History of Today in India – 20 February

Explore the history of today 20 February in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 20 February 2026, 04:25 AM

📜 Important Events on 20 February in World History

20 Feb 2016: Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Read more
20 Feb 2015: Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services. Read more
20 Feb 2014: Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, many reportedly killed by snipers. Read more
20 Feb 2010: In Madeira Island, Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago. Read more
20 Feb 2009: Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack. Read more
20 Feb 2005: Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout. Read more
20 Feb 2003: During a Great White concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others. Read more
20 Feb 1998: American figure skater Tara Lipinski, at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Read more
20 Feb 1991: In the Albanian capital Tirana, a gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters. Read more
20 Feb 1988: The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Read more
20 Feb 1986: The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft. Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years. Read more
20 Feb 1979: An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau, releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java. Read more
20 Feb 1971: The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert. Read more
20 Feb 1968: The China Academy of Space Technology, China's main arm for the research, development, and creation of space satellites, is established in Beijing. Read more
20 Feb 1965: Ranger 8 crashes into the Moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts. Read more
20 Feb 1962: Mercury program: While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, making three orbits in four hours, 55 minutes. Read more
20 Feb 1959: The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate. Read more
20 Feb 1956: The United States Merchant Marine Academy becomes a permanent Service Academy. Read more
20 Feb 1952: Emmett Ashford becomes the first African-American umpire in organized baseball by being authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League. Read more
20 Feb 1944: World War II: The "Big Week" begins with American bomber raids on German aircraft manufacturing centers. Read more
20 Feb 1944: World War II: The United States takes Eniwetok Atoll. Read more
20 Feb 1943: World War II: American movie studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies. Read more
20 Feb 1943: The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms in support of United States President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union address theme of Four Freedoms. Read more
20 Feb 1942: World War II: Lieutenant Edward O'Hare becomes America's first World War II flying ace. Read more
20 Feb 1939: Madison Square Garden Nazi rally: The largest ever pro-Nazi rally in United States history is convened in Madison Square Garden, New York City, with 20,000 members and sympathizers of the German American Bund present. Read more
20 Feb 1935: Caroline Mikkelsen becomes the first woman to set foot in Antarctica. Read more
20 Feb 1933: The U.S. Congress approves the Blaine Act to repeal federal Prohibition in the United States, sending the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution to state ratifying conventions for approval. Read more
20 Feb 1933: Adolf Hitler secretly meets with German industrialists to arrange for financing of the Nazi Party's upcoming election campaign. Read more
20 Feb 1931: The U.S. Congress approves the construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by the state of California. Read more
20 Feb 1931: An anarchist uprising in Encarnación, Paraguay briefly transforms the city into a revolutionary commune. Read more
20 Feb 1920: An earthquake kills between 114 and 130 in Georgia and heavily damages the town of Gori. Read more
20 Feb 1913: King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra. Read more
20 Feb 1909: Publication of the Futurist Manifesto in the French journal Le Figaro. Read more
20 Feb 1905: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of Massachusetts's mandatory smallpox vaccination program in Jacobson v. Massachusetts. Read more
20 Feb 1901: The legislature of Hawaii Territory convenes for the first time. Read more
20 Feb 1894: 20 February bombings by Désiré Pauwels during the Ère des attentats (1892-1894). Read more
20 Feb 1877: Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake receives its premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Read more
20 Feb 1872: The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City. Read more
20 Feb 1865: End of the Uruguayan War, with a peace agreement between President Tomás Villalba and rebel leader Venancio Flores, setting the scene for the destructive War of the Triple Alliance. Read more
20 Feb 1864: American Civil War: Battle of Olustee: The largest battle fought in Florida during the war. Read more
20 Feb 1846: Polish insurgents lead an uprising in Kraków to incite a fight for national independence. Read more
20 Feb 1835: The 1835 Concepción earthquake destroys Concepción, Chile. Read more
20 Feb 1824: William Buckland formally announces the name Megalosaurus, the first scientifically validly named non-avian dinosaur species. Read more
20 Feb 1816: Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome. Read more
20 Feb 1813: Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of Pío de Tristán during the Battle of Salta. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 20 February in World History

20 Feb 2004: Jared McCain, American basketball player Jared Dane McCain is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a consensus five-star recruit and ranked among the top players in the 2023 class. McCain played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils before being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA draft. Read more
20 Feb 2003: Olivia Rodrigo, American actress and singer Olivia Isabel Rodrigo is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success (2015). She rose to prominence for her leading roles in the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark (2016–2019) and the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–2022). Read more
20 Feb 2002: Gavin Bazunu, Irish footballer Gavin Okeroghene Bazunu is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL Championship club Stoke City, on loan from EFL Championship club Southampton, and the Republic of Ireland national team. Read more
20 Feb 2000: Josh Sargent, American soccer player Joshua Thomas Sargent is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Norwich City and the United States national team. Read more
20 Feb 1999: Jarrett Culver, American basketball player Jarrett Ryan Culver is an American professional basketball player for the Sendai 89ers of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the sixth overall selection of the 2019 NBA draft. Read more
20 Feb 1998: Emam Ashour, Egyptian footballer Emam Ashour Metwally Abdelghany is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Egyptian Premier League club Al Ahly and the Egypt national team. Read more
20 Feb 1996: Clarke Schmidt, American baseball player Clarke Douglas Schmidt is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Schmidt played college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and was selected by the Yankees in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2017 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2020. Read more
20 Feb 1995: Elle Purrier St. Pierre, American track and field athlete Elinor Purrier St. Pierre, better known as Elle Purrier St. Pierre, is an American track and field athlete who specializes in middle-distance and long-distance running. She won a gold medal in the 3000 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. Purrier is a two-time Olympian for the United States, making the final in the 1500m at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Read more
20 Feb 1994: Kateryna Baindl, Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Baindl is a Ukrainian inactive tennis player. On 19 February 2018, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 62. On 22 October 2012, she peaked at No. 139 in the doubles rankings. She has won one singles title on the WTA Challenger Tour as well as five singles and 13 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. Read more
20 Feb 1994: Luis Severino, Dominican baseball player Luis Severino, nicknamed "Sevy", is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Read more
20 Feb 1993: Jurickson Profar, Curaçaoan baseball player Jurickson Barthelomeus Profar is a Curaçaoan professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Colorado Rockies. He has played on the Netherlands national baseball team in international competition. Read more
20 Feb 1991: Hidilyn Diaz, Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Francisco Diaz-Naranjo is a Filipino weightlifter, educator, and airwoman. The first Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal, she holds two Olympic records in weightlifting for her performance at the women's 55 kg category for weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Read more
20 Feb 1991: Angelique van der Meet, Dutch tennis player Angelique van der Meet is a former professional Dutch tennis player. Read more
20 Feb 1990: Ciro Immobile, Italian footballer Ciro Immobile is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for French Ligue 1 club Paris FC. Read more
20 Feb 1989: Jack Falahee, American actor and singer-songwriter Jack Falahee is an American actor and singer. On television, he portrayed Connor Walsh on the ABC legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020) and Frank Stringfellow on the PBS historical drama Mercy Street (2016–2017). Read more
20 Feb 1988: Ki Bo-bae, South Korean archer Ki Bo-bae is a South Korean recurve archer and three-time Olympic gold medalist. She was the winner of the women's team and women's individual events at the 2012 Summer Olympics and of the women's team event again at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where she also took bronze in the individual competition. Her tally of four Olympic medals places her among the most decorated archers in Olympic history. Read more
20 Feb 1988: Jiah Khan, Indian singer and actress (died 2013) Nafisa Rizvi Khan, better known as Jiah Khan, was a British-American actress and singer who worked in Hindi cinema. She appeared in three Bollywood films from 2007 to 2010. Read more
20 Feb 1988: Rihanna, Barbadian singer, songwriter and actress Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. An influential figure in popular culture, she is known for her multifaceted career, artistic reinventions, and eclectic fashion style. Regarded as a pop and fashion icon, Rihanna is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 250 million records. Read more
20 Feb 1987: Luke Burgess, English rugby league player Luke Burgess is an English former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League. Luke Burgess is the brother of fellow rugby league players Sam, George and Tom Burgess. He previously played in the NRL for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Read more
20 Feb 1987: Martin Hanzal, Czech ice hockey player Martin Hanzal is a Czech former professional ice hockey centre. He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2005 NHL entry draft. Read more
20 Feb 1987: James Johnson, American basketball player James Patrick Johnson is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the starting power forward for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons from 2007 to 2009. He was drafted 16th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. Read more
20 Feb 1987: Daniella Pineda, American actress Daniella Pineda is an American actress. She has had major roles in several films and TV series, including The Originals, Netflix's live-action Cowboy Bebop, and two films in the Jurassic Park franchise. She began her career through online comedy and fashion videos, with her first movie role in 2011. She later appeared in the backdoor pilot of The Originals and several episodes of the show's first season. Her first role in a movie produced by a major studio was in 2018, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. As a Mexican American, she has spoken out about the difficulties faced by Mexican actors. Read more
