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On This Day
Discover events that happened On This Day including famous birthdays and notable deaths. Each day we highlight famous people, past and present, who have impacted our world. Browse sections by selecting the links below or click the calendar to view events on another day.
November 20
Events on This Day
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1497
516 years ago
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama is the first person to successfully sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
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1923
90 years ago
Garrett Morgan, the son of two former slaves, patents the three-way traffic signal. He is also the inventor of the gas mask
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1945
68 years ago
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson leads the prosecution at the Nuremberg war crimes trial.
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2009
4 years ago
The queen of daytime talk, Oprah Winfrey, announces that she will end her show in 2011 at the close of her 25th season.
November 20
Born on This Day
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Joe Biden
- In these groups:
- Famous Irish-Americans
- 2012 Election Candidates
- Candidates with Babies
Joe Biden
U.S. Vice President, U.S. Representative / 1942 -
Former Delaware Senator Joe Biden was elected the 47th U.S. vice president with President Barack Obama in 2008. He earned a second term as vice president when Obama was re-elected to the presidency in 2012.
Born: November 20, 1942
Age: 70 years old
Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation: U.S. Vice President, ... -
Dierks Bentley
- In these groups:
- USO Entertainers
- Famous Scorpios
- Famous Singers
Dierks Bentley
Singer / 1975 -
Dierks Bentley is a country music singer who became the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry at age 29.1975 | 37 years old
Singer -
Don DeLillo
- In these groups:
- Famous Scorpios
- Famous People Named Don
- Famous Fiction Authors
Don DeLillo
Author / 1936 -
Don DeLillo is a novelist whose postmodernist works portray an America consumed by material excess and stupefied by empty mass culture and politics.1936 | 76 years old
Author -
Robert Kennedy
- In these groups:
- Famous Military Veterans
- The Kennedy Family
- Famous Scorpios
Robert Kennedy
Government Official / 1925 - 1968
Robert Kennedy was Attorney General during his brother JFK's administration. He later served as a U.S. Senator and was assassinated during his run for the presidency.
Born: November 20, 1925
Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
Occupation: Government Official -
Bo Derek
- In these groups:
- Name Changers
- Famous Scorpios
- Famous Actresses
Bo Derek
Film Actress / 1956 -
Bo Derek is an actress known for her sexy roles in films of the 1970s and 1980s such as 10 and Tarzan the Ape Man.1956 | 56 years old
Film Actress -
Sean Young
- In these groups:
- Celebrities and Their Fast Cars
- Famous Scorpios
- Famous Actresses
Sean Young
Film Actress, Television Actress / 1959 -
Sean Young is an American actress best known for her roles in the films Blade Runner (1982) and No Way Out (1987).
1959 | 53 years old
Film Actress, Television Actress
November 20
Died on This Day
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Leo Tolstoy
- In these groups:
- Fantastic Facial Hair
- Famous Virgoans
- Famous People Named Leo
Leo Tolstoy
Author / 1828 - 1910
Russian author Leo Tolstoy wrote the acclaimed novels War and Peace, Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and still ranks among the world's top writers.
Died: November 20, 1910
Age: 82 years old
Place: Astapovo , Russia
Occupation: Author -
Robert Altman
- In these groups:
- Celebrity Enlistees
- Famous Military Veterans
- Honorary Oscar Recipients
Robert Altman
Director / 1925 - 2006
Filmmaker Robert Altman is best known for his highly individualistic films and use of simultaneous layers of dialogue.
2006 | 81 years old
Director -
Francisco Franco
- In these groups:
- Hispanic Political Figures
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Dictators
Francisco Franco
Dictator / 1892 - 1975
Francisco Franco led a successful military rebellion to overthrow the Spanish democratic republic in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), and he subsequently established his lasting dictatorship.1975 | 82 years old
Dictator
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Upcoming Birthdays
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Empress Frederick
- In these groups:
- Famous Scorpios
- Famous Empresses
- Famous Queens
Empress Frederick
Empress, Queen / 1840 - 1901
Empress Frederick was the oldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of England. She married the future German Emperor Frederick III in 1858, thusly becoming empress of Germany and queen of Prussia.
November 21, 1840
Queen -
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Explorers
- Famous French People
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle
Explorer / 1643 - 1687
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle was a French explorer best known for leading an expedition down the Mississippi River, claiming the region for France.
November 22, 1643
Explorer -
Johannes Diederik van der Waals
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Physicists
- Famous People Named Johannes
Johannes Diederik van der Waals
Physicist / 1837 - 1923
Dutch physicist Johannes Diederik van der Waals was winner of the 1910 Nobel Prize for Physics for his research on the gaseous and liquid states of matter.
November 23, 1837
Physicist -
Charles XI
- In these groups:
- Famous Sagittarians
- Famous Kings
- Famous Royalty
Charles XI
King / 1655 - 1697
Charles XI was the King of Sweden from the time he was five-years-old in 1660 until his death in 1697.
November 24, 1655
Royalty
Famous Scorpios
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Fernando Valenzuela
- In these groups:
- Hispanic Athletes
- Famous Scorpios
- Famous Baseball Players
Fernando Valenzuela
Baseball Player / 1960 -
Professional baseball player Fernando Valenzuela was a cultural icon in Mexico and the U.S. Latino community. In 1981, he was named Rookie of the Year.November 1, 1960
Baseball Player -
Peter Jackson
- In these groups:
- Weight Loss Winners
- Best Director Oscar Winners
- Best Screenplay Oscar Winners
Peter Jackson
Director, Producer / 1961 -
New Zealand native Peter Jackson is best known as a director for his adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, which has won 11 Oscars.
October 31, 1961
Director, Producer
