Holidays Calendar for May 20, 2025
The Republic of Cameroon celebrates its National Day on May 20. It commemorates the creation of a unitary state in 1972.
May 20 is Day of Remembrance in Cambodia. It commemorates the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime that ruled the country from 1975 to 1979. The commemoration was originally called the National Day of Hatred.
Public holidays in East Timor can be divided into two groups: Christian and Muslim religious feasts, and holidays that commemorate important events in the country’s liberation struggle. Independence Restoration Day celebrated on May 20 belongs to the latter group.
Public Holidays →
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Shackleton Day in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Despite having no permanent population, the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) has its own public holidays. One of them is Shackleton Day, which commemorates the arrival of the James Caird at South Georgia during Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
World Metrology Day is an annual global observance that commemorates the signing of the Metre Convention on May 20, 1875. The Convention was crucial for the development and implementation of the metric system.
International Clinical Trials Day is observed annually on May 20. It was created in 2005 by the non-profit organization European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN) to raise public awareness about the importance of clinical trials and support multinational clinical research.
International Red Sneakers Day is observed every May 20 to raise awareness of the dangers of food allergy. It was launched in 2018 by Red Sneakers for Oakley, a non-profit organization founded in memory of Oakley Debbs, an 11-year-old boy who died from anaphylaxis.
World Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis Day, also known as simply World Autoimmune Arthritis Day, is observed annually on May 20. It was created to raise awareness of various autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases that have inflammatory-driven arthritis as one of the main symptoms.
Day of Bank Employees (Bank Employee Day) is a Ukrainian professional holiday celebrated on May 20 each year. It was established in 2004 in order to highlight the important role of the banking system in the development of the country's economy and maintenance of financial stability.
Sign Language Interpreter Day is an annual professional holiday in Ukraine celebrated on May 20. It was established in 2009 by the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf (USD) and has been observed annually ever since.
Philippine Navy Day (Araw ng Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas) is an annual working holiday commemorating the founding anniversary of the Philippine Navy. It is celebrated on May 20.
European Maritime Day (EMD) is an annual observance held on May 20. It focuses on raising awareness of the seas of Europe and their importance.
The Volga Day is an ecological observance celebrated in Russia each year. The main events are held in the cities of the Volga basin, such as Nizhny Novgorod, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Kazan, Saratov and Yaroslavl.
National Rescue Dog Day in the United States is observed annually on May 20. It was founded to raise awareness of a huge number of amazing dogs who are waiting at shelters to be adopted by a loving family.
National Awakening Day (Hari Kebangkitan Nasional) is an Indonesian observance held annually on May 20. It commemorates the creation of the first Indonesian nationalist group, Budi Utomo, in 1908.
Emancipation Day, also known as Juneteenth, is a U. S. federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. However, some states also observe their own Emancipation Day on other dates. For example, Emancipation Day in Florida is observed on May 20.
May 20 is National Quiche Lorraine Day. It celebrates the most popular variant of quiche, a signature French tart.
National Streaming Day is celebrated unofficially on May 20. It was launched in 2014 by Roku, a brand of digital media players that offer access to streaming media content.
World Bee Day is an official United Nations observance held on May 20 each year. Its main goal is to raise awareness of the importance of bees for pollination and their contribution to sustainable development.
May 20 is Josephine Baker Day. This observance was instituted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1951 to honor Josephine Baker, American-French dancer, singer, actress, and civil rights activist.
This Day in History
- 2022 Russia claimed complete control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, four days after the surrender of the Azov Regiment at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works.
- 2019 Died: Niki Lauda, Austrian Formula One driver, a three-time F1 World Drivers' Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984, and an aviation entrepreneur.
- 2014 Two car bombs exploded in the city of Jos, Nigeria, killing at least 118 people. The terrorist attacks have been attributed to the Islamist movement Boko Haram.
- 2012 A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Emilia-Romania, Italy, killing 7 people. It destroyed all the churches and many of the factories in the area.