20 Feb 1987: Miles Teller, American actor Miles Teller is an American actor. He made his feature film debut with the independent drama Rabbit Hole (2010), and gained wider recognition for his roles in the coming-of-age film The Spectacular Now (2013) and the Divergent film trilogy (2014–2016). His breakthrough role came in the drama Whiplash (2014), which earned him critical acclaim. Read more
20 Feb 1986: Julio Borbón, American baseball player Julio Alberto Borbón is an American former professional baseball center fielder who most recently served as the first base coach for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, and Baltimore Orioles. Read more
20 Feb 1985: Killian Dain, Northern Irish wrestler Damian Mackle is a Northern Irish professional wrestler who performs on the independent circuit under the ring name Big Damo. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Killian Dain. Read more
20 Feb 1985: Ryan Sweeney, American baseball player Ryan Joseph Sweeney is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Read more
20 Feb 1985: Julia Volkova, Russian singer and actress Yulia Olegovna Volkova, better known by the alternative spelling of Julia, is a Russian singer best known for being a member of the Russian girl group t.A.T.u., along with Lena Katina. Formed in Moscow, Russia by Ivan Shapovalov in 1999, the group signed a record deal with Universal Music Russia, and eventually Universal's sub-label Interscope Records in 2001. Read more
20 Feb 1984: Brian McCann, American baseball player Brian Michael McCann is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. A seven-time All-Star and a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner, he won the 2017 World Series with the Astros. He is one of only four catchers to win the Silver Slugger Award six times and the only catcher to win the award in both the National League and American League. Read more
20 Feb 1984: Trevor Noah, South African comedian, actor, and television host Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He was the host of The Daily Show, an American late-night talk show and satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 2015 to 2022. Noah has won various awards, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. He was named one of "The 35 Most Powerful People in New York Media" by The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the hundred most influential people in the world. Read more
20 Feb 1983: Jose Morales, Puerto Rican baseball player José Guillermo Morales is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher. He played stints in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies between 2007 and 2011. He played for the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Read more
20 Feb 1983: Justin Verlander, American baseball player Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Houston Astros, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants. A three-time Cy Young Award winner, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award recipient, and a two-time World Series champion, Verlander is considered to be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Read more
20 Feb 1981: Majandra Delfino, American actress and singer-songwriter Maria Alejandra Delfino, known professionally as Majandra Delfino, is a Venezuelan-American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Maria DeLuca on Roswell, and as Andi on the CBS sitcom Friends with Better Lives. Read more
20 Feb 1981: Tony Hibbert, English footballer Anthony James Hibbert is an English former professional footballer. A one-club man for his entire career, coupled with his down-to-earth demeanour, Hibbert earned a cult hero status among Everton fans. Read more
20 Feb 1980: Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player Imanol Harinordoquy is a French former rugby union player. He typically played as a number 8 for Stade Toulousain at club level in the Top 14 and for France internationally. Before signing with Biarritz ahead of the 2004–05 season, he played club rugby at Pau. Read more
20 Feb 1980: Luis Gabriel Rey, Colombian footballer Luis Gabriel Rey Villamizar is a Colombian former professional footballer who last played for Liga MX club Monarcas Morelia on loan from Club América. Read more
20 Feb 1980: Artur Boruc, Polish footballer Artur Boruc is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
20 Feb 1979: Michael Zegen, American actor Michael Zegen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series Rescue Me (2004–2011), Boardwalk Empire (2011–2014), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023). Read more
20 Feb 1978: Lauren Ambrose, American actress Lauren Ambrose is an American actress. She initially gained recognition and critical acclaim for her starring role as Claire Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2001–2005), for which she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She went on to star as Jilly Kitzinger in the BBC One science fiction series Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011), Dorothy Turner in the Apple TV+ psychological horror series Servant (2019–2023), and as the adult version of Vanessa "Van" Palmer in the Showtime drama thriller series Yellowjackets (2023–2025). Read more
20 Feb 1978: Jay Hernandez, American actor Javier Manuel "Jay" Hernandez is an American actor. After making his television debut in NBC's Hang Time, he made his film debut opposite Kirsten Dunst in the romantic drama Crazy/Beautiful (2001). He has since starred in numerous films, including Torque (2004), Friday Night Lights (2004), Hostel (2005), Bad Moms (2016), and as Chato Santana / El Diablo in Suicide Squad (2016). From 2018 to 2024, he played Thomas Magnum in the CBS television series Magnum P.I. Read more
20 Feb 1978: Chelsea Peretti, American actress, comedian, writer, and singer-songwriter Chelsea Peretti is an American comedian, actress, and writer. She portrayed Gina Linetti in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and has written for various TV series, including Parks and Recreation, Saturday Night Live and Kroll Show. Read more
20 Feb 1977: Gail Kim, Canadian wrestler Gail Kim-Irvine is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In TNA, she was the inaugural and record setting seven-time Knockouts Champion and she also was a one-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion with Madison Rayne. In WWE, she won the WWE Women's Championship in her first match. Read more
20 Feb 1977: Stephon Marbury, American basketball player Stephon Xavier Marbury is an American former professional basketball player and coach. A point guard, Marbury played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for one season. He was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks; shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. A two-time NBA All-Star and two-time member of the All-NBA Team, Marbury played for five teams in a 13-year NBA career that ended in 2009. He then played in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) until his retirement in 2018. During his time in the CBA, Marbury won three CBA championships, was named Finals MVP in 2015, and made three CBA All-Star Games. He also served as head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters from 2019 to 2023. Read more
20 Feb 1975: Liván Hernández, Cuban-American baseball player Eisler Liván Hernández Carrera is a Cuban-born former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. Over a 17-year career, he played for nine different teams and was named to two All-Star Games. He was named the MVP of the 1997 World Series with the Florida Marlins. He is the half-brother of pitcher Orlando "El Duque" Hernández. Read more
20 Feb 1975: Brian Littrell, American singer-songwriter and actor Brian Thomas Littrell is an American singer and a member of the Backstreet Boys. He is also a contemporary Christian music artist and released the solo album Welcome Home in 2006. He is the father of country singer Baylee Littrell. Read more
20 Feb 1974: Karim Bagheri, Iranian footballer and manager Karim Bagheri is an Iranian professional football coach and former midfielder who most notably played for the Iranian national team and Persian Gulf Pro League club Persepolis, where he also serves as assistant coach. He holds the record for most international goals scored as a midfielder. Read more
20 Feb 1973: Andrea Savage, American actress and comedian Andrea Kristen Savage is an American actress and comedian best known for creating, writing and starring in the show I'm Sorry (2017–2019). The show originally aired on TruTV but became a hit when it streamed on Netflix. In 2022, she starred as Stacy Beale opposite Sylvester Stallone in the series Tulsa King on Paramount+. That same year she also starred in Look Both Ways on Netflix and Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe for Paramount+. Savage is also known for roles in projects such as the Comedy Central mockumentary series Dog Bites Man (2006), the comedy film Step Brothers (2008), Hulu's reality TV parody series The Hotwives (2014–2015), and the HBO comedy Veep (2016–2017). She also has appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Read more
20 Feb 1971: Jari Litmanen, Finnish footballer Jari Olavi Litmanen is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or a second striker. He was the first-choice captain of the Finland national team between 1996 and 2008 in an international career that ran from 1989 to 2010. Litmanen is widely considered to be Finland's greatest football player of all time. He was chosen as the best Finnish player of the last 50 years by the Football Association of Finland in the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003. He also finished 42nd in the 100 Greatest Finns voting in 2004. The Association of Football Statisticians' compendium of 'Greatest Ever Footballers' listed Litmanen as the 53rd best footballer ever. Litmanen was inducted into the Finnish Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Read more
20 Feb 1971: Joost van der Westhuizen, South African rugby player (died 2017) Joost van der Westhuizen was a South African professional rugby union player who made 89 appearances in test matches for the national team, scoring 38 tries. He mostly played as a scrum-half and participated in three Rugby World Cups, most notably in the 1995 tournament, which was won by South Africa. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest scrumhalves in the history of this sport. Read more
20 Feb 1969: Kjell Ove Hauge, Norwegian school principal and track and field athlete Kjell Ove Hauge is a Norwegian retired shot putter and discus thrower, turned educator, later Head teacher. As an athlete he represented Gloppen Athletics club. Since July 2013 Hauge is Principal at Kuben Upper Secondary School, the largest High School in Oslo. Read more
20 Feb 1969: Siniša Mihajlović, Serbian footballer and manager (died 2022) Siniša Mihajlović was a Serbian football manager and professional footballer. Though starting out as a midfielder and attacking midfielder, he played the majority of his career as a defender. Read more
20 Feb 1969: Danis Tanović, Bosnian director and screenwriter Danis Tanović is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or. Read more
20 Feb 1967: Paul Accola, Swiss alpine skier Paul Accola is a Swiss former Alpine skier. He came in first in the overall World Cup in 1992, and won a total of four medals at the Winter Olympics and World Championships in the combined event. Read more
20 Feb 1967: Kurt Cobain, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1994) Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establishment persona, he widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock music. He was heralded as a spokesman of Generation X, and is widely recognized as one of the most influential rock musicians. Read more
20 Feb 1967: David Herman, American comedian and actor David Herman is an American actor and comedian. He was an original cast member on MADtv from 1995 to 1997 and played Michael Bolton in Office Space. Read more
20 Feb 1967: Andrew Shue, American actor and activist, founded Do Something Andrew Shue is an American actor, known for his role as Billy Campbell on the television series Melrose Place (1992–1999). Shue played soccer professionally for several years. He co-founded and served on the board of directors of the global non-profit organization Do Something, and co-founded the social networking website CafeMom. Read more
