Holidays Calendar for February 20, 2024
Heavenly Hundred Remembrance Day is an official commemorative day in Ukraine observed on February 20. It was established in 2015 by President Petro Poroshenko to honor the memory of those who died during the events of Euromaidan.
February 20 is Battle of Salta Day in Argentina. In 2013, it was celebrated as a public holiday to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle.
Most Indian states celebrate Statehood Day to commemorate the anniversary of their statehood. For example, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram celebrate their respective Statehood Days on March 20, because both states were granted statehood on this day in 1987.
Anniversaries and Memorial Days →
USA
National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants
The National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab and South Asian Immigrants is observed in the United States on February 20. It was created to support the groups of immigrants that are often affected by unjust treatment.
Independence Proclamation Day is an official holiday in the Malaysian state of Malacca. It commemorates the first proclamation of the independence of the Federation of Malaya on February 20, 1956.
Northern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo Day is one of bizarre Wellcat Holidays. It is held annually on February 20.
National Cherry Pie Day is celebrated annually on February 20. Today is a great day for all cherry pie lovers to enjoy their favorite pie all day long.
National Love Your Pet Day is observed by pet lovers in the United States and beyond on February 20. The creators of this unofficial holiday, whoever they are, suggest that you give your pets a little more attention than usual on this day to show them your love.
February 20 is a perfect day to have your favorite kind of muffins for breakfast because it is National Muffin Day. This holiday is special because it doesn’t just celebrate a popular food item, but it also raises awareness of homelessness and encourages people to give back to their communities.
World Day of Social Justice is a United Nations observance held annually on February 20. It was proclaimed by the General Assembly in 2007.
Festivals on February 20, 2024
- Singapore Airshow in Singapore, Singapore
- Taipei International Book Exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan
- Carnival of Basel in Basel, Switzerland
- Ice Music Festival in Geilo, Norway
- Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Dade City, USA
- Nice Carnival in Nice, France
- Menton Lemon Festival in Menton, France
- Festival du Voyageur in Winnipeg, Canada
- Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, Canada
- New Zealand Fringe Festival in Wellington, New Zealand
- Adelaide Fringe in Adelaide, Australia
- Havana International Book Fair in Havana, Cuba
- Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) in Jakarta, Indonesia
- Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in Berlin, Germany
- Perth Festival in Perth, Australia
This Day in History
- 2014 Dozens of people were gunned down by unknown snipers during the Euromaidan protests in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Almost 100 protesters were killed.
- 2013 The Kepler space telescope discovered the smallest extrasolar planet, Kepler-37b. Its radius is only slightly greater than that of the Moon.
- 2005 Died: Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author who is best known for his 1970 article The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved.
- 2003 Born: Olivia Rodrigo, American singer-songwriter and actress. She first rose to prominence for starring on Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
- 2001 Died: Rosemary DeCamp, American radio, film and television actress who first came to prominence due to her role as Judy Price in the radio series Dr. Christian.
- 1999 Died: Sarah Kane, English playwright whose published work consists of 5 plays: Blasted, Skin, Phaedra's Love, Cleansed, and Crave.
- 1996 Died: Solomon Asch, American gestalt psychologist and pioneer in social psychology who is best known for his conformity experiments.
- 1993 Died: Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian mechanic, entrepreneur, and industrialist best known for having founded Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1963.
- 1988 Born: Rihanna (stage name of Robyn Rihanna Fenty), Barbadian singer, actor, and fashion designer. She rose to international prominence in 2007.
- 1987 Born: Miles Teller, American actor known for his roles in The Spectacular Now, Whiplash, the Divergent film trilogy, Fantastic Four, War Dogs, and Top Gun: Maverick.
- 1986 The Soviet Union launched its Mir space station. The world's first modular space station, it was assembled on the orbit from 1986 to 1996.
- 1978 Born: Chelsea Peretti, American comedian, actress, television writer, singer, and songwriter. She is best known for portraying Gina Linetti in the comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
- 1976 Died: René Cassin, French lawyer, judge, and law professor who was awarded the 1968 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in drafting the UDHR.
- 1972 Died: Maria Goeppert-Mayer, German-born American physicist who was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model.
- 1971 The Emergency Broadcast System was accidentally activated. The accidental activation was terminated after 40 minutes and 6 incorrect cancellation messages.
- 1967 Born: Lili Taylor, American actress who is notable for her appearances in films such as Short Cuts, Ransom, I Shot Andy Warhol, and The Conjuring.
- 1967 Born: Kurt Cobain, American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist who is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the rock band Nirvana.
- 1966 Born: Cindy Crawford, American model, actress, and television personality who has adorned numerous magazine covers throughout her career.
- 1964 Born: Willie Garson, American actor best known for playing Stanford Blatch in the Sex and the City franchise and Mozzie on White Collar.
- 1954 Born: Anthony Head, English actor and singer who rose to international prominence with his role as Rupert Giles in the supernatural drama television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
- 1949 Born: Ivana Trump (born Ivana Marie Zelníčková), a former Czech-American athlete, fashion model, and socialite noted for her marriage to Donald Trump.
- 1946 Born: Riccardo Cocciante, Italian singer, composer, and musician. He is best known for composing Notre-Dame de Paris, a musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
- 1944 Died: Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck), American model and actress, Golden Globe winner. She is best known for her portrayal of ingenues.
- 1943 The Parícutin volcano began to form in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is unique in the fact that its evolution was witnessed, observed, and studied.
- 1937 Born: Robert Huber, German biochemist who was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Hartmut Michel and Johann Deisenhofer.
- 1935 Caroline Mikkelsen became the first woman to set foot on Antarctica. She participated in an expedition sponsored by Norwegian magnate Lars Christensen.
- 1933 The Congress proposed the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which eventually led to the end of Prohibition in the United States.
- 1926 Born: Richard Matheson, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter who is best known as the author of the 1954 horror novel I Am Legend.
- 1907 Died: Henri Moissan, French chemist who was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds.
- 1872 The Metropolitan Museum of Art (colloquially The Met) opened in New York City. It is the largest art museum in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world.
- 1844 Born: Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist and philosopher whose most important scientific contributions were in kinetic theory, including the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution.
- 1816 Gioachino Rossini's opera buffa The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution premiered at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
- 1794 Born: William Carleton, Irish writer who is best known for his Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry. It is considered his best achievement.
- 1792 President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act thus establishing the United States Post Office Department.
- 1762 Died: Tobias Mayer, German astronomer who is known for his studies of the Moon. He left behind a considerable quantity of manuscript material.
- 1547 At Westminster Abbey, Edward VI was crowned King of England at the age of nine. He was England's first monarch raised as a Protestant.