- 2012 Died: Eugene Polley, American engineer and engineering manager primarily known as the inventor of the first wireless television remote control.
- 2012 Died: Robin Gibb, English singer-songwriter and record producer best known as a member of the group Bee Gees, which he co-founded with his brothers.
- 2002 Died: Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, historian of science, and widely read author of popular science books.
- 1992 Born: Jack Gleeson, Irish actor best known for playing the role of Joffrey Baratheon on the HBO fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones.
- 1990 Born: Josh O'Connor, British actor. He is best known for his roles as Johnny Saxby in God's Own Country, Prince Charles in The Crown, and Patrick Zweig in Challengers.
- 1989 Died: John Hicks, British economist who was awarded the 1972 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science, sharing it with Kenneth Arrow.
- 1978 Born: Mike Flanagan, American filmmaker, best known for his horror work, including the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, and others.
- 1977 Born: Matt Czuchry, American actor best known for his roles as Logan Huntzberger on Gilmore Girls, Cary Agos on The Good Wife, and Conrad Hawkins on The Resident.
- 1972 Born: Busta Rhymes (stage name of Trevor George Smith Jr.), American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. As of 2024, He has received 12 Grammy Award nominations for his work.
- 1968 Born: Timothy Olyphant, American actor who received wide attention with his portrayal of Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood, later reprising the role in Deadwood: The Movie.
- 1965 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 (PK705) crashed during approach to Cairo International Airport, killing 121 of 127 people on board.
- 1954 The rock and roll song "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets was first released as a single. It was re-released in May 1955.
- 1948 Died: George Beurling, the most successful Canadian fighter pilot of the Second World War. He shot down 27 Axis aircraft in two weeks.
- 1947 Died: Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard, German physicist who was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on cathode rays.
- 1946 Born: Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian), American singer, songwriter, actress, record producer whose career in entertainment spans more than six decades.
- 1944 Born: Joe Cocker, English rock and blues singer and musician, Grammy Award winner. He was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.
- 1940 Died: Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish poet and novelist, member of the Swedish Academy. He was awarded the 1916 Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1932 American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart took off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic by a woman.
- 1918 Born: Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist who was awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing it with two other scientists.
- 1913 Born: William Redington Hewlett, American engineer and entrepreneur primarily remembered as co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company.
- 1899 Died: Carlotta Grisi, Italian ballet dancer who is primarily remembered as the first ballerina to dance the title role in Adolphe Adam's Giselle.
- 1895 Born: Reginald Joseph Mitchell, British aeronautical engineer who created the Supermarine Spitfire, an iconic Second World War fighter.
- 1882 Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the Triple Alliance. They promised each other mutual support in the event of an attack by any other great power.
- 1880 Died: Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse, considered the first in her country. She is best known for her volunteer work during the Paraguayan War.
- 1875 In Paris, representatives of 17 nations signed the Metre Convention, which set up an institute for coordinating the development of the metric system.
- 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a United States patent for blue jeans with copper rivets. The copper rivets were to reinforce the points of stress.
- 1860 Born: Eduard Buchner, German chemist and zymologist who was awarded the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on fermentation.
- 1830 Born: Hector Malot, French writer whose most famous book is Sans Famille (English title: Nobody's Boy or Alone in the World), published in 1878.
- 1822 Born: Frédéric Passy, French economist, political activist and peacemaker who was awarded the 1901 Nobel Peace prize, sharing it with Henry Dunant.
- 1806 Born: John Stuart Mill, British philosopher and political economist who made contributions to political economy, political theory, and social theory.
- 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte passed the law that reinstated slavery in the French colonies. However, many of the colonies refused to implement it.
- 1799 Born: Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright best known for his magnum opus La Comédie humaine (The Human Comedy), a sequence of novels and short stories.
- 1609 Shakespeare's sonnets were first published by Thomas Thorpe. This publication is considered the most important work of Thorpe's career.
- 1506 Died: Christopher Columbus, Italian navigator and explorer who is credited with the discovery of the Americas. He made four voyages to the New World.