Historical events on July 20
JULY 20, 1917
Serbian prime minister Nikola Pašić and Yugoslav Committee president Ante Trumbić signed the Corfu Declaration, agreeing to seek the establishment of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.
Nikola Pašić was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat. During his political career, which spanned almost five decades, he served five
Read More
JULY 20, 1969
The Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle landed on the Sea of Tranquillity, where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later (bootprint pictured).
Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked
Read More
JULY 20, 2015
A suicide attack in Suruç, Turkey, for which Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility, killed 34 people and injured 104 others.
The Suruç bombing was a suicide attack by the Turkish sect of Islamic State named Dokumacılar against Turkish leftists that took place
Read More
JULY 20, 1867
The United States Congress established the Indian Peace Commission to seek peace treaties with a number of Native American tribes.
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including
Read More
JULY 20, 1807
French brothers Claude and Nicéphore Niépce received a patent for their Pyréolophore, one of the world's first internal combustion engines.
Claude Félix Abel Niépce was a French inventor and the older brother of the more celebrated Nicéphore Niépce. Claude traveled to England
Read More
JULY 20, 1651
Wars of the Three Kingdoms: After crossing the Firth of Forth, English Commonwealth forces defeated a Scottish army at the Battle of Inverkeithing, opening the rest of the country to occupation.
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland
Read More
JULY 20, 2001
Twenty-three-year-old Italian anti-globalist Carlo Giuliani was shot dead by a police officer while protesting outside the 27th G8 summit held in Genoa, Italy.
Carlo Giuliani was an Italian anti-globalization protester who was shot dead while attacking a Carabinieri van with a fire extinguisher, by an
Read More
JULY 20, 1977
Rain from a stalled thunderstorm caused six dams to fail, flooding Johnstown, Pennsylvania, resulting in 84 deaths and $340 in damages.
The Johnstown flood of 1977 was a major flood which began on the night of July 19, 1977, when heavy rainfall caused
Read More
JULY 20, 1997
USS Constitution, one of the United States Navy's original six frigates, sailed for the first time in 116 years after a full restoration.
USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. The ship is the
Read More
JULY 20, 1982
Members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated two bombs in Hyde Park and Regent's Park in London, killing eleven British Army personnel and seven horses.
The Provisional Irish Republican Army, officially known as the Irish Republican Army and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican
Read More
JULY 20, 1333
Second War of Scottish Independence: The Scottish-held town of Berwick-upon-Tweed surrendered to English forces, ending a siege led by King Edward III.
The Second War of Scottish Independence broke out in 1332, when Edward Balliol led an English-backed invasion of Scotland. Balliol, the son
Read More
JULY 20, 1950
Korean War: After a month-long campaign, much of the North Korean air force was destroyed by United Nations forces.
The Korean War was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea and South Korea and their allies. North
Read More
JULY 20, 1976
The Viking 1 lander became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission.
Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft, along with Viking 2, each consisting of an orbiter and a lander, sent to
Read More
JULY 20, 1968
The first games of the Special Olympics (athletes pictured), for athletes with intellectual disabilities, were held at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The 1968 Special Olympics World Summer Games were held in Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, United States, on July 20, 1968. Some of
Read More
JULY 20, 1793
Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie reached the Pacific coast at Bella Coola, British Columbia, completing the first recorded transcontinental crossing of North America north of Mexico.
Sir Alexander Mackenzie was a Scottish explorer and fur trader known for accomplishing the first crossing of North America north of Mexico
Read More