On This Day: 20 May

20 May in Indian history

• 2011Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post.India
• 1971In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus.India
• 1498Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.India

20 May in world history

• 2022Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claimed full control of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.
• 2016The 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.
• 2013A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage.
• 1996In 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.
• 1983A team of researchers led by French virologist Luc Montagnier published their discovery of HIV, but were not then certain that it caused AIDS.
• 1964Discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation by Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias.
• 1956In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
• 1943The Luttra Woman, a bog body from the Early Neolithic period, was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.
• 1941World War II: German paratroopers began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port in Heraklion ten days later.
• 1882The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed.
• 1861American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state.
• 1741The Battle of Cartagena de Indias ends in a Spanish victory and the British begin withdrawal towards Jamaica with substantial losses.
• 1714J. S. Bach led the first performance of his Pentecost cantata Erschallet, ihr Lieder at the chapel of Schloss Weimar.
• 1609Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's consent.
• 1497John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).

Born on 20 May

• 1983N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Indian Film ActorIndia
• 1974Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Indian film director, writer and actorIndia
• 1964Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs
• 1943Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor, and winemaker
• 1939Balu Mahendra, Sri Lankan-Indian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter (died 2014)India
• 1897Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish economist and author (died 1983)

Died on 20 May

• 2012Leela Dube, Indian anthropologist and scholar (born 1923)India
• 1732Thomas Boston, Scottish author and educator (born 1676)
• 1062Bao Zheng, Chinese magistrate and mayor of Kaifeng (born 999)
• 965Gero the Great, Saxon ruler (born c. 900)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 20 May in history?

2022: Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claimed full control of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege. 2016: 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. 2013: A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage. 2011: Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post.

What happened on 20 May in Indian history?

2011: Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post. 1971: In the Chuknagar massacre, Pakistani forces massacre thousands, mostly Bengali Hindus. 1498: Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.

Which famous people were born on 20 May?

N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Indian Film Actor (1983); Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Indian film director, writer and actor (1974); Kōichirō Genba, Japanese politician, 80th Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (1964); Albano Carrisi, Italian singer, actor, and winemaker (1943).

Which day is observed on 20 May?

Day of Remembrance (Cambodia); Emancipation Day (Florida); European Maritime Day (European Council); Independence Restoration Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002.; Josephine Baker Day (NAACP).