Major Events
- 622 Prophet Muhammad arrives in Yathrib (Medina)
- 1519 Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the 1st successful circumnavigation of the globe (Magellan killed on route)
- 1854 Battle of the Alma: British, French and Ottoman alliance defeat the Russian Empire in the 1st major battle of the Crimean War
- 1990 Both East and West Germany ratify reunification
- 2001 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, US President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror"
- 2019 Students from 185 countries stage the world's largest-ever protest on climate change culminating in Manhattan rally led by Greta Thunberg
- More September 20 Events
Sep 20 in Film & TV
- 1984 "The Cosby Show" premieres on NBC-TV starring Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad
Sep 20 in Music
- 1969 Virtual 'cartoon' band Archies' single "Sugar Sugar" hits #1
Sep 20 in Sport
- 1973 Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match
Did You Know?
Maryland passes 1st anti-amalgamation law to stop intermarriage of English women & black men
Ernesto Teodoro Moneta
Upton Sinclair
Maxwell Perkins
Sani Abacha
Lloyd Blankfein
Sophia Loren
Red Auerbach
Guy Lafleur
John Tavares
Fun Fact About September 20
Capture of Rome by Italian army, Pope Pius IX surrenders to King Victor Emmanuel which unifies Italy and ends 1,116 year reign of Papal States
Famous Weddings
- 1975 British comic actor Dudley Moore (40) weds American actress Tuesday Weld (31); divorce in 1980
- 1997 "CHiPs" actor Erik Estrada (48) weds Nanette Mirkovich
- 2002 "The Matrix" actor Laurence Fishburne (41) weds actress Gina Torres (33) at The Cloisters museum in New York City
Famous Divorces
- 1951 Actor Jackie Coogan (36) divorces Ann McCormack after 5 years of marriage
- 1983 Actor James Woods (36) divorces costume designer Kathryn Morrison after 3 years of marriage
- 1985 Welsh novelist Ken Follett (36) divorces Mary Emma Ruth Elson; after 17-1/2 years of marriage
More September 20 Weddings
Jacob Grimm
Eduard Wirths
Fiorello La Guardia
Jean Sibelius
Jim CroceArticles, Photos and Quiz
Greek God Blamed For Tsunami
A huge tsunami hit Japan on this day, killing up to 31,000 people. It was not the first, nor the last, nor the most deadly. Nor was it the work of an angry god.
September 20, 1498
Battle of the Alma
The 2nd Rifle Brigade leading the Light Division across the river at the Battle of the Alma during the Crimean War
September 20, 1854
