Updated May 20, 2014, 10:57 am
On May 20, 1961, a white mob attacked a busload of "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the federal government to send in United States marshals to restore order.
On May 20, 1908, James Stewart, the American movie actor, was born. Following his death on July 2, 1997, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
| 1861 | North Carolina voted to secede from the Union. |
|---|---|
| 1861 | The capital of the Confederacy was moved from Montgomery, Ala., to Richmond, Va. |
| 1902 | The United States ended a three-year military presence in Cuba as the Republic of Cuba was established. |
| 1927 | Charles Lindbergh took off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 1932 | Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland for Ireland to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 1939 | Regular trans-Atlantic air service began as a Pan American Airways plane took off from Port Washington, N.Y., bound for Europe. |
| 1969 | U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Ap Bia Mountain, referred to as Hamburger Hill by the Americans, following one of the bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War. |
| 1971 | The album "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye was released. |
| 1989 | Comedian Gilda Radner died of cancer at age 42. |
| 1993 | The final first-run episode of "Cheers" aired on NBC. |
| 1995 | President Bill Clinton announced that the two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House would be permanently closed to traffic as a security measure. |
| 1996 | The Supreme Court struck down a Colorado measure banning laws that protect homosexuals from discrimination. |
| 2002 | East Timor became an independent nation. |
| 2006 | San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the career list with his 714th home run. |
| 2009 | Suspended NFL star Michael Vick was released after 19 months in prison for running a dogfighting ring. |
| 2012 | Singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees died at age 62. |
Historic Birthdays
James Stewart
5/20/1908 - 7/2/1997
American motion-picture actor.Go to obituary »
| 81 |
Dolley Madison 5/20/1768 - 7/12/1849 American wife of President James Madison |
|---|---|
| 51 |
Honore de Balzac 5/20/1799 - 8/18/1850 French novelist and short-story writer |
| 66 |
John Stuart Mill 5/20/1806 - 5/8/1873 English philosopher |
| 63 |
William George Fargo 5/20/1818 - 8/3/1881 American businessman; co-founded Wells, Fargo & Company |
| 48 |
Madeline Breckinridge 5/20/1872 - 11/25/1920 American social reformer |
| 85 |
John Jacob Astor 5/20/1886 - 7/19/1971 English journalist and chief proprietor of The London Times (1922-66) |
| 82 |
Earl Browder 5/20/1891 - 6/27/1973 American Communist Party leader (1930-44) |
| 94 |
Adela Rogers Saint Johns 5/20/1894 - 8/10/1988 American journalist, novelist and screenwriter |
| 42 |
R. J. Mitchell 5/20/1895 - 6/11/1937 English aircraft designer; developed the Spitfire fighter plane |
| 72 |
John Marshall Harlan 5/20/1899 - 12/29/1971 American Supreme Court justice (1955-71) |
| 66 |
Moshe Dayan 5/20/1915 - 10/16/1981 Israeli soldier and statesman |