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Events on the 20th of May in history

Events
Date Text
20 May 0325 The First Council of Nicea: The first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held.
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20 May 0325 1st Christian ecumenical council opens at Nic
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20 May 0491 Empress Ariadne marries Anastasius I. The widowed Augusta is able to choose her successor for the Byzantine throne, after Zeno (late emperor) dies of dysentery.
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20 May 0526 An earthquake kills about 250,000 people in what is now Syria and Antiochia.
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20 May 0526 Earthquake kills 250,000 in Antioch, Syria
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20 May 0685 The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
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20 May 0794 King Æthelberht II of East Anglia visits the royal Mercian court at Sutton Walls, with a view to marrying princess Ælfthryth. He is taken captive and beheaded.
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20 May 1217 The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
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20 May 1293 King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Study of General Schools of Alcalá.
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20 May 1293 Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed
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20 May 1303 Treaty of Paris restores Gascony to British in Hundred Years War
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20 May 1310 Shoes were made for both right & left feet
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20 May 1347 Rienzo calls Rome for people's tribunal
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20 May 1449 The Battle of Alfarrobeira is fought, establishing the House of Braganza as a principal royal family of Portugal.
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20 May 1495 French King Charles VIII leaves Naples
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20 May 1497 John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship  Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
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20 May 1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
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20 May 1498 Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Calcutta India
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20 May 1501 Joao da Nova Castell discovers Ascension Islands
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20 May 1520 The massacre at the festival of Tóxcatl takes place during the Fall of Tenochtitlan, resulting in turning the Aztecs against the Spanish.
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20 May 1521 Ignatius Loyola is seriously wounded in the Battle of Pampeluna.
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20 May 1521 Ignatius Loyola seriously wounded by a cannon ball
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20 May 1524 Duke of Albany leaves Scotland
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20 May 1570 Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.
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20 May 1570 Egidius Coppens publishes Abraham Ortelius' "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum"
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20 May 1571 Venice, Spain & Pope Pius form anti-Turkish Saint League
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20 May 1591 Spanish troops in Zutphen surrenders to Willem Louis/Mauritius
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20 May 1609 Shakespeare's sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
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20 May 1631 The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years' War.
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20 May 1631 German army under earl Johann Tilly conquerors Maagdenburg
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20 May 1639 Dorchester MA, forms 1st school funded by local taxes
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20 May 1645 The Manchurian Qing army occupied the city Yangzhou and the residents were massacred for ten days. Approximately 800,000 people were killed by the Qing troops.
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20 May 1690 England passes Act of Grace, forgiving followers of James II
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20 May 1704 Elias Neau forms school for slaves in New York
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20 May 1734 1st Jockey Club forms in South Carolina
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20 May 1774 Britain gives Qu
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20 May 1775 Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is signed in Charlotte, North Carolina
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20 May 1775 Citizens of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina declare independence of Britain
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20 May 1784 England & Netherlands signs peace treaty (Peace of Paris)
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20 May 1802 By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution.
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20 May 1813 Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
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20 May 1825 Charles X becomes King of France
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20 May 1830 D Hyde patents fountain pen
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20 May 1830 1st railroad timetable published in newspaper (Baltimore American)
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20 May 1840 York Minster is badly damaged by fire.
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20 May 1845 1st legislative assembly convenes in Hawaii
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20 May 1861 American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state. Meanwhile, the State of North Carolina secedes from the Union.
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20 May 1861 Cornerstone of University of Washington laid in Seattle
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20 May 1861 Kentucky proclaims its neutrality in Civil War
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20 May 1861 North Carolina becomes 11th & last state to secede from Union
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20 May 1862 U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law.
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20 May 1862 Homestead Act provides cheap land for settlement of the West
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20 May 1864 Battle at Ware Bottom Church, Virginia, 1,400 killed or injured
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20 May 1864 American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church: In the Virginia Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
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20 May 1864 Spotsylvania-campaign ends after 10,920 killed/injured person
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20 May 1867 British parliament rejects John Stuart Mills law on women suffrage
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20 May 1867 Royal Albert Hall foundation laid by Queen Victoria
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20 May 1868 Republican National Convention, meets in Chicago, nominates Grant
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20 May 1870 Second Chamber abolishes capital punishment
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20 May 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
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20 May 1874 Levi Strauss markets blue jeans with copper rivets, price $13.50 doz
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20 May 1875 Signing of the Metre Convention by 17 nations leading to the establishment of the International System of Units.
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20 May 1875 International Bureau of Weights & Measures established by treaty
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20 May 1879 5th Kentucky Derby: Charlie Shauer aboard Lord Murphy wins in 2:37
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20 May 1882 Germany / Austria-Hungary / France sign Triple Alliance
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20 May 1882 St. Gotthard-railroad tunnel between Switzerland and Italy opens
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20 May 1882 The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed.