20 Feb 1967: Lili Taylor, American actress Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films Mystic Pizza (1988) and Say Anything… (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s independent cinema through starring roles in Bright Angel (1990), Dogfight (1991), Household Saints, Short Cuts, The Addiction (1995), I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), and Pecker (1998). Taylor is the recipient of four Independent Spirit nominations, winning once in the category of Best Supporting Female. Read more
20 Feb 1966: Cindy Crawford, American model and businesswoman Cynthia Ann Crawford is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and an ubiquitous presence on magazine covers and runways, as well as fashion campaigns. She subsequently expanded into acting and business ventures. Read more
20 Feb 1964: Willie Garson, American actor and director (died 2021) William Garson Paszamant was an American actor. He appeared in over 75 films and more than 300 TV episodes. He was known for playing Stanford Blatch on the series Sex and the City, in the related films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2 and in the spin-off And Just Like That…, Mozzie in the series White Collar from 2009 to 2014, Ralph in the 2005 romantic comedy Little Manhattan, Gerard Hirsch in the reboot of Hawaii Five-0, and Martin Lloyd in the sci-fi series Stargate SG-1. Read more
20 Feb 1964: Tom Harris, Scottish journalist and politician Thomas Harris is a Scottish journalist and former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow South, formerly Glasgow Cathcart, from 2001 to 2015. A former member of Scottish Labour, he left the party in August 2018. Read more
20 Feb 1964: Jeff Maggert, American golfer Jeffrey Allan Maggert is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Read more
20 Feb 1964: French Stewart, American actor Milton French Stewart, known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor. He played Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, Inspector Gadget in the superhero comedy film Inspector Gadget 2 and Chef Rudy on the CBS sitcom Mom. Read more
20 Feb 1963: Charles Barkley, American basketball player and sportscaster Charles Wade Barkley is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT Sports and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Chuckster", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Though shorter than the typical power forward, he used his strength and aggression to become one of the NBA's best rebounders and scorers. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star, 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and the 1993 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. Read more
20 Feb 1963: Ian Brown, English singer-songwriter and musician Ian George Brown is an English musician. He was the lead singer and the only continuous member of the alternative rock band the Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the band's initial split in 1996, he began a solo career, releasing seven studio albums, a greatest hits compilation, a remix album, an 11-disc box set titled Collection, and 19 singles. He returned to singing for the Stone Roses between 2011 and 2017. Read more
20 Feb 1963: Joakim Nystrom, Swedish tennis player Joakim "Jocke" Nyström is a tennis coach and a former top ten ranked professional player from Sweden who won 13 singles titles during his career. The right-hander reached his highest singles ranking on the ATP Tour on 31 March 1986, when he was ranked world No. 7. He was also ranked world No. 4 in doubles that same year. Read more
20 Feb 1963: Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou is a Greek politician and lawyer. She was Minister for Health and Social Solidarity (2009–2010), Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs, responsible for European Affairs (2010–2012), Member of the Greek Parliament (2007–2012) and again from July 2019 for Syriza, and of the European Parliament (2004–2007). She served as secretary of the National Committee of PASOK -Panhellenic Socialist Movement, member of the Party of European Socialists (2005–2006). Read more
20 Feb 1963: Cui Yongyuan, Chinese former anchor Cui Yongyuan is a former Chinese TV host and professor at Communication University of China. Read more
20 Feb 1962: Dwayne McDuffie, American author, screenwriter, and producer, co-founded Milestone Media (died 2011) Dwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television. He co-founded the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic book company Milestone Media, which focused on underrepresented minorities in American comics, creating and co-creating characters such as Icon, Rocket, Static, and Hardware. McDuffie was also a writer and producer for animated series such as Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited and the Ben 10 sequels, Alien Force and Ultimate Alien. Read more
20 Feb 1961: Steve Lundquist, American swimmer Stephen K. Lundquist is an American former competition swimmer who is an Olympic gold medalist and former world record-holder. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he won gold medals in the 100-meter breaststroke and the 400-meter medley relay. Read more
20 Feb 1960: Joel Hodgson, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter Joel Gordon Hodgson is an American writer, comedian, and television actor. He is the creator and star of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K). In 2007, MST3K was listed as "one of the top 100 television shows of all time" by Time. Read more
20 Feb 1960: Cándido Muatetema Rivas, Equatoguinean politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (died 2014) Cándido Muatetema Rivas was a political figure in Equatorial Guinea who was Prime Minister from 2001 to 2004. Read more
20 Feb 1959: Scott Brayton, American race car driver (died 1996) Scott Everts Brayton was an American race car driver on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event. Brayton was killed in practice after qualifying in pole position for the 1996 race. Read more
20 Feb 1959: David Corn, American journalist and author David Corn is an American political journalist and author. He is the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for Mother Jones and is best known as a cable television commentator. Corn worked at The Nation from 1987 to 2007, where he served as Washington editor. Read more
20 Feb 1959: Bill Gullickson, American baseball player William Lee Gullickson is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played professionally in Canada, the U.S. and Japan, during an 18-year professional career, of which 14 seasons were spent in MLB. Read more
20 Feb 1958: James Wilby, English actor James Jonathon Wilby is an English actor. He is perhaps best known for his performance in the romantic film Maurice (1987) for which he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Read more
20 Feb 1957: Glen Hanlon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Glen A. Hanlon is a Canadian ice hockey coach, executive and former goaltender. Read more
20 Feb 1954: Jon Brant, American bass player Jonathan Edward "Jon" Brant is an American musician and business owner, best known as the bass player for the band Cheap Trick from 1982 to 1987. Brant was a founding member of the Chicago band D'Thumbs with Tommy Aldridge and Pete Comita and has also played with Chris Spedding, Robert Gordon, Lou Reed, Diana Ross, Lesley Gore, Jason & the Scorchers, Micki Free, and others. Brant has appeared on over 30 albums as composer and bassist. Read more
20 Feb 1954: Anthony Head, English actor Anthony Stewart Head is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, which led to major roles in several television series. He is best known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), the Prime Minister in Little Britain (2003–2006), Uther Pendragon in Merlin (2008–2012), and Rupert Mannion in Ted Lasso (2020–2023), as well as voicing Herc Shipwright in BBC Radio 4's Cabin Pressure. Read more
20 Feb 1954: Patty Hearst, American actress and author Patricia Campbell Hearst is an American actress and member of the Hearst family. She is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Read more
20 Feb 1953: Poison Ivy, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Kristy Marlana Wallace, known as Poison Ivy or Poison Ivy Rorschach, is an American guitarist, songwriter, arranger, producer, and occasional vocalist who co-founded the rock band The Cramps. Read more
20 Feb 1951: Edward Albert, American actor (died 2006) Edward Laurence Albert was an American actor. The son of actor Eddie Albert and Mexican actress Margo, he starred opposite Goldie Hawn in Butterflies Are Free (1972), a role for which he won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Albert starred in more than 130 films and television series, including Midway, The Greek Tycoon, Galaxy of Terror, The House Where Evil Dwells, The Yellow Rose, Falcon Crest and Power Rangers Time Force. Read more
20 Feb 1951: Gordon Brown, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom James Gordon Brown is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007 under Tony Blair. Brown was Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline East from 1983 to 2005 and for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2005 to 2015. He has served as United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education since 2012, and he was appointed as World Health Organization Ambassador for Global Health Financing in 2021. Read more
20 Feb 1951: Randy California, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1997) Randy Craig Wolfe, known as Randy California, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the original members of the rock group Spirit, formed in 1967. Read more
20 Feb 1951: Phil Neal, English footballer and manager Philip George Neal is an English retired footballer who played for Northampton Town, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers as a full-back. He is regarded as one of the most successful English players of all time, having won eight First Division titles, four League Cups, five FA Charity Shields, four European Cups, one UEFA Cup and one UEFA Super Cup during his eleven years at Liverpool. He later returned to Bolton Wanderers as manager, leading them to victory in the Football League Trophy before spells managing Coventry City, Cardiff City and Manchester City. Read more
20 Feb 1950: Walter Becker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2017) Walter Carl Becker was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan. Read more
20 Feb 1950: Peter Marinello, Scottish footballer Peter Marinello is a Scottish former footballer. Read more
20 Feb 1950: Tony Wilson, English journalist and businessman (died 2007) Anthony Howard Wilson was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager and impresario, and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. Read more
20 Feb 1949: Eddie Hemmings, English cricketer Edward Ernest Hemmings is a former English cricketer, who played in 16 Test matches and 33 One Day Internationals for the England cricket team between 1982 and 1991. He made his England debut relatively late in his career, at the age of 33, having predominantly represented Nottinghamshire in the County Championship. His chance came when several England players announced their intention to go on a rebel cricket tour to South Africa. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1987 Cricket World Cup. Read more
20 Feb 1949: Ivana Trump, Czech-American socialite and model (died 2022) Ivana Marie Trump was a Czech and American businesswoman, socialite, and model. She lived in Canada in the 1970s, before relocating to the United States and marrying Donald Trump in 1977. She held key managerial positions in the Trump Organization, as vice president of interior design, CEO and president of Trump's Castle casino resort, and manager of the Plaza Hotel. Read more
20 Feb 1948: Pierre Bouchard, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster Pierre Émile Bouchard is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. He was selected by the Canadiens in the first round of the 1965 NHL Amateur Draft. Read more
20 Feb 1948: Jennifer O'Neill, American model and actress Jennifer O'Neill is a Brazilian-born American author, model, and former actress. After moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenaged model, and for her spokesperson work for CoverGirl cosmetics, which began in 1963 and spanned three decades. She made her feature-film debut in the comedy film For Love of Ivy (1968), followed by a lead role in Howard Hawks's Western film Rio Lobo (1970). Read more
20 Feb 1947: Peter Osgood, English footballer (died 2006) Peter Leslie Osgood was an English footballer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. He is best remembered for representing Chelsea and Southampton as a forward at club level, winning the FA Cup with each, and was also capped four times by England in the early 1970s. Read more
20 Feb 1947: Peter Strauss, American actor and producer Peter Lawrence Strauss is an American television and film actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s. He is an Emmy winner and five-time Golden Globe Awards nominee. Read more
20 Feb 1946: Brenda Blethyn, English actress Brenda Blethyn is an English actress. Known for her character work and versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama in 2003. Read more
20 Feb 1946: Sandy Duncan, American actress, singer, and dancer Sandra Kay Duncan is an American actress, comedian, dancer and singer. She is known for her performances in the Broadway revival of Peter Pan, the sitcom The Hogan Family, and the Disney films The Million Dollar Duck and The Cat from Outer Space. Duncan has been nominated for three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Read more
20 Feb 1946: J. Geils, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2017) John Warren Geils Jr., was an American guitarist. He was known as the leader of the J. Geils Band. Read more
20 Feb 1945: Alan Hull, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1995) James Alan Hull was an English singer-songwriter and founding member of the Tyneside folk rock band Lindisfarne. Read more
20 Feb 1944: Robert de Cotret, Canadian economist and politician, 56th Secretary of State for Canada (died 1999) Jean Robert René de Cotret was a Canadian economist and politician. Read more
20 Feb 1944: Lew Soloff, American trumpet player, composer, and actor (died 2015) Lewis Michael Soloff was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and actor. He was a founding member of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Read more
20 Feb 1944: Willem van Hanegem, Dutch footballer and coach Willem "Wim" van Hanegem is a Dutch former football player and coach who played as a midfielder. In a playing career spanning over 20 years, he won several domestic honours in the Netherlands, as well as both the European Cup and UEFA Cup with Feyenoord. He was also part of the Dutch national team that were runners-up in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Read more
20 Feb 1943: Antonio Inoki, Japanese wrestler, mixed martial artist, and politician (died 2022) Antonio Inoki was a Japanese professional wrestler, professional wrestling trainer, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA). He is best known as the founder and 33-year owner of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is considered to be one of the most influential professional wrestlers of all time, and one of the biggest key influences on MMA in Japan and internationally. Read more
20 Feb 1943: Mike Leigh, English director and screenwriter Mike Leigh is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Venice International Film Festival, three BAFTA Awards, and nominations for seven Academy Awards. He also received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2014, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1993 Birthday Honours for services to the film industry. Read more
20 Feb 1942: Phil Esposito, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager Philip Anthony Esposito is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, coach and executive, and current broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers, winning two Stanley Cups with Boston. Read more
20 Feb 1942: Mitch McConnell, American lawyer and politician Addison Mitchell McConnell III is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. He served from 2007 to 2025 as the leader of the Senate Republican Conference, including two stints as minority leader, and was majority leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. Read more
20 Feb 1942: Claude Miller, French director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2012) Claude Miller was a French film director, producer and screenwriter. Read more
20 Feb 1941: Lim Kit Siang, Malaysian lawyer and politician Lim Kit Siang is a retired Malaysian politician. Having held the position for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions, he is the longest-serving leader of the opposition, as well the second longest-serving member of parliament in Malaysia. He was also the former secretary-general and national chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, leading it through eight general elections. Read more
20 Feb 1941: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer Buffy Sainte-Marie is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and social activist. Read more
20 Feb 1940: Jimmy Greaves, English footballer and TV pundit (died 2021) James Peter Greaves was an English professional footballer who played as a forward and is regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time and one of England's best ever players. He is England's fifth-highest international goalscorer with 44 goals, which includes an English record of six hat-tricks, and is Tottenham Hotspur's second-highest all-time top goalscorer. Greaves is the highest goalscorer in the history of English top-flight football with 357 goals. He finished as the First Division's top scorer in six seasons, more times than any other player and came third in the 1963 Ballon d'Or rankings. He is also a member of the English Football Hall of Fame. Read more
20 Feb 1939: Herbert Kohler Jr., American businessman (died 2022) Herbert Vollrath Kohler Jr. was an American billionaire businessman, a member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin, and the executive chairman of the Kohler Company, a manufacturing and hospitality company in Kohler, Wisconsin, best known for its plumbing products, golf courses, and resorts, with the latter two fields of business directly entered into under his chairmanship. Before his death, Forbes estimated the net worth of him and his family at US$8.8 billion. Read more
20 Feb 1937: Robert Huber, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Robert Huber is a German biochemist and Nobel laureate. known for his work crystallizing an intramembrane protein important in photosynthesis and subsequently applying X-ray crystallography to elucidate the protein's structure. Read more
20 Feb 1937: Roger Penske, American race car driver and businessman Roger Searle Penske, also known as "the Captain", is an American auto racing team owner, businessman, and former professional driver. Penske is the owner of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and other auto racing-related businesses. Penske is the founder, chairman, and namesake of the Penske Corporation, a holding company for his various businesses. Penske is also a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Read more
20 Feb 1937: Nancy Wilson, American singer and actress (died 2018) Nancy Sue Wilson was an American singer whose career spanned over five decades, from the mid-1950s until her retirement in the early 2010s. She was especially notable for her single "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" and her version of the standard "Guess Who I Saw Today". Wilson recorded more than 70 albums and won three Grammy Awards for her work. During her performing career, Wilson was labeled a singer of blues, jazz, R&B, pop, and soul; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer". The title she preferred, however, was "song stylist". She received many nicknames including "Sweet Nancy", "The Baby", "Fancy Miss Nancy" and "The Girl With the Honey-Coated Voice". Read more
20 Feb 1936: Marj Dusay, American actress (died 2020) Marjorie Ellen Mahoney Dusay was an American actress known for her roles on American soap operas. She was especially known for her role as Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light, a role she played on and off from 1993 through the show's 2009 cancellation, as well as Jean Faircloth, the wife of Douglas MacArthur, in the 1977 movie MacArthur. Read more
20 Feb 1936: Larry Hovis, American actor and singer (died 2003) Larry Hovis was an American singer and actor best known for the 1960s television sitcom Hogan's Heroes. Read more
20 Feb 1936: Shigeo Nagashima, Japanese baseball player and manager (died 2025) Shigeo Nagashima was a Japanese professional baseball player and manager. Nagashima first began playing baseball in elementary school, before playing at his high school in Chiba Prefecture, part of Kanto Region, just before he played as a third baseman for Rikkyo University. After winning the batting title for two straight years in Tokyo Big6 Baseball League, Nagashima made his professional debut in 1958 with the Yomiuri Giants. In his rookie season, he led the Central League in home runs and runs batted in, with 29 and 92 respectively and ultimately received Rookie of the Year honors. With the arrival of Sadaharu Oh in 1959, the two would both become a dual force in being the best hitters in the game that earned the nickname "O-N Cannon" for one of the most dominant dynasties in NPB history, and Nagashima won league MVP five times while being named to the Best Nine Award in every season he played; his four Japan Series MVP award wins is still the most in NPB history. After retiring in 1974, he became as a manager of the Giants from 1975 to 1980, and again from 1993 to 2001; during this time, he won the Japan Series twice. Read more
20 Feb 1935: Ellen Gilchrist, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (died 2024) Ellen Louise Gilchrist was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan. Read more
20 Feb 1934: Bobby Unser, American race car driver (died 2021) Robert William Unser was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35. Unser won the 1968 and 1974 United States Automobile Club (USAC) national championships. He won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb overall title 10 times. Read more
20 Feb 1932: Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and author (died 2007) Adrian Empremiado Cristobal Sr. was a Filipino writer who frequently touched on political and historical themes. Perhaps best known to the public for his "Breakfast Table" newspaper column, he was also a Palanca Award–winning playwright, fictionist and essayist. He likewise held several positions in government during the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Read more
20 Feb 1931: John Milnor, American mathematician and academic John Willard Milnor is an American mathematician known for his work in differential topology, algebraic K-theory and low-dimensional holomorphic dynamical systems. Milnor is a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University and the only mathematician to have won the Fields Medal, the Wolf Prize, the Abel Prize and all three Steele prizes. Read more
20 Feb 1929: Amanda Blake, American actress (died 1989) Amanda Blake was an American actress best known for the role of the red-haired saloon proprietress "Miss Kitty Russell" on the Western television series Gunsmoke. Along with her fourth husband, Frank Gilbert, she ran one of the first successful programs for breeding cheetahs in captivity. Read more
20 Feb 1928: Jean Kennedy Smith, American diplomat, 25th United States Ambassador to Ireland (died 2020) Jean Ann Kennedy Smith was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. A member of the Kennedy family, Kennedy was the eighth of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy. Her siblings included President of the United States John F. Kennedy, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, United States Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Rosemary Kennedy, and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Read more
