What happened in 2020
372 entries recorded for 2020, listed by date. That was 6 years ago.
2020 at a glance
- Years ago
- 6 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 21st century
- Decade
- 2020s
- Generation born
- Generation Alpha
- Entries here
- 372
- Breakdown
- 253 deaths · 119 historical events
January
- January 1
Barry McDonald (rugby union)
Barry McDonald, Australian rugby union player (born 1940)
- January 1
Alexander Frater
Alexander Frater, British travel writer and journalist (born 1937)
- January 1
David Stern
David Stern, American lawyer and businessman (born 1942)
- January 1
Lexii Alijai
Lexii Alijai, American rapper (born 1998)
- January 1
Don Larsen
Don Larsen, American baseball player (born 1929)
- January 3
Qasem Soleimani
Iranian General Qasem Soleimani is killed by an American airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, igniting global concerns of a potential armed conflict.
- January 3
Qasem Soleimani
Qasem Soleimani, Iranian major general, commander of the Iranian Quds Force (born 1957)
- January 4
Sembawang Hot Spring Park
Sembawang Hot Spring Park in Singapore reopened after being redeveloped by the National Parks Board.
- January 4
Tom Long (actor)
Tom Long, Australian actor (born 1968)
- January 5
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh
Tafazzul Haque Habiganji, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and politician (born 1938)
- January 6
Richard Maponya
Richard Maponya, South African businessman (born 1920)
- January 7
2019–2020 Spanish government formation
After 253 days without an operational government, a second round of investiture votes produced Spain's first coalition government since the Second Republic.
- January 7
2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes
The 6.4Mw 2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes kill four and injure nine in southern Puerto Rico.
- January 7
Neil Peart
Neil Peart, Canadian drummer, songwriter, and producer (born 1952)
- January 7
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Elizabeth Wurtzel, author and feminist (born 1967)
- January 7
Silvio Horta
Silvio Horta, American screenwriter and television producer (born 1974)
- January 8
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashes immediately after takeoff at Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport; all 176 on board are killed. The plane was shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.
- January 8
Buck Henry
Buck Henry, American actor, screenwriter, and director (born 1930)
- January 8
Pat Dalton
Pat Dalton, Australian footballer (born 1942)
- January 10
Qaboos bin Said
Qaboos bin Said, ruler of Oman (born 1940)
- January 11
COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei
COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei: Municipal health officials in Wuhan announce the first recorded death from COVID-19.
- January 12
Taal Volcano
Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts and kills 39 people.
- January 12
Roger Scruton
Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher and writer (born 1944)
- January 13
Ministry of Public Health (Thailand)
The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China.
- January 13
Philip Tartaglia
Philip Tartaglia, Scottish prelate, Catholic archbishop of Glasgow (born 1951)
- January 13
Bryan Monroe
Bryan Monroe, American journalist and educator, (born 1965)
- January 15
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirms the first case of COVID-19 in Japan.
- January 15
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson, Canadian professional wrestler (born 1944)
- January 15
Lloyd Cowan
Lloyd Cowan, British athlete and coach (born 1962)
- January 16
First impeachment of Donald Trump
The first impeachment of Donald Trump formally moves into its trial phase in the United States Senate.
- January 16
United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement
The United States Senate ratifies the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement as a replacement for NAFTA.
- January 16
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Tolkien, British academic and editor (born 1924)
- January 17
Derek Fowlds
Derek Fowlds, British actor (born1937)
- January 20
Tom Railsback
Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives (born 1932)
- January 20
Jaroslav Kubera
Jaroslav Kubera, Czech politician (born 1947)
- January 21
Morgan Wootten
Morgan Wootten, American high school basketball coach (born 1931)
- January 21
Terry Jones
Terry Jones, Welsh actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1942)
- January 26
Sikorsky S-76
A Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, killing all nine people on board, including former basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
- January 26
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant, American basketball player (born 1978)
- January 26
John Altobelli
John Altobelli, American college baseball coach (born 1963)
- January 26
Gianna Bryant
Gianna Bryant, American student-athlete (born 2006)
- January 27
Lina Ben Mhenni
Lina Ben Mhenni, Tunisian Internet activist and blogger (born 1983)
- January 30
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be a public health emergency of international concern.
- January 31
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom's membership within the European Union ceases in accordance with Article 50, after 47 years of being a member state.
