Events on 20 February 45
See all →Year 1339
The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clashed in the Battle of Parabiago.
Year 1472
Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for Margaret of Denmark.
Year 1685
René-Robert Cavelier establishes Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France's claim to Texas.
Year 1792
The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by United States President George Washington.
Year 1810
Andreas Hofer, Tirolean patriot and leader of rebellion against Napoleon's forces, is executed.
Year 1813
Manuel Belgrano defeats the royalist army of Pío de Tristán during the Battle of Salta.
Year 1816
Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville premieres at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
Public Holidays Around The World On This Day 1
Birthdays on 20 February 175
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Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile
b. 1358 – d. 1382
Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile (b. 1358)
Thomas Cajetan
b. 1469 – d. 1534
Thomas Cajetan, Italian cardinal and philosopher (b. 1470)
Johan Friis
b. 1494 – d. 1570
Johan Friis, Danish statesman (d. 1570)
Jan Blahoslav
b. 1523 – d. 1571
Jan Blahoslav, Czech writer (d. 1571)
Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino
b. 1549 – d. 1631
Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, last Duke of Urbino (d. 1631)
Sengoku Hidehisa
b. 1552 – d. 1614
Sengoku Hidehisa, Daimyo (d. 1614)
Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham
b. 1608 – d. 1649
Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (d. 1649)
Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds
b. 1631 – d. 1712
Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds, English politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1631)
Jan de Baen
b. 1633 – d. 1702
Jan de Baen, Dutch painter (d. 1702)
Nicolas Chédeville
b. 1705 – d. 1782
Nicolas Chédeville, French musette player and composer (d. 1782)
William Prescott
b. 1726 – d. 1795
William Prescott, American colonel (d. 1795)
Henry James Pye
b. 1745 – d. 1813
Henry James Pye, English poet and politician (b. 1745)
Deaths on 20 February 81
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Leo of Catania
d. 789 (b. 709)
Leo of Catania, saint and bishop of Catania (b. 709)
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Theodora (wife of Romanos I)
d. 922
Theodora, Byzantine empress
Yaroslav the Wise
d. 1054 (b. 978)
Yaroslav the Wise, husband of Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden (b. 978)
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Wulfric of Haselbury
d. 1154
Saint Wulfric of Haselbury (b. c. 1080)
Conan IV, Duke of Brittany
d. 1171 (b. 1138)
Conan IV, Duke of Brittany (b. 1138)
Tancred, King of Sicily
d. 1194 (b. 1138)
Tancred, King of Sicily (b. 1138)
Al-Musta'sim
d. 1258 (b. 1213)
Al-Musta'sim, Iraqi caliph (b. 1213)
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
d. 1408 (b. 1342)
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (b. 1342)
Pope Martin V
d. 1431 (b. 1368)
Pope Martin V (b. 1368)
Lazar Branković
d. 1458
Lazar Branković, Despot of Serbia
John, King of Denmark
d. 1513 (b. 1455)
King John of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden (b. 1455)
Tecun Uman
d. 1524 (b. 1500)
Tecun Uman, Mayan ruler (b. 1500)