Russo-Ukrainian war
Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claimed full control of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.
What happened on May 20
38 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 325 to 2025.
Standout on May 20
2022
Russo-Ukrainian war
Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claimed full control of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.
About May 20
May 20 is the 140th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 140 of 365 (141 in leap years)225 days left in the year (225 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Wednesday in 2026, Thursday in 2027, Saturday in 2028, Sunday in 2029, Monday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 21 of 2026 · Q2
- Zodiac sign
- ♉ Taurus (April 20 – May 20)Cusp date — the exact boundary shifts by a day in some years.
- Season
- Spring in the north · Autumn in the south
- May birthstone
- Emeraldrebirth, love and wisdom
- May birth flower
- Lily of the valley / Hawthornsweetness, humility and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 205 days
- Roman numerals
- XX.Vday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 40thDexter Blackstock1986
- 40thStéphane Mbia1986
- 30thBrian Kelly (rugby league)1996
- 30thLGBTQ rights in the United States1996
- 30thRomer v. Evans1996
- 10thKho Jabing2016
- 10thSingapore2016
- 5thGary Wilson (writer)2021
May 20 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Singapore · Kho Jabing
- 25 years ago2001
- Nothing recorded
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on May 20 — ages this year
- 2012Doug the Pugturns 14
- 1998Jamie Chadwickturns 28
- 1998Nam Nguyenturns 28
- 1997Kaoru Mitomaturns 29
- 1996Brian Kelly (rugby league)turns 30
- 1993Ramy Rabiaturns 33
Historical events 38
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
International System of Units
The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram obsolete.
Singapore
The government of Singapore authorises the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a Chinese construction worker despite international pleas for clemency, notably from Amnesty International and the United Nations.
Enhanced Fujita scale
An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others.
2013 Moore tornado
A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage.
2012 Northern Italy earthquakes
The first of two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, resulting in seven deaths.
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post.
Indonesian Air Force
An Indonesian Air Force Lockheed L-100 Hercules crashes in Magetan Regency, killing 99.
Timor-Leste
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).
Romer v. Evans
In deciding Romer v. Evans, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a constitutional amendment in Colorado that prevented protected status under the law for homosexuals or bisexuals.
LGBTQ rights in the United States
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.
One for the Road (Cheers)
"One for the Road", the series finale of American television sitcom Cheers, was watched by 42.4 million American households on its original airing.
Communism
The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
Democracy
The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Radio y Televisión Martí
Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
Virology
A team of researchers led by French virologist Luc Montagnier published their discovery of HIV, but were not then certain that it caused AIDS.
Church Street, Pretoria bombing
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.
HIV
First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by a team of French scientists including Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Jean-Claude Chermann, and Luc Montagnier.
1980 Quebec referendum
In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects, with 60% of the vote, a government proposal to move towards independence from Canada.
Chuknagar massacre
In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus.
Battle of Hamburger Hill
The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
Popular Movement of the Revolution
The Popular Movement of the Revolution political party is established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705
One hundred twenty-one people are killed when Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashes at Cairo International Airport.
Cairo International Airport
While attempting to land at Cairo International Airport, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashed for unknown reasons, killing all but 6 of the 121 people on board.
Discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation
Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
National Diet
The first session of the National Diet opened in Tokyo, Japan.
Luttra Woman
The Luttra Woman (skull pictured), a bog body from the Early Neolithic period, was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.
World War II
World War II: German paratroopers began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port in Heraklion ten days later.
Treaty of Jeddah (1927)
With the signing of the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the sovereignty of Ibn Saud over Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged to become Saudi Arabia.
Metre Convention
Representatives from seventeen countries signed the Metre Convention, which set up an institute for the purpose of coordinating international metrology and for coordinating the development of the metric system.
Charles Marsh Schomberg
A British squadron under Charles Marsh Schomberg defeated a French force off Tamatave, Madagascar, that was attempting to reinforce the French garrison on Mauritius.
Johann Sebastian Bach
J. S. Bach led the first performance of his Pentecost cantata Erschallet, ihr Lieder at the chapel of Schloss Weimar.
Thomas Thorpe
Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's consent.
Dürer's Rhinoceros
Ulysses, who would be famously depicted in a posthumous woodcut, landed in Lisbon, becoming the first of his species to visit Europe in a thousand years.
First Barons' War
First Barons' War: English forces under William Marshal defeated French troops at the Battle of Lincoln.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia was beheaded on the orders of Offa of Mercia.
Picts
The Picts defeated the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain, severely weakening the latter's power in northern Great Britain.
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened by Constantine the Great.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Kho Jabing
Kho Jabing, Malaysian convicted murderer who was executed by hanging in Singapore (born 1984)
Prince Rupert Loewenstein
Prince Rupert Loewenstein, Spanish-English businessman (born 1933)
Ray Manzarek
Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (born 1939)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Baudilus
Christian feast day: Baudilus
Abercius and Helena
Christian feast day: Abercius and Helena
Aurea of Ostia
Christian feast day: Aurea of Ostia
Columba of Rieti
Christian feast day: Columba of Rieti
Bernardino of Siena
Christian feast day: Bernardino of Siena
Lydia of Thyatira
Christian feast day: Lydia of Thyatira
Alcuin
Christian feast day: Alcuin of York
Austregisilus
Christian feast day: Austregisilus
Spread across the centuries
- 4th century1
- 7th century1
- 8th century1
- 13th century1
- 16th century1
- 17th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century2
- 20th century39
- 21st century30
Earliest: First Council of Nicaea (325). Most recent: George Wendt (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about May 20
What day of the year is May 20?
May 20 is the 140th day of the year, with 225 days left after it.
What star sign is May 20?
May 20 falls under Taurus (April 20 – May 20), a earth sign ruled by Venus. The birthstone for the month is Emerald.
How many things happened on May 20?
We record 86 entries for May 20: 38 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 325 to 2025.
Who was born on May 20?
Doug the Pug (2012) is among the notable births on May 20. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the May 20 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like May 20
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
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