1685
341 years ago
UK story
Monmouth Rebellion: James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth declares himself King of England at Bridgwater.
On this day: 20 June
129 things happened on 20 June, from AD 840 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
In the UK 5
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1756
270 years ago
UK story
A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta.
1819
207 years ago
UK story
The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail.
1837
189 years ago
UK story
Queen Victoria (pictured) acceded to the British throne, beginning a 63-year reign.
1982
44 years ago
UK story
The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Marine commandos in the final action of the Falklands War.
Around the world 29
1180
846 years ago
First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan.
1210
816 years ago
Michael I Komnenos Doukas, the first ruler of the despotate of Epirus, signs a treaty with the Republic of Venice and becomes their vassal.
1295
731 years ago
The Treaty of Anagni, an attempt mediated by the papacy to end the War of the Sicilian Vespers, is signed by the crown of Aragon, the kingdom of France and kingdom of Naples.
1622
404 years ago
The Battle of Höchst takes place during the Thirty Years' War.
1652
374 years ago
Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha is appointed Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
1782
244 years ago
The Congress of the Confederation adopted the Great Seal of the United States (obverse pictured), used to authenticate documents issued by the U.S. federal government.
1787
239 years ago
Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the 'United States'.
1789
237 years ago
Deputies of the French Third Estate take the Tennis Court Oath.
1791
235 years ago
King Louis XVI, disguised as a valet, and the French royal family attempt to flee Paris during the French Revolution.
1840
186 years ago
Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
1863
163 years ago
American Civil War: West Virginia is admitted as the 35th U.S. state.
1877
149 years ago
Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
1895
131 years ago
The Kiel Canal, crossing the base of the Jutland peninsula and the busiest artificial waterway in the world, is officially opened.
1900
126 years ago
Boxer Rebellion: The Imperial Chinese Army began a 55-day siege of the Legation Quarter in Peking.
1900
126 years ago
Baron Eduard Toll, leader of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900, departs Saint Petersburg in Russia on the explorer ship Zarya, never to return.
1921
105 years ago
Workers at the Buckingham and Carnatic Mills in Madras, India, began a four-month strike.
1926
100 years ago
Approximately 250,000 spectators attended the opening procession of the 28th International Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, United States.
1944
82 years ago
World War II: During the Continuation War, the Soviet Union demands unconditional surrender from Finland during the beginning of partially successful Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive. The Finnish government refuses.
1944
82 years ago
The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space.
1948
78 years ago
In Western Allied-occupied Germany, the Currency Reform of 1948 goes into effect, introducing the Deutsche Mark. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany responded by imposing the Berlin Blockade four days later.
1960
66 years ago
The Mali Federation gained independence from France, but dissolved into Mali and Senegal two months later.
1963
63 years ago
Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called "red telephone" link between Washington, D.C., and Moscow.
1975
51 years ago
Steven Spielberg's film Jaws was released; it became a summer blockbuster and the first film to earn $100 million in U.S. theatrical rentals.
1988
38 years ago
Haitian president Leslie Manigat is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Lieutenant General Henri Namphy.
1990
36 years ago
Asteroid Eureka is discovered.
1991
35 years ago
The German Bundestag votes to move seat of government from the former West German capital of Bonn to the present capital of Berlin.
1996
30 years ago
Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-78 to conduct life science and microgravity research aboard the Spacelab module.
2003
23 years ago
The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.
2025
1 year ago
The first EF5 tornado in 12 years occurs in Enderlin, North Dakota.
Quick quiz
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
-
In which year did this happen: “Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne, beginning a 63-year reign”?
- 1915
- 1837
- 1982
Show the answer
B: 1837. 1837 — that’s 189 years ago. Find it on the page
-
In which year did this happen: “A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta”?
- 1941
- 1756
- 1982
Show the answer
B: 1756. 1756 — that’s 270 years ago. Find it on the page
-
Which of these happened first?
