# On this day: March 20

March 20 is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years), with 286 days left until the end of the year.

## March 20 in one line

Headline entries for March 20, from Wikipedia: in 1890, Emperor Wilhelm II dismissed Otto von Bismarck as the chancellor of the German Empire; born 43 BC: Ovid, Roman poet (died 17); died 1990: Lev Yashin, Russian footballer (born 1929). In 2026 it is a Friday, in 2027 a Saturday.

## Events on March 20

- 1602 The Dutch East India Company, the first company to issue stock, was established. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company)
- 1616 Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London)
- 1724 Following the death of Pope Innocent XIII, a papal conclave convened in Rome to elect a new pope. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1724_conclave)
- 1760 A fire of unknown cause broke out in Boston, Massachusetts, destroying 349 buildings. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Boston_Fire_of_1760)
- 1815 After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days)
- 1848 German revolutions of 1848–49: King Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicates. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_I_of_Bavaria)
- 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the United States, was published. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom's_Cabin)
- 1854 The Republican Party was founded in Ripon, Wisconsin, by politicians opposing the Kansas–Nebraska Act and the expansion of slavery in the United States. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States))
- 1861 An earthquake occurred in the Argentine province of Mendoza, causing at least 6,000 deaths and destroying most of the buildings in the province's capital city. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1861_Mendoza_earthquake)
- 1883 The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is signed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Convention_for_the_Protection_of_Industrial_Property)
- 1890 Emperor Wilhelm II dismissed Otto von Bismarck as the chancellor of the German Empire. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck)
- 1896 With the approval of Emperor Guangxu, the Qing dynasty post office is opened, marking the beginning of a postal service in China. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangxu_Emperor)
- 1922 The United States Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier, USS Langley. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy)
- 1923 The Arts Club of Chicago hosted the opening of Pablo Picasso's first solo United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_Club_of_Chicago)
- 1926 Chiang Kai-shek initiated a purge of communist elements within the National Revolutionary Army in Guangzhou, China. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canton_Coup)
- 1939 Germany issued an ultimatum to Lithuania, demanding the return of the Klaipėda Region under threat of invasion. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_German_ultimatum_to_Lithuania)
- 1942 World War II: After being forced to flee the Philippines for Australia, US Army general Douglas MacArthur announced: "I came through and I shall return." [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur's_escape_from_the_Philippines)
- 1944 World War II: U.S. Marines made a landing on Emirau Island in the Bismarck Archipelago to develop an airbase as part of Operation Cartwheel. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landing_on_Emirau)
- 1987 The antiretroviral drug zidovudine became the first treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for HIV/AIDS. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zidovudine)
- 1993 The Troubles: Two children were killed by the second of two bomb attacks by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Warrington, England. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrington_bombings)
- 1995 The Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo carries out a sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, killing 14 and wounding over 6,200 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack)
- 2003 Iraq War: The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland begin an invasion of Iraq. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq)
- 2010 Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland began a series of volcanic events, later disrupting air travel across Europe. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull)
- 2014 Taliban militants killed nine civilians in a mass shooting at the Kabul Serena Hotel in Afghanistan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Kabul_Serena_Hotel_shooting)
- 2015 A solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_March_20%2C_2015)
- 2019 Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is sworn in as acting president of Kazakhstan, following the resignation of long-time president Nursultan Nazarbayev. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassym-Jomart_Tokayev)