February
- February 2
Bernard Ebbers
Bernard Ebbers, Canadian businessman, the co-founder and CEO of WorldCom (born 1941)
- February 2
Mad Mike Hoare
Mad Mike Hoare, British-Irish military officer and mercenary (born 1919)
- February 3
George Steiner
George Steiner, French-American philosopher, author, and critic (born 1929)
- February 4
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic causes all casinos in Macau to be closed down for 15 days.
- February 4
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel arap Moi, Former President of Kenya (born 1924)
- February 5
Donald Trump
United States President Donald Trump is acquitted by the United States Senate in his first impeachment trial.
- February 5
Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193
Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193 overshoots the runway at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and crashes, killing three people and injuring 179.
- February 5
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas, American actor (born 1916)
- February 6
Jhon Jairo Velásquez
Jhon Jairo Velásquez, Colombian hitman and drug dealer (born 1962)
- February 7
Li Wenliang
Li Wenliang, Chinese ophthalmologist who initially warned about COVID-19 (born 1985)
- February 8
Nakhon Ratchasima shootings
A soldier opens fire in a military camp and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, killing 29 people and injuring 58 others before being shot dead by police the next day. It is considered the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history.
- February 8
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad, American actor (born 1935)
- February 9
Figure skating
Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu won the Four Continents Championships to become the only man to complete a Super Slam.
- February 9
Nayib Bukele
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has the army soldiers enter the Legislative Assembly to assist in pushing for the approval for a better government security plan, causing a brief political crisis.
- February 11
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic: The World Health Organization officially names the coronavirus outbreak as COVID-19, with the virus being designated SARS-CoV-2.
- February 12
Geert Hofstede
Geert Hofstede, Dutch social psychologist (born 1928)
- February 12
Christie Blatchford
Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist and broadcaster (born 1951)
- February 14
Ngarbuh massacre
At least 22 people are killed in an attack on a village in Northwest Region, Cameroon.
- February 15
Caroline Flack
Caroline Flack, English actress and TV presenter (born 1979)
- February 18
Flavio Bucci
Flavio Bucci, Italian actor and voice actor (born 1947)
- February 19
Hanau shootings
Nine people are killed in two domestic terrorist shootings in Hanau, Hesse, Germany.
- February 19
Pop Smoke
Pop Smoke, American rapper (born 1999)
- February 19
José Mojica Marins
José Mojica Marins, Brazilian filmmaker, actor, composer, screenwriter, and television horror host (born 1936)
- February 20
Joaquim Pina Moura
Joaquim Pina Moura, Portuguese Minister of Economy and Treasury and MP (born 1952)
- February 23
Murder of Ahmaud Arbery
Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American citizen, is shot and murdered by three white men after visiting a house under construction while jogging at a neighborhood in Satilla Shores near Brunswick in Glynn County, Georgia.
- February 24
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir Mohamad resigns as Prime Minister of Malaysia following an attempt to replace the Pakatan Harapan government, which triggered the 2020-2022 Malaysian political crisis.
- February 24
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson, American physicist and mathematician (born 1918)
- February 25
Gui Minhai
Hong Kong–based writer and publisher Gui Minhai, known for writing about Chinese Communist Party politicians, was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for intelligence violations.
- February 25
Dmitry Yazov
Dmitry Yazov, last Marshal of the Soviet Union (born 1924)
- February 28
Lenox Hewitt
Sir Lenox Hewitt, Australian public servant (born 1917)
- February 28
Freeman Dyson
Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician (born 1923)
- February 28
Joe Coulombe
Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe's (born 1930)
- February 29
Muhyiddin Yassin
Muhyiddin Yassin is appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, amid the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.
- February 29
United States
The United States and the Taliban sign the Doha Agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan.
- February 29
Luxembourg
Luxembourg becomes the first country in the world to render public transport free nationwide.
- February 29
Colectivo (Venezuela)
During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured.
- February 29
Éva Székely
Éva Székely, Hungarian Hall of Fame swimmer and 1952 Olympic champion (born 1927)
- February 29
Dieter Laser
Dieter Laser, German actor (born 1942)
March
- March 1
Jack Welch
Jack Welch, American business executive (born 1935)
- March 3
Charles J. Urstadt
Charles J. Urstadt, American real estate executive and investor (born 1928)
- March 4
Nik Wallenda
Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to walk over the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua.
- March 4
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian politician and diplomat (born 1920)
- March 6
6 March 2020 Kabul shooting
32 people are killed and 82 are injured when gunmen open fire on a ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.
- March 8
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (born 1929)
- March 9
Giuseppe Conte
Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy, announces in a televised address and signs the decree imposing the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in the world.
- March 9
John Bathersby
John Bathersby, Australian Catholic bishop (born 1936)
- March 11
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) officialy declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.
