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

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1862 U.S. Homestead Act signed On this day in 1862, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which provided 160 acres of public land virtually free of charge to those who had lived on and cultivated the land for at least five years. Billdorr

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James Stewart American actor bornMay 20, 1908Indiana, PennsylvaniadiedJuly 2, 1997 (aged 89)Beverly Hills, CaliforniaCulver Pictures 1946 Cher American actress and singer 1935 José Mujica president of Uruguay 1915 Moshe Dayan Israeli statesman 1908 James Stewart American actor 1806 John Stuart Mill British philosopher and economist See All Biographies On This Day

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2015 David Letterman—who redefined American talk shows with his unconventional humour and innovative segments—stepped down as host of the Late Show with David Letterman. Test your knowledge of pop cultureOfficial White House photo by Pete Souza 2002 East Timor officially became independent. Take our countries of the world quizEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1946 American singer and actress Cher, who was known for her flamboyant style, was born. Test your knowledge of actors and actingEmettmcginty 1902 Cuba gained its independence from the United States, which had taken control of the island in 1899 after defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War. Take our quiz about the United States and CubaEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1882 Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy secretly formed the Triple Alliance, a treaty organization that provided for mutual protection against attacks by other European powers until Italy entered World War I. Sort fact from fiction in our World War I quiz 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis were granted a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen certain areas of trousers, notably pocket corners; the patent was credited with giving rise to blue jeans. Test your knowledge of fashion 1806 Economist and philosopher John Stuart Mill was born in London. How much do you know about economics?© London Stereoscopic Company—Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1799 French author Honoré de Balzac—considered one of the greatest fiction writers and best known for a collection of novels and short stories collectively called La Comédie humaine (The Human Comedy)—was born. Test your knowledge of French literatureJ.E. Bulloz 1784 The Netherlands yielded to Great Britain some of its holdings in India and Indonesia in a treaty signed as part of the Peace of Paris, a collection of treaties that concluded the American Revolution. Take our quiz about the American Revolution 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.