On This Day — May 20
4234 noted people were born and 1935 died on May 20 in our archive, including Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca, Aleksander Hall and Alexandre de Lur Saluces.
Lists people with a recorded full birth or death date; people known only by year are not included.
Born on May 20
Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca
b. 1945
Aleksander Hall
b. 1953
Alexandre de Lur Saluces
1934 – 2023
Andrea Verga
1811 – 1895
André Berthelot
1862 – 1938
Anita Anand
b. 1967
Anna Scaife
b. 1981
Balabek Martirosian
1905 – 1972
Barbara Harrisson
1922 – 2015
Barbara Lochbihler
b. 1959
Ben Goldacre
b. 1974
Blas Cabrera Felipe
1878 – 1945
Cindy McCain
b. 1954
Claude Dagens
b. 1940
David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech
1918 – 1985
Dieter Rams
b. 1932
Eduard Buchner
1860 – 1917
Edward B. Lewis
1918 – 2004
Edward Raymond Ames
1806 – 1879
Edwin Griswold Nourse
1883 – 1974
Erika Cremer
1900 – 1996
Esko Aho
b. 1954
Ferdinand Zirkel
1838 – 1912
Geneviève Thibault de Chambure
1902 – 1975
George John Romanes
1848 – 1894
George Phillips Bond
1825 – 1865
Greg Dyke
b. 1947
Jo Gayle Howard
1951 – 2011
Johan Henrik Deuntzer
1845 – 1918
John Hedley Brooke
b. 1944
John Stuart Mill
1806 – 1873
Jonathan Sessler
b. 1956
Jordi Bascompte i Sacrest
b. 1967
Leonard Hayflick
1928 – 2024
Manindra Agrawal
b. 1966
Margaret Wilson
b. 1947
Martin Bodo Plenio
b. 1968
Max Euwe
1901 – 1981
Michael J. Flynn
1934 – 2025
Michael Oren
b. 1955
Mike Crapo
b. 1951
Paul-André Crépeau
1926 – 2011
R. J. Mitchell
1895 – 1937
Rafał Perl
b. 1981
Wei Jingsheng
b. 1950
Adela Rogers St. Johns
1894 – 1988
Ahmad Alhendawi
b. 1984
Aitor Arregi
b. 1977
Aivis Ronis
b. 1968
Ajayan Vinu
b. 1976
Alastair Hamilton
b. 1941
Alf Allen
1912 – 1987
Alfred Domett
1811 – 1887
Alfred Heurtaux
1893 – 1985
Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland
1810 – 1899
Algirdas Paleckis
b. 1971
Alison Criscitiello
b. 1981
Amidu Chinnia Issahaku
b. 1978
Amélie Rorty
1932 – 2020
Andrzej Drawicz
1932 – 1997
Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch
1800 – 1856
Antoinette Brown Blackwell
1825 – 1921
Anton Zeilinger
b. 1945
Arthur Wint
1920 – 1992
Boris Akunin
b. 1956
Borys Mykolaiovych Martos
1879 – 1977
Caesar Rudolf Boettger
1888 – 1976
Charles Moskos
1934 – 2008
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
b. 1964
Charles de Grandmaison
1824 – 1903
Chaïm Perelman
1912 – 1984
Chris Collins
b. 1950
Christo Grozev
b. 1969
Christoph Zielinski
b. 1952
Corneliu Coposu
1914 – 1995
D. French Slaughter, Jr.
1925 – 1998
Dan Diner
b. 1946
Danila Papp
1868 – 1950
Daria Lantratova
b. 1984
David M. Walker
1944 – 2001
David McClelland
1917 – 1998
David Paterson
b. 1954
Denise Trauth
b. 1947
Eduard Totleben
1818 – 1884
Edward Mead Earle
1894 – 1954
Egon Jüttner
b. 1942
Elena Borisovna Yanovskaya
b. 1938
Elizaveta Levina
b. 1974
Emile Berliner
1851 – 1929
Enn Tõugu
1935 – 2020
Erri De Luca
b. 1950
Eyre Coote
1762 – 1823
Fadel Muhammad
b. 1952
Francine Leca
1938 – 2024
Francisco Chahuán
b. 1971
