Also available in: Português (Brasil)
What happened on July 20
Every July 20 carries a layer of history: wars that began or ended, inventions, premieres, treaties, and people born or lost on this day across the centuries. We gathered 12 of the most striking events recorded on July 20, plus notable births and deaths, each with its year and a link to the Wikipedia article where the story continues. It is a fast way to answer "what happened on July 20" without digging through many sources: the list arrives ranked by relevance and dated.
Notable events
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015 | A suicide attack (aftermath pictured) in Suruç, Turkey, for which Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility, killed 34 people and injured 104 others. Suruç bombing |
| 2012 | A gunman carried out a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others. James Holmes (mass murderer) |
| 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. Death of Carlo Giuliani |
| 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 |
| 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. Provisional Irish Republican Army |
| 1977 | Rain from a stalled thunderstorm caused six dams to fail, flooding Johnstown, Pennsylvania, resulting in 84 deaths and $340 in damages. Johnstown flood of 1977 |
| 1976 | The Viking 1 lander became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and perform its mission. Viking 1 |
| 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 |
| 1968 | The first games of the Special Olympics (athletes pictured), for athletes with intellectual disabilities, were held at Soldier Field in Chicago. Special Olympics |
| 1951 | Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Abdullah I of Jordan |
| 1950 | Korean War: After a month-long campaign, much of the North Korean air force was destroyed by United Nations forces. Korean War |
| 1936 | The July 1936 military uprising in Barcelona is defeated by anarchist militias and Republican loyalists, beginning the Spanish Revolution of 1936. July 1936 military uprising in Barcelona |
Births
| Year | Who |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Álex Baena, Spanish footballer Álex Baena |
| 1999 | Pop Smoke, American rapper and singer (died 2020) Pop Smoke |
| 1996 | Ben Simmons, Australian basketball player Ben Simmons |
| 1995 | Moses Leota, New Zealand rugby league player Moses Leota |
Deaths
| Year | Who |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Malcolm-Jamal Warner, American actor (born 1970) Malcolm-Jamal Warner |
| 2024 | Jerry Miller, American songwriter, guitarist and vocalist (born 1943) Jerry Miller |
| 2024 | Jill Schary Robinson, American novelist (born 1936) Jill Schary Robinson |
| 2020 | Michael Brooks, political commentator (born 1983) Michael Brooks (political commentator) |
A single anniversary does not explain on its own why a day matters: one July 20 can hold a scientific milestone, a tragedy and the birth of an artist, centuries apart. That is why we date every row and link the source, so you can follow what interests you. The selection mixes 12 events, 4 births and 4 deaths; the full list, with every reference, lives on Wikipedia.
Source, license and method
This page curates the day's anniversaries for July 20 from Wikipedia, delivered through the Wikimedia "On this day" feed (the encyclopedia's own open dataset). It is not original research: the facts, years and wording come from Wikipedia and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0), which requires crediting the source and keeping the same license. We pick each day's most relevant items, favouring the editors' own selection and the most prominent articles, and every row links back to the matching entry. For the full list and primary references, see the day's article on Wikipedia (July 20).
Continue in the dates cluster
Anniversaries are just a doorway. People who arrive asking about the date usually also want: What day is it today, in every calendar, Moon phase today and the Date and age calculators.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources