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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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The First Council of Nicaea, also known as the First Ecumenical Council, met from about May 20, 325 to the end of July, 325. It was convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey), by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. It is also known as the First Ecumenical Council.
The Second Battle of Lincoln takes place on May 20, 1217, during the First Barons' War in England. It was a decisive conflict, fought at Lincoln Castle in England.
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama reaches India on May 20 1498, opening the sea route to the East. Da Gama departed from Lisbon, Portugal, on July 8, 1497, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope and up the east coast of Africa where he hired a pilot in Malindi to help him cross the Indian Ocean. He arrived at Calicut where he erected a padrão (stone pillar) to prove he had reached India.
He arrived at Calicut where he erected a padrão (stone pillar), to prove he had reached India. His voyage proved the sea route to India was viable and profitable, paving the way for Portuguese dominance in Asian trade and for a new era of European colonization in the East.
Christopher Columbus died, at age 54, on May, 20,1506, in Valladolid, Spain. He is believed to have been born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. His findings during his four transatlantic voyages from 1492 to1504, which were sponsored by Spain, led to the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.
North Carolina became the 10th of 11 states to secede from the Union on May 20, 1861, officially joining the Confederate States of America, soon after the fall of Fort Sumter and Virginia's secession.
President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law on May 20, 1862, making millions of government owned acres in the west available to "homesteaders". The Act granted 160 acres of surveyed public land to US citizens who agreed to live on and improve the land for five years. The act took effect on January 1, 1863.
It was a major, progressive piece of legislation encouraging the settlement and development of the American West and providing opportunities for many groups, including immigrants, single women, and formerly enslaved people, to become landowners. More
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis obtained a U.S. patent on May 20, 1873, for the process of putting rivets in men’s work pants for the very first time creating what we now call jeans. More
Cuba gained its independence from the United States and the Cuban Republic is formally established, on May 20, 1902. The United States governed Cuba as a protectorate after the end of the Spanish-American war when Spain ceded Cuba to the U.S. as a protectorate as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1898.
"The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor", all present on May 20, 1910 for the funeral of King Edward VII. It represents one of the largest gatherings of European royalty in that period of 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 - Public Domain.
Charles Lindberg took off in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, on May 20, 1927, from Roosevelt Field on Long Island for his transatlantic solo flight, to Le Bourget Aerodrome about 7 miles (11 km) outside of Paris.
Charles Lindbergh went on to become the first man to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean on May 21, 1927. He flew 3,610 miles from New York to Paris in his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, in 33 1/2 hours. More
The Republic of Cameroon's National Day. It is commemorated annually, celebrating the 1972 Cameroonian constitutional referendum, where citizens voted to dissolve the federal state structure and establish a single, unitary republic.
French Cameroon achieved independence from France on January 1, 1960 becoming the Republic of Cameroon. This marked the start of the decolonization process. The nation was later unified with the former British Cameroons to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon on October 1, 1961.
