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Old clock in sand with the words: It Happend in June

View Historical Events by Day: What Happened on June 20 in History?

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on June 20th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

451 CE, June 20

The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, also known as the Battle of Châlons, the Battle of Maurica, the Battle of the Campus Mauriacus, and the Battle of Troyes., takes place between a Roman-Visigoth coalition led by the Roman general Flavius Aetius and the Visigoth king Theodoric I, against the Huns and their vassals, commanded by their king, Attila. It proved to be one of the last major military operations of the Western Roman Empire. It stopped the Huns' from advancing further into Roman territory or establish vassals in Roman Gaul. However, the Huns looted and pillaged much of Gaul and crippled the military capacity of the Romans and Visigoths. Attila died two years later, in 453. More

1782 CE, June 20

The Confederation Congress approves and finalizes the first Great Seal of the United States.The First Continental Congress in 1776 originally commissioned Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams to create a national seal. These Founding Fathers intended to design a national emblem that reflected the independence and aspirations of the new nation. It took more than three committees and six years of congressional debate to complete the Great Seal. It was Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, who submitted the final design for the Great Seal. Thomson’s uncluttered, design combined elements of previous submissions, fulfilling Congress’s expectations and gaining its approval. More

1837 CE, June 20

Queen Victoria ascends to the British throne at the age of 18, following the death of her uncle, King William IV. This event marked the beginning of her long and impactful reign, which lasted until her death in 1901. While she became queen in June 1837, according to English Tradition and Heritage, her formal coronation took place later, on June 28, 1838, . More

1840 CE, June 20

The US Patent Office grants Samuel F. B. Morse U.S. Patent No. 1,647A for his electric telegraph. This invention, which utilized a single wire was a significant development which later led to the creation of the Morse Code and became known as the Morse telegraph.
Although the first known patent for a multiwire electric telegraph was granted to William F. Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in England in 1837, that system was a multiwire system and despite the earlier filing and other contemporaneous inventions, the US Supreme Court upheld Morse's patent claims in 1854 declaring him the "first and original inventor" of the electromagnetic telegraphs described in his patents.

1863 CE, June 20

West Virginia is admitted into the Union as the 35th State. It was created during the Civil War when western counties of Virginia, which opposed secession from the Union, formed their own State and it was formalized with West Virginia's admission to the Union in 1863. The statehood was a direct result of the political and social divisions within Virginia regarding secession.

1903 CE, June 20

Barney Oldfield, American automobile-racing driver accomplished the first mile-a-minute performance in a car, at Indianapolis, Indiana. Oldfield became known as the “Speed King of the World.” and his name was synonymous with racing and with speed. He raced farm tractors and pitted cars against locomotives and airplanes. He drove the most famous cars of his day: Fiat, Mercer, Maxwell, Stutz, the Ford 999, a French Delage, and a Christie. More

1963 CE, June 20

The U.S. and Soviet representatives sign the "Memorandum of Understanding" Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Regarding the Establishment of a Direct Communications Link." between Moscow and Washington. Commonly called, "The Hotline". Its primary purpose is to facilitate immediate communication during crises and prevent misunderstandings that could lead to accidental nuclear conflict, the possibility of which became apparent during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Initially, it used secure teletype equipment. Satellite lines were added in 1971, and facsimile machines in 1986. Since 2008, it has been a secure computer link using email. Contrary to popular belief, the hotline was never a telephone line, and no red phones were used. The hotline has been used during various crises and the system is tested daily to ensure it is functional. More