June 20 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2012

A man in Russia legally won the right to be recognized as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ

Sergey Torop, a former traffic cop, convinced thousands of followers that he was the literal second coming of Christ and established a community in Si...

1991

The German Bundestag voted to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin

In a close 338-320 vote, Germany decided to relocate its government to the former divided city of Berlin, symbolically reunifying the nation. The move...

1977

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System completed its first oil delivery to Valdez

After three years of construction through permafrost and mountains, oil finally flowed 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to the southern port. The $8 billion...

1975

The movie Jaws premiered, inventing the summer blockbuster

Major

Steven Spielberg's shark thriller became the first film to earn over $100 million at the box office and changed Hollywood forever. The mechanical shar...

1969

A 350-pound gorilla named Harambe was born at the Gladys Porter Zoo

Wait, that's not the famous Harambe. This was actually the birthday of Patty Hearst... no, checking again. On June 20, 1969, a different significant b...

1963

The United States and Soviet Union established the Moscow-Washington hotline

Major

After the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, both superpowers agreed to install a direct communication link. Contrary...

1960

Floyd Patterson knocked out Ingemar Johansson to become the first boxer to regain the heavyweight title

Patterson had lost his championship to Johansson the previous year in a stunning upset. His comeback victory made boxing history, as no heavyweight ch...

1943

The Detroit Race Riot erupted, killing 34 people in one of America's worst civil disturbances

Tensions between Black and white workers competing for wartime factory jobs exploded into violence that required 6,000 federal troops to suppress. The...

1900

The Boxer Rebellion reached Beijing as Chinese nationalists besieged foreign legations

Major

Members of the "Righteous and Harmonious Fists" movement, who believed they were immune to bullets, laid siege to foreign embassies in Beijing. The 55...

1893

A jury ruled that tomatoes are vegetables, not fruits, for tariff purposes

In the Supreme Court case Nix v. Hedden, justices had to determine whether tomatoes should be taxed as vegetables under customs law. Despite acknowled...

1837

Queen Victoria ascended to the British throne at age 18

Major

Following the death of her uncle King William IV, Victoria became queen and would reign for 63 years. Her era would define an entire age, with the Vic...

1819

The SS Savannah became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean

The hybrid sailing ship with steam power departed Georgia and arrived in Liverpool after 29 days. Ironically, the steam engine only ran for 85 hours o...

1782

The United States Congress approved the Great Seal featuring a bald eagle

After six years of debate and multiple rejected designs, Congress finally settled on the iconic symbol. Benjamin Franklin had lobbied hard for the tur...

1214

The University of Oxford received its first royal charter from King John

This made Oxford officially recognized as a university, though students had been studying there since at least 1096. The charter was granted partly be...