On This Day: 20 January

20 January in Indian history

• 1969Bengali student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman was shot and killed by East Pakistani police, an event that led to the Bangladesh Liberation War.India

20 January in world history

• 2018A group of Taliban gunmen attacked and took hostages at the Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle that left at least 21 people dead.
• 2018Syrian civil war: The Government of Turkey announces the initiation of the Afrin offensive and begins shelling Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Afrin Region.
• 2009A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
• 1991Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.
• 1990The Soviet Red Army violently cracked down on Azeri pro-independence demonstrations in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.
• 1981Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America, Iran releases 52 American hostages.
• 1945World War II: In an operation that took nearly two months to complete, Germany began the evacuation of at least 1.8 million people from East Prussia in anticipation of the advancing Soviet Red Army.
• 1942The Holocaust: Reinhard Heydrich and other senior Nazi officials met at the Wannsee Conference near Berlin to discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".
• 1941A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
• 1874The Treaty of Pangkor is signed between the British and Sultan Abdullah of Perak, paving the way for further British colonization of Malaya.
• 1843Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná, became the de facto first prime minister of the Empire of Brazil.
• 1839In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia.
• 1788The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
• 1785Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút.
• 1783The Kingdom of Great Britain signs preliminary articles of peace with the Kingdom of France, setting the stage for the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year.
• 1726J. S. Bach led the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen on the second Sunday after the Epiphany.
• 1265Simon de Montfort summoned local representatives to the Palace of Westminster to attend a parliament, now considered to be the forerunner of the House of Commons of England.

Born on 20 January

• 2003J. J. McCarthy, American football player
• 1982Ruchi Sanghvi, Indian computer engineerIndia
• 1971Wakanohana Masaru, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna
• 1965John Michael Montgomery, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1940Krishnam Raju, Indian actor and politician (died 2022)India
• 1927Qurratulain Hyder, Indian-Pakistani journalist and academic (died 2007)India

Died on 20 January

• 1841Jørgen Jørgensen, Danish explorer (born 1780)
• 924Li Jitao, Chinese general of Later Tang
• 882Louis the Younger, king of the East Frankish Kingdom
• 640Eadbald, king of Kent

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 20 January in history?

2018: A group of Taliban gunmen attacked and took hostages at the Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle that left at least 21 people dead. 2018: Syrian civil war: The Government of Turkey announces the initiation of the Afrin offensive and begins shelling Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Afrin Region. 2009: A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start. 1991: Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.

What happened on 20 January in Indian history?

1969: Bengali student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman was shot and killed by East Pakistani police, an event that led to the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Which famous people were born on 20 January?

J. J. McCarthy, American football player (2003); Ruchi Sanghvi, Indian computer engineer (1982); Wakanohana Masaru, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 66th Yokozuna (1971); John Michael Montgomery, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (1965).

Which day is observed on 20 January?

Armed Forces Day (Mali); Army Day (Laos); Heroes' Day (Cape Verde); Martyrs' Day (Azerbaijan); Presidential inaugurations (United States).