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December 20 Events in History - December 20 Birthdays - December 20 Deaths
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December 20, 2005 New York City union members shut down subway and bus services for 3 days December 20, 1999 Portugal returns Macau to China December 20, 1998 Wendy's Three-Tour Golf Challenge December 20, 1995 "Paul Roebson" opens at Longacre Theater New York City for 14 performances December 20, 1995 American Flight 965 crashes in Columbia, 159 die, 5 survive December 20, 1993 Donald Trump weds Marla Maples December 20, 1992 Northwest and KLM introduce a new joint logo "Worldwide Reliability" December 20, 1992 Slobodan Milosevic re-elected president of Serbia December 20, 1991 NHL grants permanent membership to Tampa Lightning and Ottawa Senators December 20, 1991 Paul Keating installed as premier of Australia December 20, 1990 Pentagon warns Saddam that U.S. air power is ready to attack on 1/15 December 20, 1990 Robert F X Sillerman purchases WAFL NY-New Jersey Knights for $11 million December 20, 1990 Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze resigns December 20, 1989 Premier Lubbers sees CDA-party leader Elco Brinkman as successor December 20, 1989 US troops invade Panama and oust Manuel Noriega, but don't catch him December 20, 1988 Animal rights terrorists fire-bomb Harrod's department store, London December 20, 1988 NBC signs lease to stay in New York City, 33 more years December 20, 1988 Premier Ranasinghe Premadasa elected President of Sri Lanka December 20, 1987 "Nuts" with Barbra Striesand premieres December 20, 1987 76th Davis Cup: Sweden beats India in Gothenburg (5-0) December 20, 1987 Dona Paz ferry sinks after crash with oil tanker Vector, 4386 die December 20, 1987 Nancy Lopez/Miller Barber wins LPGA Mazda Golf Championship December 20, 1986 White teenagers beat blacks in Howard Beach, New York December 20, 1985 Denis Potvin passes Bobby Orr as NHL defenseman scorer (916 points) December 20, 1985 Howard Cosell retires from television sports after 20 years with ABC December 20, 1985 Position of American Poet Laureate established (Robert Warren is 1st) December 20, 1984 33 unknown Bach keyboard works found in Yale library December 20, 1984 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site December 20, 1983 El Salvador adopts constitution December 20, 1983 Guy Lafleur, Montreal, became 10th NHLer to score 500 goals December 20, 1983 New York Islanders score their most goals (11) vs Pitts Penguins December 20, 1983 PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and 4,000 loyalists evacuate Lebanon December 20, 1981 "Dreamgirls" opens at Imperial Theater New York City for 1522 performances December 20, 1981 Browns set team records for most fumbles (9) and most turnovers (10) December 20, 1981 Doug Small (Winnipeg Jets) ties NHL record scoring at 5 second mark December 20, 1981 Harry Krieger/Tom Eyen's musical "Dreamgirls," premieres in New York City December 20, 1980 NBC broadcasts New York Jets' 24-17 win over Dolphins without audio December 20, 1980 U.S.S.R. formally announces death of Alexei Kosygin December 20, 1978 H R Haldeman, Nixon's White House chief of staff released from jail December 20, 1977 1st Space walk made by G Grechko from Salyut December 20, 1977 RAF-terrorist Knut Folkerts sentenced to 20 years December 20, 1976 "Music Is" opens at St. James Theater New York City for 8 performances December 20, 1976 Israel's PM Yitzhak Rabin resigns December 20, 1975 Joe Walsh recruited to join Eagles December 20, 1975 Pope Paul VI named J Willebrands archbishop of Utrecht December 20, 1974 Ethiopia becomes socialist one-party state December 20, 1974 George Harrison releases his "Dark Horse" album in UK December 20, 1973 AL President Joe Cronin refuses to allow Dick Williams to manage Yankees December 20, 1973 Dutch Antillean government of Evertsz forms December 20, 1973 Montreal Canadien Henri Richard scores his 1,000th NHL