Franciszek Macharski
1927 – 2016
Frederik Wilhelm Bugge
1838 – 1896
Friedrich Hartogs
1874 – 1943
Friedrich Wilhelm Schubert
1799 – 1868
Frédéric Liguori Béique
1845 – 1933
Frédéric Passy
1822 – 1912
Georg Gottfried Gervinus
1805 – 1871
George Dashwood Taubman Goldie
1846 – 1925
Georges de Porto-Riche
1849 – 1930
Gerd Rubenbauer
b. 1948
Gerhard Huisken
b. 1958
Giorgos Vasiliou
1931 – 2026
Giuliano Pisapia
b. 1949
Giuseppe Siri
1906 – 1989
Goh Chok Tong
b. 1941
Graham Brady
b. 1967
Gustav von Mevissen
1815 – 1899
Gustaw Herling-Grudziński
1919 – 2000
Guy Favreau
1917 – 1967
Hagigat Rzayeva
1907 – 1969
Hans Föllmer
b. 1941
Hans Meerwein
1879 – 1965
Harry Jacob Anslinger
1892 – 1975
Heidrun Silhavy
b. 1956
Heiki Raudla
b. 1949
Henk van der Zwan
b. 1956
Henri Mondor
1885 – 1962
Henry Cotton
1821 – 1892
Henry Gantt
1861 – 1919
Henry Seely White
1861 – 1943
Henryk Ostaszewski
1892 – 1957
Herbert Hirche
1910 – 2002
Hermann Emminghaus
1845 – 1904
Hideko Maehata
1914 – 1995
Hiram Edmund Deats
1870 – 1963
Honoré de Balzac
1799 – 1850
Hortensia Herrero Chacón
b. 1950
Hubert Ponscarme
1827 – 1903
Hugh Berryman
b. 1949
Iain Vallance, Baron Vallance of Tummel
b. 1943
Ibrahim El-Orabi
1931 – 2019
Israel Gutman
1923 – 2013
Ivo Bruns
1853 – 1901
Izabela Mrzygłocka
1959 – 2024
Jaakko Laakso
b. 1948
Jalia Bintu
b. 1967
James Reynolds
b. 1974
Janetta McStay
1917 – 2012
Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt
1785 – 1874
John Carney
b. 1956
John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron Astor of Hever
1886 – 1971
John Landgraf
b. 1962
John Marshall Harlan II
1899 – 1971
John V. Fleming
1936 – 2026
John White Webster
1793 – 1850
Jon Meacham
b. 1969
José Mujica
1935 – 2025
Karl Brandi
1868 – 1946
Karl von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach
1856 – 1939
Kaya Yanar
b. 1973
Leland S. Kollmorgen
1927 – 2025
Lennart Levi
1930 – 2024
Lisa Kron
b. 1961
Luc Courchesne
b. 1952
Lydia Cabrera
1900 – 1991
Maciej Gdula
b. 1977
Malcolm Nokes
1897 – 1986
Marcela Iacub
b. 1964
Mark Roberts
b. 1961
Marlene Zuk
b. 1956
Mary L. Washington
b. 1962
Masahiro Ishida
b. 1967
Maurice L'Abbé
1920 – 2006
Melbourne McTaggart Tait
1842 – 1917
Michał Listkiewicz
b. 1953
Miriam Leonard
b. 1977
Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari
b. 1958
Moshe Dayan
1915 – 1981
Najam Sethi
b. 1948
Nancy Fraser
b. 1947
Oscar Larson
1871 – 1957
Otto Jelinek
1940 – 2026
Otto Rössler
b. 1940
Paul Fournel
b. 1947
Pavel Batov
1897 – 1985
Pavel Jungwirth
1966 – 2026
Peter Diamandis
b. 1961
Peter Dusek
1945 – 2024
Peter Lee Ka-kit
b. 1963
Peter von Matt
1937 – 2025
Petrit Dume
1920 – 1975
Philip Hannan
1913 – 2011
Qyrymbek Kösherbaev
b. 1955
Rahile Dawut
b. 1966
Raymond Chrétien
b. 1942
Raymond Forni
1941 – 2008
Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley
1744 – 1804
Robert Doyle
b. 1953
Robert Heath
1575 – 1649
Roberta Pinotti
b. 1961
Roger Louret
1950 – 2023
Roi Cohen Kadosh
b. 1976
Rufus Black
b. 1969
Sabir Rustamkhanli
b. 1946
Sam Selvon
1923 – 1994
… and 4,034 more
Died on May 20
Nevil Story Maskelyne
