On This Day: 20 March

20 March in Indian history

• 1602The Dutch East India Company, the first company to issue stock, was established.India

20 March in world history

• 2015Syrian civil war: The Siege of Kobanî is broken by the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Free Syrian Army (FSA), marking a turning point in the Rojava–Islamist conflict.
• 2015A solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day.
• 2014Taliban militants killed nine civilians in a mass shooting at the Kabul Serena Hotel in Afghanistan.
• 2012At least 52 people are killed and more than 250 injured in a wave of terror attacks across ten cities in Iraq.
• 2006Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC. The rebel movement sought to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Déby.
• 2000Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, is captured after murdering Georgia sheriff's deputy Ricky Kinchen and critically wounding Deputy Aldranon English.
• 1993The Troubles: Two children were killed by the second of two bomb attacks by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Warrington, England.
• 1990Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering.
• 1987The antiretroviral drug zidovudine became the first treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for HIV/AIDS.
• 1972The Troubles: The first car bombing by the Provisional IRA in Belfast kills seven people and injures 148 others in Northern Ireland.
• 1956Tunisia gains independence from France.
• 1948With a Musicians Union ban lifted, the first telecasts of classical music in the United States, under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini, are given on CBS and NBC.
• 1944World War II: U.S. Marines made a landing on Emirau Island in the Bismarck Archipelago to develop an airbase as part of Operation Cartwheel.
• 1942World War II: General Douglas MacArthur, at Terowie, South Australia, makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines, in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return".
• 1939Germany issued an ultimatum to Lithuania, demanding the return of the Klaipėda Region under threat of invasion.
• 1922The United States Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley.
• 1852Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the United States, was published.

Born on 20 March

• 1970Michael Rapaport, American actor and comedian
• 1959Sting, American wrestler
• 1948Bobby Orr, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1856Frederick Winslow Taylor, American tennis player and engineer (died 1915)
• 1639Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian diplomat, Hetman of Ukraine (died 1709)
• 1615Dara Shikoh, Indian prince (died 1659)India

Died on 20 March

• 2010Girija Prasad Koirala, Indian-Nepalese politician, 30th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1924)India
• 1981Gerry Bertier, American football player (born 1953)
• 1958Adegoke Adelabu, Nigerian merchant, journalist, and politician (born 1915)
• 1351Muhammad bin Tughluq, Sultan of DelhiIndia

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 20 March in history?

2015: Syrian civil war: The Siege of Kobanî is broken by the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Free Syrian Army (FSA), marking a turning point in the Rojava–Islamist conflict. 2015: A solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day. 2014: Taliban militants killed nine civilians in a mass shooting at the Kabul Serena Hotel in Afghanistan. 2012: At least 52 people are killed and more than 250 injured in a wave of terror attacks across ten cities in Iraq.

What happened on 20 March in Indian history?

1602: The Dutch East India Company, the first company to issue stock, was established.

Which famous people were born on 20 March?

Michael Rapaport, American actor and comedian (1970); Sting, American wrestler (1959); Bobby Orr, Canadian ice hockey player (1948); Frederick Winslow Taylor, American tennis player and engineer (died 1915) (1856).

Which day is observed on 20 March?

International Day of Happiness & World Sparrow Day; Great American MeatOut (United States); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tunisia from France in 1956.; International Day of Happiness (United Nations); International Francophonie Day (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie), and its related observances: UN French Language Day (United.