Martin Schulz
b. 1955
German politician
On This Day · The 354th day of the year
December 20
December 20 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1860 and 1995. South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession.
Compiled & reviewed by Roman Tailor · Last reviewed July 13, 2026
What happened on December 20?
December 20 is the 354th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1860 and 1995. Famous people born on December 20 include Martin Schulz, Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Uri Geller.
The shape of the day
75 years on from Experimental Breeder Reactor I, December 20 is a date with an anniversary worth pausing on. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.
Sagittarius is the sign for December 20 — read more on the Sagittarius page, or see December's birthstone & birth flower.
Events
10 notable moments- 1860
South Carolina
South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States with the South Carolina Declaration of Secession.
- 1915
World War I
World War I: The last Australian troops are evacuated from Gallipoli.
- 1924
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler is released from Landsberg Prison.
- 1941
World War II
World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers", in Kunming, China.
- 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.
- 1957
Boeing 707
The initial production version of the Boeing 707 makes its first flight.
- 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.
- 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."
- 1985
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II announces the creation of World Youth Day.
- 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.
Famous birthday twins
Born on December 20Martyn 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
- 1984Dmitry Ustinov
- 1968John Steinbeck
- 1954James Hilton (novelist)
- 1722Kangxi Emperor
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)
Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.
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