- March 12
United States
The United States suspends travel from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- March 13
Donald Trump
President Donald Trump declares the COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency in the United States.
- March 13
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor is killed by police officers who were forcibly entering her home in Louisville, Kentucky; her death sparked extensive protests against racism and police brutality.
- March 13
Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as the first female President of Greece amid strict COVID-19 measures.
- March 15
Vittorio Gregotti
Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect (born 1927)
- March 16
2020 stock market crash
The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (1929). This follows the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing that it will cut its target interes
- March 18
Alfred Worden
Alfred Worden, American test pilot, engineer and astronaut (born 1932)
- March 20
Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers, American singer (born 1938)
- March 20
Amadeo Carrizo
Amadeo Carrizo, Argentine footballer (born 1926)
- March 22
Narendra Modi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces the country's largest ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.
- March 22
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announces a national lockdown and the country's first ever self-imposed curfew, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.
- March 23
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts the United Kingdom into its first national lockdown in response to COVID-19.
- March 24
Manu Dibango
Manu Dibango, Cameroonian musician and songwriter (born 1933)
- March 24
Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo, French comic book artist (born 1927)
- March 25
Floyd Cardoz
Floyd Cardoz, Indian-born American chef (born 1960)
- March 27
North Macedonia–NATO relations
North Macedonia became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- March 27
North Macedonia
North Macedonia becomes the 30th member of NATO.
- March 28
Uusimaa
The region of Uusimaa (with the capital city Helsinki) is temporarily isolated from the rest of Finland due to increased COVID-19 infections.
- March 29
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer and conductor (born 1933)
- March 29
Joe Diffie
Joe Diffie, American country music singer (born 1958)
- March 29
Alan Merrill
Alan Merrill, American musician (born 1951)
- March 30
Manolis Glezos
Manolis Glezos, Greek left-wing politician, journalist, author, and folk hero (born 1922)
- March 30
Bill Withers
Bill Withers, American singer-songwriter (born 1938)
- March 31
Gita Ramjee
Gita Ramjee, Ugandan-South African scientist and researcher (born 1956)
April
- April 2
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic: The total number of confirmed cases reach one million.
- April 4
National day of mourning
China holds a national day of mourning for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease outbreak.
- April 6
Al Kaline
Al Kaline, American baseball player, broadcaster and executive (born 1934)
- April 7
Thomas Modly
COVID-19 pandemic: Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly resigns for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on USS Theodore Roosevelt and the dismissal of Brett Crozier.
- April 7
COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 pandemic: China ends its lockdown in Wuhan.
- April 7
Herb Stempel
Herb Stempel, American television personality (born 1926)
- April 7
John Prine
John Prine, American country folk singer-songwriter (born 1946)
- April 8
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.
- April 8
Abdul Momin Imambari
Abdul Momin Imambari, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar (born 1930)
- April 8
Rick May
Rick May, American-Canadian voice actor (born 1940)
- April 9
Soyuz MS-16
Soyuz MS-16 is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Expedition 62/63 crew to the International Space Station.
- April 11
John Horton Conway
John Horton Conway, English mathematician (born 1937)
- April 12
Tarvaris Jackson
Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (born 1983)
- April 14
Carol D'Onofrio
Carol D'Onofrio, American public health researcher (born 1936)
- April 19
2020 Nova Scotia attacks
A series of attacks in Nova Scotia, Canada, ended when the perpetrator was killed by police, leaving 22 victims dead.
- April 19
Ian Whitcomb
Ian Whitcomb, English singer-songwriter (born 1941)
- April 20
Price of oil
For the first time in history, oil prices drop below zero, an effect of the 2020 Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war.
- April 22
2020 Eastern Freeway truck crash
A truck struck and killed four Victoria Police officers on the Eastern Freeway, Australia, the force's deadliest single incident.
- April 22
Shirley Knight
Shirley Knight, American actress (born 1936)
- April 29
Guido Münch
Guido Münch, Mexican astronomer and astrophysicist (born 1921)
- April 29
Irrfan Khan
Irrfan Khan, Indian actor (born 1967)
- April 30
Tony Allen (musician)
Tony Allen, Nigerian drummer and composer (born 1940)
- April 30
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor, Indian actor, film director and producer (born 1952)
May
- May 2
Arif Wazir
Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (born 1982)
- May 3
Victoria Barbă
Victoria Barbă, Moldovan animated film director (born 1926)
- May 3
Dave Greenfield
Dave Greenfield, English rock keyboardist (born 1949)
- May 4
Don Shula
Don Shula, American football player and coach (born 1930)
- May 4
Greg Zanis
Greg Zanis, American carpenter and activist (born 1950)
- May 5
ABS-CBN
Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN was forced to go off-air by the National Telecommunications Commission after Congress failed to renew its franchise granted in 1995.
