Discover what happened on March 20 in history, along with notable events that shaped science, business, and culture.
What Happened on March 20 in History?
Important events on this day include Albert Einstein publishing his theory of relativity, the founding of the Kresge dime store that became Kmart, and the commissioning of the U.S. Navy’s first aircraft carrier.
MARCH 20 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1854 – The Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI. About 50 slavery opponents began the political group.
1865 – A plan by John Wilkes Booth to abduct President Abraham Lincoln was ruined when Lincoln changed his plans and did not appear at the Soldier’s Home near Washington, DC.
1885 – John Matzeliger of Suriname patented the shoe lacing machine.
1886 – The first AC power plant in the U.S. began commercial operation.
1891 – The first computing scale company was incorporated in Dayton, OH.
1897 – Sebastian Spering Kresge and associates opened the first Kresge dime store in Detroit. The company grew and later became known as Kmart. The company evolved into Sears Holdings Corporation, who own Kmart and Sears.
1897 – The first intercollegiate basketball game that used five players on each team was held. The game was between Yale and Pennsylvania. Yale won by a score of 32-10.
1914 – The first international figure skating championship was held in New Haven, CT.
1916 – Albert Einstein published his general theory of relativity.
1922 – The USS Langley (CV-1) was commissioned. It was the first aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy.
1930 – Colonel Harland Sanders started selling fried chicken out of his roadside restaurant in Corbin, KY.
1963 – The first “Pop Art” exhibit began in New York, NY.
1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married.
1972 – 19 mountain climbers were killed on Japan’s Mount Fuji during an avalanche.
1976 – Patricia Hearst was convicted of armed robbery for her role in the hold up of a bank in San Francisco, CA.
1980 – The U.S. made an appeal to the International Court concerning the American Hostages in Iran.
1984 – The Senate rejected an amendment to permit spoken prayer in public schools.
1985 – For the first time in its 99-year history, Avon representatives received a salary. Previously, they had been paid only commissions.
1985 – Libby Riddles won the 1,135-mile Anchorage-to-Nome dog race becoming the first woman to win the Iditarod.
1986 – Fallon Carrington and Jeff Colby were wed on the TV drama “The Colby’s”. “The Colby’s” was an spin-off of the television show “Dynasty”.
1987 – The Food and Drug Administration approved AZT. The drug was proven to slow the progress of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
1989 – It was announced that Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose was under investigation.
1990 – The Los Angeles Lakers retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s #33.
1990 – Gloria Estefan and her band were injured in a bus accident near Scranton, PA.
1991 – The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that employers could not exclude women from jobs where exposure to toxic chemicals could potentially damage a fetus.
1991 – Eric Clapton’s 4 year old son, Conor, died after falling from a 53rd story New York, NY apartment window.
1992 – Model Janice Pennington was awarded $1.3 million for an accident on the set of the television game show “The Price is Right”.
1996 – In Los Angeles, brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez were found guilty of first-degree murder for killing their parents.
1996 – The U.K. announced that humans could catch CJD (Mad Cow Disease) after the disease killed 10 people.
1997 – Brian Grazer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1997 – Liggett Group, the maker of Chesterfield cigarettes, settled 22 state lawsuits by admitting the industry marketed cigarettes to teenagers and agreed to place a warning on every pack that smoking is addictive.
1999 – Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first men to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The non-stop trip began on March 3 and covered 26,500 miles.
1999 – Legoland California, the first Legoland outside of Europe, opened Carlsbad, CA.
2000 – 52 missing Oscar statuettes were found in a trash bin.
2002 – Actress Pamela Anderson disclosed that she had hepatitis C.
2002 – Arthur Andersen pleaded innocent to charges that it had shredded documents and deleted computer files related to the energy company Enron.
2003 – Cisco Systems Inc. announced it was buying The Linksys Group Inc. for $500 million in stock.
2003 – The war in Iraq began as the United States (along with the UK, Australia and Poland) launched operation “Iraqi Freedom”. The predawn air strike targeted Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi leaders in Baghdad.
2005 – After sexually explicit audio recordings of Pat O’Brien appeared on the Internet, the host of the television show “The Insider” announced he was checking himself into an alcohol rehab facility.
2006 – Donald Trump’s third wife gave birth to his fifth child, a boy they name Barron William Trump.
2015 – A solar eclipse, vernal equinox, and a supermoon all occurred on the same day.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MARCH 20:
George Altman – 93 years old (1933) – Baseball player
Willie Brown – 92 years old (1934) – Soldier, lawyer, and politician, 41st Mayor of San Francisco
Lois Lowry – 89 years old (1937) – Author
Robin Luke – 84 years old (1942) – Singer-songwriter
Gerard Malanga – 83 years old (1943) – Poet and photographer
Camille Cosby – 82 years old (1944) – Author, producer, and philanthropist
Pat Riley – 81 years old (1945) – Basketball player, coach and executive
Douglas B. Green – 80 years old (1946) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
John de Lancie – 78 years old (1948) – Actor
Mike Francesa – 72 years old (1954) – Radio talk show host and television commentator
Paul Mirabella – 72 years old (1954) – Baseball player
Nina Kiriki Hoffman – 71 years old (1955) – Author
Anne Donahue – 70 years old (1956) – Lawyer and politician
Spike Lee – 69 years old (1957) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Chris Wedge – 69 years old (1957) – Animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor
Rickey Jackson – 68 years old (1958) – Football player
Mary Roach – 67 years old (1959) – Author
Sting – 67 years old (1959) – Wrestler
Norm Magnusson – 66 years old (1960) – Painter and sculptor
Stephen Sommers – 64 years old (1962) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Paul Annacone – 63 years old (1963) – Tennis player and coach
Mookie Blaylock – 59 years old (1967) – Basketball player
A. J. Jacobs – 58 years old (1968) – Journalist and author
Ultra Naté – 58 years old (1968) – Singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ, and promoter
Ken Ono – 58 years old (1968) – Japanese-American mathematician
Edoardo Ballerini – 56 years old (1970) – Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Touré – 55 years old (1971) – Journalist and author
Ramin Bahrani – 51 years old (1975) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Daniel Cormier – 47 years old (1979) – Mixed martial artist
Jamal Crawford – 46 years old (1980) – Basketball player
Michelle Snow – 46 years old (1980) – Basketball player
IJustine – 42 years old (1984) – YouTuber
Ronnie Brewer – 41 years old (1985) – Basketball player
Jon Brockman – 39 years old (1987) – Basketball player
Brad Hand – 36 years old (1990) – Baseball player
Nick Leddy – 35 years old (1991) – Ice hockey player
Justin Faulk – 34 years old (1992) – Ice hockey player
JaKarr Sampson – 33 years old (1993) – Basketball player
Trevor Zegras – 25 years old (2001) – Ice hockey player
Jahmyr Gibbs – 24 years old (2002) – Football player
Cooper Hoffman – 23 years old (2003) – Actor
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MARCH 20:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