- A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta
- Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne, beginning a 63-year reign
- The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal
Show the answer
A: A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta. 1756: A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta · 1837: Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne, beginning a 63-year reign · 1982: The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal Find it on the page
-
“The Argentine Corbeta Uruguay base on Southern Thule surrenders to Royal” happened in 1982. How many years ago was that?
- 34 years
- 44 years
- 54 years
Show the answer
B: 44 years. 2026 − 1982 = 44. Find it on the page
Born on this day 40
Famous people whose birthday is 20 June.
- 1978 Frank Lampard — English footballer UK Read more about Frank Lampard on Wikipedia
- 1967 Nicole Kidman — American-Australian actress Read more about Nicole Kidman on Wikipedia
- 1861 Frederick Gowland Hopkins — English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1947) UK Read more about Frederick Gowland Hopkins on Wikipedia
- 1819 Jacques Offenbach — German-French cellist and composer (died 1880) Read more about Jacques Offenbach on Wikipedia
- 1952 John Goodman — American actor Read more about John Goodman on Wikipedia
- 1928 Martin Landau — American actor and producer (died 2017) Read more about Martin Landau on Wikipedia
- 1928 Jean-Marie Le Pen — French intelligence officer and politician (died 2025) Read more about Jean-Marie Le Pen on Wikipedia
- 1941 Stephen Frears — English actor, director, and producer UK Read more about Stephen Frears on Wikipedia
- 1940 John Mahoney — English-born American actor (died 2018) UK Read more about John Mahoney on Wikipedia
- 1915 Terence Young — Chinese-English director and screenwriter (died 1994) UK Read more about Terence Young on Wikipedia
- 1909 Errol Flynn — Australian-American actor (died 1959) Read more about Errol Flynn on Wikipedia
- 1389 John of Lancaster — 1st Duke of Bedford, English statesman (died 1435) UK Read more about John of Lancaster on Wikipedia
- 1949 Lionel Richie — American singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor Read more about Lionel Richie on Wikipedia
- 1982 Example — English singer/rapper UK Read more about Example on Wikipedia
- 1566 Sigismund III Vasa — Polish and Swedish king (died 1632) Read more about Sigismund III Vasa on Wikipedia
- 1946 Birgitte — Duchess of Gloucester UK Read more about Birgitte on Wikipedia
- 1891 John A. Costello — Irish lawyer and politician, 3rd Taoiseach of Ireland (died 1976) UK Read more about John A. Costello on Wikipedia
- 1968 Mateusz Morawiecki — Polish banker, economist, and politician Read more about Mateusz Morawiecki on Wikipedia
- 1906 Catherine Cookson — English novelist (died 1998) UK Read more about Catherine Cookson on Wikipedia
- 1956 Peter Reid — English footballer and manager UK Read more about Peter Reid on Wikipedia
- 1960 John Taylor — English bass player and actor UK Read more about John Taylor on Wikipedia
- 1642 (O.S.) George Hickes — English minister and scholar (died 1715) UK Read more about (O.S.) George Hickes on Wikipedia
- 1723 (O.S.) Adam Ferguson — Scottish philosopher and historian (died 1816) UK Read more about (O.S.) Adam Ferguson on Wikipedia
- 1647 (O.S.) John George III — Elector of Saxony (died 1691) UK Read more about (O.S.) John George III on Wikipedia
- 1942 Brian Wilson — American singer, songwriter and producer (died 2025) Read more about Brian Wilson on Wikipedia
- 1995 Caroline Weir — Scottish footballer UK Read more about Caroline Weir on Wikipedia
- 1968 Robert Rodriguez — American director, producer, and screenwriter Read more about Robert Rodriguez on Wikipedia
- 1934 Wendy Craig — English actress UK Read more about Wendy Craig on Wikipedia
- 1958 Kelly Johnson — English hard rock guitarist and songwriter (died 2007) UK Read more about Kelly Johnson on Wikipedia
- 1933 Claire Tomalin — English journalist and author UK Read more about Claire Tomalin on Wikipedia
- 1931 Olympia Dukakis — American actress (died 2021) Read more about Olympia Dukakis on Wikipedia
- 1903 Sam Rabin — English wrestler, sculptor, and singer (died 1991) UK Read more about Sam Rabin on Wikipedia
- 1938 Mickie Most — English music producer (died 2003) UK Read more about Mickie Most on Wikipedia
- 1989 Javier Pastore — Argentinian footballer Read more about Javier Pastore on Wikipedia
- 1991 Kalidou Koulibaly — Senegalese footballer Read more about Kalidou Koulibaly on Wikipedia
- 1993 Sead Kolašinac — Bosnian footballer Read more about Sead Kolašinac on Wikipedia
- 1954 Ilan Ramon — Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2003) Read more about Ilan Ramon on Wikipedia
- 1982 Vasili Berezutski — Russian footballer Read more about Vasili Berezutski on Wikipedia
- 1987 Asmir Begović — Bosnian footballer Read more about Asmir Begović on Wikipedia
- 2001 Gonçalo Ramos — Portuguese footballer Read more about Gonçalo Ramos on Wikipedia
Remembering 17
Well-known people who died on 20 June.
