October 20

October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining.

Events:

• 1600 - Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's shoguns
• 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria
• 1803 - United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase
• 1827 - Battle of Navarino - a combined Turkish and Egyptian armada is destroyed by an allied British, French, and Russian naval force in the port of Navarino in Pylos, Greece. The most important result of this battle is the end of the Greek Liberation War and the affirmation of independence of modern Greece.
• 1935 - The Long March ends
• 1944 - The Soviet army captures Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia
• 1947 - The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of Hollywood
• 1973 - "Saturday Night Massacre": Watergate scandal special prosecutor Archibald Cox is fired by United States Solicitor General Robert Bork; Attorney General Elliot Richardson[?] resigns, and his deputy is fired, because they refuse to fire Cox
• 1973 - The Sydney Opera House opens
• 1977 - A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing several band members, including lead singer/guitarist Ronnie Van Zandt

Births:

• 1632 - Sir Christopher Wren, architect (+ 1723)
• 1853 - Arthur Rimbaud, poet (+ 1891)
• 1859 - John Dewey, philosopher (+1952)
• 1874 - Charles Ives, composer (+ 1954)
• 1882 - Bela Lugosi, actor (+ 1956)
• 1889 - Margaret Dumont[?], actress (+ 1965)
• 1890 - Jelly Roll Morton, composer, musician (+ 1941)
• 1891 - Jomo Kenyatta, President of Kenya, (+ 1978)
• 1900 - Wayne Morse[?], Senator from Oregon (+ 1974)
• 1904 - Anna Neagle[?], actress (+ 1986)
• 1905 - Frederic Dannay[?] (Ellery Queen), mystery novelist (+ 1982)
• 1907 - Arlene Francis[?], television personality (+ 2001)
• 1913 - Grandpa Jones[?], country music performer (+ 1998)
• 1923 - Herschel Bernardi[?], actor (+ 1986)
• 1925 - Art Buchwald[?], newspaper columnist[?]
• 1928 - Joyce Brothers[?], psychologist, television personality
• 1931 - Mickey Mantle, baseball star (+ 1995)
• 1935 - Jerry Orbach[?], actor
• 1937 - Juan Marichal[?], baseball star
• 1953 - Tom Petty, musician
• 1955 - Aaron Pryor, world boxing champion
• 1958 - Viggo Mortensen, actor
• 1971 - Snoop Dogg, musician
• 1977 - Elena Berezhnaya[?], figure skating star

Deaths:

• 460 - Aelia Eudocia, East Roman Empress
• 1920 - Max Bruch, composer
• 1964 - Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States
• 1977 - Steve Gaines[?], musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• 1977 - Ronnie Van Zant[?], musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• 1984 - Paul Dirac, physicist
• 1989 - Anthony Quayle[?], actor
• 1990 - Joel McCrea[?], actor
• 1994 - Burt Lancaster, actor

Holidays:

• Bahá'í Faith: Birth of the Báb

October 19 - October 21 - November 20 - September 20 - more historical anniversaries