July 20 is the 201st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 164 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about July 20th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about July 20th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- National Lollipop Day
- World Jump Day
- International Chess Day
- Space Exploration Day
- National Moon Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – July 20
2012: Aurora shooting
A gunman, James Holmes, opened fire in a movie theater during the premier of the Dark Night Rises in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others.
1976: Viking I lands on Mars
Part of the Viking program, Viking I became the first American spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and to complete its mission.
1974: Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Also known as Cyprus Peace Operation or Operation Attila, the invasion was a response to a coup in Cyprus.
1969: Apollo 11 lands on the Moon
Carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who would become the first humans to walk on the Moon, the spacecraft safely landed on the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon.
1969: Football War ends
A ceasefire came into effect between Honduras and El Salvador after the two countries fought a brief war over immigration El Salvador to Honduras. The hostilities occurred during North American trials of the FIFA World Cup.
1944: Hermann Goering and other German officials survey the damage to Hitler’s “Wolf’s Lair” headquarters after the failed July 20th assassination attempt (July 20th, 1944)
1943: A German tanker from the 20th Panzer Division shows the camera his Panzer IV shot through the barrel by a Soviet shell – Battle of Kursk, July 1943
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, July 20
1978: Elliott Yamin, American singer-songwriter
1966: Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexican politician
1947: Carlos Santana, Mexican/American singer-songwriter, guitarist
1919: Edmund Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer, explorer
1304: Petrarch, Italian scholar, poet
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, July 20
2013: Helen Thomas, American journalist
2011: Lucian Freud, English painter
1973: Bruce Lee, American actor, martial artist
1937: Guglielmo Marconi, Italian businessman, inventor, developed Marconi’s law, Nobel Prize laureate
1923: Pancho Villa, Mexican general
