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  • Central Europe (Present-Day Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
    Sunday May 20, 1849
    German revolutions of 1848–1849

    The Grand Duke was forced to leave Karlsruhe

    Central Europe (Present-Day Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
    Sunday May 20, 1849

    In May 1849, the Grand Duke was forced to leave Karlsruhe, Baden, and seek help from Prussia. Provisional governments were declared in both the Palatinate and Baden. In Baden conditions for the provisional government were ideal: the public and army were both strongly in support of constitutional change and democratic reform in the government.




  • Miskolc, Hungary
    Tuesday May 20, 1919
    Hungarian–Romanian War

    Hungary Attacked Miskolc

    Miskolc, Hungary
    Tuesday May 20, 1919

    With cessation of hostilities, Kun worked to improve his battered international position. On 20 May 1919, a force under Colonel Aurél Stromfeld attacked and routed Czech troops from Miskolc.




  • Berlin, Germany
    Sunday May 20, 1928
    Joseph Goebbels

    The ban on the NSDAP was lifted

    Berlin, Germany
    Sunday May 20, 1928

    The ban on the NSDAP was lifted before the Reichstag elections on 20 May 1928.




  • Montcornet, France
    Monday May 20, 1940
    Charles de Gaulle

    De Gaulle delayed his retreat

    Montcornet, France
    Monday May 20, 1940

    Charles delayed his retreat until 20 May.




  • Crete, Greece
    Tuesday May 20, 1941
    World War II

    Battle of Crete

    Crete, Greece
    Tuesday May 20, 1941

    The Battle of Crete was fought on the Greek island of Crete, It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany began an airborne invasion of Crete. Greek and other Allied forces, along with Cretan civilians, defended the island.




  • London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday May 20, 1942
    Winston Churchill

    Vyacheslav Molotov arrived in London

    London, England, United Kingdom
    Wednesday May 20, 1942

    On 20 May, the Soviet Foreign Affairs minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, arrived in London and stayed until the 28th before going on to Washington. The purpose of this visit was to sign a treaty of friendship but Molotov wanted it done on the basis of certain territorial concessions re Poland and the Baltic States. Churchill and Eden worked for a compromise and eventually a twenty-year treaty was formalized but with the question of frontiers placed on hold. Molotov was also seeking a Second Front in Europe but all Churchill could do was confirm that preparations were in progress and make no promises on a date.




  • Damascus, Syria
    Sunday May 20, 1945
    Charles de Gaulle

    French artillery and warplanes fired on demonstrators in Damascus

    Damascus, Syria
    Sunday May 20, 1945

    On 20 May, French artillery and warplanes fired on demonstrators in Damascus. After several days, upwards of 800 Syrians lay dead.


  • Shan State, Myanmar
    Tuesday May 20, 1958
    Conflict in Myanmar

    Armed Resistance Movement

    Shan State, Myanmar
    Tuesday May 20, 1958

    During the Tatmadaw's (Myanmar Armed Forces') heavy militarisation of the state in the late 1940s and early 1950s, locals accused them of mistreating, torturing, robbing, raping, unlawfully arresting and massacring villagers. As a result, on 21 May 1958, an armed resistance movement, led by Sao Noi and Saw Yanna, was started in Shan State.


  • Zarzuela Palace, Carretera del Pardo, Madrid, Spain
    Friday May 20, 1977
    Juan Carlos I

    Endorsement of The Monarchy From Spain's Political Left

    Zarzuela Palace, Carretera del Pardo, Madrid, Spain
    Friday May 20, 1977

    On 20 May 1977, the leader of the only recently legalized Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Felipe González, accompanied by Javier Solana, visited Juan Carlos in the Zarzuela Palace. The event represented a key endorsement of the monarchy from Spain's political left, who had been historically republican. Left-wing support for the monarchy grew when the Communist Party of Spain was legalized shortly thereafter, a move Juan Carlos had pressed for, despite enormous right-wing military opposition at that time, during the Cold War.


  • New Zealand
    Thursday May 20, 1982
    Falklands War

    New Zealand would make HMNZS Canterbury available for use where the British thought fit to release a Royal Navy vessel for the Falklands

    New Zealand
    Thursday May 20, 1982

    On 20 May 1982, Robert Muldoon announced that New Zealand would make HMNZS Canterbury, a Leander-class frigate, available for use where the British thought fit to release a Royal Navy vessel for the Falklands. The New Zealand government expelled the Argentinian ambassador following the invasion. The Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, was in London when the war broke out.


