Today in History for 20th January 2026

[CoM Moderators]

Historical Events

1947 - Nova Scotia Supreme Court rules against case of black woman Viola Desmond - ejected from a cinema seat in New Glasgow reserved for whites and arrested in landmark case (pardoned 2010)
1958 - A group attempting the 1st surface crossing of Antarctic join up at the South Pole
1965 - Generalissimo Francisco Franco meets with Jewish representatives to discuss legitimizing Jewish communities in Spain
1969 - University of Arizona reports 1st optical identification of a pulsar found in Crab Nebula
1972 - Number of people out of work and claiming unemployment benefit in UK rises to over 1 million

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Famous Birthdays

1893 - Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), born in Norrköping, Sweden (d. 1946)
1916 - Walter Bartley, English biochemist, born in Brighton, London (d. 1994)
1920 - Peter Clemoes, British historian, born in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom (d. 1996)
1937 - Dorothy Provine, American actress (The Roaring 20's; That Darn Cat: Who's Minding The Mint?), and singer, born in Deadwood, South Dakota (d. 2010)
1968 - Fantastic Negrito [Xavier Dphrepaulezz], American blues singer-songwriter (The Last Days of Oakland; Please Don't Be Dead), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

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Famous Deaths

250 - Fabian, Pope (236-50), Bishop of Rome and saint, dies a martyr during persecutions by the Emperor Decius
1191 - Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia (b. 1167)
1838 - Pierre-Louis Hus-Desforges, French composer and cellist, dies at 64
1964 - Jan Rychlik, Czech percussionist, and composer of orchestral, jazz, and film music, dies at 47
2018 - Naomi Parker Fraley, American who inspired "Rosie the Riveter" poster, dies at 96

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