- May 5
Millie Small
Millie Small, Jamaican singer-songwriter (born 1947)
- May 9
COVID-19 recession
The COVID-19 recession causes the U.S. unemployment rate to hit 14.9 percent, its worst rate since the Great Depression.
- May 9
Little Richard
Little Richard, American singer, songwriter, and pianist (born 1932)
- May 10
Betty Wright
Betty Wright, American soul singer (born 1953)
- May 11
Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller, American comedian, actor (born 1927)
- May 12
Aimee Stephens
Aimee Stephens, American funeral director and U.S. Supreme Court litigant (born 1960)
- May 15
Fred Willard
Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (born 1933)
- May 17
Lucky Peterson
Lucky Peterson, American blues singer, keyboardist and guitarist (born 1964)
- May 18
Ken Osmond
Ken Osmond, American actor and police officer (born 1943)
- May 21
Alan Merten
Alan Merten, fifth President of George Mason University (born 1941)
- May 22
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashes in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 98 people.
- May 22
Denise Cronenberg
Denise Cronenberg, Canadian costume designer (born 1938)
- May 23
Hana Kimura
Hana Kimura, Japanese professional wrestler (born 1997)
- May 25
George Floyd
George Floyd, a black American man, was murdered (memorial pictured) during an arrest by a white police officer in Minneapolis, sparking protests in the U.S. and other countries.
- May 25
George Floyd
George Floyd, African American man murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin (born 1973)
- May 26
George Floyd protests
Protests following the murder of George Floyd erupted in Minneapolis–Saint Paul before spreading across the United States and internationally.
- May 27
Larry Kramer
Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (born 1935)
- May 29
Norilsk oil spill
An oil spill in Norilsk released 17,500 tons of diesel oil into nearby rivers.
- May 29
Maikanti Baru
Maikanti Baru, Nigerian engineer, former chief of state oil firm. (born 1959)
- May 30
Crew Dragon Demo-2
Crew Dragon Demo-2 became the first commercial mission to the International Space Station.
- May 30
Michael Angelis
Michael Angelis, British actor (born 1944)
June
- June 4
Death of Giovanni López
Death of Giovanni López: Protests over the death of Giovanni López Ramírez, who had died on 4 May while in custody, begin in Jalisco following the release of a video of his arrest going viral on social media, and inspired by the George Floyd protests. Later, these spread across M
- June 9
Pau Donés
Pau Donés, Spanish singer (born 1966)
- June 10
Claudell Washington
Claudell Washington, American baseball player (born 1954)
- June 11
Stella Pevsner
Stella Pevsner, children's author (born 1921)
- June 14
Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput, Indian film actor (born 1986)
- June 16
Danding Cojuangco
Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., Filipino businessman and politician (born 1935)
- June 17
Jean Kennedy Smith
Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993–1998) (born 1928)
- June 18
Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn, English singer who was the "Forces' Sweetheart" in World War II (born 1917)
- June 19
Death of Regan Russell
Animal rights advocate Regan Russell is run over and killed by a transport truck outside of a pig slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ontario.
- June 19
Ian Holm
Ian Holm, British actor (born 1931)
- June 26
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser, American graphic designer (born 1929)
- June 29
Reddit
Reddit banned r/The_Donald, a pro-Trump subreddit, for rule violations and antagonizing the company.
- June 29
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922)
- June 29
Injury Reserve
Stepa J. Groggs, American rap artist (born 1988)
- June 29
Hachalu Hundessa
Hachalu Hundessa, Ethiopian singer, songwriter (born 1986)
- June 30
2020 Hong Kong national security law
The Hong Kong National Security Law is passed by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and immediately comes into effect after gazettal.
- June 30
Stella Madzimbamuto
Stella Madzimbamuto, Zimbabwean activist (born 1930)
July
- July 1
United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement
The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement replaces NAFTA.
- July 2
2020 Hpakant jade mine disaster
A landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant killed 175–200 miners, the deadliest mining accident in Burmese history.
