
View Historical Events by Day: What Happened on May 20 in History?
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on May 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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First Council of Nicaea - the first ecumenical council of Christian bishops at Nicaea, Asia Minor.
THE COUNCIL OF NICEA Fresco in the Sistine Salon Vatican. Thes painting depicts the debate over what became the Nicene Creed.
Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to reach India via the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving in Calicut, where he erected a padrão (stone pillar) to prove he had reached India. More
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad during his third voyage to the Americas.
The Siege of Famagusta begins during the Ottoman-Venetian War, with the city of Famagusta in Cyprus being besieged by the Ottoman Empire.
North Carolina became the last of the Confederate states to secede rom the United States, triggering the start of the American Civil War.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act making millions of government owned acres in the west available to "homesteaders". More
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis obtained a U.S. patent for the process of putting rivets in men’s work pants for the very first time creating what we now call jeans. More
"The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor", all present for the funeral of King Edward VII In 1910, represents one of the largest gatherings of European royalty. The nine Heads of State who were famously photographed in Windsor Castle also represented nine of the most important European currencies during that period in history. Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.
Photographer: W. & D. Downey. Date taken: May 20, 1910 - Location taken: Windsor, England Source: Wikimedia Commons