From the archives
Classic headlineTwo Sisters Reunited After 18 Years at Checkout Counter
Source: Classic headline (CJR 'Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim' collections)View clipping source
Monday 12 October 2026
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Coincidence Engine
Two birth milestones share this date — Bela Lugosi born (1882) and Tom Petty born (1950), 68 years apart.
1 / 3 coincidences found today • Auto-spins every 7s
From CurioVault
Today's curiosity
Its copper-based blood detects bacteria — and pharma bleeds it.
Read on CurioVault.co → Today's headlines
- Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years at Checkout CounterHall of Fame◆
- 1948Blind Veteran to Test New Law As Restaurant Bars Him and DogThe New York Times◆
- 2019Leading Australian engineers turn their backs on new fossil fuel projectsThe Guardian◆
- 2018Scott Morrison 'deplores' killing of Saudi journalist Jamal KhashoggiThe Guardian◆
- 1939Pope Pius XII (pictured) published his first encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, which critiqued ideologies such as racism, cultural superiority and totalitarianism.Wikipedia◆
- 1827Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.Wikipedia◆
- 1781The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Austria.Wikipedia◆
- 1774American Revolution: The Continental Association, a nonconsumption and nonimportation agreement against the British Isles and the British West Indies, is adopted by the First Continental Congress.Wikipedia◆
- 2011First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was killed shortly thereafter.Wikipedia◆
- 1973Watergate scandal: Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus resigned after refusing to obey President Richard Nixon's order to have Archibald Cox fired.Wikipedia◆
- 1969Experimental results from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center were published showing that protons were composed of smaller particles, the first evidence of quarks.Wikipedia◆
- 1967Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed an unidentified subject, which they claimed was Bigfoot, at Six Rivers National Forest in California.Wikipedia◆
- 1936British woman Mabel Freer was refused entry to Australia after failing a dictation test given in Italian, leading to a debate over Australia's immigration policy.Wikipedia◆
- 2011Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war.Wikipedia◆
- Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years at Checkout CounterHall of Fame◆
- 1948Blind Veteran to Test New Law As Restaurant Bars Him and DogThe New York Times◆
- 2019Leading Australian engineers turn their backs on new fossil fuel projectsThe Guardian◆
- 2018Scott Morrison 'deplores' killing of Saudi journalist Jamal KhashoggiThe Guardian◆
- 1939Pope Pius XII (pictured) published his first encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, which critiqued ideologies such as racism, cultural superiority and totalitarianism.Wikipedia◆
- 1827Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.Wikipedia◆
- 1781The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Austria.Wikipedia◆
- 1774American Revolution: The Continental Association, a nonconsumption and nonimportation agreement against the British Isles and the British West Indies, is adopted by the First Continental Congress.Wikipedia◆
- 2011First Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was killed shortly thereafter.Wikipedia◆
- 1973Watergate scandal: Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus resigned after refusing to obey President Richard Nixon's order to have Archibald Cox fired.Wikipedia◆
- 1969Experimental results from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center were published showing that protons were composed of smaller particles, the first evidence of quarks.Wikipedia◆
- 1967Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed an unidentified subject, which they claimed was Bigfoot, at Six Rivers National Forest in California.Wikipedia◆
- 1936British woman Mabel Freer was refused entry to Australia after failing a dictation test given in Italian, leading to a debate over Australia's immigration policy.Wikipedia◆
- 2011Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war.Wikipedia◆
Birthday twins
You share your birthday with...
Snoop Dogg1971- Tom Petty1950
- Bela Lugosi1882
20 October in history
0 eventsEvents, inventions, discoveries and releases. Looking for people or sport? See , and below.
We are adding more verified events for this date - more coming soon.
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What happened on this day · Odd history for today
Vintage News — October 20
1939 First everPope Pius XII (pictured) published his first encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, which critiqued ideologies such as racism, cultural superiority and totalitarianism.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1827 Oddly trueGreek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1781 Oddly trueThe Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Austria.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1774 First everAmerican Revolution: The Continental Association, a nonconsumption and nonimportation agreement against the British Isles and the British West Indies, is adopted by the First Continental Congress.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2011 First everFirst Libyan Civil War: Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed Libyan leader, was captured by rebel forces during the Battle of Sirte, and was killed shortly thereafter.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
From The Guardian Archives — On This Day
2019The GuardianLeading Australian engineers turn their backs on new fossil fuel projectsThe Engineers Declare movement pledges to put climate considerations first in evaluating plans
Read on The Guardian →
2018The GuardianScott Morrison 'deplores' killing of Saudi journalist Jamal KhashoggiPrime minister calls on Riyadh to ‘cooperate fully’ with Turkish investigation into case
Read on The Guardian →- 1948The New York Times · Front pageBlind Veteran to Test New Law As Restaurant Bars Him and Dog
S Gerbush, backed by Blinded Veterans Assn, makes ct test of NYS law barring exclusion of blind with dogs from pub pl…
Read on NYTimes.com →
Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API
Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.
