October 20

Events

1548 – The city of Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace) is founded by Alonso de Mendoza by appointment of the king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

1568 –Battle of Jodoigne: the Spanish Duke of Alba defeats a Dutch rebel force under William the Silent.

1572 – Relief of Goes: Cristóbal de Mondragón, with 3000 soldiers of the Spanish Tercios, relieves the siege of the city.

1720 – Caribbean pirate Calico Jack is captured by the Royal Navy.

1740 – Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession begins.

1781 – The Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy.

1803 – The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.

1818 – The Convention of 1818 is signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which settles the Canada–United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.

1827 – In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French, and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships.

1873 – Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules.

1883 – Peru and Chile sign the Treaty of Ancón, by which the Tarapacá province is ceded to the latter, bringing an end to Peru's involvement in the War of the Pacific.

1904 – Chile and Bolivia sign the Treaty of Peace and Friendship, delimiting the border between the two countries.

1910 – The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1935 – The Long March, a mammoth retreat undertaken by the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party a year prior, ends.

1939 – Pope Pius XII publishes his first major encyclical, entitled Summi Pontificatus.

1941 – World War II: Thousands of civilians in Kragujevac in German-occupied Serbia are murdered in the Kragujevac massacre.

1944 – The Soviet Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia

1944 – Liquefied natural gas leaks from storage tanks in Cleveland and then explodes; the explosion and resulting fire level 30 blocks and kill 130.

1944 – American general Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines when he commands an Allied assault on the islands, reclaiming them from the Japanese during the Second World War.

1946 – Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam decides that October 20 is Vietnam Women's Day.

1947 – The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of the cinema of the United States, resulting in a blacklist that prevents some from working in the industry for years.

1947 – The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan establish diplomatic relations for the first time.

1951 – The "Johnny Bright incident" occurs in Stillwater, Oklahoma

1952 – Governor Evelyn Baring declares a state of emergency in Kenya and begins arresting hundreds of suspected leaders of the Mau Mau Uprising, including Jomo Kenyatta, the future first President of Kenya.

1961 – The Soviet Union performs the first armed test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile, launching an R-13 from a Golf-class submarine.

1962 – People's Republic of China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War.

1968 – Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.

1973 – "Saturday Night Massacre": United States President Richard Nixon fires U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who is finally fired by Robert Bork.

1973 – The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction.

1976 – The ferry George Prince is struck by a ship while crossing the Mississippi River between Destrehan and Luling, Louisiana. Seventy-eight passengers and crew die, and only 18 people aboard the ferry survive.

1977 – Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crashes.

1981 – Two police officers and an armored car guard are killed during an armed robbery in Rockland County, New York, carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground.

1982 – During the UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem, 66 people are crushed to death in the Luzhniki disaster.

1991 – A 6.8 M_w earthquake strikes the Uttarkashi region of India, killing more than 1,000 people.

2011 – Libyan Civil War: National Transitional Council rebel forces capture ousted Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte and kill him shortly thereafter.

Births

888 – Zhu Youzhen, emperor of Later Liang (d. 923)

1475 – Giovanni di Bernardo Rucellai Italian poet and playwright (d. 1525)

1496 – Claude, Duke of Guise (d. 1550)

1616 – Thomas Bartholin, Danish physician, mathematician, and theologian (d. 1680)

1620 – Aelbert Cuyp, Dutch painter (d. 1691)

1632 – Christopher Wren, English physicist, mathematician, and architect, designed St Paul's Cathedral (d. 1723)

1660 – Robert Bertie, 1st Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (d. 1723)

1677 – Stanisław I of Poland (d. 1766)

1711 – Timothy Ruggles, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, (d. 1795)

1719 – Gottfried Achenwall, German historian, economist, and jurist (d. 1772)

1740 – Isabelle de Charrière, Dutch author and poet (d. 1805)

1759 – Chauncey Goodrich, American lawyer and politician, 8th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (d. 1815)

1780 – Pauline Bonaparte, French sister of Napoleon (d. 1825)

1784 – Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1865)

1785 – George Ormerod, English historian and author (d. 1873)

1790 – Patrick Matthew. Scottish farmer and biologist (d. 1874)

1801 – Melchior Berri, Swiss architect and educator, designed the Natural History Museum of Basel (d. 1854)

