Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on February 20th?

Battle of Erquelinnes: Armies of the County of Hainaut and the Duchy of Brabant engage in conflict, marking the start of the Brabant Revolution.

Henry V becomes King of England upon the death of his father, Henry IV.

Explorer Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, following his first voyage to the Americas.

Vasco da Gama's fleet reaches Mozambique during his voyage to India, exploring the East African coast.

University College London becomes the first university in England to admit women.

A Nazi rally with more than 20,000 people was held at the Madison Square Garden. It was sponsored by the German American Bund, an organization with headquarters in Manhattan and thousands of members across the United States. The stage had a large image of Washington hung between American flags — and swastikas. Their vision for America was a combination of white supremacy, fascist ideology and American patriotism. More

John H. Glenn, Jr., one of NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts, becomes the first American to orbit Earth, circling it three times. Glenn went on to become a U.S. Senator in 1974. More