On This Day In History, 20 February


On This Day In History 20 February Image

World Events Today

  • John Glenn, onboard Friendship 7, became the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth today in 1962, the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was first, about a year earlier
  • Eleven men, “The Shankill Butchers”, an Ulster loyalist gang, were convicted of 19 murders and given 42 life sentences today in 1979
  • Donald Trump won the South Carolina Republican primary today in 2016

Entertainment Events Today

  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art on New York’s Fifth Avenue, opened today in 1872
  • One of the most popular ballets in the world, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, premiered today in 1877 in Moscow
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs, played their first NHL home game at the new Air Canada Centre today in 1999, they beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2

Family Events Today

  • The former model and ex-wife of Donald Trump, Ivana Trump, was born today in 1949 in Moravia, Czechoslovakia
  • The British actor and comedian John Cleese, married his co-star, the American actress Connie Booth, today in 1968, they both wrote and starred in the hit comedy series Fawlty Towers
  • The Barbadian singer-songwriter Rihanna, whose hits include What’s My Name and We Found Love, was born today in 1988

Main Event Today

  • The Mir Space Station, the first continuously inhabited long-term research station in orbit, was launched today in 1986

National Day Today

  • Today, it’s National Cherry Pie Day

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