- July 2
Reckful
Byron Bernstein, American Twitch streamer (born 1989)
- July 2
Ángela Jeria
Ángela Jeria, Chilean archaeologist and human rights activist (born 1926)
- July 3
Saroj Khan
Saroj Khan, Indian dance choreographer (born 1948)
- July 5
Nick Cordero
Nick Cordero, Canadian actor and singer (born 1978)
- July 6
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpet player (born 1928)
- July 6
Mary Kay Letourneau
Mary Kay Letourneau, American child rapist (born 1962)
- July 6
Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels, American singer-songwriter, fiddle-player and guitarist (born 1936)
- July 8
Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera, American actress, model and singer (born 1987)
- July 8
Alex Pullin
Alex Pullin, Australian snowboarder (born 1987)
- July 10
Lara van Ruijven
Lara van Ruijven, Dutch short track speed skater (born 1992)
- July 10
Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton, English footballer and manager (born 1935)
- July 11
Frank Bolling
Frank Bolling, American baseball second baseman (born 1931)
- July 11
Marc Angelucci
Marc Angelucci, American attorney and men's rights activist, Vice-president of the National Coalition for Men (born 1968)
- July 12
Wim Suurbier
Wim Suurbier, Dutch football player (born 1945)
- July 12
Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston, American actress and model (born 1962)
- July 13
Death of Naya Rivera
After a five-day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera is recovered from Lake Piru in California, where she had drowned.
- July 13
Naya Rivera
After a five day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera was recovered from Lake Piru, confirming her death.
- July 13
Zindzi Mandela
Zindzi Mandela, South African politician, diplomat, and third daughter of Nelson Mandela (born 1960)
- July 13
Grant Imahara
Grant Imahara, American electrical engineer, roboticist, and television host (born 1970)
- July 14
Rosa (cow)
Rosa, Spanish-born cow on French television (born 2001)
- July 16
Tony Taylor (baseball)
Tony Taylor, Cuban baseball player (born 1935)
- July 17
Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya
Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, Russian-Australian pair skater (born 2000)
- July 17
John Lewis
John Lewis, American civil rights activist and politician (born 1940)
- July 20
Michael Brooks (political commentator)
Michael Brooks, political commentator (born 1983)
- July 21
Andrew Mlangeni
Andrew Mlangeni, South African political activist (born 1925)
- July 21
Annie Ross
Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress (born 1930)
- July 25
Lou Henson
Lou Henson, American college basketball coach (born 1932)
- July 25
Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin, American actor and television host (born 1931)
- July 25
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green, English blues rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and founder of Fleetwood Mac (born 1946)
- July 26
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland, American actress (born 1916)
- July 27
2020 Colonial Pipeline oil spill
A major oil spill from the Colonial Pipeline was discovered in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (system map pictured).
- July 28
Junrey Balawing
Junrey Balawing, Filipino record holder (born 1993)
- July 30
Mars 2020
NASA's Mars 2020 mission is launched on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
- July 30
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui, Taiwanese politician, President (1988–2000), Vice President (1984–1988) and mayor of Taipei (1978–1981) (born 1923)
- July 30
Herman Cain
Herman Cain, American businessman and political activist (born 1945)
- July 31
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
A De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser collide over Soldotna, Alaska, killing all seven people on board both aircraft, including state representative Gary Knopp.
- July 31
2020 Alaska mid-air collision
A mid-air collision in Soldotna, Alaska, United States, killed seven people, including state representative Gary Knopp.
- July 31
Alan Parker
Alan Parker, English filmmaker (born 1944)
August
- August 1
Rickey Dixon
Rickey Dixon, American professional football player (born 1966)
- August 1
Wilford Brimley
Wilford Brimley, American actor and singer (born 1934)
- August 1
Rodney H. Pardey
Rodney H. Pardey, American poker player (born 1945)
- August 2
Suzanne Perlman
Suzanne Perlman, Hungarian-Dutch visual artist (born 1922)
- August 3
John Hume
John Hume, Northern Irish politician (born 1937)
- August 4
2020 Beirut explosion
A large explosion of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon killed 218 people and caused US$15 billion in damage.
- August 5
Hawa Abdi
Hawa Abdi, Somali human rights activist and physician (born 1947)
- August 6
Vern Rumsey
Vern Rumsey, American bass guitarist (born 1973)
- August 7
Air India Express Flight 1344
Air India Express Flight 1344 overshot the runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, India, and crashed, killing 21 of the 190 people on board.
- August 8
Gabriel Ochoa Uribe
Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, Colombian football player and manager (born 1929)
- August 8
Alfredo Lim
Alfredo Lim, former Philippine senator and Mayor of Manila (born 1929)
- August 10
2020 Midwest derecho
Derecho in Iowa becomes the most costly thunderstorm disaster in U.S. history.
