Date·Lore

On This Day · The 20th day of the year

January 20

January 20 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1156 and 2009. Finnish peasant Lalli kills English clergyman Henry, the Bishop of Turku, on the ice of Lake Köyliö.

♒ZodiacAquarius ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on January 20?

January 20 is the 20th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1156 and 2009. Famous people born on January 20 include Bill Maher, André-Marie Ampère and Jason Richardson.

The shape of the day

This year marks the 300th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach — January 20 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Aquarius is the sign for January 20 — read more on the Aquarius page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on January 20

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game Mio: Memories in Orbit
  • Game 2XKO
  • Game Blightstone

2023

  • Game Fire Emblem Engage

2022

  • Game Expeditions: Rome
  • Game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction
  • Game Windjammers 2
  • Game Pupperazzi

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1156

    Lalli

    Finnish peasant Lalli kills English clergyman Henry, the Bishop of Turku, on the ice of Lake Köyliö.

  2. 1356

    Edward Balliol

    Edward Balliol surrenders his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension.

  3. 1726

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen (My sighs, my tears), BWV 13, for the second Sunday after Epiphany.

  4. 1841

    Hong Kong Island

    Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British during the First Opium War.

  5. 1941

    Bucharest

    A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.

  6. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question".

  7. 1945

    Nazi Germany

    World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months.

  8. 1981

    Ronald Reagan

    Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America, Iran releases 52 American hostages.

  9. 1991

    Sudan

    Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.

  10. 2009

    Iceland

    A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 20

Bill Maher

b. 1956

American comedian, political commentator, media critic, television host, and producer

André-Marie Ampère

b. 1775

French physicist and mathematician

Jason Richardson

b. 1981

American basketball player

Gordian III

b. 225

Roman emperor

David Lynch

b. 1946

American director, producer, and screenwriter

Buzz Aldrin

b. 1930

American colonel, pilot, and astronaut

Federico Fellini

b. 1920

Italian director and screenwriter

Nikki Haley

b. 1972

American accountant and politician, 116th Governor of South Carolina

Deaths

  • 2018Paul Bocuse
  • 1993Audrey Hepburn
  • 1973Lorenz Böhler
  • 1859Bettina von Arnim
  • 1189Emperor Shizong of Jin
  • 842Theophilos (emperor)

Holidays & observances

  • —Armed Forces Day (Mali)
  • —Army Day (Laos)
  • —Christian feast day: Abadios
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Basil Moreau
  • —Christian feast day: Eustochia Smeralda Calafato
  • —Christian feast day: Euthymius the Great
  • —Christian feast day: Fabian
  • —Christian feast day: Manchán of Lemanaghan

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.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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