Ovid
b. -43
Roman poet
On This Day · The 79th day of the year
March 20
March 20 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1602 and 2014. The Dutch East India Company is established.
Compiled & reviewed by Roman Tailor · Last reviewed July 13, 2026
What happened on March 20?
March 20 is the 79th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1602 and 2014. Famous people born on March 20 include Ovid, Maud Menten and Napoleon II.
The shape of the day
100 years on from Chiang Kai-shek, March 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.
Pisces is the sign for March 20 — read more on the Pisces page, or see March's birthstone & birth flower.
Released on March 20
Movies, games, albums & shows2025
- Game Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Game Cataclismo
2024
- TV X-Men '97
Release data from TMDB & IGDB.
Events
10 notable moments- 1602
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company is established.
- 1852
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is published.
- 1854
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party of the United States is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin, US.
- 1861
1861 Mendoza earthquake
An earthquake destroys Mendoza, Argentina.
- 1923
Arts Club of Chicago
The Arts Club of Chicago hosts the opening of Pablo Picasso's first United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso, becoming an early proponent of modern art in the United States.
- 1926
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek initiates a purge of communist elements within the National Revolutionary Army in Guangzhou.
- 1942
World War II
World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return".
- 1993
The Troubles
The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb kills two children in Warrington, England. It leads to mass protests in both Britain and Ireland.
- 2010
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland begins eruptions that would last for three months, heavily disrupting air travel in Europe.
- 2014
Taliban
Four suspected Taliban members attack the Kabul Serena Hotel, killing at least nine people.
Famous birthday twins
Born on March 20Maud Menten
b. 1879
Canadian physician and biochemist
Napoleon II
b. 1811
French emperor
Henrik Ibsen
b. 1828
Norwegian poet, playwright, and director
Fernando Torres
b. 1984
Spanish footballer
Sting (wrestler)
b. 1959
American wrestler
Spike Lee
b. 1957
American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
b. 1870
German general
Deaths
- 2017David Rockefeller
- 1968Carl Theodor Dreyer
- 1931Hermann Müller (politician, born 1876)
- 1930Arthur F. Andrews
- 1878Julius von Mayer
- 1568Albert, Duke of Prussia
Holidays & observances
- —Christian feast day: Alexandra
- —Christian feast day: Blessed John of Parma
- —Christian feast day: Clement of Ireland
- —Christian feast day: Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
- —Christian feast day: Herbert of Derwentwater
- —Christian feast day: John of Nepomuk
- —Christian feast day: Józef Bilczewski
- —Christian feast day: María Josefa Sancho de Guerra
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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