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20 May 1882 Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" (Gengangere) premieres in Chicago
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20 May 1883 Krakatoa begins to erupt; the volcano explodes three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
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20 May 1884 Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo becomes the king of the Zulu Nation.
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20 May 1891 History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope.
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20 May 1892 George Sampson patents clothes dryer
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20 May 1892 Triple Alliance between Germany, Italy & Austria-Hungary forms
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20 May 1895 1st commercial movie performance (153 Broadway, NYC)
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20 May 1896 The six ton chandelier of the Palais Garnier falls on the crowd below resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others.
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20 May 1899 The first traffic ticket in the US: New York City taxi driver Jacob German was arrested for speeding while driving 12 miles per hour on Lexington Street.
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20 May 1900 2nd modern Olympic games opens in Paris France (lasted 5 months)
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20 May 1902 Cuba gains independence from Spain
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20 May 1902 Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President.
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20 May 1902 US military occupation of Cuba (since Jan 1, 1899) ends
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20 May 1908 Budi Utomo organization is founded in Dutch East Indies, beginning the Indonesian National Awakening.
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20 May 1910 Funeral for Britain's King Edward VII
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20 May 1911 Edwin Boaler Alletson hits 189 in 90 minutes Notts vs Sussex
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20 May 1913 38th Preakness: James Butwell aboard Buskin wins in 1:53.4
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20 May 1915 Bataafsche Petroleum Me begins oil extraction of Maracaibo
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20 May 1916 Codell, Kansas hit by tornado (also on same date in 1917 & 1918)
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20 May 1916 The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting (Boy with Baby Carriage).
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20 May 1916 Saturday Evening Post cover features Norman Rockwell painting
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20 May 1917 Turkish Government authorizes Jews to return to Tel Aviv & Jaffa
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20 May 1918 1st electrically propelled warship (the New Mexico)
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20 May 1919 Volcano Keluit on Java, erupts killing 550
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20 May 1920 Montreal radio station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio programming in North America.
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20 May 1920 Policemen raid the Cubs' bleachers & arrest 24 fans for gambling
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20 May 1922 "Egypt" sinks off Ushant after colliding with "Seine, " killing 90
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20 May 1922 Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel, suspended on October 16, 1921, by Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis, return to the New York lineup and go hitless
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20 May 1922 "Egypt" sinks off Ushant after colliding with "Seine" killing 90
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20 May 1923 Stanley Baldwin, becomes Prime Minister of the UK
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20 May 1923 Stanley Baldwin, becomes PM of UK
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20 May 1926 Belgian Government of Jaspar takes power
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20 May 1926 Congress passes Air Commerce Act, licensing of pilots & planes
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20 May 1926 Railway Labor Act became law
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20 May 1926 Thomas Edison says Americans prefer silent movies over talkies
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20 May 1927 Treaty of Jeddah: The United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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20 May 1927 At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He touched down at Le Bourget Field in Paris at 22:22 the next day.
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20 May 1927 At 7:40 AM, Lindbergh takes off from New York to cross Atlantic for Paris
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20 May 1927 Saudi Arabia becomes independent of Great Britain (Treaty of Jedda)
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20 May 1930 1st airplane catapulted from a dirigible, Charles Nicholson, pilot
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20 May 1930 University of California dedicates $1,500 to research on prevention & cure of athlete's foot
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20 May 1932 Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
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20 May 1932 Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland 1st woman fly solo across Atlantic
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20 May 1932 Engelbert Dollfuss becomes chancellor of Austria
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20 May 1939 "3 Little Fishies, " by Kay Kyser hits #1
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20 May 1939 1st regular transatlantic airmail (NY to Marsseille France)
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20 May 1939 Pan Am begins transatlantic passenger and air mail service
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20 May 1939 "3 Little Fishies" by Kay Kyser hits #1
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20 May 1939 Pan Am begins regular transatlantic airmail and passenger service across the North Atlantic
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20 May 1940 Trailing 7-1 in 9th to Pitts, Phils win 8-7
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20 May 1940 The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.
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20 May 1940 General Guderians tanks reach The Channel (British expeditionary army)
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20 May 1940 Igor Sikorsky unveils his helicopter invention
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20 May 1940 Soccer team HZVV forms in Hoogeveen
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20 May 1940 Trailing 7-1 in the 9th to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia wins 8-7
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20 May 1941 Former Dutch Prime Minister Colijn says Netherlands Indies not ready for independence
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20 May 1941 World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete.
