Historical events on May 20
MAY 20, 2012
The first of two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, resulting in seven deaths.
In May 2012, two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, causing 27 deaths and widespread damage. The events are known in Italy as
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MAY 20, 1947
The first session of the National Diet opened in Tokyo, Japan.
The National Diet is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives,
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MAY 20, 1927
With the signing of the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the sovereignty of Ibn Saud over Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged to become Saudi Arabia.
The 1927 Treaty of Jeddah, formally the Treaty between His Majesty and His Majesty the King of the Hejaz and of Nejd
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MAY 20, 685
The Picts defeated the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain, severely weakening the latter's power in northern Great Britain.
The Picts were a group of peoples in what is now Scotland north of the Firth of Forth, in the Early Middle
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MAY 20, 1609
Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's consent.
Thomas Thorpe was an English publisher, most famous for publishing Shakespeare's sonnets and several works by Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. His
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MAY 20, 2013
A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage.
The 2013 Moore tornado was a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado that ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas on the afternoon
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MAY 20, 1714
J. S. Bach led the first performance of his Pentecost cantata Erschallet, ihr Lieder at the chapel of Schloss Weimar.
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across
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MAY 20, 1927
By the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognised the sovereignty of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (pictured) over Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged to become Saudi Arabia.
The 1927 Treaty of Jeddah, formally the Treaty between His Majesty and His Majesty the King of the Hejaz and of Nejd
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MAY 20, 325
The First Council of Nicaea (depicted), the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened by Constantine the Great.
The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea by the Roman Emperor
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MAY 20, 1515
Ulysses, who would be famously depicted in a posthumous woodcut, landed in Lisbon, becoming the first of his species to visit Europe in a thousand years.
Dürer's Rhinoceros is the name commonly given to a woodcut executed by German artist Albrecht Dürer in 1515. Dürer never saw the
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MAY 20, 794
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia was beheaded on the orders of Offa of Mercia.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons.
MAY 20, 1941
World War II: German paratroopers began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port in Heraklion ten days later.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all
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MAY 20, 1875
Representatives from seventeen countries signed the Metre Convention, which set up an institute for the purpose of coordinating international metrology and for coordinating the development of the metric system.
The Metre Convention, also known as the Treaty of the Metre, is an international treaty that was signed in Paris on 20
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MAY 20, 1965
While attempting to land at Cairo International Airport, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashed for unknown reasons, killing all but 6 of the 121 people on board.
Cairo International Airport is the principal international airport of Cairo and the largest and busiest airport in Egypt. It serves as the
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MAY 20, 1811
A British squadron under Charles Marsh Schomberg defeated a French force off Tamatave, Madagascar, that was attempting to reinforce the French garrison on Mauritius.
Captain Sir Charles Marsh Schomberg was an officer of the British Royal Navy, who served during French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and
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MAY 20, 1996
In deciding Romer v. Evans, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a constitutional amendment in Colorado that prevented protected status under the law for homosexuals or bisexuals.
Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996), is a landmark United States Supreme Court case dealing with sexual orientation and state laws.
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MAY 20, 1943
The Luttra Woman, a bog body from the Early Neolithic period, was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.
The Luttra Woman is a skeletonised bog body discovered in a peat bog in Falbygden near Luttra, Sweden. The remains were found on
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