On This Day - What Happened On July 20 - Encyclopedia Britannica

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Featured Event

1969 First Moon landing On this day in 1969, the Eagle lunar landing module, carrying U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin (“Buzz”) Aldrin, landed on the Moon, and several hours later Armstrong became the first person to set foot on its surface. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about visiting the Moon NASA

Featured Biography

Sir Edmund Hillary New Zealand explorer bornJuly 20, 1919Auckland, New ZealanddiedJanuary 11, 2008 (aged 88)UPI/Bettmann Archive 1980 Gisele Bündchen Brazilian model 1947 Carlos Santana American musician 1938 Natalie Wood American actress 1933 Cormac McCarthy American author 1919 Edmund Hillary New Zealand explorer See All Biographies On This Day SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

More Events On This Day

2013 American journalist Helen Thomas, who broke through a number of barriers for women reporters and was known especially for her coverage of U.S. presidents, died at age 92. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about famous AmericansPhotograph by Pete Souza/The White House 1976 The Viking 1 lander touched down at Chryse Planitia on Mars. Take our quiz about space explorationNASA 1968 At Chicago's Soldier Field, the first Special Olympics began, and some 1,000 athletes—all of whom had intellectual disabilities—participated. Test your knowledge of sports© Tokarsky/Dreamstime.com 1944 During World War II, German military leaders attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in the July Plot. How much do you know about Adolf Hitler?Keystone—Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1917 The Corfu Declaration was issued, calling for the establishment of a unified Yugoslav state following World War I. 1917 Prince Georgy Yevgenyevich Lvov resigned his post as prime minister of Russia's Provisional Government following the July Days demonstrations. Test your knowledge of Russian history© Novosti Press Agency 1894 The Pullman Strike, a widespread railroad strike in the United States, ended shortly after President Grover Cleveland ordered federal troops to Chicago. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Chicago historyLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1877 The Siege of Pleven began in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. 1402 The forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I were defeated by those of the Central Asian ruler Timur in the Battle of Ankara, resulting in the collapse of Bayezid's empire. Take our quiz about the Ottoman Empire© Photos.com/Getty Images