What are the important events that happened on January 20? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

January 20: Facts & Myths About This Day

January 20 is the 20^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 345 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 7, 2025 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,737,331,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘icosagon’ day.

Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 9 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,413 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

January 20: This Day In History

In the ancient astronomy, it was the cusp day between Capricorn and Aquarius. In some years it is Aquarius, but others Capricorn. It depends on the year.

January 20 Historical Events

• 250 –
  Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Pope Fabian is martyred.
• 1356 –
  Edward Balliol abdicates as King of Scotland.
• 1801 –
  John Marshall is appointed the Chief Justice of the United States.
• 1936 –
  Edward VIII becomes King of the United Kingdom.
• 1941 –
  A Nazi officer is murdered in Bucharest, Romania, sparking a rebellion and pogrom by the Iron Guard, killing 125 Jews and 30 soldiers.
• 1945 –
  World War II: Hungary agrees to an armistice with the Allies.
• 1954 –
  The National Negro Network is established with 40 charter member radio stations.
• 1969 –
  East Pakistani police kill student activist Amanullah Asaduzzaman. The resulting outrage is in part responsible for the Bangladesh Liberation War.
• 1986 –
  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
• 2006 –
  Witnesses report seeing a bottlenose whale swimming in the River Thames, the first time the species had been seen in the Thames since records began in 1913.

Who were born on January 20?

• 1586 –
  Johann Schein, German composer (d. 1630)
• 1781 –
  Joseph Hormayr Freiherr zu Hortenburg, Austrian politician (d. 1848)
• 1910 –
  Joy Adamson, Austrian naturalist and writer (d. 1980)
• 1924 –
  Slim Whitman, American singer
• 1951 –
  Ian Hill, British musician (Judas Priest)
• 1951 –
  Ivan Fischer, Hungarian conductor
• 1970 –
  Mitch Benn, UK comedian, songwriter and actor
• 1978 –
  Luciano Zauri, Italian footballer
• 1979 –
  Shang Yi, Chinese footballer
• 1988 –
  Jeffrén Suárez, Spanish footballer

Who died on January 20?

• 1707 –
  Humphrey Hody, English theologian (b. 1659)
• 1709 –
  François de la Chaise, French confessor of Louis XIV of France (b. 1624)
• 1875 –
  Jean-François Millet, French painter (b. 1814)
• 1913 –
  José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican engraver and illustrator (b. 1852).
• 1940 –
  Omar Bundy, American army general (b. 1861)
• 1988 –
  Dora Stratou, Greek choreographer and folklorist (b. 1903)
• 1994 –
  Sir Matt Busby, Scottish football player and coach (b. 1909)
• 2003 –
  Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist (b. 1903)
• 2005 –
  Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Polish journalist, writer, and politician (b. 1913)
• 2009 –
  Sheila O'Nions Walsh (aka Sheila Walsh, Sophie Leyton), English romance writer (b. 1928)