- August 11
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Redstone, American billionaire businessman (born 1923)
- August 11
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez, American singer and guitarist (born 1937)
- August 12
Bill Yeoman
Bill Yeoman, American college football player and coach (born 1927)
- August 13
Israel–United Arab Emirates relations
Israel–United Arab Emirates relations are formally established.
- August 14
Julian Bream
Julian Bream, English classical guitarist and lutenist (born 1933)
- August 14
Angela Buxton
Angela Buxton, British tennis player (born 1934)
- August 14
Jim Thompson (Illinois politician)
James R. Thompson, American politician, Governor of Illinois (born 1936)
- August 15
Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine
Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
- August 15
Robert Trump
Robert Trump, American real-estate developer, business executive (born 1948)
- August 16
August Complex fire
The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land.
- August 18
Ben Cross
Ben Cross, English stage and film actor (born 1947)
- August 20
Joe Biden
Joe Biden gives his acceptance speech virtually for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
- August 20
Chi Chi DeVayne
Chi Chi DeVayne, American Drag Queen (born 1985)
- August 24
Erin O'Toole
Erin O'Toole is elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
- August 24
Gail Sheehy
Gail Sheehy, American author, journalist, and lecturer (born 1936)
- August 26
Joe Ruby
Joe Ruby, American animator (born 1933)
- August 28
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman, American actor and playwright (born 1976)
- August 29
2020 Women's FA Community Shield
2020 Women's FA Community Shield.
- August 31
Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver, American baseball player (born 1944)
- August 31
Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Mukherjee, Former President of India (born 1935)
September
- September 1
Erick Morillo
Erick Morillo, American disc jockey and music producer (born 1971)
- September 4
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI becomes the longest-lived pope, 93 years, four months, 16 days, surpassing Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.
- September 4
Lloyd Cadena
Lloyd Cadena, Filipino YouTuber and vlogger (born 1993)
- September 5
2020 California wildfires
California wildfires: A pyrotechnic device at a gender reveal party ignited the El Dorado Fire (pictured), burning for 71 days and killing one firefighter.
- September 6
Lou Brock
Lou Brock, American baseball player (born 1939)
- September 10
Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg, British actress (born 1938)
- September 11
Agnivesh
Swami Agnivesh, an Indian social activist and the founder of Arya Sabha, a political party based on the principles of Arya Samaj (born 1939)
- September 11
Toots Hibbert
Toots Hibbert, Jamaican singer and songwriter (born 1942)
- September 15
Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement
Signing of the Bahrain–Israel normalization agreement occurs in Washington, D.C., normalizing relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
- September 15
Abraham Accords
The Abraham Accords were signed in Washington, D.C. (signatories pictured), normalizing relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
- September 16
Maxim Martsinkevich
Maxim Martsinkevich, Russian social activist and media personality (born 1984)
- September 17
Robert W. Gore
Robert W. Gore, American engineer and businessman, co-inventor of Gore-Tex (born 1937)
- September 18
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Supreme Court justice (born 1933)
- September 19
John Turner
John Turner, Canadian politician, 17th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1929)
- September 21
Arthur Ashkin
Arthur Ashkin, American scientist and Nobel laureate (born 1922)
- September 22
Neil Brannon
Neil Brannon, American politician (born 1940)
- September 23
Grand jury
A grand jury in Kentucky declines to indict three police officers for the shooting death of Breonna Taylor in a drug raid gone wrong, leading to nationwide protests in the U.S.
- September 23
Juliette Gréco
Juliette Gréco, French singer and actress (born 1927)
- September 24
Dean Jones (cricketer)
Dean Jones, Australian cricketer, coach and commentator (born 1961)
- September 27
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan launches an offensive against the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, inhabited predominantly by ethnic Armenians.
- September 29
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy, Australian-American singer, actress, and activist (born 1941)
- September 29
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Emir (born 1929)
October
- October 2
Anne-Marie Hutchinson
Anne-Marie Hutchinson, British lawyer (born 1957)
- October 4
Clark Middleton
Clark Middleton, American actor (born 1957)
- October 4
Kenzō Takada
Kenzō Takada, Japanese-French fashion designer (born 1939)
- October 6
Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash, American singer-songwriter (born 1940)
- October 6
Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (born 1955)
- October 7
Mario Molina
Mario Molina, Mexican chemist (born 1943)
- October 8
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijan twice deliberately targeted the Church of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots of Shusha.