20 Feb 1927: Roy Cohn, American lawyer and political activist (died 1986) Roy Marcus Cohn was an American lawyer and prosecutor. He first gained fame as a prosecutor of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in their trials (1952–53) and as Senator Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel during the Army–McCarthy hearings in 1954. Cohn had been assisting McCarthy's investigations of suspected communists. In the 1970s and during the 1980s, he became a prominent legal and political fixer in New York City. He represented and mentored Donald Trump during Trump's early business career. Read more
20 Feb 1927: Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban singer and musician (died 2005) Ibrahim Ferrer was a Cuban singer who played with the group Los Bocucos for nearly forty years. He also performed with Conjunto Sorpresa, Chepín y su Orquesta Oriental, and Mario Patterson. After his retirement in 1991, he was brought back in the studio to record with the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Buena Vista Social Club, in March 1996. He then toured internationally with these revival groups and recorded several solo albums for World Circuit, before his death in 2005. Read more
20 Feb 1927: Hubert de Givenchy, French fashion designer (died 2018) Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy was a French fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970. Read more
20 Feb 1927: Sidney Poitier, Bahamian-American actor, director, and diplomat (died 2022) Sidney Poitier was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his other accolades are two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award, in addition to nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. In 1999, he was ranked number 22 among the "American Film Institute's 100 Stars". Poitier was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Read more
20 Feb 1926: Matthew Bucksbaum, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded General Growth Properties (died 2013) Matthew Bucksbaum was an American businessman and philanthropist. Matthew and his brothers Martin and Maurice co-founded General Growth Properties. Read more
20 Feb 1926: Gillian Lynne, English ballerina, choreographer, and director (died 2018) Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. At age 87, she was made a DBE in the 2014 New Year Honours List. Read more
20 Feb 1926: Richard Matheson, American author and screenwriter (died 2013) Richard Burton Matheson was an American author and screenwriter, who worked primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. Read more
20 Feb 1926: Bob Richards, American Olympic track and field athlete (died 2023) Robert Eugene Richards was an American athlete, minister, and politician. He made three U.S. Olympic Teams in two events: the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer Olympics as a pole vaulter and as a decathlete in 1956. He won gold medals in pole vault in both 1952 and 1956, becoming the first male two-time champion in the event in Olympic history. Read more
20 Feb 1926: María de la Purísima Salvat Romero, Spanish Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (died 1998) María de la Purísima Salvat Romero, born María Isabel Salvat Romero, was a Spanish religious sister of the Sisters of the Company of the Cross. She assumed the religious name María de la Purísima of the Cross. Read more
20 Feb 1925: Robert Altman, American director and screenwriter (died 2006) Robert Bernard Altman was an American filmmaker. He is considered an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, known for directing subversive and satirical films with overlapping dialogue and ensemble casts. Over his career he received numerous accolades including an Academy Honorary Award, two BAFTAs, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe as well as nominations for seven competitive Academy Awards. Read more
20 Feb 1925: Tochinishiki Kiyotaka, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 44th Yokozuna (died 1990) Tochinishiki Kiyotaka was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tokyo. He was the sport's 44th yokozuna. He won ten top division yūshō or tournament championships and was a rival of fellow yokozuna Wakanohana I. He became the head coach of Kasugano stable in 1959 and was head of the Japan Sumo Association from 1974 until 1988. Read more
20 Feb 1924: Gloria Vanderbilt, American actress, fashion designer, and socialite (died 2019) Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. During the 1930s, she was the subject of a high-profile child custody trial in which her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, each sought custody of her and control over her trust fund. Called the "trial of the century" by the press, the court proceedings were the subject of wide and sensational press coverage, due to the wealth and prominence of the involved parties and the scandalous evidence presented to support Whitney's claim that Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt was an unfit parent. Read more
20 Feb 1923: Victor G. Atiyeh, American businessman and politician, 32nd Governor of Oregon (died 2014) Victor George Atiyeh was an American politician who served as the 32nd governor of Oregon from 1979 to 1987. He was also the first elected governor of Middle Eastern descent and of Syrian and Lebanese descent in the United States. Read more
20 Feb 1923: Forbes Burnham, Guyanese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Guyana (died 1985) Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Premier of British Guiana from 1964 to 1966, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 to 1980 and then as the first executive president of Guyana from 1980 to 1985. He is often regarded as a strongman who embraced his own version of socialism. Read more
20 Feb 1923: Rena Vlahopoulou, Greek actress (died 2004) Irene "Rena" Vlahopoulou was a Greek Actor and singer. She starred in theatre, musical and Greek cinema productions, including The Gambler and The Countess of Corfu. Read more
20 Feb 1921: Buddy Rogers, American wrestler (died 1992) Buddy Rogers, better known by the ring name "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, was an American professional wrestler who was one of the biggest professional wrestling stars in the beginning of the television era. His performances influenced future professional wrestlers, including "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, who used Rogers's nickname, as well as his look, attitude and finishing hold, the figure-four leglock. He was also known for his rivalry with Lou Thesz, both in and out of the ring. Read more
20 Feb 1920: Karl Albrecht, German businessman, co-founded Aldi (died 2014) Karl Hans Albrecht was a German entrepreneur who founded the discount supermarket chain Aldi with his brother Theo. He was the richest person in Germany for many years. In February 2014, he was ranked the 21st-richest person in the world by Hurun Report. Read more
20 Feb 1919: James O'Meara, English soldier and pilot (died 1974) James Joseph "Orange" O'Meara, was a Royal Air Force officer and fighter pilot of the Second World War. He became a flying ace during the Battle of Britain while flying the Supermarine Spitfire, and by war's end was credited with 11 kills, two shared victories, one unconfirmed destroyed, four probables, 11 damaged and one shared damaged. Read more
20 Feb 1918: Leonore Annenberg, American businesswoman and diplomat (died 2009) Leonore Cohn Annenberg, also known as Lee Annenberg, was an American businesswoman, diplomat, and philanthropist. She was noted for serving as Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1981 to 1982. Annenberg was married to Walter Annenberg, who was an Ambassador to the United Kingdom and newspaper publisher. She also served as the chairman and president of the Annenberg Foundation from 2002 until 2009. Read more
20 Feb 1916: Jean Erdman, American dancer and choreographer (died 2020) Jean Erdman was an American dancer and choreographer of modern dance as well as an avant-garde theater director, and the wife of Joseph Campbell. Read more
20 Feb 1914: John Charles Daly, South African–American journalist and game show host (died 1991) John Charles Patrick Croghan Daly was an American journalist, host, CBS radio and television personality, ABC News executive, TV anchor, and game show host, best known for his work on the CBS panel game show What's My Line? Read more
20 Feb 1913: Tommy Henrich, American baseball player and sportscaster (died 2009) Thomas David Henrich, nicknamed "the Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was an American professional baseball player of German descent. He played his entire Major League Baseball career as a right fielder and first baseman for the New York Yankees. Henrich led the American League in triples twice and in runs scored once, also hitting 20 or more home runs four times. He is best remembered for his numerous exploits in the World Series; he was involved in one of the most memorable plays in Series history in 1941, was the hitting star of the 1947 Series with a .323 batting average, and hit the first walk-off home run in Series history in the first game of the 1949 World Series. Read more
20 Feb 1912: Pierre Boulle, French soldier and author (died 1994) Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle was a French author. He is best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963), that were both made into award-winning films. Read more
20 Feb 1912: Johnny Checketts, New Zealand flying ace of the Second World War (died 2006) John Milne Checketts, was a New Zealand flying ace of the Second World War, who was credited with the destruction of 14+1⁄2 enemy aircraft, three probably destroyed and 11 damaged. Read more
20 Feb 1906: Gale Gordon, American actor (died 1995) Gale Gordon was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television sitcom The Lucy Show. Gordon also appeared in I Love Lucy and had starring roles in Ball's successful third series Here's Lucy and her short-lived fourth and final series Life with Lucy. Read more
20 Feb 1902: Ansel Adams, American photographer and environmentalist (died 1984) Ansel Easton Adams was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advocating "pure" photography which favored sharp focus and the use of the full tonal range of a photograph. He and Fred Archer developed a system of image-making called the Zone System, a method of achieving a desired final print through a technical understanding of how the tonal range of an image is the result of choices made in exposure, negative development, and printing. Read more
20 Feb 1901: René Dubos, French-American biologist and author (died 1982) René Jules Dubos was a French-American microbiologist, experimental pathologist, environmentalist, humanist, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for his book So Human An Animal. He is credited for having made famous the environmental maxim: "Think globally, act locally." Aside from a period from 1942 to 1944 when he was George Fabyan Professor of Comparative Pathology and professor of tropical medicine at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, his scientific career was spent entirely at The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, later renamed The Rockefeller University. Read more
20 Feb 1901: Louis Kahn, American architect, designed the Salk Institute, the Kimbell Art Museum and the Bangladesh Parliament Building (died 1974) Louis Isadore Kahn was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. While continuing his private practice, he served as a design critic and professor of architecture at Yale School of Architecture from 1947 to 1957. From 1957 until his death, he was a professor of architecture at the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania. Read more
20 Feb 1901: Muhammad Naguib, Egyptian general and politician, 1st President of Egypt (died 1984) Major General Mohamed Bey Naguib Youssef Qutb El-Qashlan, known simply as Mohamed Naguib, was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who, along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, was one of the two principal leaders of the Free Officers movement of 1952 that toppled the monarchy of Egypt and the Sudan, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Egypt. Read more
20 Feb 1901: Ramakrishna Ranga Rao of Bobbili, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency (died 1978) Raja Sri Ravu Svetachalapati Sir Ramakrishna Ranga Rao KCIE was an Indian politician and zamindar who served as the First Minister of Madras Presidency from 5 November 1932 to 4 April 1936 and 24 August 1936 to 1 April 1937. Read more
