May 20 History, Facts and Trivia

May 20 History Highlights

1862 – President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, opening 84 million acres of public land to settlers.
1883 – Krakatoa began to erupt; the volcano exploded three months later, killing more than 36,000 people.
1940 – The first prisoners arrived at Auschwitz concentration camp.
1956 – In Operation Redwing, the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb was dropped over Bikini Atoll
If you were born on May 20th,
You were likely conceived the week of… August 27th (prior year)

Charles A. Lindbergh’s Trans-Atlantic Flight

US aviator Charles A. Lindbergh took off in the Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on the world’s first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, France. The flight of Charles Lindbergh was a courageous feat, which many thought could not be accomplished. The American aviator flew the first open plane across the Atlantic Ocean and completed an admirable trans-Atlantic flight to Paris, France in 33 hours. Lindbergh completed the historic 1937 record when he landed at Le Bourget Field on May 21st, after flying 3389 miles alone, without any stopover to refuel or rest. He also won The Orteig Prize, a $25,000 reward

May 20 is…

Be a Millionaire Day
Pick Strawberries Day
Quiche Lorraine Day

May 20 Birthday Quotes

“You need to sweat yourself. Don’t sweat nobody else.”
– Busta Rhymes

“The basic thing a man should know is how to change a tire and how to drive a tractor. Whatever that bearded dude is doing on the Dos Equis beer commercials sets the bar. That’s your guy. Every man should be aiming to be like him. The beard is just the tip of the iceberg.”
– Timothy Olyphant

“If you’re waiting for someone to believe in you, you’ll be waiting forever. You must believe in yourself.”
– Cher

“You have to develop a style that suits you and pursue it, not just develop a bag of tricks.”
– James Stewart

“I have one message for young musicians around the world. Stay true to your heart, believe in yourself, and work hard.”
– Joe Cocker

“Fear is an insidious and deadly thing. It can warp judgment, freeze reflexes, breed mistakes. Worse, it’s contagious.”
– James Stewart

May 20 Birthdays

1908 – James Stewart, American actor (died in 1997)
1911 – Gardner Fox, American comic book author (died in 1986)
1919 – George Gobel, American comedian (died in 1991)
1944 – Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (died in 2014)
1946 – Cher, American singer and actress
1949 – Dave Thomas, Canadian comedic actor
1965 – Ted Allen, American television host and author
1968 – Timothy Olyphant, American actor
1972 – Busta Rhymes, American rapper
1992 – Jack Gleeson, Irish actor

May 20 History

325 – The First Council of Nicaea formally opened.

1570 – Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas.

1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob W Davis patented (#139,121) copper-riveted jeans, designed to help prevent tears in the fabric.

1899 – The American Physical Society was founded at Columbia University.

1901 – Claude Grivolas patented (French) a projector for three-dimensional (stereoscopic) movies viewed wearing spectacles with one red and one blue lens.

1916 – The Saturday Evening Post published its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting – ‘Boy with Baby Carriage’.

May 20, 1924 Birthday (fictional) Archie Bunker, All in the Family, TV

1927 – US aviator Charles A. Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on the world’s first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean (New York to Paris.)

1949 – The Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency (NSA), was established.

1957 – Pilot Milton Torres was ordered to intercept a UFO over East Anglia, UK

1967 #1 Hit May 20, 1967 – June 2, 1967: Young Rascals – Groovin’

1978 #1 Hit May 20, 1978 – June 2, 1978: Wings – With a Little Luck

1983 – First publication of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier.

1989 #1 Hit May 20, 1989 – June 2, 1989: Paula Abdul – Forever Your Girl

1993 – 80 million people watched the series finale of Cheers on NBC

1994- The Joan Rivers Show (FOX) came to an end

1995 – Star Search (syndicated) came to an end.

1995 – Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the White House, was closed to traffic

1996 – NBC’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series came to an end

1997 – Roseanne series came to an end on ABC

2003 – America’s Next Top Model premiered on UPN

#1 Hit May 20, 2017 – May 26, 2017: DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne – I’m the One

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Synonyms are a synonym for “another word for”.

Warsaw Pact countries had Western Movies where the Native Americans were heroes and the cowboys were villains.

It was the Middle Ages. There’s no way Rapunzel didn’t have lice.

Useless Pronunciation: E as in empty

“I do not believe in my death.” – Salvador Dali #LastWords

“Nostalgia is denial—denial of the painful present.” – Paul in Midnight in Paris #moviequotes

Every zoo can be a petting zoo if you’re brave enough.

Bacteria multiply by dividing.

“I really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree.” #songlyrics

In 2000, Blockbuster passed on the chance to buy Netflix for $50 million. Netflix is now worth over $50 billion.

The first porn film was ‘A’Ecu d’Or’ in 1908.