  • China
    Saturday May 20, 1989
    1989 Tiananmen Square protests

    The Chinese Government declared Martial Law

    China
    Saturday May 20, 1989

    The Chinese government declared martial law on 20 May and mobilized at least 30 divisions from five of the country's seven military regions. At least 14 of PLA's 24 army corps contributed troops. As many as 250,000 troops were eventually sent to the capital, some arriving by air and others by rail.


  • Wembley Stadium, London, England, United Kingdom
    Saturday May 20, 1989
    Hillsborough events

    1989 FA Cup Final

    Wembley Stadium, London, England, United Kingdom
    Saturday May 20, 1989

    At the 1989 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and local rivals Everton, held just five weeks after the Hillsborough disaster, the players from both participating teams wore black armbands as a gesture of respect to the victims.


  • London, England
    Wednesday May 20, 1992
    Johan Cruyff

    1992 European Cup

    London, England
    Wednesday May 20, 1992

    The 1992 European Cup Final was a football match held on 20 May 1992 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Sampdoria of Italy and Barcelona of Spain. Barcelona won the game 1–0 after extra time, thanks to a Ronald Koeman free kick, to record their first triumph in the competition. It was the first to have a group stage involving the eight second-round winners split into two groups, and the winner of each one met in the final. In doing so, they became the second Spanish club to win the tournament and the 19th overall.


  • Timor-Leste
    Monday May 20, 2002
    Xanana Gusmão

    The First President of Timor-Leste

    Timor-Leste
    Monday May 20, 2002

    Gusmão became the first President of East Timor when it became formally independent on 20 May 2002.


  • Geneva, Switzerland
    Tuesday May 20, 2003
    SARS Coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)

    WHO refused to lift tourism warning!

    Geneva, Switzerland
    Tuesday May 20, 2003

    On May 20, the WHO refused to lift the Tourism Warning for Hong Kong and Guangdong.


  • U.S.
    Wednesday May 20, 2009
    Financial crisis of 2007–2008

    Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009

    U.S.
    Wednesday May 20, 2009

    May 20, 2009, President Obama signed Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009.


  • Palo Alto, California, U.S.
    Thursday May 20, 2010
    Tesla, Inc.

    Tesla and Toyota announced a partnership

    Palo Alto, California, U.S.
    Thursday May 20, 2010

    On May 20, 2010, Tesla and Toyota announced a partnership to work on electric vehicle development, which included Toyota's US$50 million future conditional investment in Tesla and Tesla's US$42 million purchase of a portion of the former NUMMI factory.


  • Washington D.C., U.S.
    Monday May 20, 2013
    International Monetary Fund

    Discussion Paper

    Washington D.C., U.S.
    Monday May 20, 2013

    The topic of sovereign debt restructuring was taken up by the IMF in April 2013 for the first time since 2005, in a report entitled "Sovereign Debt Restructuring: Recent Developments and Implications for the Fund's Legal and Policy Framework". The paper, which was discussed by the board on 20 May, summarised the recent experiences in Greece, St Kitts, and Nevis, Belize, and Jamaica. An explanatory interview with Deputy Director Hugh Bredenkamp was published a few days later, as was a deconstruction by Matina Stevis of the Wall Street Journal.


  • India
    Tuesday May 20, 2014
    Narendra Damodardas Modi

    Resigned as the Chief Minister

    India
    Tuesday May 20, 2014

    After his election as prime minister, Modi resigned as the chief minister and as an MLA from Maninagar on 21 May 2014. Anandiben Patel succeeded him as the chief minister.


  • Russia
    Wednesday May 20, 2020
    Covid-19 Pandemic: 2020 Coronavirus outbreak

    300K Russian infections

    Russia
    Wednesday May 20, 2020

    On 20 May 2020, the Russian Federation has surpassed 300K in infections.


  • U.S.
    Thursday May 20, 2021
    Kevin Hart

    Die Hart premiered

    U.S.
    Thursday May 20, 2021

    In 2021, his series Die Hart premiered on May 20 and had a great first weekend, with numerous households streaming the series.


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