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20 May 1941 Archer's "The Christian Calendar & the Gregorian Reform" published
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20 May 1941 Germany invades Crete
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20 May 1941 White Sox Taft Wright sets American League record of RBIs in 13 consecutive games
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20 May 1942 US Navy 1st permitted black recruits to serve
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20 May 1943 French, British & US victory parade in Tunis Tunisia
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20 May 1944 US Communist Party dissolves
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20 May 1945 Keith Miller scores 105 in the 1st Victory Test Cricket at Lord's
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20 May 1946 Cubs Claude Passeau makes his 1st error since September 21, 1941, ending pitcher's fielding record of 273 consecutive errorless chances
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20 May 1948 Chiang Kai-shek is elected as the first President of the Republic of China.
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20 May 1948 1st use of Israeli Air Force & 1st war victory, defeating Syrian army
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20 May 1948 Cleveland Indians tie American League record of 18 walks (beat Red Sox 13-4)
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20 May 1949 In the United States, the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, is established.
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20 May 1950 76th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Hill Prince wins in 1:59.2
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20 May 1954 Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of Nationalist China
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20 May 1955 Argentine parliament accepts separation of church & state
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20 May 1956 In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
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20 May 1956 Atomic fusion (thermonuclear) bomb dropped from plane-Bikini Atoll
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20 May 1956 Jordan government of Samir resigns
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20 May 1958 US performs nuclear test at Enwetak (atmospheric tests)
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20 May 1959 Ford wins battle with Chrysler to call its new car "Falcon"
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20 May 1959 Japanese-Americans regain their citizenship
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20 May 1959 Shah of Persia visits Netherlands
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20 May 1959 Yankees sink to last place, 1st time since May 25, 1940
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20 May 1960 Baseball game in Milwaukee postponed due to dense fog
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20 May 1961 Henzes opera "Elegy for Young Lovers, " premieres in Schwetzingen
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20 May 1961 White mob attacks "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Alabama
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20 May 1961 87th Preakness: Johnny Sellers aboard Carry Back wins in 1:57.6
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20 May 1961 Mauritania adopts constitution
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20 May 1961 White mob attacks "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery AL
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20 May 1962 Patty Berg wins LPGA Muskogee Civitan Golf Open
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20 May 1963 Sukarno appointed President of Indonesia
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20 May 1964 Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
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20 May 1964 Buster Mathis defeats Joe Frazier to qualify for US Olympic team
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20 May 1965 PIA Flight 705, a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 720-040B, crashes while descending to land at Cairo International Airport, killing 121 of the 127 passengers and crew.
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20 May 1965 Pakistani Boeing 720-B crashes at Cairo Egypt, killing 121
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20 May 1965 Yorkshire all out for 23 vs Hampshire at Middlesbrough
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20 May 1967 The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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20 May 1967 10,000 demonstrate against war in Vietnam
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20 May 1967 93rd Preakness: Bill Shoemaker aboard Damascus wins in 1:55.2
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20 May 1967 BBC bans Beatle's "A Day in the Life" (drug references)
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20 May 1969 The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
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20 May 1969 US troop capture Hill 937/Hamburger Hill Vietnam
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20 May 1970 100,000 march in New York supporting US policies in Vietnam
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20 May 1970 2 die in a NYC subway accident
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20 May 1970 The Beatles' "Let it Be" movie premieres in UK
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20 May 1971 Pentagon reports blacks constitute 11% of US soldiers in SE Asia
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20 May 1972 "Different Times" closes at ANTA Theater NYC after 24 performances
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20 May 1972 "Hard Job Being God" closes at Edison Theater NYC after 6 performances
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20 May 1972 5th ABA Championship: Indiana Pacers beat the New York Nets, 4 games to 2
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20 May 1972 Cameroon adopts its constitution
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20 May 1972 98th Preakness: Eldon Nelson aboard Bee Bee Bee wins in 1:55.6
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20 May 1972 Republic of Cameroon declared as constitution is ratified
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20 May 1973 "2 Gentlemen of Verona" closes at St. James Theater NYC after 613 performances
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20 May 1973 25th Emmy Awards: Waltons, All in the Family & Mary Tyler Moore win
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20 May 1973 Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Bluegrass Golf Invitational
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20 May 1974 Soyuz 14 returns to Earth
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20 May 1976 USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR
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20 May 1977 "Beatlemania" opens on Broadway
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20 May 1978 104th Preakness: Steve Cauthen aboard Affirmed wins in 1:54.4
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20 May 1978 3 PFLP members kill a cop near El Al airlines in Orly Airport, Paris France
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20 May 1978 US launches Pioneer Venus 1; produces 1st global radar map of Venus
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20 May 1979 "I Love My Wife" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 864 performances
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20 May 1979 1st western pop star to tour USSR-Elton John
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20 May 1979 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic
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20 May 1980 In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada.
