December, 20th in History

[Spiritus Temporis]

Events

Friday 20, 2002:
US Senator Trent Lott resigns as majority leader.

Monday 20, 1999:
Macau is handed over to the People's Republic of China by Portugal.

Wednesday 20, 1995:
An American Airlines Flight 965 Boeing 757 crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 160

Wednesday 20, 1989:
Operation Just Cause: United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega

Tuesday 20, 1988:
The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.

Thursday 20, 1984:
The Summit tunnel fire is the largest underground fire in history, as a freight train carrying over 1 million litres of petrol derails near the town of Todmorden in the Pennines

Tuesday 20, 1960:
National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed

Saturday 20, 1952:
United States Air Force C-124 crashes and burns in Moses Lake, Washington killing 87

Thursday 20, 1917:
Cheka, first Soviet secret police, founded

Monday 20, 1915:
Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli

Thursday 20, 1860:
South Carolina becomes first state to secede from the United States

Tuesday 20, 1803:
Louisiana Purchase completed

Wednesday 20, 1522:
Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually re-settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/20-december/on-this-day.html


People born on December 20

1990:
JoJo, American singer (b: December 20, 1990) (Biography of JoJo)

1980:
Ashley Cole, English footballer (b: December 20, 1980) (Biography of Ashley Cole)

1970:
Massimo Ellul, Maltese entrepreneur and philanthropist (b: December 20, 1970) (Biography of Massimo Ellul)
Nicole DeBoer, Canadian actress (b: December 20, 1970) (Biography of Nicole DeBoer)

1965:
Rich Gannon, American football player (b: December 20, 1965) (Biography of Rich Gannon)

1960:
Nalo Hopkinson, Canadian writer (b: December 20, 1960) (Biography of Nalo Hopkinson)

1957:
Anna Vissi, Greek singer (b: December 20, 1957) (Biography of Anna Vissi)
Billy Bragg, English singer and songwriter (b: December 20, 1957) (Biography of Billy Bragg)
Mike Watt, American bassist (b: December 20, 1957) (Biography of Mike Watt)
Joyce Hyser, American actress (b: December 20, 1957) (Biography of Joyce Hyser)

1954:
Michael Badalucco, American actor (b: December 20, 1954) (Biography of Michael Badalucco)

1952:
Jenny Agutter, English actress (b: December 20, 1952) (Biography of Jenny Agutter)

1949:
Soumaïla Cissé, Malian politician (b: December 20, 1949) (Biography of Soumaïla Cissé)

1946:
Dick Wolf, American television series creator (b: December 20, 1946) (Biography of Dick Wolf)
Uri Geller, Israeli psychic (b: December 20, 1946) (Biography of Uri Geller)

1942:
Bob Hayes, American football player (b: December 20, 1942 ; d: September 18, 2002) (Biography of Bob Hayes)

1933:
Jean Carnahan, U.S. Senator (b: December 20, 1933) (Biography of Jean Carnahan)

1927:
Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea (b: December 20, 1927) (Biography of Kim Young-sam)

1926:
Sir Geoffrey Howe, British politician (b: December 20, 1926) (Biography of Geoffrey Howe)
Otto Graf Lambsdorff, German politician (b: December 20, 1926) (Biography of Otto Graf Lambsdorff)

1922:
George Roy Hill, American film director (b: December 20, 1922 ; d: December 27, 2002) (Biography of George Roy Hill)

1917:
David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher and neuropsychologist (b: December 20, 1917 ; d: October 27, 1992) (Biography of David Bohm)

1902:
George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (b: December 20, 1902 ; d: August 25, 1942) (Biography of George Edward Alexander Windsor)
Sidney Hook, American philosopher (b: December 20, 1902) (Biography of Sidney Hook)

1901:
Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (b: December 20, 1901) (Biography of Robert Van de Graaff)

1898:
Irene Dunne, American actress (b: December 20, 1898) (Biography of Irene Dunne)

1894:
Sir Robert Menzies, twelfth Prime Minister of Australia (b: December 20, 1894 ; d: May 14, 1978) (Biography of Robert Menzies)

1890:
Yvonne Arnaud, French-born actress (b: December 20, 1890) (Biography of Yvonne Arnaud)
Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b: December 20, 1890) (Biography of Jaroslav Heyrovský)

1886:
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, American tennis player (b: December 20, 1886) (Biography of Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman)

1881:
Branch Rickey, baseball executive (b: December 20, 1881 ; d: December 9, 1965) (Biography of Branch Rickey)

1868:
Harvey Firestone, American automobile pioneer (b: December 20, 1868 ; d: February 7, 1938) (Biography of Harvey Firestone)

1861:
Ivana Kobilca, Slovenian painter (b: December 20, 1861 ; d: December 4, 1926) (Biography of Ivana Kobilca)

1860:
Dan Leno, English entertainer (b: December 20, 1860) (Biography of Dan Leno)

1841:
Ferdinand Buisson, French recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b: December 20, 1841 ; d: February 16, 1932) (Biography of Ferdinand Buisson)