## Born on March 20

- 43 BC Ovid, Roman poet (died 17) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovid)
- 1639 Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian diplomat, Hetman of Ukraine (died 1709) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Mazepa)
- 1725 Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (died 1789) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Hamid_I)
- 1811 Napoleon II, French emperor (died 1832) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_II)
- 1828 Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian poet, playwright, and director (died 1906) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Ibsen)
- 1856 Frederick Winslow Taylor, American tennis player and engineer (died 1915) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Winslow_Taylor)
- 1882 René Coty, French lawyer and politician, 17th President of France (died 1962) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Coty)
- 1904 B. F. Skinner, American psychologist and author (died 1990) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner)
- 1911 Alfonso García Robles, Mexican lawyer and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1991) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_Garc%C3%ADa_Robles)
- 1917 Vera Lynn, English singer and actress (died 2020) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Lynn)
- 1928 Fred Rogers, American television host and author [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers)
- 1939 Brian Mulroney, Canadian lawyer and politician, 18th Prime Minister of Canada (died 2024) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Mulroney)
- 1948 John de Lancie, American actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Lancie)
- 1950 William Hurt, American actor (died 2022) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hurt)
- 1956 Catherine Ashton, English politician, Vice-President of the European Commission [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Ashton)
- 1957 Spike Lee, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Lee)
- 1958 Holly Hunter, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Hunter)
- 1963 David Thewlis, English actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Thewlis)
- 1976 Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (died 2017) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Bennington)
- 1984 Fernando Torres, Spanish footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Torres)
- 1989 Xavier Dolan, Canadian actor and director [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Dolan)
- 1990 Marcos Rojo, Argentine footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcos_Rojo)

## Died on March 20

- 1191 Pope Clement III (born 1130) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_III)
- 1413 Henry IV of England (born 1367) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV_of_England)
- 1619 Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1557) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1894 Lajos Kossuth, Hungarian lawyer, journalist and politician (born 1802) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lajos_Kossuth)
- 1925 George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, English politician, 35th Governor-General of India (born 1859) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Curzon%2C_1st_Marquess_Curzon_of_Kedleston)
- 1929 Ferdinand Foch, French field marshal (born 1851) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Foch)
- 1968 Carl Theodor Dreyer, Danish director and screenwriter (born 1889) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Theodor_Dreyer)
- 1990 Lev Yashin, Russian footballer (born 1929) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Yashin)
- 1993 Polykarp Kusch, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polykarp_Kusch)
- 2004 Juliana of the Netherlands (born 1909) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_of_the_Netherlands)
- 2013 Zillur Rahman, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician, 19th President of Bangladesh (born 1929) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zillur_Rahman)
- 2017 David Rockefeller, American billionaire and philanthropist (born 1915) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rockefeller)
- 2020 Kenny Rogers, American singer (born 1938) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Rogers)
- 2026 Robert Mueller, American attorney, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (born 1944) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mueller)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Alexandra [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_of_Rome)
- Christian feast day: Blessed John of Parma [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Parma)
- Christian feast day: Clement of Ireland [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_of_Ireland)
- Christian feast day: Cuthbert of Lindisfarne [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert)
- Christian feast day: Herbert of Derwentwater [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_of_Derwentwater)
- Christian feast day: John of Nepomuk [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Nepomuk)
- Christian feast day: Józef Bilczewski [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Bilczewski)
- Christian feast day: María Josefa Sancho de Guerra [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Josefa_Sancho_de_Guerra)
- Christian feast day: Martin of Braga [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Braga)
- Christian feast day: Michele Carcano [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Carcano)
- Christian feast day: Wulfram [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wulfram_of_Sens)
- Christian feast day: March 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Great American MeatOut (United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_Animal_Rights_Movement)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tunisia from France in 1956. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Tunisia)
- International Day of Happiness (United Nations) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Happiness)
- International Francophonie Day (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie), and its related observances: UN French Language Day (United Nations) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_French_Language_Day)
- National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (United States) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV.gov)
- World Sparrow Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Sparrow_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “March 20”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/March 20”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/March_20) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“March 20”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_20?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for March 20 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## March 20 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Friday | 2026-W12 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2027 | Saturday | 2027-W11 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2028 | Monday | 2028-W12 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Tuesday | 2029-W12 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Wednesday | 2030-W12 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on March 20

- [🇵🇭 Philippines](https://whathappen.today/holidays/philippines/): Eid al-Fitr (2026)
- [🇯🇵 Japan](https://whathappen.today/holidays/japan/): Vernal Equinox Day (2026)
- [🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates](https://whathappen.today/holidays/united-arab-emirates/): Eid al-Fitr (estimated) (2026)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← March 19](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-19/) · [March 21 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-21/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/march-20/