Vintage News · Odd history for January 20

What Happened On January 20

Q: What happened on January 20?

1401: The Taula de canvi (Catalan: "Table of change"), described as Europe's first-ever public bank, began operations inside Barcelona's Llotja de Mar. 1843: Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná, became the de facto first prime minister of the Empire of Brazil. 1726: J. S. Bach led the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen on the second Sunday after the Epiphany. 1877: The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans. 1841: Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British during the First Opium War. 1788: The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony. 1726: J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen (My sighs, my tears), BWV 13, for the second Sunday after Epiphany. 1265: The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the "Houses of Parliament". 250: Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. 2009: In Washington, D.C., Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American president of the United States.

41 events and 206 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 20 January →

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10 odd things that happened on January 20

1401 First ever
The Taula de canvi (Catalan: "Table of change"), described as Europe's first-ever public bank, began operations inside Barcelona's Llotja de Mar.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1843 First ever
Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná, became the de facto first prime minister of the Empire of Brazil.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1726 First ever
J. S. Bach led the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen on the second Sunday after the Epiphany.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1877 Oddly true
The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1841 First ever
Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British during the First Opium War.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1788 First ever
The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1726 First ever
J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen (My sighs, my tears), BWV 13, for the second Sunday after Epiphany.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1265 First ever
The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the "Houses of Parliament".
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
250 Oddly true
Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2009 First ever
In Washington, D.C., Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African-American president of the United States.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2018A group of four or five gunmen attack The Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, sparking a 12-hour battle. The attack kills 40 people and injures many others. Wikipedia →
2018Syrian civil war: The Government of Turkey announces the initiation of the Afrin offensive and begins shelling Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Afrin Region. Wikipedia →
2009A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start. Wikipedia →
2001President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent four-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Wikipedia →
1992Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111, crashes into a mountain near Strasbourg, France, killing 87 of the 96 people on board. Wikipedia →
1991Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south. Wikipedia →
1990Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union. Wikipedia →
1986In the United States, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time. Wikipedia →
1986Leabua Jonathan, Prime Minister of Lesotho, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Justin Lekhanya. Wikipedia →
1981Twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America, Iran releases 52 American hostages. Wikipedia →
1974China gains control over all the Paracel Islands after a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam. Wikipedia →
1973Amílcar Cabral, leader of the independence movement in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, is assassinated in Conakry, Guinea. Wikipedia →
1972Pakistan launches its nuclear weapons program, a few weeks after its defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War, as well as the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Wikipedia →
1954In the United States, the National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: The provisional government of Béla Miklós in Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: Germany begins the evacuation of 1.8 million people from East Prussia, a task which will take nearly two months. Wikipedia →
1942World War II: At the Wannsee Conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, senior Nazi German officials discuss the implementation of the "Final Solution to the Jewish question". Wikipedia →
1941A German officer is killed in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers. Wikipedia →
1923During the Irish Civil War the Irish Free State Army executes 10 members of the anti-treaty Irish Republican Army Wikipedia →
1921The British K-class submarine HMS K5 sinks in the English Channel; all 56 on board die. Wikipedia →
1921The first Constitution of Turkey is adopted, making fundamental changes in the source and exercise of sovereignty by consecrating the principle of national sovereignty. Wikipedia →
1909Newly formed automaker General Motors (GM) buys into the Oakland Motor Car Company, which later becomes GM's long-running Pontiac division. Wikipedia →
1887The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base. Wikipedia →
1877The last day of the Constantinople Conference results in agreement for political reforms in the Balkans. Wikipedia →
1874The Treaty of Pangkor is signed between the British and Sultan Abdullah of Perak, paving the way for further British colonization of Malaya. Wikipedia →
1841Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British during the First Opium War. Wikipedia →
1839In the Battle of Yungay, Chile defeats an alliance between Peru and Bolivia. Wikipedia →
1788The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony. Wikipedia →
1785Invading Siamese forces attempt to exploit the political chaos in Vietnam, but are ambushed and annihilated at the Mekong river by the Tây Sơn in the Battle of Rạch Gầm-Xoài Mút. Wikipedia →
1783The Kingdom of Great Britain signs preliminary articles of peace with the Kingdom of France, setting the stage for the official end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War later that year. Wikipedia →
1726J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen (My sighs, my tears), BWV 13, for the second Sunday after Epiphany. Wikipedia →
1649The High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I begins its proceedings. Wikipedia →
1576The Mexican city of León is founded by order of the viceroy Don Martín Enríquez de Almanza. Wikipedia →
1567Battle of Rio de Janeiro: Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro. Wikipedia →
1523Christian II is forced to abdicate as King of Denmark and Norway. Wikipedia →
1401The Taula de canvi (Catalan: "Table of change"), described as Europe's first-ever public bank, began operations inside Barcelona's Llotja de Mar. Wikipedia →
1356Edward Balliol surrenders his claim to the Scottish throne to Edward III in exchange for an English pension. Wikipedia →
1320Duke Wladyslaw Lokietek becomes king of Poland. Wikipedia →
1265The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the "Houses of Parliament". Wikipedia →
1156Finnish peasant Lalli kills English clergyman Henry, the Bishop of Turku, on the ice of Lake Köyliö. Wikipedia →
250Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2017The Guardian
Inauguration protests: more than 200 demonstrators arrested in Washington
Thousands took to the streets of Washington DC for peaceful protests, but pockets of violence saw clashes between pol…
Read on The Guardian →
2014The Guardian
Syria's horror show continues – and we must not look away
Tanya Plibersek: This year Unicef collected $6m in four weeks after typhoon Haiyan but has struggled to reach a…
Read on The Guardian →
1939The New York Times
BOY, 8, DIES AS SLED AND AUTO COLLIDE
An 8-year-year-old boy was dead and three other children were in a serious condition last night after they had been f…
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.