- September 20, 0451 “The Battle of Chalons, in North Eastern France. Flavius Aetius’ victory over Attila the Hun in a day of combat, considered and believed to be the largest battle in the ancient world.”
- September 20, 1519 Magellan starts first successful circumnavigation of the world
- September 20, 1565 Spaniards capture Fort Caroline Fla and massacre the French
- September 20, 1664 Maryland enacts first anti-amaglmation law to prevent widespread intermarriage of English women and black men
- September 20, 1777 Paoli massacre
- September 20, 1792 French defeat Prussians at Valmy
- September 20, 1797 US frigate Constitution (Old Ironsides) launched in Boston
- September 20, 1830 First National Black convention meets (Phila)
- September 20, 1848 The American Association for the Advancement of Science was created.
- September 20, 1850 “Slave trade abolished in DC, but slavery allowed to continue”
- September 20, 1854 “British and French defeat Russians at Alma, in the Crimea”
- September 20, 1859 Patent granted on the electric range
- September 20, 1860 “First British royalty to visit US, Prince of Wales (King Edward VII)”
- September 20, 1863 “Civil War Battle of Chickamauga, near Chattanooga, Tenn, ends”
- September 20, 1873 Panic sweeps NY Stock Exchange (railroad bond default/bank failure)
- September 20, 1877 Chase National Bank opens in NYC (later merges into Chase Manhattan)
- September 20, 1879 U. Grant comes to SF for elaborate extended visit
- September 20, 1881 Chester A Arthur sworn in as president
- September 20, 1884 6.2 mile Arlberg railroad tunnel completed in Austria
- September 20, 1884 Equal Rights Party nominates female candidates for Pres & VP
- September 20, 1899 “In the Menderes Valley Turkey a 6.9 earthquake caused severe damage to buildings, bridges and railroad and telegraph lines in the Aydin-Denizli area.”
- September 20, 1912 Official approval given for the establishment of a military Central Flying School
- September 20, 1943 “HMCS ST CROIX (RCN),sunk by a new acoustic torpedoSE of Greenland by 2 torpedoes from German U.305.”
- September 20, 1943 Rome is occupied by the Germans. The German Army now controls most of Italy.
- September 20, 1944 “Death in action, while filming American troops on Peleliu, of Australian cameraman Damien Parer Parer made what has been considered Australia’s most famous war film – Kokoda Front Line The film won an Academy Award and gave international exposure to the experiences of Australian soldiers in 1942 on the Kokoda Track”
- September 20, 1951 First North Pole jet crossing
- September 20, 1954 First National People’s Congress adopts Chinese constitution
- September 20, 1954 Roger Bannister awarded Britain’s Silver Pears Trophy
- September 20, 1954 The first FORTRAN computer program run
- September 20, 1962 James Meredith is blocked from entering Miss U as its first black
- September 20, 1964 Paramount theater (NYC) presented the Beatles and Steve and Eydie
- September 20, 1966 US Surveyor B launched toward Moon; crashed Sept 23
- September 20, 1967 “Hurricane Beulah hits Texas-Mexican border, kills 38”
- September 20, 1968 Mickey Mantle hits final career homer # 536
- September 20, 1969 Number one hit on UK music charts – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
- September 20, 1970 “Luna 16 lands on Moon’s Mare Fecunditatis, drills core sample”
- September 20, 1972 Police find cannabis growing on Paul and Linda McCartney’s farm
- September 20, 1973 Billy Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match
- September 20, 1973 Jim Croce dies in a plane crash in Louisana.
- September 20, 1976 Playboy releases Jimmy Carter’s interview that he lusts for women