20 Feb 1899: Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, American businessman and philanthropist (died 1992) Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player who owned a stable of Thoroughbred racehorses. Read more
20 Feb 1898: Ante Ciliga, Croatian politician, writer and publisher (died 1992) Ante Ciliga was a Croatian politician, writer and publisher. Ciliga was one of the earliest leaders of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ). Imprisoned in Stalin's Gulags in the 1930s as part of the Great Purge, he later became an ardent Croatian nationalist, anti-communist and ideologue of the fascist Ustaše movement. Read more
20 Feb 1897: Ivan Albright, American painter (died 1983) Ivan Le Lorraine Albright was an American painter, sculptor and print-maker most renowned for his self-portraits, character studies, and still lifes. Due to his technique and dark subject matter, he is often categorized among the Magic Realists and is sometimes referred to as the "master of the macabre". Read more
20 Feb 1895: Louis Zborowski, English race car driver and engineer (died 1924) Louis Vorow Zborowski was a British racing driver and automobile engineer, best known for creating a series of aero-engined racing cars known as the "Chitty-Bang-Bangs", which provided the inspiration for Ian Fleming's children's story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and culminated in the "Higham Special" which, much modified in the hands of John Godfrey Parry Thomas, broke the World Land Speed Record 18 months after the death of its creator. Read more
20 Feb 1893: Elizabeth Holloway Marston, American psychologist and author (died 1993) Sarah Elizabeth Marston was an American attorney and psychologist. She is credited, with her husband William Moulton Marston, with the development of the systolic blood pressure measurement used to detect deception, the predecessor to the polygraph. Read more
20 Feb 1889: Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and physician (died 1948) Hulusi Behçet was a Turkish dermatologist and scientist. He described a disease of inflamed blood vessels in 1937, which is named after him as Behçet's disease. His portrait was depicted on a former Turkish postcard stamp. Read more
20 Feb 1888: Georges Bernanos, French soldier and author (died 1948) Louis Émile Clément Georges Bernanos was a French author, and a soldier in World War I. A Catholic with monarchist leanings, he was critical of elitist thought and was opposed to what he identified as defeatism. He believed this had led to France's defeat and eventual occupation by Germany in 1940 during World War II. His two best-known novels Sous le soleil de Satan (1926) and the Journal d'un curé de campagne (1936) both revolve around a parish priest who combats evil and despair in the world. Most of his novels have been translated into English and frequently published in both Great Britain and the United States. Read more
20 Feb 1887: Vincent Massey, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Governor General of Canada (died 1967) Charles Vincent Massey was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as the 18th governor general of Canada from 1952 to 1959. Massey was the first governor general of Canada to be born in Canada. Read more
20 Feb 1882: Elie Nadelman, Polish-American sculptor (died 1946) Elie Nadelman was a Polish-American sculptor, draughtsman of the School of Paris and a collector of folk art. Read more
20 Feb 1880: Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen, French author and poet (died 1923) Baron Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen was a French novelist and poet. His life forms the basis of a fictionalised 1959 novel by Roger Peyrefitte entitled The Exile of Capri. Read more
20 Feb 1879: Hod Stuart, Canadian ice hockey player (died 1907) William Hodgson "Hod" Stuart was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. A cover-point, he played nine seasons for several teams in different leagues from 1899 to 1907. He also played briefly for the Ottawa Rough Riders team in Canadian football. With his brother Bruce, Stuart played in the first professional ice hockey league, the American-based International Professional Hockey League (IPHL), where he was regarded as one of the best players in the league. Read more
20 Feb 1874: Mary Garden, Scottish-American soprano and actress (died 1967) Mary Garden was a Scottish-American operatic lyric soprano, then mezzo-soprano, with a substantial career in France and America in the first third of the 20th century. She spent the latter part of her childhood and youth in the United States and eventually became an American citizen, although she lived in France for many years and eventually retired to Scotland, where she spent the last 30 years of her life and died. Read more
20 Feb 1870: Jay Johnson Morrow, American engineer and politician, 3rd Governor of the Panama Canal Zone (died 1937) Jay Johnson Morrow was an American military engineer who was Chief Engineer of the United States First Army and Deputy Chief Engineer of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I and Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1921 to 1924. Read more
20 Feb 1867: Louise, Princess Royal of England (died 1931) Louise, Princess Royal was the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. She was a younger sister of King George V. Louise was granted the title of Princess Royal in 1905. Known for her reserved and quiet nature, she remained a low-profile member of the royal family throughout her life. Read more
20 Feb 1866: Carl Westman, Swedish architect, designed the Stockholm Court House and Röhsska Museum (died 1936) Ernst Carl Westman was a Swedish architect and interior designer. He was an early adopter of the National Romantic Style, but turned later to the neo-classical style of the 1920s. Read more
20 Feb 1857: A. P. Lucas, English cricketer (died 1923) Alfred Perry "Bunny" Lucas was an English first-class cricketer from 1874 to 1907, playing for Cambridge University, Surrey, Middlesex and Essex. He also played five Test matches for the England cricket team. Read more
20 Feb 1848: E. H. Harriman, American businessman and philanthropist (died 1909) Edward Henry Harriman was an American financier and railroad executive. Read more
20 Feb 1844: Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher (died 1906) Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann was an Austrian mathematician and theoretical physicist. His greatest achievements were the development of statistical mechanics and the statistical explanation of the second law of thermodynamics. In 1877 he provided the current definition of entropy, , where Ω is the number of microstates whose energy equals the system's energy, interpreted as a measure of the statistical disorder of a system. Max Planck named the constant kB the Boltzmann constant. Read more
20 Feb 1844: Joshua Slocum, Canadian sailor and adventurer (died 1909) Joshua Slocum was the first person to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Nova Scotian-born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he wrote a book about his journey, Sailing Alone Around the World, which became an international best-seller. He disappeared in November 1909 while aboard his boat, the Spray. Read more
20 Feb 1839: Benjamin Waugh, English activist, founded the NSPCC (died 1908) Benjamin Waugh was a Victorian era social reformer and campaigner who founded and directed the UK charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the late 19th century. He was also a journalist, public speaker and organiser who helped secure Britain’s first legislation on children’s rights. Read more
20 Feb 1819: Alfred Escher, Swiss businessman and politician (died 1882) Johann Heinrich Alfred Escher vom Glas, colloquially Alfred Escher, was a Swiss business magnate, banker, railway pioneer and politician who most notably served on the National Council from 1848 to 1882 for the Liberal Party. Read more
20 Feb 1802: Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (died 1870) Charles Auguste de Bériot was a Belgian violinist, artist and composer. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 20 February in World History

20 Feb 2025: David Boren, American lawyer and politician, 21st Governor of Oklahoma (born 1941) David Lyle Boren was an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1994. A conservative Democrat, to date, he is the last in his party to have served as U.S. Senator from Oklahoma. He was the 13th and second-longest serving president of the University of Oklahoma from 1994 to 2018. He was the longest serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. On September 20, 2017, Boren officially announced his retirement as president of the University of Oklahoma, effective June 30, 2018. Read more
20 Feb 2025: Jerry Butler, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939) Jerry Butler Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. After leaving the group in 1960, Butler achieved over 55 Billboard Pop and R&B Chart hits as a solo artist including "He Will Break Your Heart," "Let It Be Me," and "Only the Strong Survive." He was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2015. Read more
20 Feb 2025: Peter Jason, American actor (born 1944) Peter Edward Ostling, better known as Peter Jason, was an American character actor. He often played military personnel, law enforcement agents, and authority figures in both films and television series. Read more
20 Feb 2024: Andreas Brehme, German footballer (born 1960) Andreas "Andi" Brehme was a German professional football player and coach. At international level, he is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina from an 85th-minute penalty kick. At club level, Brehme played for several teams in Germany and also had spells in Italy and Spain. Read more
20 Feb 2024: Yoko Yamamoto, Japanese actress (born 1942) Yoko Yamamoto was a Japanese actress represented by Kabushikigaisha Sanyō Kikaku. Yamamoto was born on March 17, 1942, and died on February 20, 2024, at the age of 81. Read more
20 Feb 2021: Nurul Haque Miah, Bangladeshi professor and writer (born 1944) Muhammad Nurul Haque Miah was a professor at Dhaka College and the head of its Department of Chemistry. He is renowned for writing high school and degree textbooks. Read more
20 Feb 2021: Mauro Bellugi, Italian footballer (born 1950) Mauro Bellugi was an Italian footballer who played as a defender. Read more
20 Feb 2020: Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP (born 1952) Joaquim Pina Moura was a Portuguese politician and economist. He was a member of the Socialist Party. Read more
20 Feb 2017: Vitaly Churkin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Nations (born 1952) Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin was a Russian diplomat. He served as Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 until his death in 2017. Previously he was Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (2003–2006), Ambassador to Canada (1998–2003), Ambassador to Belgium and Liaison Ambassador to NATO and WEU (1994–1998), Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation to the talks on Former Yugoslavia (1992–1994), Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR/Russian Federation (1990–1992). Read more
20 Feb 2017: Mildred Dresselhaus, American physicist (born 1930) Mildred Spiewak Dresselhaus, known as the "Queen of Carbon Science", was an American physicist, materials scientist, and nanotechnologist. She was an institute professor and professor of both physics and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also served as the president of the American Physical Society, the chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the director of science in the US Department of Energy under the Bill Clinton Government. Dresselhaus won numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, the Enrico Fermi Award, the Kavli Prize and the Vannevar Bush Award. Read more
20 Feb 2017: Steve Hewlett, British journalist (born 1958) Stephen Edward Hewlett was a British print, radio and TV journalist, and visiting professor of Journalism and Broadcast Policy at the University of Salford. Read more
20 Feb 2016: Fernando Cardenal, Nicaraguan priest and politician (born 1934) Fernando Cardenal Martínez was a Nicaraguan Jesuit and liberation theologian. Read more