- 1837 William IV UK Read more about William IV on Wikipedia
- 2024 Donald Sutherland — Canadian actor and producer (born 1935) Read more about Donald Sutherland on Wikipedia
- AD 840 Louis the Pious — Carolingian emperor (born 778) Read more about Louis the Pious on Wikipedia
- 1995 Emil Cioran — Romanian-French philosopher and educator (born 1911) Read more about Emil Cioran on Wikipedia
- 1888 Johannes Zukertort — Polish-English chess player (born 1842) UK Read more about Johannes Zukertort on Wikipedia
- 1966 Georges Lemaître — Belgian priest, physicist, and astronomer (born 1894) Read more about Georges Lemaître on Wikipedia
- 1597 Willem Barentsz — Dutch cartographer and explorer (born 1550) Read more about Willem Barentsz on Wikipedia
- 2005 Jack Kilby — American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1923) Read more about Jack Kilby on Wikipedia
- 1958 Kurt Alder — German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902) Read more about Kurt Alder on Wikipedia
- 1984 Estelle Winwood — English actress (born 1883) UK Read more about Estelle Winwood on Wikipedia
- 2010 Harry B. Whittington — English palaeontologist and academic (born 1916) UK Read more about Harry B. Whittington on Wikipedia
- 1776 Benjamin Huntsman — English businessman (born 1704) UK Read more about Benjamin Huntsman on Wikipedia
- 1605 Feodor II of Russia Read more about Feodor II of Russia on Wikipedia
- 1820 Manuel Belgrano — Argentinian general, economist, and politician (born 1770) Read more about Manuel Belgrano on Wikipedia
- 1870 Jules de Goncourt — French historian and author (born 1830) Read more about Jules de Goncourt on Wikipedia
- 1787 Carl Friedrich Abel — German viol player and composer (born 1723) Read more about Carl Friedrich Abel on Wikipedia
- 2010 Roberto Rosato — Italian footballer (born 1943) Read more about Roberto Rosato on Wikipedia
Special days 10
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 20 June somewhere in the world.