- October 8
Whitey Ford
Whitey Ford, American professional baseball pitcher (born 1928)
- October 12
Conchata Ferrell
Conchata Ferrell, American actress (born 1943)
- October 12
Roberta McCain
Roberta McCain, American socialite and oil heiress (born 1912)
- October 18
René Felber
René Felber, 81st President of the Swiss Confederation (born 1933)
- October 20
James Randi
James Randi, Canadian-American stage magician and author (born 1928)
- October 21
Frank Bough
Frank Bough, English television presenter (born 1933)
- October 23
Libyan civil war (2014–2020)
Second Libyan Civil War: The Second Libyan Civil War comes to an end as all parties to the 5+5 Joint Libyan Military Commission agree to a ceasefire.
- October 23
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker, American singer-songwriter (born 1942)
- October 29
Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn, former Leader of the Labour Party and of the Opposition in the United Kingdom is suspended from the Labour Party following his response to findings from the EHRC on the issue of antisemitism within the party.
- October 29
Angelika Amon
Angelika Amon, Austrian-American molecular and cell biologist (born 1967)
- October 30
2020 Aegean Sea earthquake
A magnitude-7.0 earthquake occurred in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, triggering a tsunami and causing 119 deaths.
- October 31
Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens its doors after nearly 10 years of delays due to construction issues and project corruption.
- October 31
MF Doom
MF Doom, British-American rapper and record producer (born 1971)
- October 31
Sean Connery
Sean Connery, Scottish actor (born 1930)
November
- November 1
Lady Elizabeth Shakerley
Lady Elizabeth Shakerley, British party planner, writer and socialite (born 1941)
- November 1
Keith Hitchins
Keith Hitchins, American historian expert on Romanian history (born 1931)
- November 2
Vienna
In Vienna's Innere Stadt district, an ISIL sympathizer shoots and kills four people and injures 23 more, before being shot and killed by the police.
- November 3
2020 United States presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election takes place between Democratic Joe Biden and Republican incumbent President Donald Trump. On November 7, Biden was declared the winner.
- November 4
Tigray war
The Tigray War begins with Tigrayan rebels launching attacks on Ethiopian command centers.
- November 4
Ken Hensley
Ken Hensley, English rock singer-songwriter and musician (born 1945)
- November 5
Geoffrey Palmer (actor)
Geoffrey Palmer, English actor (born 1927)
- November 6
Ken Spears
Ken Spears, American writer (born 1938)
- November 6
King Von
King Von, American rapper (born 1994)
- November 7
Joe Biden
Joe Biden is confirmed elected as the 46th president of the United States, defeating incumbent Donald Trump.
- November 7
Jonathan Sacks, Baron Sacks
Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth and member of the House of Lords (born 1948)
- November 8
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: Azerbaijani forces defeated the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh in the Battle of Shusha, reclaiming the town after 28 years.
- November 8
2020 Myanmar general election
Myanmar holds the 2020 general election, re-electing a government led by the National League for Democracy, which is deposed by the Burmese military the following February during the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
- November 8
Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek, Canadian-American television personality and longtime host of Jeopardy! (born 1940)
- November 9
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: An armistice agreement is signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia.
- November 10
Armenia
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a ceasefire agreement, ending the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and prompting protests in Armenia.
- November 10
Land mines in the Falkland Islands
The British government announced that it had removed the last land mine from the Falkland Islands, laid by Argentine forces during the 1982 Falklands War.
- November 10
Saeb Erekat
Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian negotiator (born 1955)
- November 11
Typhoon Vamco
Typhoon Vamco makes landfall in Luzon and several offshore islands, killing 67 people. The storm causes the worst floods in the region since Typhoon Ketsana in 2009.
- November 12
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 is released.
- November 13
Peter Sutcliffe
Peter Sutcliffe, English serial killer (born 1946)
- November 14
Peter Florjančič
Peter Florjancic, Slovene inventor and Olympic athlete (born 1919)
- November 14
Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor, English comedian, singer and television presenter (born 1932)
- November 15
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton wins the Turkish Grand Prix and secures his seventh drivers' title, equalling the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher.
- November 16
El Dorado Fire
The El Dorado Fire in California, United States, was extinguished after 71 days, having destroyed 20 structures and killed one firefighter.
