20th October

Events

• 1600 - Battle of Sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's shoguns
• 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria
• 1803 - United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase
• 1827 - Battle of Navarino - a combined Turkish and Egyptian armada is destroyed by an allied British, French, and Russian naval force in the port of Navarino in Pylos, Greece. The most important result of this battle is the end of the Greek Liberation War and the affirmation of independence of modern Greece.
• 1883 - Peru and Chile signed the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province was ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.
• 1935 - The Long March ends
• 1944 - The Soviet army captures Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia
• 1947 - The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of Hollywood
• 1973 - The Saturday Night Massacre
• 1973 - The Sydney Opera House opens
• 1977 - A plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi, killing several band members, including lead singer/guitarist Ronnie Van Zandt
• 1991 - Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and destroys 3469 homes and apartments

Births

• 1632 - Sir Christopher Wren, architect († 1723)
• 1853 - Arthur Rimbaud, poet († 1891)
• 1858 - John Burns, English politician († 1943)
• 1859 - John Dewey, philosopher († 1952)
• 1874 - Charles Ives, composer († 1954)
• 1882 - Bela Lugosi, actor († 1956)
• 1889 - Margaret Dumont, actress († 1965)
• 1890 - Jelly Roll Morton, composer, musician († 1941)
• 1891 - Jomo Kenyatta, President of Kenya († 1978)
• 1900 - Wayne Morse, Senator from Oregon († 1974)
• 1904 - Anna Neagle, actress († 1986)
• 1905 - Frederic Dannay (Ellery Queen), mystery novelist († 1982)
• 1907 - Arlene Francis, television personality († 2001)
• 1913 - Grandpa Jones, country music performer († 1998)
• 1918 - Robert Lochner, journalist, creater of Kennedy's "ish been oin bear-lee-ner" († 2003)
• 1923 - Herschel Bernardi, actor († 1986)
• 1925 - Art Buchwald, newspaper columnist
• 1928 - Joyce Brothers, psychologist, television personality
• 1931 - Mickey Mantle, baseball star († 1995)
• 1935 - Jerry Orbach, actor
• 1937 - Juan Marichal, baseball star
• 1953 - Tom Petty, musician
• 1955 - Aaron Pryor, world boxing champion
• 1958 - Viggo Mortensen, actor
• 1971 - Snoop Dogg, musician
• 1977 - Elena Berezhnaya, figure skating star

Deaths

• 460 - Aelia Eudocia, East Roman Empress
• 1920 - Max Bruch, composer
• 1964 - Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States
• 1977 - Steve Gaines, musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• 1977 - Ronnie VanZant, musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
• 1984 - Paul Dirac, physicist
• 1989 - Anthony Quayle, actor
• 1990 - Joel McCrea, actor
• 1994 - Burt Lancaster, actor

October 19 - October 21 - November 20 - September 20 - more historical anniversaries