What Happened on Jul 20

Battle of Ankara (Battle of Angora)

The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk (near Ankara) between the forces of the Ottoman... Read more

John Oldham and Several of His Crew are Killed by Narragansett-Allied Indians

On July 20, 1636, a respected trader named John Oldham was attacked on a trading voyage to Block Island. He and several of his crew were killed and... Read more

The "Great Fear"

The "Great Fear" (French: la Grande Peur) occurred from July 20 to August 5, 1789 in France at the start of the French Revolution. Rural unrest had... Read more

Battle of Peachtree Creek

Description: Under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, the Army of Tennessee had retired south of Peachtree Creek, an east to west flowing stream, about three... Read more

Battle of Rutherford's Farm

Description: On July 20, Brig. Gen. W.W. Averell’s Union division attacked Maj. Gen. S.D. Ramseur’s Confederate division at Rutherford’s and... Read more

Pope Leo XIII dies

Leo XIII was the first Pope to be born in the 19th century. He was also the first to die in the 20th century: he lived to the age of 93, the... Read more

Pere Marquette Railway Disaster

Thirty-one persons were killed and more than seventy injured, many of them seriously, when a Pere Marquette excursion train bound from Ionia to... Read more

Nikola Tesla Appears on the Cover of Time Magazine

On Nikola Tesla's birthday in mid-July, the electrical term which his name has become is regenerated as a tall, meagre, eagle-headed man. Reporters... Read more

Ronald Reagan Appears in "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse"

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a 1938 Warner Bros. crime film starring Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor and Humphrey Bogart. It was directed by... Read more

Operation Valkyrie: Adolf Hitler Narrowly Escapes Explosion of Bomb Planted by Claus von Stauffenberg

The 20 July plot of 1944 was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, inside his "Wolf's Lair" field headquarters... Read more

"The Men" Is Released

The Men is a 1950 film directed by Fred Zinnemann. It tells the story of a World War II lieutenant, who is seriously injured in combat, and the... Read more

1968 International Special Olympics Summer Games

The First International Special Olympics Games (Summer Special Olympics) were held in Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois. These were the very... Read more

Woodstock organizers select Yasgur's farm as venue

On July 20, 1969, Yasgur, meeting with the organizers at a White Lake restaurant called The Lighthouse, agreed to rent 600 acres (2.4 km2) for... Read more

Parliament releases The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein

The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein is an album by funk band Parliament, released in the summer of 1976. The album is notable for featuring horn... Read more

MST3K Ep. 308 - "Gamera vs. Gyaos"

Gamera fights the pterodactyl-like Gyaos. Also shown in experiment K06. Read more

John Daly wins the 124th Open Championship

John Daly won his first Open Championship and second overall major championship in a four-hole playoff over Costantino Rocca. The 1995 Open is... Read more

Tiger Woods wins the 129th Open Championship, becomes youngest golfer to win all four majors

Tiger Woods won his first Open Championship and fourth major championship by eight strokes over Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els. With the victory, Woods... Read more

"Ghost World" Is Released

Ghost World is a 2001 film directed by Terry Zwigoff, based on a graphic novel (of the same name) and screenplay by Daniel Clowes. The story... Read more

Randy Constan Weirds People Out With His "Peter Pan" Costume

Randy Constan is a Peter Pan impersonator who posted his cosplay pictures on a website in 2001, in what he stated was an attempt to find a... Read more

Boston Red Sox defeat Texas Rangers, 6-4

Last weekend, when the sky was falling, the pitching was being bludgeoned, and the Oakland Athletics were making the unbearable Boston heat even... Read more

Tiger Woods wins the 135th Open Championship

Tiger Woods completed one of the best ball-striking weeks of his career to retain his British Open title with an emotional two-shot victory over... Read more

Boston Red Sox defeat Chicago White Sox, 10-3

Amid booing by the locals, David Ortiz, Manny Ramírez, and Mike Lowell stood near the Red Sox on-deck circle. Ramírez, just thrown out at the plate... Read more

Detroit Tigers defeat Baltimore Orioles, 5-1

This time, there was no one-run loss to lament. It wasn't one at-bat or one pitch that resulted in another Sunday defeat, continuing a streak that... Read more

Beastie Boys cancel tour dates, postpone album release

Beastie Boys have today (20 July) issued the following statement: ‘Adam “MCA” Yauch of Beastie Boys was diagnosed last week as having a... Read more

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Warns Against Destabilizing Security

July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned leading opposition politicians to avoid undermining the country’s... Read more