20 Feb 2015: Govind Pansare, Indian author and activist (born 1933) Govind Pansare was a left-wing Indian politician of the Communist Party Of India (CPI). He authored the Marathi language biography of 17th century ruler Shivaji, Shivaji Kon Hota. He and his wife were attacked on 16 February 2015 by gun-wielding assailants in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. He died from his wounds on 20 February 2015. Read more
20 Feb 2015: Henry Segerstrom, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1923) Henry Thomas Segerstrom was an American philanthropist, entrepreneur, cultural leader, and patron of the arts. Managing Partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, he was the founding chairman of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, now known as the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Read more
20 Feb 2015: John C. Willke, American physician, author, and activist (born 1925) John Charles Willke was an American author, physician, and anti-abortion activist. He served as president of National Right to Life and, along with his wife Barbara, authored a number of books on abortion and human sexuality. Willke was a leading promoter of the false claim that women's bodies resist pregnancy from forcible rape, an idea which continues to be promoted by some anti-abortion politicians. Read more
20 Feb 2014: Rafael Addiego Bruno, Uruguayan jurist and politician, President of Uruguay (born 1923) Rafael Addiego Bruno was a Uruguayan jurist and political figure. Read more
20 Feb 2014: Walter D. Ehlers, American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1921) Walter David Ehlers was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the US armed forces' highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II. Read more
20 Feb 2014: Garrick Utley, American journalist (born 1939) Clifton Garrick Utley was an American television journalist. He established his career reporting about the Vietnam War and has the distinction of being the first full-time television correspondent covering the war on-site. Read more
20 Feb 2013: Kenji Eno, Japanese game designer and composer (born 1970) Kenji Eno was a Japanese musician and video game designer. He gained a reputation as a maverick during the mid-1990s for creating unorthodox games like Real Sound and is perhaps best remembered today for his rebellious marketing techniques. Outside of his homeland he was best known for his survival horror video games, D and Enemy Zero. Apart from creating video games, Eno was also a well-regarded electronic musician and he created the scores for several of his games. Eno founded the video game development companies EIM, Warp, and From Yellow to Orange. He also worked in a variety of fields apart from video games and music including the automotive, cellphone, tobacco, and hotel industries. Read more
20 Feb 2013: David S. McKay, American biochemist and geologist (born 1936) David Stewart McKay was the chief scientist for Astrobiology at the Johnson Space Center. During the Apollo program, McKay provided geology training to the first men to walk on the Moon in the late 1960s. McKay was the first author of a scientific paper postulating past life on Mars based on evidence in Martian meteorite ALH 84001, which had been found in Antarctica. Despite there being no convincing evidence of Martian life, the initial paper caused enormous scientific and public attention. The NASA Astrobiology Institute was founded partially due to community interest in this paper and related topics. He was a native of Titusville, Pennsylvania. Read more
20 Feb 2013: Antonio Roma, Argentinian footballer (born 1932) Antonio Roma was an Argentine footballer who played as a goalkeeper, notably for Boca Juniors. Read more
20 Feb 2012: Knut Torbjørn Eggen, Norwegian footballer and manager (born 1960) Knut Torbjørn Eggen was a Norwegian football coach and player, famous for his time in Rosenborg as a player, and Moss and Fredrikstad as a coach. He was the son of Norway's most successful football coach, Nils Arne Eggen. Read more
20 Feb 2012: Katie Hall, American educator and politician (born 1938) Katie Beatrice Hall was an American educator in Gary, Indiana, and a politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1982 to 1985. When Hall was sworn into federal office on November 2, 1982, she became the first black woman from Indiana elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Hall represented Indiana's 1st Congressional District in the final months of the 97th Congress and an entire two-year term in the 98th Congress from 1983 to 1985. She is best known for sponsoring legislation and leading efforts on the floor of the U.S. House in 1983 to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday after previous efforts had failed. H.R. 3706 to establish the third Monday in January as a federal holiday in King's honor was introduced in July 1983 and passed in the House on August 2, 1983. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on November 2, 1983. Read more
20 Feb 2010: Alexander Haig, American general and politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (born 1924) Alexander Meigs Haig Jr. was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House chief of staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to and in between these cabinet-level positions, he was a general in the U.S. Army, serving first as the vice chief of staff of the Army and then as Supreme Allied Commander Europe. In 1973, Haig became the youngest four-star general in the U.S. Army's history. Read more
20 Feb 2009: Larry H. Miller, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1944) Larry H. Miller was an American businessman. He owned the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Utah Jazz and the Salt Lake Bees, a minor league baseball team. Miller and his companies, now known as the Larry H. Miller Company, also owned more than 60 automotive dealerships throughout the western United States, and a variety of other ventures, including Prestige Financial Services, Jordan Commons, Megaplex Theatres, KJZZ-TV, Miller Motorsports Park, the advertising agency Saxton Horne, and the Delta Center. The Fanzz chain of sports apparel stores was also owned by LHM Group until its sale to Ames Watson Capital in 2018. Read more
20 Feb 2008: Emily Perry, English actress and dancer (born 1907) Patricia Emily Perry was an English actress and dancer. Born in Torquay, Devon, she was best known for her recurring role as Madge Allsop, Dame Edna Everage's long-suffering, silent "bridesmaid" from Palmerston North, New Zealand. Read more
20 Feb 2006: Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster (born 1919) Curtis Edward Gowdy was an American sportscaster. He called Boston Red Sox games on radio and TV for 15 years, and then covered many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s. He coined the nickname "The Granddaddy of Them All" for the Rose Bowl Game, taking the moniker from Cheyenne Frontier Days in his native Wyoming. Read more
20 Feb 2006: Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (born 1920) Lucjan Wilhelm Wolanowski, pseudonyms: Wilk; Waldemar Mruczkowski; W. Lucjański; (L.W.); lu; Lu; (lw); WOL., was a Polish journalist, writer and traveller. Read more
20 Feb 2005: Sandra Dee, American actress (born 1942) Sandra Dee was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues, Dee earned a Golden Globe Award as one of the year's most promising newcomers for her performance in Robert Wise's Until They Sail (1957). She became a teenage star for her performances in Imitation of Life, Gidget and A Summer Place, which made her a household name. Read more
20 Feb 2005: Josef Holeček, Czech canoeist (born 1921) Josef Holeček was a Czech sprint canoeist who competed for Czechoslovakia in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won gold medals in the C-1 1000 m event in both 1948 and 1952. Read more
20 Feb 2005: John Raitt, American actor and singer (born 1917) John Emmet Raitt was an American actor and singer best known for his performances in musical theatre. His most notable role was Billy Bigelow in the original Broadway cast of Carousel. Read more
20 Feb 2005: Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (born 1937) Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prominence with the book Hell's Angels (1967), for which he lived a year among the Hells Angels motorcycle club to write a first-hand account of their lives and experiences. In 1970, he wrote an unconventional article titled "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved" for Scanlan's Monthly, which further raised his profile as a countercultural figure. It also set him on the path to establish the subgenre of New Journalism that he called "Gonzo", a style in which the writer becomes central to, and participant in the narrative. Read more
20 Feb 2003: Mushaf Ali Mir, Pakistani air marshal (born 1947) Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir was an influential statesman and a four-star rank air officer who served as the ninth Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), appointed on 20 November 2000 until his accidental death in a plane crash on 20 February 2003. Read more
20 Feb 2003: Maurice Blanchot, French philosopher and author (born 1907) Maurice Blanchot was a French writer, philosopher and literary theorist. His work, exploring a philosophy of death alongside poetic theories of meaning and sense, bore significant influence on post-structuralist philosophers such as Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Nancy. Read more
20 Feb 2003: Orville Freeman, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 29th Governor of Minnesota (born 1918) Orville Lothrop Freeman was an American politician who served as the 29th governor of Minnesota from 1955 to 1961, and as the U.S. secretary of agriculture from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He was one of the founding members of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party and influential in the merger of the Minnesota Democratic and Farmer-Labor parties. Freeman nominated Kennedy for president at the 1960 Democratic National Convention. Read more
20 Feb 2001: Rosemary DeCamp, American actress (born 1910) Rosemary Shirley DeCamp was an American radio, film, and television actress. Read more
20 Feb 2001: Donella Meadows, American environmentalist, author, and academic (born 1941) Donella Hager "Dana" Meadows was an American environmental scientist, educator, and writer. She is best known as lead author of the books The Limits to Growth and Thinking In Systems: A Primer. Read more
20 Feb 1999: Sarah Kane, English playwright (born 1971) Sarah Kane was an English playwright. She is known for her plays that deal with themes of redemptive love, sexual desire, pain, torture—both physical and psychological—and death. They are characterised by a poetic intensity, pared-down language, exploration of theatrical form and, in her earlier work, the use of extreme and violent stage action. Read more
20 Feb 1999: Gene Siskel, American journalist and critic (born 1946) Eugene Kal Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Read more
20 Feb 1996: Solomon Asch, American psychologist and academic (born 1907) Solomon Eliot Asch (September 14, 1907 – February 20, 1996) was a Polish-American Gestalt psychologist and pioneer in social psychology. He created seminal pieces of work in impression formation, prestige suggestion, conformity, and many other topics. His work follows a common theme of Gestalt psychology that the whole is not only greater than the sum of its parts, but the nature of the whole fundamentally alters the parts. Asch stated: "Most social acts have to be understood in their setting, and lose meaning if isolated. No error in thinking about social facts is more serious than the failure to see their place and function". Asch is most well known for his conformity experiments, in which he demonstrated the influence of group pressure on opinions. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Asch as the 41st most cited psychologist of the 20th century. Read more
20 Feb 1996: Audrey Munson, American model (born 1891) Audrey Marie Munson was an American artist's model and film actress, considered to be "America's first supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Pacific Girl", the "Exposition Girl" and "American Venus." She was the model or inspiration for more than twelve statues in New York City, and many others elsewhere. Munson appeared in four silent films, including unclothed in Inspiration (1915). She was one of the first American actresses to appear nude in a non-pornographic film. Read more