Strange but true headlines of the day
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Did you guess the year?
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When was “Pope Pius XII (pictured) published his first encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, which critiqued ideologies such as racism, cultural superiority and totalitarianism.” happening? Slide to your guess.
1950
Weird history, same day
- ???? First ever
Pope Pius XII (pictured) published his first encyclical, Summi Pontificatus, which critiqued ideologies such as racism, cultural superiority and totalitarianism.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1827 Oddly true
Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1781 Oddly true
The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Austria.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hall of Fame headlines are manually verified clippings (source linked); nothing is scraped from Newspapers.com. Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Clippings from the Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers site.
Pick another date or enter your birthday (day + month only)
Viewing 20 October — today is 12 October.
Born on this day
3
1882Birth
Bela Lugosi born
Bela Lugosi was born. Hungarian-American actor famous for playing Dracula.
1950Birth
Tom Petty born
Tom Petty was born. American rock musician.
1971Birth
Snoop Dogg born
Snoop Dogg was born. American rapper.
Died on this day
17 in the archiveFive infamous ends — executed, assassinated or murdered — drawn at random from the archive. All infamous ends →
Suicide
2008Death
Heath Ledger dies
Heath Ledger, actor, died on this day in 2008. Accidental prescription drug overdose. Remembered as: Acclaimed performances, including the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Accident
2020Death
Kobe Bryant dies
Kobe Bryant, professional basketball player, died on this day in 2020. Helicopter crash. Remembered as: Five-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers.
Suicide
1962Death
Marilyn Monroe dies
Marilyn Monroe, actress and model, died on this day in 1962. Barbiturate overdose. Remembered as: Iconic actress and sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s.
Assassinated
1948Death
Mahatma Gandhi dies
Mahatma Gandhi, political ethicist, died on this day in 1948. Assassinated. Remembered as: Leader of the Indian independence movement.
Assassinated
1968Death
Martin Luther King Jr. dies
Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader, died on this day in 1968. Assassinated in Memphis. Remembered as: Prominent leader in the American civil rights movement.
Famous birthdays
24 this weekToday · 20 October
- Snoop DoggAmerican rapper (born 1971)Born 1971 · 55 years ago today
- Tom PettyAmerican rock musician (1950–2017)Born 1950 · 76 years ago today
- Bela LugosiHungarian actor (1882–1956)Born 1882 · 144 years ago today
Coming up this week
Kim KardashianAmerican media personality (born 1980)21 October · born 1980- ASAndrew ScottBorn 197621 October · born 1976
Dizzy GillespieAmerican jazz trumpeter (1917–1993)21 October · born 1917
Jonathan LipnickiAmerican actor (born 1990)22 October · born 1990
Christopher LloydAmerican actor (born 1938)22 October · born 1938
Franz LisztHungarian composer and pianist (1811–1886)22 October · born 1811
Day of Recognition20 October
World Statistics Day
Celebrates the importance of reliable, high-quality data and statistics in shaping informed global decisions.
Music · No.1 on this day
What was topping the charts
The official No.1 singles and albums in the UK and the USA on this date, decade by decade.
2016 10 yrs ago
2006 20 yrs ago
1996 30 yrs ago
1986 40 yrs ago
1976 50 yrs ago
1966 60 yrs ago
1956 70 yrs ago
Sport on this day
0Finals, medals and records decided on 20 October.
No recorded sporting finals on this date yet.
Sporting almanac
Who was champion, 10, 25 and 50 years ago
World Cups, Olympics, Wimbledon, the Masters, Super Bowl and more — year by year since 1877.
2016 10 yrs ago
- Olympic GamesSummer Olympics in Rio
- WimbledonAndy Murray and Serena Williams win Wimbledon
- Super BowlDenver Broncos win Super Bowl 50
- Tour de FranceChris Froome wins the Tour de France
- The MastersDanny Willett wins the Masters
- World SeriesChicago Cubs win the World Series
2001 25 yrs ago
- WimbledonGoran Ivanisevic and Venus Williams win Wimbledon
- Super BowlBaltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV
- The MastersTiger Woods wins the Masters
- World SeriesArizona Diamondbacks win the World Series
- NBA FinalsLos Angeles Lakers win the NBA Finals
- Stanley CupColorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup
1976 50 yrs ago
- Olympic GamesSummer Olympics in Montreal
- Olympic GamesWinter Olympics in Innsbruck
- WimbledonBjorn Borg and Chris Evert win Wimbledon
- Super BowlPittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl X
- Tour de FranceLucien Van Impe wins the Tour de France
- The MastersRaymond Floyd wins the Masters
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