- November 16
Sheila Nelson
Sheila Nelson, English string teacher (born 1936)
- November 18
Utah monolith
The Utah monolith, built sometime in 2016 is discovered by state biologists of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
- November 18
Kirby Morrow
Kirby Morrow, Canadian actor, comedian, and writer (born 1973)
- November 20
Jan Morris
Jan Morris, Welsh historian, author and travel writer (born 1926)
- November 22
Otto Hutter
Otto Hutter, Austrian-born British physiologist (born 1924)
- November 23
Tarun Gogoi
Tarun Gogoi, Indian Chief Minister of Assam (born 1934)
- November 25
Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona, Argentinian football player (born 1960)
- November 27
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
Nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, regarded as the chief of Iran's nuclear program, was assassinated, allegedly by Mossad.
- November 27
Utah monolith
Days after the announcement of its discovery, the Utah monolith is removed by recreationists.
- November 27
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iranian nuclear scientist (born 1958)
- November 28
Ethiopian National Defense Force
Over seven hundred civilians are massacred by the Ethiopian National Defense Force and Eritrean Army in Aksum, Ethiopia.
- November 28
David Prowse
David Prowse, English weight-lifting champion, actor and Green Cross Man (born 1935)
- November 29
Papa Bouba Diop
Papa Bouba Diop, Senegalese footballer (born 1978)
- November 30
Irina Antonova
Irina Antonova, Russian art historian (born 1922)
December
- December 1
Arecibo Telescope
The Arecibo Telescope collapses.
- December 1
Arnie Robinson
Arnie Robinson, American athlete (born 1948)
- December 2
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis is removed from the list of most dangerous drugs of the international drug control treaty by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
- December 2
Pat Patterson
Pat Patterson, American wrestler (born 1941)
- December 5
Peter Alliss
Peter Alliss, English professional golfer (born 1931)
- December 7
Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager, American aviator (born 1923)
- December 7
Dick Allen
Dick Allen, American baseball player and tenor (born 1942)
- December 10
Carol Sutton (actress)
Carol Sutton, American actress (born 1944)
- December 10
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor, English actress (born 1937)
- December 10
Tommy Lister Jr.
Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., American actor and wrestler (born 1958)
- December 10
Joseph Safra
Joseph Safra, Lebanese-Brazilian financier (born 1938)
- December 11
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration issues an Emergency Use Authorization on the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved by the agency.
- December 11
James Flynn (academic)
James Flynn, New Zealand intelligence researcher. (born 1934)
- December 12
Ann Reinking
Ann Reinking, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (born 1949)
- December 12
John le Carré
John le Carré, English author (born 1931)
- December 14
Solar eclipse of December 14, 2020
A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean.
- December 14
Gérard Houllier
Gérard Houllier, French Football manager (born 1947)
- December 15
Saufatu Sopoanga
Saufatu Sopoanga, Tuvaluan politician, 8th Prime Minister of Tuvalu (born 1952)
- December 17
Jeremy Bulloch
Jeremy Bulloch, English actor (born 1945)
- December 17
Allen Dines
Allen Dines, American politician (born 1921)
- December 18
Jerry Relph
Jerry Relph, American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate (born 1944)
- December 19
Rosalind Knight
Rosalind Knight, English actress (born 1933)
- December 20
Fanny Waterman
Fanny Waterman, British pianist (born 1920)
- December 20
Ezra F. Vogel
Ezra Vogel, American sociologist (born 1930)
- December 21
Great conjunction
A great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs, with the two planets separated in the sky by 0.1 degrees. This is the closest conjunction between the two planets since 1623.
- December 23
Leslie West
Leslie West, American singer and guitarist (born 1945)
- December 25
2020 Nashville bombing
An explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, occurs, leaving three civilians in the hospital.
- December 25
K.C. Jones
K. C. Jones, American basketball player and coach (born 1932)
- December 26
Brodie Lee
Brodie Lee, American Professional Wrestler (born 1979)
- December 29
2020 Petrinja earthquake
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits near the town of Petrinja in Sisak-Moslavina County, Croatia, killing seven people.
- December 29
Alexi Laiho
Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1979)
- December 29
Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin, Italian-French fashion designer (born 1922)
- December 29
Joe Louis Clark
Joe Louis Clark, American educator (born 1937)
- December 30
2020 Aden airport attack
A large explosion at the airport in the southern Yemeni city of Aden kills at least 22 people and wounds 50.
- December 30
Dawn Wells
Dawn Wells, American actress, (born 1938)
- December 31
COVID-19 vaccine
The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Questions about 2020
What happened in 2020?
This site records 372 entries for 2020, including Barry McDonald (rugby union) on January 1. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 2020?
6 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 2020 turns 6 this year.
Which century is 2020 in?
2020 falls in the 21st century, in the 2020s.
Which generation was born in 2020?
Generation Alpha (2013–2024). Born entirely in the 21st century.
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