This Day in History – March 20

“Histories make men – wise, poets – witty, the mathematics – subtle, natural philosophy – deep, moral – grave, logic and rhetoric – able to contend” as stated by Francis Bacon tells us the importance of history in one’s life no matter what field one chooses. So here we have a list of all the important events that took place on March 20.

What Happened in India on March 20?

1739 – Nadir Shah occupied Delhi
The Iranian ruler Nadir Shah sacked the city of Delhi, occupies it and steals the jewels of the famous Peacock Throne.

1977 – Indira Gandhi lost elections
Indira Gandhi lost elections after her streak of winning in elections. Narain Singh who stood against her from Rae Bareli won with a huge margin.

2017 – Yamuna and Ganga declared “living entities”
The Indian rivers, the Yamuna and the Ganges were declared living entities by the Uttarakhand state court.

What Happened Around the World on March 20?

1345 – Plague Black death
Saturn, Jupiter and Mars conjunction was thought to be the cause of the plague epidemic.

1598 – Governor of Brittany submitted to French King
The governor of Brittany, Philippe Emmanuel submitted to the French King Henry IV at Angers.

1602 – United Dutch East India Company (VOC) formed
The United Dutch East India Company was constituted on March 20, 1602.

1627 – France and Spain sign treaty
An accord for fighting Protestantism signed by France and Spain.

1760 – Great Boston Fire
349 buildings are destroyed in the Great Boston fire.

1800 – Discovery of electric battery
Alessandro Volta reported his discovery of the electric battery in a letter to Joseph Banks the then president of the Royal Society of London.

1815 – Napoleon entered Paris
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris after escaping from Elba which began the 100 day rule.

1861 – Earthquake in Argentina
An earthquake completely destroyed Mendoza in Argentina.

1886 – 1^st AC Power plant in US
The very first AC power plant in the US began its commercial operation in Massachusetts.

1902 – France and Russia issue joint declaration
The Anglo- Japanese Alliance approved by the joint declaration of France and Russia but also stipulated that they have the right to protect the interest in China and Korea.

1914 – 1^st Figure skating tournament
The very first figure skating tournament was held in New Haven in the US.

1930 – KFC founded
The American fast-food chain “KFC” Kentucky Fried Chicken was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in North Corbin, Kentucky.

1954 – Newspaper vending machine
The very first newspaper vending machine used in Columbia, Pennsylvania in the US.

1956 – Nuclear test by USSR
USSR performed a nuclear test in 1956 on March 20.

1977 – 1^st Mayor elected
The Parisians elected the former Jacques Chirac as the first mayor in a century.

1982 – Nuclear test by France
France performed a nuclear test on this day.

1986 – 1^st Gay and lesbian rights legislation
In New York City, the first lesbian and gay rights legislation is passed

1987 – Palapa B2P launched
NASA launched the Palapa B2P on this day into space.

1991 – Michael Jackson signed a 6-album deal with Sony records
The famous singer and performer signed a 6 album deal with Sony records worth $65M.

2003 – Invasion of Iraq
A US-led coalition launched a ground invasion of Iraq after the ultimatum for Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq has expired.

2006 – Cyclone Larry
A cyclone named Larry destroyed most of the countries banana crop after it makes landslide in eastern Australia.

2016 – First US president visit to Cuba
Barack Obama became the first US President to visit Cuba since 1928 arriving for a 3-day tour.

2018 – Trump meets the crown prince of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman met US President Donald Trump at the White House.

2019 – Annual World Happiness Report came out
Finland was stated as the world’s happiest country and South Sudan as the world’s least happy country according to the annual World Happiness Report.

2020 – Bushfire smoke kills more people than the fire a new study published
The smoke from the Australian bushfires killed more people than the bushfire did according to the new study published in “Medical Journal of Australia”.

List of Important Birthdays on March 20

43 BC – Ovid
The famous Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso also known as Ovid was born. He is famous for writing Metamorphoses.

1811 –  Napoleon FKJ Bonaparte II
The son of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was born.

1828 – Henrik Ibsen
Famous absurdist playwright Henrik Ibsen was born on this day in Norway. He is famous for his plays Ghosts, The Doll House etc.

1923 – Shaukat Siddiqui
Pakistani author, journalist and political activist is born

1951 –  Madan Lal
Famous Indian cricketer Madan Lal who played in the Indian cricket team in the ’70s.

1963 – David Thewlis
The famous English actor was born in Blackpool, Lancashire. He is famous for his role in the Harry Potter series as Remus Lupin. 

We hope that you enjoyed reading our list of all the important events that took place on March 20. For more exciting content, follow Leverage Edu on LinkedIn, Twitter,  Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.