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20 May 1980 710 families in Love Canal area (Niagara Falls NY) are evacuated
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20 May 1980 Drummer Peter Criss quits Kiss
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20 May 1980 Fire in nursing home in Kingston Jamaica, kills 157
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20 May 1980 In a referendum, 59.5% of Qu
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20 May 1981 Ipswich Town wins 10th UEFA Cup at Amsterdam
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20 May 1983 First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.
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20 May 1983 Church Street bombing: A car bomb planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe explodes on Church Street in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, killing 19 people and injuring 217 others.
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20 May 1983 Larry Holmes beats Tim Witherspoon in 12 for heavyweight boxing title
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20 May 1983 Michael Dokes & Mike Weaver fight to a draw in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
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20 May 1983 Phillies Steve Carlton passes W Johnson with 2nd most strike outs
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20 May 1984 "On Your Toes" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 505 performances
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20 May 1984 Barb Bunkowsky wins LPGA Chrysler-Plymouth Charity Golf Classic
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20 May 1984 Boston's Roger Clemens beats Twins, 5-4, for his 1st victory
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20 May 1985 1150 Lebanese / Palestinian prisoners exchanged for 3 Israelis
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20 May 1985 Israel exchanges 1,100+ Arab prisoners for 3 Israeli soldiers
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20 May 1985 Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
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20 May 1985 Dow Jones industrial average closes above 1300 for 1st time
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20 May 1985 FBI arrests John A Walker Jr, convicted of spying for USSR
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20 May 1985 Indians-Brewers game at Cleveland Stadium is 1st rain-out of 1985, ends record string of 458 ML games since Opening Day without a rain-out
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20 May 1985 Israel exchanges 1150 Lebanese/Palestinian prisoners for 3 Israeli soldiers
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20 May 1985 Larry Holmes beats Carl Williams in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
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20 May 1985 US began broadcasts to Cuba on Radio Marti
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20 May 1986 Christy Fichtner, 23, (Texas), crowned 35th Miss USA
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20 May 1986 Flintstones 25th Anniversary Celebration airs on CBS-tv
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20 May 1987 Wrestler Jerry Lawler sues WWF and Harley Race for trademark name "king"
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20 May 1987 G
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20 May 1988 Howard Stern fans disrupt WMMR's & John DeBella's "Louie Louie" parade
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20 May 1988 Mike Schmidt hits his 535th homerun, moving into 8th place
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20 May 1989 The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
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20 May 1989 115th Preakness: Pat Valenzuela aboard Sunday Silence wins in 1:53.8
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20 May 1989 China declares martial law in Beijing
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20 May 1989 Toonces The Cat takes the wheel on Saturday Night Live
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20 May 1989 Walter McConnel, 57, is oldest to reach 27,000' Mount Everest top
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20 May 1990 "Truly Blessed" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 33 performances
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20 May 1990 The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
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20 May 1990 Cindy Rarick wins LPGA Planters Pat Bradley Golf International
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20 May 1990 Hubble Space Telescope sends 1st photographs from space
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20 May 1991 Chicago Bull Michael Jordan, named NBA's MVP
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20 May 1991 Jeff Reardon gains his 300th career save
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20 May 1991 Soviet parliament approves law allowing citizens to travel abroad
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20 May 1992 Rap singer raps 597 syllables in under 60 seconds
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20 May 1992 VP Quayle attacks Murphy Brown for being a single mother
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20 May 1992 FC Barcelona wins 373 Europe Cup 1 at London
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20 May 1992 India launches its 1st satellite independently
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20 May 1993 274th and final "Cheers" on NBC
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20 May 1993 10 meter meteor comes within 150,000 km of Earth (1993KA)
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20 May 1993 274th & final "Cheers" on NBC
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20 May 1993 Ukraine Premier Leonid Koetsjma resigns
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20 May 1994 Miss India (Sushmita Sen) selected Miss Universe
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20 May 1994 Bobcat Goldthwait charged with misdemeanors for fire on Tonight Show
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20 May 1994 Sony Theaters & Cineplex (NYC) hike movie ticket prices to $8.00
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20 May 1995 121st Preakness: Pat Day aboard Timber Coutry wins in 1:54.4
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20 May 1995 CBS News fires co-anchor Connie Chung
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20 May 1995 Twins Marty Cordova ties rookie record of homeruns in 5 consecutive games
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20 May 1996 Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
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20 May 1997 Cosmos Zenit-2 Launch (Russia), Failed
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20 May 1997 Thor-2A Delta 2 Launch (Norway/USA), Successful
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20 May 1997 White Sox Frank Thomas reaches base safely for 15th straight time
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20 May 2002 The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
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20 May 2006 Dhaka wildcat strikes: A series of massive strikes begin, involving nearly 1.8 million garment workers in Bangladesh.
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20 May 2012 At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes northern Italy.
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20 May 2013 An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
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20 May 2014 More than 118 people are killed in two bombings in Jos, Nigeria.
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