May 20
1506 - Christopher Columbus died in Spain.
1861 - North Carolina voted to secede 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.
1916 - The Saturday Evening Post published its first Norman Rockwell cover; the illustration shows a scowling boy dressed in his Sunday best, dutifully pushing a baby carriage past a couple of boys wearing baseball uniforms.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh began the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, departing from Long Island aboard the "Spirit of St. Louis".
1932 - Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. (Because of weather and equipment problems, Earhart set down in Northern Ireland instead of her intended destination, France.)
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.
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, running an average of 45 miles each day.
1985 - Radio Marti, operated by the U.S. government, began broadcasting; Cuba responded by attempting to jam its signal.
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 - In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination.
2002 - East Timor became an independent nation.
2009 - In a rare bipartisan defeat for President Barack Obama, the Senate voted overwhelmingly, 90-6, to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba open for the foreseeable future and forbid the transfer of any detainees to facilities in the United States.
2012 - Singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 62.
2012 - A two-day NATO summit hosted by President Barack Obama opened in Chicago. Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago, airing grievances about war, climate change and a wide range of other complaints.
2015 - Four of the world's largest banks -- JPMorgan Chase, 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.
2017 - President Donald Trump opened a five-stop overseas tour, his first since taking office, receiving a lavish royal welcome in Saudi Arabia.
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.
2021 - Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire, ending a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill.
2021 - CNN said it was inappropriate for news anchor Chris Cuomo to have been involved in phone calls with the staff of his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the governor decided how to respond to sexual harassment allegations. (CNN would fire Chris Cuomo in December 2021 over his role in helping his older brother.)
Birthdays
22 - Stephanie Poetri (singer)
26 - Mary Kate Robertson (reality star)
37 - Jon Pardi (singer)
38 - Naturi Naughton (actress/singer)
41 - Rachel Platten (singer)
45 - Angela Goethals (actress)
45 - Matt Czuchry (actor)
49 - Daya Vaidya (actress)
50 - Busta Rhymes (rapper)
51 - Tony Stewart (race car driver)
54 - Timothy Olyphant (actor)
56 - Gina Ravera (actress)
56 - Mindy Cohn (actress)
61 - Nick Heyward (singer)
62 - Tony Goldwyn (actor)
62 - John Billingsley (actor)
63 - Bronson Pinchot (actor)
64 - Ron Reagan (TV/radio personality)
66 - Dean Butler (actor)
74 - Dave Thomas (actor/comedian)
76 - Cher (singer)
80 - David Proval (actor)
86 - Anthony Zerbe (actor)
92 - James McEachin (actor)
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Today in Sports History - May 20
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.
1984 - Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox got his first career victory.
1988 - Mike Schmidt hit his 535th home run to move into 8th place on the all-time list.
2006 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 714th career home run, tying him with Babe Ruth for the second-most home runs in major league history.
2009 - Suspended NFL star Michael Vick was released after 19 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.
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 voted to secede 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.
1916 - The Saturday Evening Post published its first Norman Rockwell cover; the illustration shows a scowling boy dressed in his Sunday best, dutifully pushing a baby carriage past a couple of boys wearing baseball uniforms.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh began the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, departing from Long Island aboard the "Spirit of St. Louis".
1932 - Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. (Because of weather and equipment problems, Earhart set down in Northern Ireland instead of her intended destination, France.)
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.
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, running an average of 45 miles each day.
1985 - Radio Marti, operated by the U.S. government, began broadcasting; Cuba responded by attempting to jam its signal.
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 - In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination.
2002 - East Timor became an independent nation.
2009 - In a rare bipartisan defeat for President Barack Obama, the Senate voted overwhelmingly, 90-6, to keep the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba open for the foreseeable future and forbid the transfer of any detainees to facilities in the United States.
2012 - Singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 62.
2012 - A two-day NATO summit hosted by President Barack Obama opened in Chicago. Thousands of protesters marched through downtown Chicago, airing grievances about war, climate change and a wide range of other complaints.
2015 - Four of the world's largest banks -- JPMorgan Chase, 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.
2017 - President Donald Trump opened a five-stop overseas tour, his first since taking office, receiving a lavish royal welcome in Saudi Arabia.
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.
2021 - Israel and Hamas announced a cease-fire, ending a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip and brought life in much of Israel to a standstill.
2021 - CNN said it was inappropriate for news anchor Chris Cuomo to have been involved in phone calls with the staff of his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the governor decided how to respond to sexual harassment allegations. (CNN would fire Chris Cuomo in December 2021 over his role in helping his older brother.)
Birthdays
22 - Stephanie Poetri (singer)
26 - Mary Kate Robertson (reality star)
37 - Jon Pardi (singer)
38 - Naturi Naughton (actress/singer)
41 - Rachel Platten (singer)
45 - Angela Goethals (actress)
45 - Matt Czuchry (actor)
49 - Daya Vaidya (actress)
50 - Busta Rhymes (rapper)
51 - Tony Stewart (race car driver)
54 - Timothy Olyphant (actor)
56 - Gina Ravera (actress)
56 - Mindy Cohn (actress)
61 - Nick Heyward (singer)
62 - Tony Goldwyn (actor)
62 - John Billingsley (actor)
63 - Bronson Pinchot (actor)
64 - Ron Reagan (TV/radio personality)
66 - Dean Butler (actor)
74 - Dave Thomas (actor/comedian)
76 - Cher (singer)
80 - David Proval (actor)
86 - Anthony Zerbe (actor)
92 - James McEachin (actor)
======================================
Today in Sports History - May 20
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.
1984 - Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox got his first career victory.
1988 - Mike Schmidt hit his 535th home run to move into 8th place on the all-time list.
2006 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 714th career home run, tying him with Babe Ruth for the second-most home runs in major league history.
2009 - Suspended NFL star Michael Vick was released after 19 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring.
2015 - The NFL announced that extra points would be kicked from the 15-yard line starting with the 2015 season.