1823 – 1911
Philipp Lenard
1862 – 1947
Theodor Wilhelm Engelmann
1843 – 1909
Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov
1951 – 2017
Cleve Moler
1939 – 2026
Creu Casas Sicart
1913 – 2007
David Penny
1938 – 2024
Edward Goschen
1847 – 1924
Erland Samuel Bring
1736 – 1798
Francisco Brines
1932 – 2021
Georges Marçais
1876 – 1962
Harry von Eckermann
1886 – 1969
Jayant Vishnu Narlikar
1938 – 2025
Jean Daniélou
1905 – 1974
Jean-Louis Vaudoyer
1883 – 1963
Jürgen Ehlers
1929 – 2008
M.R. Srinivasan
1930 – 2025
Marc Tiffeneau
1873 – 1945
Sandy D'Alemberte
1933 – 2019
Stanley Miller
1930 – 2007
Stephen Jay Gould
1941 – 2002
William Hallowes Miller
1801 – 1880
Włodzimierz Antoniewicz
1893 – 1973
Abraham Pihl
1756 – 1821
Ada Mary à Beckett
1872 – 1948
Adolfo Nicolás
1936 – 2020
Alexander Ecker
1816 – 1887
Alexander Fersman
1883 – 1945
Andrey Osterman
1686 – 1747
Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou
1891 – 1949
Axel Gustav Adlercreutz
1821 – 1880
Bipin Chandra Pal
1858 – 1932
Carl Eric Almgren
1913 – 2001
Charles Francis Adams Jr.
1835 – 1915
E. R. Ward Neale
1923 – 2008
Edward Adeane
1939 – 2015
Edwin E. Witte
1887 – 1960
Effie J. Taylor
1874 – 1970
Ernst von Dobschütz
1870 – 1934
Fernando Mac Dowell
1945 – 2018
Gaspare Gorresio
1808 – 1891
Gennady Igumnov
1936 – 2021
George-Étienne Cartier
1814 – 1873
Gheorghe Buzatu
1939 – 2013
Gilbert Murray
1866 – 1957
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
1757 – 1834
Grigoriy Levitskiy
1878 – 1942
Gustav Graben-Hoffmann
1820 – 1900
Gustave Vogt
1781 – 1870
Harry H. Vaughan
1893 – 1981
Helen B. Taussig
1898 – 1986
Henric Benzelius
1689 – 1758
Henry Seely White
1861 – 1943
Howard C. Nielson
1924 – 2020
Irina Zarubina
1907 – 1976
Irving J. Selikoff
1915 – 1992
Jacob Moleschott
1822 – 1893
James Augustine Shannon
1904 – 1994
Jean E. Sammet
1928 – 2017
Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin
1821 – 1910
Jean-Louis de Rambures
1930 – 2006
Jean-Pierre Rampal
1922 – 2000
Jeheskel Shoshani
1943 – 2008
Johann Georg Gmelin
1709 – 1755
John David Jackson
1925 – 2016
John Milliken Parker, Sr
1863 – 1939
John Richard Hicks
1904 – 1989
John Stone Stone
1869 – 1943
John Trevor
1637 – 1717
John XXI
1215 – 1277
Josip Jelačić
1801 – 1859
Joy Corning
1932 – 2017
Jules Duprato
1827 – 1892
Kang Sok-ju
1939 – 2016
Karl von Kirchbach auf Lauterbach
1856 – 1939
Karol Olgierd Borchardt
1905 – 1986
Kiyohiko Ushihara
1897 – 1985
Kote Abkhazi
1867 – 1923
Lars Clausen
1935 – 2010
Leonard Ornstein
1880 – 1941
Leonard Wolfson, Baron Wolfson
1927 – 2010
Loisette M. Marsh
1928 – 2021
Lujo Tončić-Sorinj
1915 – 2005
László Somogyi
1907 – 1988
Marina von Neumann Whitman
1935 – 2025
Michael Roemer
1928 – 2025
Nobutsune Oda
1889 – 1967
P. S. Subrahmanya Sastri
1890 – 1978
Paul Ricœur
1913 – 2005
Pierre Abraham
1892 – 1974
Pim van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout
1892 – 1986
Randy Savage
1952 – 2011
Ronald Wallace
1916 – 2008
Serafim Saca
1935 – 2011
Stepan Shevyryov
1806 – 1864
Svenn Stray
1922 – 2012
Syed Abdullah Khalid
