What happened today in history (February 20): Rihanna and Kurt Cobain are born, Frederick Douglass and Govind Pansare die, World Social Justice Day, Paricutin Volcano is founded, Museum of Art Metropolitan opens in New York, John Glenn orbits Earth, and more.
This day in history (February 20): New volcano formed in Mexico
Today in History, February 20: Winter is coming to an end and the month of love is coming to an end. As we approach the last week of February, let’s expand our general knowledge a bit.
Today is February 20. In addition to being the Lost Day during anti-Valentine’s Day week, February 20 also holds an important place in history. Many important events happened on this day.
Read on to find out what happened on this day (February 20) in sports, politics and the arts, along with famous births and deaths in world history.
Historical events on this day
- In 1547, Edward VI was crowned King of England after the death of his father, Henry VIII.
- In 1872, the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City opened its doors to the public for the first time.
- In 1935, Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to set foot on Antarctica.
- In 1943, the Paricutin volcano was formed in a Mexican farmer’s cornfield and erupted regularly for 9 years.
- In 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed India’s last viceroy to oversee independence.
- In 1962, astronaut John H. Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth during the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission aboard the spacecraft Friendship 7.
- In 1987, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram became states of India.
- In 1988, Peter Kallikow bought the New York Post from Rupert Murdoch for $37.6 million.
- In 2003, a fireworks display gone wrong caused The Station nightclub to catch fire during a concert by rock band Great White, killing 100 people.
- In 2013, the smallest exoplanet, Kepler-37b, was discovered.
Sports event today
- In 1998, 15-year-old American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest Olympic figure skater to win a gold medal after winning at the Nagano Winter Olympics.
- In 2021, Japan’s Naomi Osaka won her fourth and second Australian major titles after defeating American Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 at the Australian Open.
Today’s Arts and Culture Events
- In 1816, the famous opera “The Barber of Seville” by Italian composer Rossini premiered at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
- In 1877, Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” premiered at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
- In 1909, the Futurist Manifesto was published by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in the French magazine Le Figaro, glorifying speed, machines, violence, youth and industry.
Notable deaths on this day
|
Sir No |
Year of death |
Personality |
|
first |
1790 |
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790, who abolished serfdom, established religious equality before the law, and granted freedom of the press |
|
2 |
1895 |
Frederick Douglass, American social reformer, orator, writer, and abolitionist who was born into slavery but fought to eliminate slavery from Americans through his articles and speeches |
|
3 |
1920 |
Robert Peary, American explorer and naval captain, first person to reach the North Pole |
|
4 |
1993 |
Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile designer, inventor, engineer and businessman, founder of the sports car manufacturer Automobile Lamborghini after a feud with Enzo Ferrari |
|
5 |
2005 |
Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author, is famous for creating gonzo journalism |
|
6 |
2015 |
Govind Pansare, Indian leftist politician and communist who wrote the best-selling Marathi biography of Shivaji |
Famous birthdays on this day
|
Sir No |
Year of Birth |
Personality |
|
first |
1844 |
Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher best known for developing statistical mechanics and statistical interpretation of the second law of thermodynamics |
|
2 |
1901 |
Louis Kahn, Estonian-American architect considered one of the most important architects of the 20th century for designing the Kimbell Art Museum and the Bangadesh National Museum |
|
3 |
1925 |
Robert Altman, five-time Oscar-nominated American director, famous for the films M*A*S*H, The Player and Gosford Park |
|
4 |
1927 |
Sidney Poitier, the Bahamian-American actor who defied racism to become the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lily of the Field |
|
5 |
1963 |
Charles Barkley, one of America’s most famous basketball players and television personality |
|
6 |
1966 |
Cindy Crawford, American supermodel and television personality |
|
7 |
1967 |
Kurt Cobain, American musician and frontman of the alt-rock band Nirvana |
|
8 |
1982 |
Osita Iheme, Nigerian actor and author best known for playing the comedy character Pawpaw in the film Aki na Ukwa |
|
9 |
1987 |
Miles Teller, American actor best known for his starring role in the Oscar-nominated film Whiplash and also starred in Top Gun: Maverick |
|
ten |
1988 |
Rihanna, Barbadian-American singer, best-selling female pop and R&B artist in history and known for the hit songs “Diamonds,” “Love the Way You Lie” and “Take A Bow” |
Related | Today in History (February 19)
Related | Today in History (February 18)
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn