December 20 in History

Historical Events on December 20

1860 South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States.

1916 World War I: The battle of Verdun results in a French victory after more than 9 months of intense fighting.

1941 World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.

1942 World War II: Japanese air forces bomb Calcutta, India.

1955 Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.

1987 In the worst peacetime sea disaster, the passenger ferry Doña Paz sinks after colliding with the oil tanker Vector in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, killing an estimated 4,000 people (1,749 official).

1991 A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.

1995 American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia killing 159.

2007 Elizabeth II becomes the oldest monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days.

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Famous Birthdays on December 20

1898 Irene Dunne

1955 Binali Yıldırım

1957 Anna Vissi

1980 Fitz Hall

All Births

Famous Deaths on December 20

1937 Erich Ludendorff

1968 John Steinbeck

1994 Dean Rusk

1996 Carl Sagan

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