20 Ordibehesht 1401

Events

• 1773 (253 years ago) The Parliament of Great Britain passes the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by reducing taxes on its tea and granting it the right to sell tea directly to North America. The legislation leads to the Boston Tea Party.
• 1796 (230 years ago) War of the First Coalition: Napoleon wins a victory against Austrian forces at Lodi bridge over the Adda River in Italy. The Austrians lose some 2,000 men.
• 1940 (86 years ago) World War II: German fighters accidentally bomb the German city of Freiburg.
• 1940 (86 years ago) World War II: Winston Churchill is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Neville Chamberlain. On the same day, Germany invades France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom occupies Iceland.
• 1993 (33 years ago) In Thailand, a fire at the Kader Toy Factory kills over 200 workers.
• 1994 (32 years ago) Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as South Africa's first black president.
• 1997 (29 years ago) The 7.3 Mw Qayen earthquake strikes Iran's Khorasan Province killing 1,567 people.
• 2005 (21 years ago) A hand grenade thrown by Vladimir Arutyunian lands about 20 m from U.S. President George W. Bush while he is giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia, but it malfunctions and does not detonate.

Births

• 1788 (238 years ago) Augustin-Jean Fresnel, French physicist and engineer (died 1827)
• 1878 (148 years ago) Gustav Stresemann, German journalist and politician, Chancellor of Germany, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1929)
• 1886 (140 years ago) Karl Barth, Swiss theologian and author (died 1968)
• 1899 (127 years ago) Fred Astaire, American actor, singer, and dancer (died 1987)
• 1923 (103 years ago) Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan general and politician, President of Azerbaijan (died 2003)
• 1957 (69 years ago) Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (died 1979)
• 1960 (66 years ago) Bono, Irish singer-songwriter, musician and activist
• 1969 (57 years ago) Dennis Bergkamp, Dutch footballer and manager

Deaths

• 1774 (252 years ago) Louis XV, King of France (born 1710)
• 1798 (228 years ago) George Vancouver, English navigator and explorer (born 1757)
• 1829 (197 years ago) Thomas Young, English physician and linguist (born 1773)
• 1849 (177 years ago) Hokusai, Japanese painter and illustrator (born 1760)
• 1863 (163 years ago) Stonewall Jackson, American general (born 1824)
• 1889 (137 years ago) Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, Russian journalist, author, and playwright (born 1826)
• 1977 (49 years ago) Joan Crawford, American actress (year of birth disputed)
• 2022 (4 years ago) Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian politician (born 1934)

All 241 events, births and deaths of May 10