This Day in History on 20 October

The historical events hold a lot of value for aspirants who are sitting for UPSC competitive exams including the IAS Exam.

On this page, we will list all historical events that occurred on 20 October. The students can refer to them while preparing for all competitive exams and banking exams.

Important Days

World Osteoporosis Day

World Statistics Day

Important Events

1568: The Mughal emperor Akbar attacked Chittorgarh.

1740: Maria Theresa became the ruler of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia.

1752: The grateful Wazir induced the emperor to make Badan Singh the ‘Raja’ with the title of Mahendra, and Suraj Mal the ‘Mumar Bahadur’ with the title of Rajendra.

1774: New Regulating Act was introduced which abolished the East India Company Government and a new Government was formed.

1904: Chile and Bolivia signed a peace treaty demarcating the border between the two countries.

1920: Censor Board, after examining the film ‘Ahilya Uddhar’ on October 20, started mentioning the number of reels as well as the length in feet on the Censor Certificate. The film had already been released earlier on August 23, 1919.

1947: First battle between India and Pakistan.

1947: Establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakistan (for the first time).

1952: A state of emergency was declared in Kenya. Arrests of Jomo Kenyatta and other key leaders continued.

1960: Indian mountaineers reach the peak of Nanda Ghunti for the first time in the Kumaon Hills.

1962: The first IAF unit No. 2 squadron re-equipped with the Gnat at Ambalan and No.9 squadron soon followed suit.

1962: The war started between India and China over the border dispute. China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War. China mounted a massive attacked in N.E.E.F.A. and Ladakh borders. Chinese army pushed Indians back. The real test of IAF airlift capability came when open warfare erupted on the Sino-lndian border, while operating to the tricky helipads in the mountains, including the operation of C-119Gs from airstrips 17,000 ft (5180m) above sea level in the Karakoram Himalayas, and the air-lifting by An-12Bs of two troops of AMX-13 light tanks to Chushul in Ladakh, where the small airstrip was 15,000 ft (4570m) above sea level.

China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.
China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.

1969: Establishment of Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh Agricultural University (PDKV) at Akola, India.

1970: The father of the green revolution, Dr. Norman Borlaug awarded the Nobel Prize.

1971: Nepal’s stock market collapsed due to recession.

1973: The Sydney Opera House was inaugurated by Elizabeth II.

1990: Andhra Pradesh Government announces a five-day week for all offices and educational institutions from November 01, 1990.

1991: A magnitude 6.8 earthquake shocked Uttarkashi, killed at least 1,000 people.

1992: Nirad C. Chauduri, 94, the Indian writer living in Oxford, made honorary Commander of the British Empire.

1995: Twentieth Century Fox honored Hindi film actor Dev Anand as Man of the Century.

1997: All India Hindu Conference begins at Hardwar.

1997: Veerappan, the forest brigand, releases the six hostages after 12 days.

1999: The Cabinet approves the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) Bill for introduction in the current session of Lok Sabha if time permits.

1999: The Centre accepts the recommendations of the Backward Classes Commission on the inclusion of Jats and other backward classes (OBCs) in Rajasthan except Bharatpur and Dholpur districts.

2007: After Ali Larijani’s resignation, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeid Jalali became the new chief nuclear negotiator.

2011: Libyan civil war: Troops of the National Transitional Council capture and kill Dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Indian politician
Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Indian politician

Birth/Birth Anniversary

1855: Govardhanram Tripathi, Indian-Gujarati writer.

1891: Sir James Chadwick, the British physicist who won the Nobel Prize in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron in the atom.

1893: Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first president.

1905: Mohansing Mahir, famous modern Punjabi poet, was born.

1919: Chaitanyabala Divatia, great author, was born in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (d. 2007)
Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (d. 2007)

1920: Siddharth Shankar Ray, an Indian lawyer, and politician.

1920: Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 2010)

1920: Leila Seth, an Indian judge who served as the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court and became the first woman to become Chief Justice of a state High Court, Himachal Pradesh High Court.

Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer
Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer

1927: Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (d. 2007)

1954: Surendra Vithal Nayak “Suru Nayak”, cricketer (two Tests for India v England 1982), was born in Bombay.

1963: Navjot Singh Sidhu, cricketer, commentator, and MP.

1978: Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer and commentator.

1978: Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer

Death/ Death Anniversary

1740: Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy

1890: Sir Richard Burton, British writer, poet, researcher, diplomat, and spy.

1961: V. S. Guha, Indian Anthropologist.

1964: Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, dies.

1984: Paul Dirac, Nobel Prize-winning English physicist.

1990: Kona Prabhakar Rao, former Governor of Maharashtra, died.

1991: Manohar Phalke, famous union leader and MLA, died.

1991: Pandit Kalyandas Mahaprasad, famous Kathak dancer, died.

1999: Madhavrao Limaye, Indian socialist leader, freedom fighter and journalist.

2011: Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan dictator.

2012: John McConnell, who started Earth Day.

2012: Edward Thomas, an American physician, professor.

Further Reading

Month-wise This Day in History