Major Events
- 1881 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull, surrenders to US federal troops
- 1921 Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson becomes the first woman to preside over the floor of US House of Representatives
- 1969 Apollo 11 lunar module carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lands on the surface of the Moon; Aldrin and Armstrong walk on the moon seven hours later; Michael Collins remains in orbit in the command module
- 1969 Apollo 11: US Astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the moon at 10:56 PM ET (21July, 2:56:15 AM GMT) [1]
- 1976 US Viking 1 lands on Mars at Chryse Planitia, 1st Martian landing
- 2017 China announces a plan against “foreign garbage” banning 24 categories of plastic and recyclable waste from 2018
- More July 20 Events
Jul 20 in Film & TV
- 1940 Billboard publishes its 1st singles record chart - "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey, with vocal by Frank Sinatra is #1
- 1950 "Arthur Murray Party" premieres on ABC TV (later DuMont, CBS, NBC)
Jul 20 in Sport
- 1976 Hank Aaron hits 755th and last home run off Angels Dick Drago
Did You Know?
Euston railway station opens in London as the terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR), the city's 1st intercity railway station
Alexander the Great
Mahmud II
Gregor Mendel
Mad Dog Coll
Marina Popovich
Enrique Peña Nieto
Sally Ann Howes
Natalie Wood
Sandra Oh
Gisele Bündchen
Carlos Santana
Edmund Hillary
Mike Ilitch
Mima Jausovec
Fun Fact About July 20
USSR recovers 2 dogs; 1st living organisms to return from space
Famous Weddings
Famous Divorces
- 1966 American actress Jayne Mansfield and American film producer and director Matt Cimber file for divorce, after less than 2 years of marriage
- 1993 Joe Petruzzi files for divorce from Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever)
- 2012 "Game of Thrones" actress Lena Headey (38) divorces musician Peter Loughran due to irreconcilable differences
More July 20 Weddings
Leo XIII
Guglielmo Marconi
Bruce Lee
Roberto Suárez GómezArticles, Photos and Quiz
Opening of Euston Station
An early print of Euston station showing the wrought iron roof of 1837. Note the open carriages.
July 20, 1837
Lunar Landing Makes 'Giant Leap For Mankind'
It was “one giant leap for mankind” as Neil Armstrong stepped from the ladder of his lunar module on this day to become the first man ever to walk on the Moon.
July 20, 1969
