May 20
1506 - Christopher Columbus died in Spain.
1861 - North Carolina seceded from the Union.
1861 - The capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia.
1862 - President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which was intended to encourage settlements west of the Mississippi River by making federal land available for farming.
1902 - The United States ended a three-year military presence in Cuba as the Republic of Cuba was established.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh began the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight, departing Long Island, New York aboard the Spirit of St. Louis.
1932 - Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
1939 - Regular trans-Atlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways plane took off from Port Washington, New York, bound for Europe.
1956 - The United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
1959 - Nearly 5,000 Japanese-Americans had their U.S. citizenships restored after choosing to renounce them during World War II.
1961 - A mob attacked a busload of "freedom riders" in Montgomery, Alabama, setting the bus on fire, prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order.
1969 - U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as Hamburger Hill by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
1978 - Mavis Hutchinson, age 53, became the first woman to run across America. The 3,000-mile trek took her 69 days, as she ran an average of 45 miles per day.
1985 - Radio Marti, operated by the U.S. government, began broadcasting; Cuba responded by attempting to jam its signal.
1989 - Comedian Gilda Radner died of cancer at age 42.
1993 - The final episode of the sitcom "Cheers" aired on NBC.
1995 - President Bill Clinton announced that the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House would be permanently closed to traffic as a security measure.
1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to reject a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination.
2002 - East Timor became an independent nation.
2011 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the idea of using his country’s 1967 boundaries as the basis for a neighboring Palestinian state, declaring his objections during a face-to-face meeting with President Barack Obama, who had raised the idea in an effort to revive stalled Mideast peace talks.
2012 - Singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 62.
2015 - Four of the world’s biggest banks — JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup’s banking unit Citicorp, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland — agreed to pay more than $5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to rigging the currency markets.
2016 - A U.S. Secret Service officer shot a man with a gun who had approached a checkpoint outside the White House and refused to drop his weapon; Jesse Olivieri of Ashland, Pennsylvania, was later sentenced to eight months’ confinement.
2020 - President Donald Trump threatened to hold up federal funds for two election battleground states (Michigan and Nevada) that were making it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic.
2020 - Apple and Google released smartphone technology that could notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus.
2020 - Government figures showed that U.S. births continued to fall in 2019, leading to the lowest number of newborns in 35 years.
Birthdays
36 - Jon Pardi (country singer)
37 - Naturi Naughton (actress/singer)
39 - Sierra Boggess (actress)
40 - Rachel Platten (singer)
44 - Angela Goethals (actress)
49 - Busta Rhymes (rapper)
50 - Tony Stewart (race car driver)
53 - Timothy Olyphant (actor)
55 - Gina Ravera (actress)
55 - Mindy Cohn (actress)
60 - Nick Heyward (singer)
61 - Tony Goldwyn (actor)
61 - John Billingsley (actor)
62 - Bronson Pinchot (actor)
63 - Ron Reagan (TV/Radio host)
65 - Dean Butler (actor)
73 - Dave Thomas (actor/comedian)
75 - Cher (singer)
79 - David Proval (actor)
85 - Anthony Zerbe (actor)
===============================================
Today in Sports History - May 20
1941 - Taft Wright (Chicago White Sox) set an American League record for 13 consecutive games with RBIs.
1946 - Claude Passeau made his first error since September 21, 1941. He set the pitcher's fielding record at 273 consecutive errorless chances.
1948 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. It was the second time he hit for the cycle.
1972 - The Indiana Pacers defeat the New York Nets in six games to win the ABA championship.
1983 - Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies passes Walter Johnson into second place on the career strikeout list.
1984 - Roger Clemens got his first career victory, leading the Boston Red Sox to a win over the Minnesota Twins.
1988 - Mike Schmidt hit his 535th home run to move into 8th place on the all-time list.
1991 - Jeff Reardon got his 300th career save.
2006 - San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the career list with his 714th home run.
2009 - Suspended NFL star Michael Vick was released after 19 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.
2011 - Professional wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage died in Pinellas County, Florida at age 58.
2015 - The NFL announced that extra points would be kicked from the 15-yard line starting with the 2015 season.
1506 - Christopher Columbus died in Spain.
