Historical events on January 20

JANUARY 20, 1843

Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná, became the de facto first prime minister of the Empire of Brazil.

Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná was a Brazilian politician, diplomat, judge and monarchist. Paraná was born to a noble family Read More

JANUARY 20, 1265

Simon de Montfort summoned local representatives to the Palace of Westminster to attend a parliament, now considered to be the forerunner of the House of Commons of England.

Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, also known as Simon V de Montfort, was an English nobleman of French origin and Read More

JANUARY 20, 2009

In Washington, D.C., Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African American president of the United States.

The first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at Read More

JANUARY 20, 1968

The Houston Cougars upset the UCLA Bruins in what became known as the "Game of the Century", ending the Bruins' 47-game winning streak, and establishing college basketball as a sports commodity on American television.

The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. They Read More

JANUARY 20, 1356

Edward Balliol, whose father John was briefly King of Scotland, gave up his claim to the throne in exchange for an English pension.

Edward Balliol or Edward de Balliol was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English Read More

JANUARY 20, 2018

A group of Taliban gunmen attacked and took hostages at the Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle that left at least 21 people dead.

The Taliban, which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is an Afghan political and militant Read More

JANUARY 20, 2009

During a national financial crisis, thousands of people protested (pictured) at the Icelandic parliament in Reykjavík.

The Icelandic financial crisis was a major economic and political event in Iceland between 2008 and 2010. It involved the default of Read More

JANUARY 20, 1969

Bengali student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman was shot and killed by East Pakistani police, an event that led to the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Amanullah Mohammad Asaduzzaman was an East Pakistani student activist whose death at the hands of police during a protest on 20 January Read More

JANUARY 20, 1945

World War II: In an operation that took nearly two months to complete, Germany began the evacuation of at least 1.8 million people from East Prussia in anticipation of the advancing Soviet Red Army.

World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all Read More

JANUARY 20, 1992

Air Inter Flight 148 crashed into the Vosges while circling to land at Strasbourg Airport, France, resulting in 87 deaths.

Air Inter Flight 148 was a scheduled passenger flight from Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport to Strasbourg Airport in France. On 20 January 1992, the Read More

JANUARY 20, 1156

According to legend, Lalli slew Bishop Henry of Finland with an axe on the ice of Lake Köyliönjärvi in Köyliö.

Lalli is an apocryphal character from Finnish history. According to the legend, he killed Bishop Henry on the ice of Köyliönjärvi on Read More

JANUARY 20, 1990

The Soviet Red Army violently cracked down on Azeri pro-independence demonstrations in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Read More

JANUARY 20, 1942

The Holocaust: Reinhard Heydrich and other senior Nazi officials met at the Wannsee Conference near Berlin to discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah (שואה), was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Read More

What are You Looking for?

Historical events on January 20

Showing selected events of January 20

January Events