- World Refugee Day (International) Read more about World Refugee Day on Wikipedia
- Gas Sector Day (Azerbaijan) Read more about Public holidays in Azerbaijan on Wikipedia
- Day of the National Flag (Argentina) Read more about Flag Day (Argentina) on Wikipedia
- West Virginia Day (West Virginia) Read more about West Virginia Day on Wikipedia
- Christian saints’ and feast days: Pope Silverius, Adalbert of Magdeburg, Blessed Margareta Ebner, John of Matera, Blessed Dermot O'Hurley, June 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
For older readers 28 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
- 1943 World War II: The Royal Air Force began Operation Bellicose, a four-day shuttle-bombing mission that included raids on Germany and Italy and a refuelling and rearming stop in Algeria. Read more about Royal Air Force on Wikipedia
- 1921 British Army officer Thomas Stanton Lambert was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army near Moydrum, Ireland. Read more about Thomas Stanton Lambert on Wikipedia
- 1947 A Mafia hitman murdered gangster Bugsy Siegel, one of the driving forces in the development of the Las Vegas Strip, in Beverly Hills, California. Read more about Mafia on Wikipedia
- 1942 The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp. Read more about The Holocaust on Wikipedia
- 1959 The extratropical remnants of an Atlantic hurricane reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada, causing 22 fishing boats to capsize and killing 35 people. Read more about Extratropical cyclone on Wikipedia
- 2009 Iranian student Neda Agha-Soltan was shot dead in Tehran during the presidential election protests; footage of her death was widely distributed over the Internet, making it "probably the most widely witnessed death in human history". Read more about Killing of Neda Agha-Soltan on Wikipedia
- 2019 Iranian aircraft shot down an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries. Read more about 2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone on Wikipedia
- 1982 The International Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide, the first major conference in genocide studies, opened despite Turkish attempts to cancel it due to the inclusion of presentations on the Armenian genocide. Read more about International Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide on Wikipedia
- 1979 Bill Stewart, an American journalist, was executed by Nicaraguan Guardia forces. Read more about Bill Stewart (journalist) on Wikipedia
- 1994 A bomb explosion in the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Iran, left at least 25 dead and more than 70 injured. Read more about Imam Reza Shrine bombing on Wikipedia
- 1972 Watergate scandal: An 18+1⁄2-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex. Read more about Watergate scandal on Wikipedia
- 1973 Snipers fire upon left-wing Peronists in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in what is known as the Ezeiza massacre. At least 13 are killed and more than 300 are injured. Read more about Sniper on Wikipedia
- 1945 The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip. Read more about United States Secretary of State on Wikipedia
- AD 451 Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius battles Attila the Hun. After the battle, which was inconclusive, Attila retreats. Despite suffering catastrophic losses that led to the collapse of their alliance with the Goths and the destruction of much of the Roman army, the Romans nevertheless proclaimed victory despite the lack of any clear military success. Read more about Flavius Aetius on Wikipedia
- 1944 World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". Read more about Battle of the Philippine Sea on Wikipedia
- 1893 Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother. Read more about Lizzie Borden on Wikipedia
- 1964 A Curtiss C-46 Commando crashes in the Shengang District of Taiwan, killing 57 people. Read more about Curtiss C-46 Commando on Wikipedia
- 1956 A Venezuelan Super-Constellation crashes in the Atlantic Ocean off Asbury Park, New Jersey, killing 74 people. Read more about Lockheed Constellation on Wikipedia
- 1862 Barbu Catargiu, the Prime Minister of Romania, is assassinated. Read more about Barbu Catargiu on Wikipedia
- 1631 The Sack of Baltimore: The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Barbary slave traders. Read more about Barbary slave trade on Wikipedia
- 2011 RusAir Flight 9605 crashes in Besovets during approach to Petrozavodsk Airport, killing 47. Read more about RusAir Flight 9605 on Wikipedia
- 1990 The 7.4 Mw Manjil–Rudbar earthquake affects northern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 35,000–50,000, and injuring 60,000–105,000. Read more about 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake on Wikipedia
- 1973 Aeroméxico Flight 229 crashes on approach to Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, killing all 27 people on board. Read more about Aeroméxico Flight 229 on Wikipedia
- 1943 The Detroit race riot breaks out and continues for three more days. Read more about 1943 Detroit race riot on Wikipedia
- 2008 Twelve people are killed, including nine clubgoers and three police officers, during a crowd crush in Mexico City. Read more about New's Divine nightclub tragedy on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Methodius of Olympus Read more about Methodius of Olympus on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Florentina Read more about Saint Florentina on Wikipedia
- — Martyrs' Day (Eritrea) Read more about Public holidays in Eritrea on Wikipedia
Where these facts come from
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “June 20” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.