Discover · History

On this day — February 20

A hand-curated thread of what happened on this date, across centuries.

Observed today

World Day of Social Justice

A UN observance since 2009, marking a push for equity across income, gender, and opportunity. Reflective more than festive.

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2016

Milestone

Six people are killed and two injured in multiple shooting incidents in Kalamazoo County

Michigan.

2015

Milestone

Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services.

2014

Milestone

Dozens of Euromaidan anti-government protesters die in Ukraine's capital Kyiv

many reportedly killed by snipers.

2010

Disaster

In Madeira Island

Portugal, heavy rain causes floods and mudslides, resulting in at least 43 deaths, in the worst disaster in the history of the archipelago.

2009

Milestone

Two Tamil Tigers aircraft packed with C4 explosives en route to the national airforce headquarters are shot down by the Sri Lankan military before reaching their target, in a kamikaze style attack.

2005

Milestone

Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout.

2003

Politics

During a Great White concert in West Warwick

Rhode Island, a pyrotechnics display sets the Station nightclub ablaze, killing 100 and injuring over 200 others.

2002

Disaster

A cooking gas cylinder explodes on board an Egyptian National Railways train in El Ayyat

causing a fire and killing over 370 people.

1998

Sport

American figure skater Tara Lipinski

at the age of 15, becomes the youngest Olympic figure skating gold-medalist at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

1991

Milestone

In the Albanian capital Tirana

a gigantic statue of Albania's long-time leader, Enver Hoxha, is brought down by mobs of angry protesters.

1988

Politics

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast votes to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia

triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

1986

Sport

The Soviet Union launches its Mir spacecraft

Remaining in orbit for 15 years, it is occupied for ten of those years.

1979

Disaster

An earthquake cracks open the Sinila volcanic crater on the Dieng Plateau

releasing poisonous H2S gas and killing 149 villagers in the Indonesian province of Central Java.

1971

Broadcasting

The United States Emergency Broadcast System is accidentally activated in an erroneous national alert.

1968

Milestone

The China Academy of Space Technology

China's main arm for the research, development, and creation of space satellites, is established in Beijing.