1861 - North Carolina seceded from the Union.
1861 - The capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia.
1862 - President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which was intended to encourage settlements west of the Mississippi River by making federal land available for farming.
1902 - The United States ended a three-year military presence in Cuba as the Republic of Cuba was established.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh began the first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight, departing Long Island, New York aboard the Spirit of St. Louis.
1932 - Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
1939 - Regular trans-Atlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways plane took off from Port Washington, New York, bound for Europe.
1956 - The United States exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
1959 - Nearly 5,000 Japanese-Americans had their U.S. citizenships restored after choosing to renounce them during World War II.
1961 - A mob attacked a busload of "freedom riders" in Montgomery, Alabama, setting the bus on fire, prompting the federal government to send in U.S. marshals to restore order.
1969 - U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as Hamburger Hill by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.
1978 - Mavis Hutchinson, age 53, became the first woman to run across America. The 3,000-mile trek took her 69 days, as she ran an average of 45 miles per day.
1985 - Radio Marti, operated by the U.S. government, began broadcasting; Cuba responded by attempting to jam its signal.
1989 - Comedian Gilda Radner died of cancer at age 42.
1993 - The final episode of the sitcom "Cheers" aired on NBC.
1995 - President Bill Clinton announced that the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House would be permanently closed to traffic as a security measure.
1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to reject a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination.
2002 - East Timor became an independent nation.
2011 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the idea of using his country’s 1967 boundaries as the basis for a neighboring Palestinian state, declaring his objections during a face-to-face meeting with President Barack Obama, who had raised the idea in an effort to revive stalled Mideast peace talks.
2012 - Singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 62.
2015 - Four of the world’s biggest banks — JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup’s banking unit Citicorp, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland — agreed to pay more than $5 billion in penalties and plead guilty to rigging the currency markets.
2016 - A U.S. Secret Service officer shot a man with a gun who had approached a checkpoint outside the White House and refused to drop his weapon; Jesse Olivieri of Ashland, Pennsylvania, was later sentenced to eight months’ confinement.
2020 - President Donald Trump threatened to hold up federal funds for two election battleground states (Michigan and Nevada) that were making it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic.
2020 - Apple and Google released smartphone technology that could notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus.
2020 - Government figures showed that U.S. births continued to fall in 2019, leading to the lowest number of newborns in 35 years.
Birthdays
36 - Jon Pardi (country singer)
37 - Naturi Naughton (actress/singer)
39 - Sierra Boggess (actress)
40 - Rachel Platten (singer)
44 - Angela Goethals (actress)
49 - Busta Rhymes (rapper)
50 - Tony Stewart (race car driver)
53 - Timothy Olyphant (actor)
55 - Gina Ravera (actress)
55 - Mindy Cohn (actress)
60 - Nick Heyward (singer)
61 - Tony Goldwyn (actor)
61 - John Billingsley (actor)
62 - Bronson Pinchot (actor)
63 - Ron Reagan (TV/Radio host)
65 - Dean Butler (actor)
73 - Dave Thomas (actor/comedian)
75 - Cher (singer)
79 - David Proval (actor)
85 - Anthony Zerbe (actor)
===============================================
Today in Sports History - May 20
1941 - Taft Wright (Chicago White Sox) set an American League record for 13 consecutive games with RBIs.
1946 - Claude Passeau made his first error since September 21, 1941. He set the pitcher's fielding record at 273 consecutive errorless chances.
1948 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game. It was the second time he hit for the cycle.
1972 - The Indiana Pacers defeat the New York Nets in six games to win the ABA championship.
1983 - Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies passes Walter Johnson into second place on the career strikeout list.
1984 - Roger Clemens got his first career victory, leading the Boston Red Sox to a win over the Minnesota Twins.
1988 - Mike Schmidt hit his 535th home run to move into 8th place on the all-time list.
1991 - Jeff Reardon got his 300th career save.
2006 - San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the career list with his 714th home run.
2009 - Suspended NFL star Michael Vick was released after 19 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.
2011 - Professional wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage died in Pinellas County, Florida at age 58.
2015 - The NFL announced that extra points would be kicked from the 15-yard line starting with the 2015 season.
