Date·Lore

On This Day · The 140th day of the year

May 20

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.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

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

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 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.

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

  2. 1714

    Johann Sebastian Bach

  3. 1862

    Abraham Lincoln

  4. 1875

    Metre Convention

  5. 1902

    Cuba

  6. 1927

    Treaty of Jeddah (1927)

  7. 1943

    Luttra Woman

  8. 2012

    2012 Northern Italy earthquakes

  9. 2016

    Singapore

  10. 2022

    Russo-Ukrainian war

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 20

José Mujica

b. 1935

Honoré de Balzac

b. 1799

Iker Casillas

b. 1981

David Paterson

b. 1954

Cher

b. 1946

Eduard Buchner

b. 1860

Leo Franco

b. 1977

John Stuart Mill

b. 1806

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

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn 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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