On This Day: 20 October

20 October in Indian history

• 1991An earthquake struck the Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.India
• 1962China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.India

20 October in world history

• 2017Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declare victory in the Raqqa campaign.
• 2011First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was killed shortly thereafter.
• 1995Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-73.
• 1982During a UEFA Cup match between Spartak Moscow and Haarlem, a large number of attendees trying to leave the Central Lenin Stadium resulted in a stampede that caused 66 deaths.
• 1981Two police officers and a Brink's armored car guard are killed during an armed robbery carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground in Nanuet, New York.
• 1977Three members of the American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd died when their chartered plane crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi.
• 1976The Luling–Destrehan Ferry MV George Prince is struck by the Norwegian freighter SS Frosta while crossing the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. Seventy-eight passengers and crew die, and only 18 people aboard the ferry survive.
• 1973Watergate scandal: Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus resigned after refusing to obey President Richard Nixon's order to have Archibald Cox fired.
• 1969Experimental results from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center were published showing that protons were composed of smaller particles, the first evidence of quarks.
• 1961The Soviet Navy performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine.
• 1951African-American college football player Johnny Bright was the victim of an on-field assault, eventually leading to changes in NCAA football rules that mandated the use of more protective helmets with face guards.
• 1948A KLM Lockheed L-049 Constellation crashes on approach to Glasgow Prestwick Airport, killing 40.
• 1947Cold War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of the Hollywood film industry, resulting in a blacklist that prevents some from working in the industry for years.
• 1944World War II: Fulfilling a promise he made two years previously, General Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte to begin the recapture of the Philippines.
• 1944World War II: The Soviet Red Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade.
• 1941World War II: Thousands of civilians in German-occupied Serbia are murdered in the Kragujevac massacre.

Born on 20 October

• 1999YoungBoy Never Broke Again, American rapper
• 1978Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1966Allan Donald, South African cricketer and coach
• 1927Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (died 2007)India
• 1920Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (died 2010)India
• 1790Patrick Matthew. Scottish farmer and biologist (died 1874)

Died on 20 October

• 2024Fethullah Gülen, Turkish preacher and theologian (born 1941)
• 2013Lawrence Klein, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1920)
• 1983Merle Travis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1917)
• 1935Arthur Henderson, Scottish-English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1863)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 20 October in history?

2017: Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) declare victory in the Raqqa campaign. 2011: First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was killed shortly thereafter. 1995: Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-73. 1991: An earthquake struck the Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes.

What happened on 20 October in Indian history?

1991: An earthquake struck the Indian state of Uttarakhand, killing at least 768 people and destroying thousands of homes. 1962: China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.

Which famous people were born on 20 October?

YoungBoy Never Broke Again, American rapper (1999); Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer (1978); Allan Donald, South African cricketer and coach (1966); Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (died 2007) (1927).

Which day is observed on 20 October?

Arbor Day (Czech Republic); Heroes' Day (Kenya); Revolution Day (Guatemala), one of the two Patriotic Days (Guatemala); Vietnamese Women's Day (Vietnam); World Osteoporosis Day.