by Aine Moriarty
Almost every day of the year has more to it than just numbers. Pick a day, any day, May 20th, for example. Chances are, at least a hundred events and celebrations fall on it. Let’s see…
- 325: The First Council of Nicaea, the first universal council of the Christian Church, is opened.
- 526: An earthquake occurs in what is now Syria and Antiochia, killing about 250,000 people.
- 1498: Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India.
- 1862: President Lincoln signs the Homestead Act.
- 1902: Cuba gains independence from the United States.
- 1932: Amelia Earhart begins her flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1940: The first prisoners of the Holocaust arrive at a concentration camp.
- 1956: The first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll.
- 1958: Ron Reagan, former radio host and son of Ronald Reagan, is born.
- 1983: First publications about the discovery of HIV, which causes AIDS.
- 1996: The Supreme Court overrules a law that would have prevented action to protect homosexuals.
- 2012: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes Italy, killing at least 27 people.
- 2013: An EF5 tornado destroys the Oklahoma City suburb, killing 24 people.
There are also quite a few holidays…
- Christian feast day
- Day of Remembrance (Cambodia)
- Emancipation Day
- European Maritime Day
- Independence Day (Cuba and East Timor)
- Josephine Baker Day (NAACP)
- National Awakening Day (Indonesia)
- National Day (Cameroon)
- World Metrology Day
In conclusion, May 20th is awesome!