Date·Lore

On This Day · The 140th day of the year

May 20

May 20 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 325 and 2022. The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 20?

May 20 is the 140th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 325 and 2022. Famous people born on May 20 include José Mujica, Honoré de Balzac and Iker Casillas.

The shape of the day

May 20 carries an unusually long memory — its events reach back as far as 325. Most of the weight falls in the 21st century, where politics and nation-building recur.

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

Released on May 20

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Movie The Mandalorian and Grogu
  • Movie Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War
  • Game Thick as Thieves
  • Movie Passenger

2025

  • Game RoadCraft
  • Game The Siege and the Sandfox
  • Game Game of Thrones: Kingsroad
  • Game Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer

2024

  • Game Songs of Conquest

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 325

    First Council of Nicaea

    The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church.

  2. 1714

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Johann Sebastian Bach leads the first performance of his cantata for Pentecost, Erschallet, ihr Lieder, BWV 172, at the chapel of Schloss Weimar.

  3. 1862

    Abraham Lincoln

    U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, opening eighty-four million acres (340,000 km2) of public land to settlers.

  4. 1875

    Metre Convention

    Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.

  5. 1902

    Cuba

    Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President.

  6. 1927

    Treaty of Jeddah (1927)

    Treaty of Jeddah: The United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

  7. 1943

    Luttra Woman

    The Luttra Woman, a bog body from the Early Neolithic period (radiocarbon-dated c. 3928–3651 BC), is discovered near Luttra, Sweden.

  8. 2012

    2012 Northern Italy earthquakes

    At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.

  9. 2016

    Singapore

    The government of Singapore authorises the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a Chinese construction worker despite international pleas for clemency, notably from Amnesty International and the United Nations.

  10. 2022

    Russo-Ukrainian war

    Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claims full control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 20

José Mujica

b. 1935

Uruguayan guerrilla leader and politician, 40th President of Uruguay

Honoré de Balzac

b. 1799

French novelist and playwright

Iker Casillas

b. 1981

Spanish footballer

David Paterson

b. 1954

American lawyer and politician, 55th Governor of New York

Cher

b. 1946

American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress

Eduard Buchner

b. 1860

German chemist, zymologist, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

Leo Franco

b. 1977

Argentinian footballer

John Stuart Mill

b. 1806

English economist, civil servant, and philosopher

Deaths

  • 2011Randy Savage
  • 1949Damaskinos of Athens
  • 1947Philipp Lenard
  • 1917Philipp von Ferrary
  • 1648Władysław IV Vasa
  • 1506Christopher Columbus

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Abercius and Helena
  • —Christian feast day: Alcuin of York
  • —Christian feast day: Aurea of Ostia
  • —Christian feast day: Austregisilus
  • —Christian feast day: Baudilus
  • —Christian feast day: Bernardino of Siena
  • —Christian feast day: Columba of Rieti
  • —Christian feast day: Lydia of Thyatira

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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