What Happened Today in History on 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.  Expand +

In June 1196, King Philip II of France married Agnes of Merania after having separated from his second wife, Ingeborg of Denmark. Pope Innocent III declared the marriage invalid, and a papal interdict was placed on France until Philip took Ingeborg back in 1200. Agnes died in 1201, and Pope Innocent III later declared the two children she had with Philip as legitimate. 

The University of Oxford receives its royal charter from King Henry III of England on June 20, 1248. This charter officially established the university as a formal educational institution, although  it had existed in some form since at least 1096. The charter provided the legal basis for the university as an organized institution.

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.  Expand +

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

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.

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.

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

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". Expand +

Former Argentine President Juan Perón returns to Argentina after 18 years of exile, reclaiming the presidency when he was reelected President of Argentina for a third time later that year. He died the following year on July 1, 1974.