point December 20, 1972 Neil Simons "Sunshine Boys," premieres in New York City December 20, 1971 Pakistan president Yahya Khan resigns December 20, 1970 Edward Gierek succeeds Wladyslaw Gomulka as Poland's party leader December 20, 1969 Peter, Paul and Mary's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" reaches #1 December 20, 1967 "Graduate," starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, premieres December 20, 1967 474,300 U.S. soldiers in Vietnam December 20, 1967 Ian Anderson and Glenn Cornick form rock group Jethro Tull December 20, 1966 Brussels: Nuclear Planning Group established December 20, 1966 NBA awards Seattle Supersonics a franchise for 1967-68 season December 20, 1966 Nuclear Planning Group forms in Brussels December 20, 1966 U.S. performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site December 20, 1964 Levi Eshkol forms Israeli government December 20, 1963 Berlin Wall opens for 1st time to West Berliners December 20, 1963 Massemba-Debate elected President of Congo-Brazzaville December 20, 1963 Trial against 21 camp guards of Auschwitz begins December 20, 1962 D Sjostakovitz opera "Katerina Ismailova," premieres in Moscow December 20, 1962 Osmond brothers debut on Andy Williams Show December 20, 1960 Auschwitz commandant Richard Bar arrested in German FR December 20, 1959 Jasu Patel takes 9-69, India vs. Australia at Kanpur December 20, 1957 Elvis Presley given draft notice to join U.S. Army for National Service December 20, 1956 Military coup under colonel Simbolon in Sumatra December 20, 1956 Montgomery, Ala, removed race-based seat assignments on its buses December 20, 1953 KID (now KIDK) TV channel 3 in Idaho Falls, ID (CBS) 1st broadcasting December 20, 1953 KWTV TV channel 9 in Oklahoma City, OK (CBS) begins broadcasting December 20, 1952 KHQ TV channel 6 in Spokane, WA (NBC) begins broadcasting December 20, 1950 "Harvey," starring James Stewart, premieres in NY December 20, 1949 Maurice Ravel/John Cranko's ballet "Beauty and the Beast," premieres December 20, 1948 Second Chamber accept 2nd Police Action in Indonesia December 20, 1946 Darius Milhaud's 2nd Symphony, premieres December 20, 1945 Rationg of auto tires ends in US December 20, 1944 Archbishop De Young and bishop Huibers condemn black market December 20, 1944 Battle of Bastogne, Nazis surround 101st Airborne (NUTS!) December 20, 1944 Bishop forbids membership in non Catholic unions December 20, 1944 Terence Rattigans "O Mistress Mine," premieres in London December 20, 1943 "International" is no longer U.S.S.R. National Anthem December 20, 1942 1st Japanese bombing of Calcutta December 20, 1941 Free France under adm Muselier occupies St-Pierre et Miquelon December 20, 1941 Japanese troops lands on Mindanao December 20, 1940 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000 December 20, 1939 Radio Australia begins overseas shortwave service December 20, 1938 Vladimir K Zworykin (Penn) receives patent on Iconoscope TV system December 20, 1937 Bill O'Reilly takes 9-41 for NSW against South Australia December 20, 1935 Pope Pius XI publishes encyclical Ad Catholici Sacerdotii December 20, 1933 Bolivia and Paraguay sign weapon cease fire December 20, 1932 Queensland all out 74 vs. Victoria, Ironmonger (age 50) 7-13 December 20, 1930 Learie Constantine cricket 100 in 52 mins WI vs. Tas (10x4, 1x6, 1x5) December 20, 1929 Heinie Wagner replaces Bill Carrigan as Red Sox manager December 20, 1929 Mount Davidson dedicated as a San Francisco city park December 20, 1928 1st internationsl dogsled mail leaves Minot, Maine for Montreal, Que December 20, 1928 Ethel Barrymore Theater opens at 243 W 47th St. New York City December 20, 1926 Cards trade Rogers Hornsby to Giants for Frankie Frisch and Jimmy Ring December 20, 1926 Pope Pius XI convicts fascist pursuit in Italy December 20, 1926 Sidney Howard's "Silver Cord," premieres in New York City December 20, 1924 Adolf Hitler freed from jail early December 20, 1922 14 republics form Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics (U.S.S.R.) December 20, 1922 Polish parliament selects Stanislaw Wojcieckowski as president December 20, 1921 AL votes to return to best-of-7 World Series, while NL votes best-of-9 Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis casts deciding vote for best-of-7 December 20, 1920 Bert Collins scores 104 on Test Cricket debut vs. England SCG December 20, 1920 Bob Hope became an American citizen December 20, 1919 Canadian National Railways established (North America's longest, 50,000 KM) December 20, 1919 U.S. House of Representatives restricts immigration December 20, 1918 Eugene O'Neill's "Moon of the Caribees," premieres in New York City December 20, 1917 Russian secret police in Czech forms under Felix Dzerzjinski December 20, 1915 Russian troops overrun Qom, Persia December 20, 1912 J Hartley Manners' "Peg O' My Heart," premieres in New York City December 20, 1912 Paul Claudels "L'Annonce Faote Maroe," premieres in Paris December 20, 1907 Explosion at Yolande Alabama, coal mine kills 91 December 20, 1906 Venezuela (under vice-president Gomez) attacks Dutch fleet December 20, 1900 Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft) December 20, 1894 Day Six 1T Aus vs. Eng Australia need 177 to win, all out 166 December 20, 1894 England beat Australia by 10 runs in the 1st six-day Test Cricket December 20, 1893 1st state anti-lynching statue approved, in Georgia December 20, 1892 Phileas Fogg completes around world trip, according to Verne December 20, 1892 Pneumatic automobile tire patented, Syracuse, New York December 20, 1891 Strongman Louis Cyr withstands pull of 4 horses December 20, 1883 International cantilever railway bridge opens at Niagara Falls December 20, 1880 Battle at Bronker's Spruit, Transvaal: Farmers beat Britten December 20, 1880 NY's Broadway lit by electricity, becomes known as "Great White Way" December 20, 1879 Tom Edison privately demonstrated incandescent light at Menlo Park December 20, 1865 De Clear-Alkmaar railway opens December 20, 1862 Battle of Holly Spring, MS December 20, 1862 Brig-gen Nathan B Forrest occupies Trenton, Kentucky December 20, 1861 Battle of Dranesville, VA December 20, 1860 South Carolina votes 169-0 for Ordinace of Secession, 1st state to secede December 20, 1850 Hawaiian post office established December 20, 1830 England, France, Prussia, Austria and Russia recognize Belgium December 20, 1823 Franz Schuberts "Ballet-Musik aus Rosamunde," premieres in Vienna December 20, 1820 Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men between 21 and 50 December 20, 1803 Louisiana Purchase formally transferred from France to U.S. for $27M December 20, 1790 1st successful U.S. cotton mill to spin yarn (Pawtucket, RI) December 20, 1780 England declares war on Netherlands December 20, 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie's army meets de Esk December 20, 1699 Peter the Great ordered Russian New Year changed-Sept 1 to Jan 1 December 20, 1694 Frederik van Brandenburg flees Schweiben December 20, 1688 Prince Willem III's troops pull into London December 20, 1669 1st jury trial in Delaware; Marcus Jacobson condemned for insurrection and sentenced to flogging, branding and slavery December 20, 1661 Corporation Act enforced in England December 20, 1626 Emperor Ferdinand II/Transylvanian monarch Gabor Betlen signs Peace of Pressburg December 20, 1606 Virginia Company settlers leave London to establish Jamestown Va December 20, 1600 Ottario Rinuccini/Giulio Caccini's opera "Euridice" published December 20, 1585 English fleet and earl Robert Dudley van Leicester reach Vlissingen December 20, 1448 Pope Nicolaas V named Utrechts bishop Rudolf of Diepholt, cardinal December 20, 1192 Richard the Lionhearted captured in Vienna December 20, 1046 Synod of Sutri: German king Henry III removes Popes Gregory VI, December 20, 1046 Benedictus IX and Silvester III and names Bishop Siutger, Pope Clemens II December 20, 69 General Vespasianus occupies Rome |