1838:
Edwin Abbott Abbott, English schoolmaster, theologian, and author (b: December 20, 1838) (Biography of Edwin Abbott Abbott)

1833:
Samuel Mudd, American physician (b: December 20, 1833) (Biography of Samuel Mudd)

1805:
Thomas Graham, Scottish chemist (b: December 20, 1805) (Biography of Thomas Graham (chemist))

1792:
Nicolas Charlet, French painter (b: December 20, 1792) (Biography of Nicolas Charlet)

1786:
Pietro Raimondi, Italian composer (b: December 20, 1786 ; d: October 30, 1853) (Biography of Pietro Raimondi)

1629:
Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (b: December 20, 1629) (Biography of Pieter de Hooch)

1626:
Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff, German statesman (b: December 20, 1626 ; d: December 18, 1692) (Biography of Veit Ludwig von Seckendorff)

1579:
(baptized) John Fletcher, English playwright (b: December 20, 1579) (Biography of John Fletcher (playwright))

1566:
Edward Wightman, English Baptist preacher (b: December 20, 1566 ; d: April 11, 1612) (Biography of Edward Wightman)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/20-december/births.html

[Spiritus Temporis]

They left us on December 20

2001:
Foster Brooks, American actor and comedian (b: May 11, 1912 ; d: December 20, 2001) (Biography of Foster Brooks)
Léopold Sédar Senghor (d: December 20, 2001) (Biography of Léopold Sédar Senghor)

2000:
Mirza Ghulam Hafiz (d: December 20, 2000) (Biography of Mirza Ghulam Hafiz)

1999:
Hank Snow, Canadian-born musician (b: May 9, 1914 ; d: December 20, 1999) (Biography of Hank Snow)

1998:
Irene Hervey, American actress (b: July 11, 1910 ; d: December 20, 1998) (Biography of Irene Hervey)

1997:
Denise Levertov (d: December 20, 1997) (Biography of Denise Levertov)
Juzo Itami (d: December 20, 1997) (Biography of Juzo Itami)

1996:
Carl Sagan, American astronomer and writer (b: November 9, 1934 ; d: December 20, 1996) (Biography of Carl Sagan)

1994:
Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (b: February 9, 1909 ; d: December 20, 1994) (Biography of Dean Rusk)

1989:
Kurt Böhme, German bass (b: May 5, 1908 ; d: December 20, 1989) (Biography of Kurt Böhme)

1984:
Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (b: March 31, 1946 ; d: December 20, 1984) (Biography of Gonzalo Márquez)

1982:
Arthur Rubinstein, Polish pianist and conductor (b: January 28, 1887 ; d: December 20, 1982) (Biography of Arthur Rubinstein)

1976:
Richard J. Daley, Mayor of Chicago (b: May 15, 1902 ; d: December 20, 1976) (Biography of Richard J. Daley)

1974:
André Jolivet, French composer (b: August 8, 1905 ; d: December 20, 1974) (Biography of André Jolivet)

1973:
Luis Carrero Blanco, Spanish statesman (b: March 4, 1903 ; d: December 20, 1973) (Biography of Luis Carrero Blanco)
Bobby Darin, American singer (b: May 14, 1936 ; d: December 20, 1973) (Biography of Bobby Darin)

1968:
John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b: February 27, 1902 ; d: December 20, 1968) (Biography of John Steinbeck)

1961:
Earle Page, eleventh Prime Minister of Australia (b: August 8, 1880 ; d: December 20, 1961) (Biography of Earle Page)
Moss Hart, dramatist (b: October 24, 1904 ; d: December 20, 1961) (Biography of Moss Hart)

1954:
James Hilton (d: December 20, 1954) (Biography of James Hilton)

1937:
Erich Ludendorff, German general in World War I (b: April 9, 1865 ; d: December 20, 1937) (Biography of Erich Ludendorff)

1929:
Émile Loubet, 7th President of France (b.1929) (b: December 30, 1838 ; d: December 20, 1929) (Biography of Émile Loubet)

1812:
Sacagawea (d: December 20, 1812) (Biography of Sacagawea)

1768:
Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni, Italian poet (b: November 21, 1692 ; d: December 20, 1768) (Biography of Carlo Innocenzio Maria Frugoni)

1740:
Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon (d: December 20, 1740) (Biography of Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon)

1722:
Kangxi Emperor of China (b: May 4, 1654 ; d: December 20, 1722) (Biography of Kangxi Emperor)

1590:
Ambroise Paré (d: December 20, 1590) (Biography of Ambroise Paré)

1539:
Johannes Lupi (d: December 20, 1539) (Biography of Johannes Lupi)

1524:
Thomas Linacre (d: December 20, 1524) (Biography of Thomas Linacre)

1494:
Matteo Maria Boiardo (d: December 20, 1494) (Biography of Matteo Maria Boiardo)

910:
Alfonso III of Leon (d: December 20, 910) (Biography of Alfonso III of Leon)

860:
Ethelbald of Wessex (d: December 20, 860) (Biography of Ethelbald of Wessex)

217:
Pope Zephyrinus (d: December 20, 217) (Biography of Pope Zephyrinus)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/20-december/deaths.html