✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 354th day of the year

December 20

A look at December 20 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Martin Schulz and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1995

    American Airlines Flight 965

    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.

    1995 aviation accident in
  2. 1985

    Pope John Paul II

    Pope John Paul II announces the creation of World Youth Day.

    Head of the Catholic
  3. 1984

    Murder of Jonelle Matthews

    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."

    1984 murder in Greeley,
  4. 1960

    Vietnam War

    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.

    1955–1975 war in Southeast
  5. 1957

    Boeing 707

    The initial production version of the Boeing 707 makes its first flight.

    Four-engined single-aisle airliner family
  6. 1951

    Experimental Breeder Reactor I

    The EBR-1 in Arco, Idaho becomes the first nuclear power plant to generate electricity. The electricity powered four light bulbs.

    Breeder reactor in Idaho,
  7. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers", in Kunming, China.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  8. 1924

    Adolf Hitler

    Adolf Hitler is released from Landsberg Prison.

    Dictator of Germany from
  9. 1915

    World War I

    World War I: The last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli.

    1914–1918 global conflict
  10. 1860

    South Carolina

    South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession.

    U.S. state
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Famous birthday twins

Born on December 20

Martin Schulz

b. 1955

German politician

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

b. 1899

Welsh preacher and physician

Uri Geller

b. 1946

Israeli-English magician and psychic

George Roy Hill

b. 1921

American director, producer, and screenwriter

John III of Sweden

b. 1537

king of Sweden

Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz

b. 1959

Polish physicist and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Poland

Otto Graf Lambsdorff

b. 1926

German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of Economics

Karl Wendlinger

b. 1968

Austrian racing driver

Deaths

  • 1996Carl Sagan, American astronomer, astrophysicist, and cosmologist
  • 1984Dmitry Ustinov, Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union
  • 1968John Steinbeck, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1954James Hilton (novelist), English-American author and screenwriter
  • 1722Kangxi Emperor, emperor of the Qing Dynasty
  • 69AD 69, a Roman politician and soldier

Holidays & observances

  • —Abolition of Slavery Day, also known as Fête des Cafres (Réunion, French Guiana)
  • —Bo Aung Kyaw Day (Myanmar)
  • —Christian feast day: Dominic of Silos
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Michał Piaszczyński
  • —Christian feast day: O Clavis
  • —Christian feast day: Philogonius
  • —Christian feast day: Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne
  • —Christian feast day: Katharina von Bora (Lutheran)

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