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What Happened Today in History on March 20

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

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Circa 336, March

Pope Julius I declares December 25th as the official date for the celebration of the Nativity. The decision likely aimed to align the Christian celebration with existing Roman winter solstice festivals, such as Saturnalia.

The first recorded celebration of Christmas on that date was in 336 AD. Other sources point to the Roman emperor Constantine establishing the date in 336 AD, possibly to coincide with existing pagan holidays. There is no mention of the date of Jesus' birth in the Bible. The existence of shepherds with their flocks in the fields at night suggests a time of milder weather, which points away from December. Many historians believe that Jesus was born between 7 and 2 B.C. and that December 25th was not the actual date of his birth.

1306 CE, March 20

Robert the Bruce murders John Comyn, a rival claimant to the Scottish throne, at Greyfriars Church in Dumfries.

1351 CE, March 20

Combat of the Thirty: Thirty Breton knights led by Robert Bemborough fight thirty English knights in Brittany.

1400 CE, March 20

Rebellion against Henry IV: Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndŵr is proclaimed Prince of Wales.

1401 CE, March 20

Turko-Mongol leader Tamerlane defeats the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara.

1408 CE, March 20

The Council of Pisa opens to discuss the Great Schism in the Catholic Church.

1413 CE, March 20

King Henry IV of England dies, and his son becomes King Henry V.

1413 CE, March 20

King Henry IV of England dies on March 20, 1413, and was succeeded by his son, Henry of Monmouth, who was crowned at Westminster Abbey on April 9, 1413 and became King Henry V.

1419 CE, March 20

The Hussite Wars in Bohemia begin with the First Defenestration of Prague.

1549 CE, March 20

The execution of Thomas Seymour for treason takes place; after he was caught scheming to gain control over his nephew, King Edward VI, and ultimately seize more power. He was the brother of Jane Seymour uncle of King Edward VI and husband of Catherine Parr, Henry VIII widow.

1602 CE, March 20

The Dutch East India Company is chartered by the Netherlands government, beginning its trade dominance in Asia.

1665 CE, March 20

English King Charles II announces a state of emergency due to the plague in London.

1687 CE, March 20

Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explores the Mississippi River.

1727 CE, March 20

Sir Isaac Newton, English physicist and mathematician, dies.

1783 CE, March 20

The USS Alliance defeats the HMS Sybil in the last naval action of the American Revolutionary War.

1952 CE, March 20

The United States Senate ratifies the peace treaty with Japan, officially ending World War II.

1965 CE, March 20

President Lyndon B. Johnson places the Alabama National Guard under federal control to protect a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery to the state capital. 2,500 U.S. Army troops and 1,900 Alabama National Guard troops, along with FBI agents and U.S. Marshals were dispatched to provide protection for the marchers. On March 7, demonstrators sought to march there to protest the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson, a black man shot by a state trooper. State and local police had attacked them with billy clubs and tear gas. Televised scenes of “Bloody Sunday” outraged many Americans. More

1995 CE, March 20

Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese doomsday cult, carries out a sarin gas attack by releasing several packages on the Tokyo subway system, killing 13 and injuring over 5000. The odorless, colorless, and highly toxic nerve gas was invented by the Nazis and is one of the most lethal nerve gases known to man.