war in Habsburg Netherlands
1740
France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction, and the War of the Austrian Succession begins.
Holy Roman edict allowing royal inheritance by Charles VI's daughter Maria Theresa
1774
American Revolution: The Continental Association, a nonconsumption and nonimportation agreement against the British Isles and the British West Indies, is adopted by the First Continental Congress.
Founding of the United States
1781
The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Austria.
1781 edict by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II
1803
The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.
1803 acquisition of region of Middle America land by the U.S. from France
1818
The Convention of 1818 is signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which settles the Canada–United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.
Treaty establishing the western US–Canada border
1827
Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.
Greek rebellion against the Ottoman Empire (1821–1829)
1883
Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province is ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.
1883 territorial settlement between Chile and Peru
1904
Chile and Bolivia sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, delimiting the border between the two countries.
1904 border demarcation treaty between Chile and Bolivia
1910
1935
The Long March, a mammoth retreat undertaken by the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party a year prior, ends.
1934–1936 Red Army retreat during the Chinese Civil War
1941
World War II: Thousands of civilians in German-occupied Serbia are murdered in the Kragujevac massacre.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1944
World War II: The Soviet Red Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade.
Soviet army and air force from 1918 to 1946
1944
Liquefied natural gas leaks from storage tanks in Cleveland and then explodes, leveling 30 blocks and killing 130 people.
Form of natural gas for easier storage and transport
1944
World War II: American general Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines when he comes ashore during the Battle of Leyte.
American general (1880–1964)
1947
Cold War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of the Hollywood film industry, resulting in a blacklist that prevents some from working in the industry for years.
1947–1991 geopolitical rivalry between US and USSR
1948
A KLM Lockheed L-049 Constellation crashes on approach to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, killing 40.
National airline of the Netherlands
1951
The "Johnny Bright incident" occurs during a football game between the Drake Bulldogs and Oklahoma A&M Aggies.
1951 on-field assault during an American college football game
1952
The Governor of Kenya Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising.
British diplomat (1903–1973)
1961
The Soviet Navy performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine.
Maritime service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces
1962
China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.
Country in East Asia
1973
Watergate scandal: "Saturday Night Massacre": United States President Richard Nixon fires U.S.
Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who is finally fired by Solicitor General Robert Bork.
1973
The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction.
Performing arts centre in Australia
1976
The Luling–Destrehan Ferry MV George Prince is struck by the Norwegian freighter SS Frosta while crossing the Mississippi River in St.
Charles Parish, Louisiana. Seventy-eight passengers and crew die, and only 18 people aboard the ferry survive.
1977
A plane carrying the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in woodland in Mississippi, United States.
Six people, including three band members, are killed.
1981
Two police officers and a Brink's armored car guard are killed during an armed robbery carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground in Nanuet, New York.
Security company
1982
During the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem, 66 people are crushed to death in the Luzhniki disaster.
Association football club in Russia
1986
Aeroflot Flight 6502 crashes while landing at Kuibyshev Airport (now Kuromoch International Airport) in Kuibyshev (now present-day Samara, Russia), killing 70 people.
1986 Tu-134 crash in Samara
1991
A 6.8 Mw earthquake strikes the Uttarkashi region of India, killing more than 1,000 people.
Measure of earthquake size
1991
A massive firestorm breaks out in the hills of Oakland and Berkeley, California killing 25 people and destroying more than 3,000 homes, apartments and condominiums.
High intensity conflagration
2002
Top Gear, the revived popular British TV motoring magazine, premieres on BBC.
British motoring TV show (2002–2022)
2005
The general conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passes the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Specialized agency of the United Nations
2011
Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war.
Conflicts in Libya since 2011
2017
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declare victory in the Raqqa campaign.
2011–2024 armed conflict in Syria
2022
Liz Truss steps down as British Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party amid the country's political crisis, serving for the least time of any British Prime Minister (49 days).
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2022