20 Feb 1996: Toru Takemitsu, Japanese pianist, guitarist, and composer (born 1930) Tōru Takemitsu was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu was admired for his subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre. He is known for combining elements of oriental and occidental philosophy and for fusing sound with silence and tradition with innovation. Read more
20 Feb 1993: Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian businessman, founded Lamborghini (born 1916) Ferruccio Lamborghini was an Italian automobile designer and industrialist who created Lamborghini Trattori in 1948 and Automobili Lamborghini in 1963, a maker of high-end sports cars in Sant'Agata Bolognese. Read more
20 Feb 1993: Ernest L. Massad, American general (born 1908) Ernest Louis "Iron Mike" Massad was a college football star, major general of the U.S. Army, and successful oilman. Read more
20 Feb 1992: A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (born 1898) Alfred Joseph Casson was a member of the Canadian group of artists known as the Group of Seven. He joined the group in 1926 at the invitation of Franklin Carmichael, replacing Frank Johnston. Casson is best known for his depictions in his signature limited palette of southern Ontario, and for being the youngest member of the Group of Seven. Read more
20 Feb 1992: Barbara Lüdemann, German politician (born 1922) Barbara Lüdemann was a German teacher and politician who served in the Bundestag from 1973 until 1976. A member of the Free Democratic Party from Hesse, she became a prominent figure in German family policy, especially with regards to foster care. Read more
20 Feb 1992: Dick York, American actor (born 1928) Richard Allen York was an American actor. He was the first actor to play Darrin Stephens on the ABC fantasy sitcom Bewitched. He played teacher Bertram Cates in the film Inherit the Wind (1960). Read more
20 Feb 1987: Wayne Boring, American illustrator (born 1905) Wayne Boring was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Superman from the late 1940s to 1950s. He occasionally used the pseudonym Jack Harmon. Read more
20 Feb 1981: Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker and publisher (born 1904) Nicolas Louis Alexandre de Gunzburg, also known as Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, was a French-born magazine editor and socialite. He became an editor at several American publications, including Town & Country, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1971. Read more
20 Feb 1976: René Cassin, French lawyer and judge, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1887) René Samuel Cassin was a French jurist known for co-authoring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Read more
20 Feb 1976: Kathryn Kuhlman, healing evangelist, known for belief in Holy Spirit (born 1907) Kathryn Kuhlman was an American Christian evangelist, preacher and minister who was referred to by the press as a faith healer. Read more
20 Feb 1972: Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906) Maria Goeppert Mayer was a German–American theoretical physicist who shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics with J. Hans D. Jensen and Eugene Wigner. One half of the prize was awarded jointly to Goeppert Mayer and Jensen "for their discoveries concerning nuclear shell structure". She was the second woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, the first being Marie Curie in 1903. In 1986, the Maria Goeppert Mayer Award for early-career women physicists was established in her honor. Read more
20 Feb 1972: Walter Winchell, American journalist and actor (born 1897) Walter Winchell was an American syndicated newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and columnist for New York tabloids. He rose to national celebrity in the 1930s with Hearst newspaper chain syndication and a popular radio program. He was known for an innovative style of gossipy staccato news briefs, jokes, and Jazz Age slang. Biographer Neal Gabler said that his popularity and influence "turned journalism into a form of entertainment". Read more
20 Feb 1969: Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (born 1883) Ernest Alexandre Ansermet was a Swiss conductor. Read more
20 Feb 1968: Anthony Asquith, English director and screenwriter (born 1902) Anthony Asquith was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on The Winslow Boy (1948) and The Browning Version (1951), among other adaptations. His other notable films include Pygmalion (1938), French Without Tears (1940), The Way to the Stars (1945) and a 1952 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Read more
20 Feb 1966: Chester W. Nimitz, American admiral (born 1885) Chester William Nimitz was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II. Read more
20 Feb 1965: Michał Waszyński, Polish film director and producer (born 1904) Michał Waszyński was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later a producer of major American films, mainly in Spain. Known for his elegance and impeccable manners, he was known by his acquaintances as "the prince". Read more
20 Feb 1963: Jacob Gade, Danish violinist and composer (born 1879) Jacob Thune Hansen Gade was a Danish violinist and composer, mostly of orchestral popular music. He is remembered today for a single tune, Jalousie. Read more
20 Feb 1961: Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer (born 1882) Percy Aldridge Grainger was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. Although much of his work was experimental and unusual, the piece with which he is most generally associated is his piano arrangement of the folk-dance tune "Country Gardens". Read more
20 Feb 1957: Sadri Maksudi Arsal, Turkish scholar and politician (born 1878) Sadri Maksudi Arsal was one of the leading figures in the national awakening of Tatars in Russia during the early 1900s. He worked as a writer, lawyer, politician, professor, lecturer, researcher of Turkic languages and a delegate of the League of Nations. He was the president of the short-lived Idel-Ural State. Read more
20 Feb 1947: Viktor Gutić, Croatian fascist official (born 1901) Viktor Gutić was the Ustaše commissioner for Banja Luka and the Grand Prefect of Pokuplje in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), an Axis puppet state during World War II. He was responsible for the persecution of Serbs, Jews and Roma in the Bosanska Krajina region between 1941 and 1942. Read more
20 Feb 1936: Max Schreck, German actor (born 1879) Friedrich Gustav Maximilian Schreck, was a German actor, best known for his lead role as the vampire Count Orlok in the film Nosferatu (1922). Read more
20 Feb 1933: Takiji Kobayashi, Japanese writer (born 1903) Takiji Kobayashi was a Japanese writer of proletarian literature. He is best known for his short novel Kani Kōsen, or Crab Cannery Ship, published in 1929. It tells the story of the hard life of cannery workers, fishermen and seamen on board a cannery ship and the beginning of their revolt against the company and its managers. Kobayashi died due to violent torture after being arrested by the Special Higher Police two years later, at the age of 29. Read more
20 Feb 1920: Jacinta Marto, Portuguese saint (born 1910) Francisco de Jesus Marto and Jacinta de Jesus Marto were siblings from Aljustrel, a small hamlet near Fátima, Portugal, who, with their cousin Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005), reportedly witnessed three apparitions of the Angel of Peace in 1916, and several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Cova da Iria in 1917. The title Our Lady of Fátima was given to the Virgin Mary as a result, and the Sanctuary of Fátima became a major centre of global Catholic pilgrimage. Read more
20 Feb 1920: Robert Peary, American admiral and explorer (born 1856) Robert Edwin Peary was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was long credited as being the discoverer of the geographic North Pole in April 1909, having led the first expedition to have claimed this achievement, although it is now considered unlikely that he actually reached the Pole. Read more
20 Feb 1916: Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish journalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1844) Klas Pontus Arnoldson was a Swedish author, journalist, politician, and committed pacifist who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1908 with Fredrik Bajer. He was a founding member of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society and a Member of Parliament in the second Chamber of 1882–1887. Read more
20 Feb 1907: Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1852) Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan was a French chemist and pharmacist who won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds. Among his other contributions, Moissan discovered moissanite and contributed to the development of the electric arc furnace. Moissan was one of the original members of the International Atomic Weights Committee. Read more
20 Feb 1900: Washakie, American tribal leader (born 1798) Washakie was a prominent leader of the Shoshone people during the mid-19th century. He was first mentioned in 1840 in the written record of the American fur trapper, Osborne Russell. In 1851, at the urging of trapper Jim Bridger, Washakie led a band of Shoshones to the council meetings of the Treaty of Fort Laramie. Essentially from that time until his death, he was considered the head of the Eastern Shoshones by the representatives of the United States government. In 1979, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Read more
20 Feb 1895: Frederick Douglass, American author and activist (born c. 1818) Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century. Read more
20 Feb 1893: P. G. T. Beauregard, American general (born 1818) Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard was an American military officer known for being the Confederate general who started the American Civil War at the battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is commonly referred to as P. G. T. Beauregard, but he rarely used his first name as an adult. He signed correspondence as G. T. Beauregard. Read more
20 Feb 1871: Paul Kane, Irish-Canadian painter (born 1810) Paul Kane was an Irish-born Canadian painter whose paintings and especially field sketches were known as one of the first visual documents of Western indigenous life. Read more
20 Feb 1862: William Wallace Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (born 1850) William Wallace "Willie" Lincoln was the third son of U.S. President Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. Willie was named after Mary's brother-in-law, Dr. William Smith Wallace. He died of typhoid fever at the White House, during his father's presidency, age 11. Read more
20 Feb 1850: Valentín Canalizo, Mexican general and politician. 14th President (1843–1844) (born 1794) José Valentín Raimundo Canalizo Bocadillo, was a Mexican general and statesman who served twice as interim president during the Centralist Republic of Mexico and was later made Minister of War during the Mexican American War. Read more
20 Feb 1810: Andreas Hofer, Tyrolean rebel leader (born 1767) Andreas Hofer was a Tyrolean innkeeper and drover who became the leader of the 1809 Tyrolean Rebellion during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Hofer, besides that, led troops in the battles of Bergisel during the rebellion. He was subsequently captured and executed. Read more
20 Feb 1806: Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (born 1725) Lachlan McIntosh was a Scottish American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot Button Gwinnett, who had signed the Declaration of Independence ten months earlier. Read more

Why is 20 February Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 20 February, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on 20 February in World history?

On 20 February, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

Is History of Today important for competitive exams?

Yes, History of Today is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC exams as part of static GK and current awareness sections.