1945 – 2017
Trần Đức Lương
1937 – 2025
Tymoteusz
1901 – 1962
Valentine Fleming
1882 – 1917
Virgilio Barco Vargas
1921 – 1997
Vladimir Vazov
1868 – 1945
Walter Höllerer
1922 – 2003
Warren Magnuson
1905 – 1989
William S. Benson
1855 – 1932
Aaro Pakaslahti
1903 – 1969
Abulhasan
1906 – 1986
Alexander Thomson of Banchory
1798 – 1868
Alfred Palmer
1852 – 1936
Alfred Schütz
1899 – 1959
Alfred Witkon
1910 – 1984
Alfredo Pujol
1865 – 1930
Ali Sadikin
1926 – 2008
Ana Néri
1814 – 1880
Andrey Baklan
1917 – 1985
Andrey Yumashev
1902 – 1988
Anthony Athanas
1911 – 2005
Anton Žebrak
1901 – 1965
Antoni Jakubski
1885 – 1962
Archie Cecil Thomas White
1890 – 1971
Arthur Arnold
1833 – 1902
Arthur C. Neville
1850 – 1929
Ashley Mulgrave Gould
1859 – 1921
Axel Lagerbielke
1703 – 1782
Barbara Hepworth
1903 – 1975
Betty Reed
1941 – 2022
Billy Cannon
1937 – 2018
Björn Collinder
1894 – 1983
Božena Machačová-Dostálová
1903 – 1973
Brandon Grove
1929 – 2016
Brian Shul
1948 – 2023
Butterworth Bayley
1781 – 1860
Camilo Osías
1889 – 1976
Carl Van Dyke
1881 – 1919
Carlo Promis
1808 – 1873
Carol Mann
1941 – 2018
Charles Brasch
1909 – 1973
Charles C. Reid
1868 – 1922
Charles Camoin
1879 – 1965
Charles Skelton
1806 – 1879
Charles W. Robinson
1919 – 2014
Chhanda Gayen
1979 – 2014
Clarence E. Kilburn
1893 – 1975
Clement Warner
1836 – 1916
Colin Campbell
1944 – 2022
Colston Warne
1900 – 1987
Count Hieronymus von Colloredo
1732 – 1812
Craig Wadsworth
1872 – 1960
Crispin Beltran
1933 – 2008
David Littman
1933 – 2012
David Raziel
1910 – 1941
David Ridgway
1938 – 2012
De Witt C. Badger
1858 – 1926
Dietrich Ludwig Gustav Karsten
1768 – 1810
Diogo Gonçalves de Travassos
1390 – 1449
Dora Lush
1910 – 1943
Eduard Brückner
1862 – 1927
Edward Dean Adams
1846 – 1931
Edward Hardcastle
1862 – 1945
Edward Trobaugh
1932 – 2024
Emeka Enejere
1944 – 2016
Enrico Gasparri
1871 – 1946
Ernest Noel
1831 – 1931
Ernst zu Münster
1766 – 1839
Esmé Frances Hennessy
1933 – 2023
Ettore Ciccotti
1863 – 1939
Eugene Polley
1915 – 2012
Eugène, 8th Prince of Ligne
1804 – 1880
Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II
1921 – 1975
Franklin W. Olin
1860 – 1951
Fraser Barron
1921 – 1944
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
1817 – 1885
Frederick W. M. Holliday
1828 – 1899
Frédéric François-Marsal
1874 – 1958
Gejza Josipović
1857 – 1934
Georg Joos
1894 – 1959
George Herbert Farrar
1859 – 1915
George Sidney Marshall
1869 – 1956
Gilda Radner
1946 – 1989
Giovanni Colombo
1902 – 1992
Gunder Anton Jahren
1858 – 1933
Guram Sharadze
1940 – 2007
Györgyi Lang
1957 – 2023
Gōgen Yamaguchi
1909 – 1989
Haldor Topsøe
1913 – 2013
Hamilton Jordan
1944 – 2008
Hans Kehr
1862 – 1916
Hans Przibram
1874 – 1944
Harold S. Tolley
1894 – 1956
Harri Lumi
1933 – 2025
Hector Guimard
1867 – 1942
Henry A. Wiley
1867 – 1943
Henry Belasyse
1604 – 1647
Henry Duke, 1st Baron Merrivale
1855 – 1939
Henry Meigs
1782 – 1861
Henry S. Foote
1804 – 1880
Hildebrand Dezső Várkonyi
1888 – 1971
Horace Finaly
1871 – 1945
Hugues Delorme
1868 – 1942
Ignác Martinovics
1755 – 1795
… and 1,735 more