This day in history: 20 march

Europa

• 1413: Henry V ascended the throne of England upon the death of his father, Henry IV.
• 1602: The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established, significantly impacting global trade and colonial expansion.
• 1616: Sir Walter Raleigh was released from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment.
• 1653: Oliver Cromwell dissolved the Long Parliament in England.
• 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris after escaping from exile on Elba, marking the beginning of his “Hundred Days” rule.
• 1848: King Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicated during the German revolutions of 1848–49.
• 1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential anti-slavery novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was first published.
• 1883: The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was signed, an important international treaty for intellectual property rights.
• 1890: Otto von Bismarck was dismissed as Chancellor of Germany by Emperor Wilhelm II.
• 1916: Albert Einstein presented his groundbreaking general theory of relativity, revolutionizing physics.

America

• 1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe published her influential anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which played a significant role in shaping public opinion against slavery and contributed to the tensions leading up to the American Civil War.
• 1922: The USS Langley (CV-1), the U.S. Navy’s first aircraft carrier, was commissioned at Norfolk, Virginia.
• 1973: Baseball legend Roberto Clemente was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Latin American player honored in this way.
• 2003: The United States, along with coalition forces from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, invaded Iraq. This military action aimed to topple dictator Saddam Hussein and was justified by claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

Asia

• 1703: The 47 masterless samurai involved in the famous Akō vendetta were ordered to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) in Japan.
• 1877: Government forces defeated Saigō Takamori at Tahara Hill, marking a turning point in the Satsuma Rebellion in Japan.
• 1882: The Tokyo National Museum and Ueno Zoo opened at the former Kan’ei Temple site.
• 1913: Sung Chiao-jen, a founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party, was wounded in an assassination attempt and died two days later.
• 1926: An Electric Expo was held in Osaka, Japan, showcasing over 35,000 items.
• 1932: Tokyo subway workers went on strike.
• 1939: Military training became compulsory at universities in Japan.
• 1956: A large fire destroyed 1,482 homes in Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture, Japan.
• 1960: Japanese sumo wrestler Tochinishiki became the first wrestler to win every bout in a tournament during the Spring Bout.
• 1973: A Japanese court ruled against Chisso Corporation in the Minamata disease lawsuit related to mercury poisoning.
• 1981: The Kobe Port Pier Expo (Port Pier ’81) opened in Japan.
• 1995: Members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult carried out a sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system, killing 12 people and injuring thousands more.
• 2003: The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began with coalition forces from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland invading Iraq.
• 2005: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Fukuoka, Japan, resulting in casualties and evacuations.
• 2015: A train crash occurred in Uttar Pradesh, India, killing at least 30 people.
• 2017: India’s Uttarakhand state court declared rivers Yamuna and Ganges as “living entities,” a decision later overturned by India’s Supreme Court.

Africa

• 1. Independence of Tunisia (1956)
  On March 20, 1956, Tunisia gained independence from France after a prolonged period of negotiations between the French government and the Neo-Destour Party, led by Habib Bourguiba. This marked a pivotal moment in North Africa’s decolonization process, as Tunisia became a sovereign nation and set the stage for Bourguiba’s leadership as the country’s first president.
• 2. First Flight from London to Cape Town (1920)
  On March 20, 1920, Pierre van Ryneveld and Quintin Brand completed the first flight from London to Cape Town, arriving in Wynberg, South Africa. This milestone not only demonstrated advancements in aviation but also led to the establishment of the South African Air Force, making it the second-oldest air force in the world.
• 3. Eritrean War of Independence (1988)

  On March 20, 1988, during the Eritrean War of Independence, the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front captured the town of Afabet after defeating Ethiopia’s Nadew Command. This victory was a significant step toward Eritrea’s eventual independence in 1993.