1808 – Karl Andree, German geographer and journalist (d. 1875)

1819 – Báb, Iranian religious leader, founded Bábism (d. 1850)

1819 – Karol Mikuli, Ukrainian-Polish pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1897)

1822 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and judge (d. 1896)

1832 – Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (d. 1894)

1846 – Naim Frashëri, Albanian poet and writer (d.1900)

1847 – Frits Thaulow, Norwegian painter (d. 1906)

1854 – Arthur Rimbaud, French soldier and poet (d. 1891)

1858 – John Burns, English union leader and politician, President of the Board of Trade (d. 1943)

1859 – John Dewey, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 1952)

1864 – James F. Hinkle, American banker and politician, 6th Governor of New Mexico (d. 1951)

1873 – Nellie McClung, Canadian politician and activist (d. 1951)

1874 – Charles Ives, American composer (d. 1954)

1882 – Margaret Dumont, American actress (d. 1965)

1882 – Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-American actor (d. 1956)

1885 – Jelly Roll Morton, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (Red Hot Peppers and New Orleans Rhythm Kings) (d. 1941)

1887 – Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan (d. 1981)

1889 – Johann Gruber, Austrian priest and saint (d. 1944)

1890 – Aleksander Maaker, Estonian bagpipe player (d. 1968)

1891 – Samuel Flagg Bemis, American historian and author (d. 1973)

1891 – James Chadwick, English physicist and academic, NobePrize laureate (d. 1974)

1893 – Charley Chase, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1940)

1894 – Olive Thomas, American model and actress (d. 1920)

1895 – Rex Ingram, American actor (d. 1969)

1895 – Morrie Ryskind, American writer/director (d. 1985)

1897 – Yi Un, South Korean general (d. 1970)

1900 – Wayne Morse, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician (d. 1974)

1901 – Frank Churchill, American film composer (d. 1942)

1901 – Adelaide Hall, American-English singer, actress, and dancer (d. 1993)

1904 – Tommy Douglas, Scottish-Canadian minister and politician, 7th Premier of Saskatchewan (d. 1986)

1904 – Enolia McMillan, American educator and activist (d. 2006)

1904 – Anna Neagle, English actress, singer, and producer (d. 1986)

1907 – Arlene Francis, American actress and television personality (d. 2001)

1909 – Carla Laemmle, American actress and photographer (d. 2014)

1909 – Yasushi Sugiyama, Japanese painter (d. 1993)

1910 – Chen Liting, Chinese director and playwright (d. 2013)

1910 – Hopper Read, English cricketer (d. 2000)

1910 – Bob Sheppard, American sportscaster (d. 2010)

1912 – Ruhi Su, Turkish singer-songwriter (d. 1985)

1913 – Grandpa Jones, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (d. 1998)

1914 – Fayard Nicholas, American actor, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2006)

1917 – Stéphane Hessel, German-French activist and diplomat (d. 2013)

1917 – Jean-Pierre Melville, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)

1918 – Martin Drewes, German soldier and pilot (d. 2013)

1918 – Robert Lochner, American-German soldier and journalist (d. 2003)

1919 – Tracy Hall, American chemist and academic (d. 2008)

1920 – Nick Cardy, American illustrator (d. 2013)

1920 – Fanny de Sivers, Estonian-French linguist and academic (d. 2011)

1920 – Siddhartha Shankar Ray, Indian lawyer and politician, Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 2010)

1921 – Manny Ayulo, American racing driver (d. 1955)

1921 – Hans Warren, Dutch poet and author (d. 2001)

1922 – John Anderson, American actor (d. 1992)

1922 – Franco Ventriglia, American opera singer (d. 2012)

1923 – Robert Craft, American conductor and musicologist (d. 2015)

1924 – Robert Peters, American poet, playwright, and critic (d. 2014)

1925 – Art Buchwald, American soldier and journalist (d. 2007)

1925 – Tom Dowd, American record producer and engineer (d. 2002)

1925 – Roger Hanin, Algerian-French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2015)

1926 – Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, English lieutenant and politician, founded the National Motor Museum (d. 2015)

1927 – Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, author, and actress (d. 2013)

1927 – Gunturu Seshendra Sarma, Indian poet and critic (d. 2007)

1928 – Michael O'Donnell, English physician, author, and journalist

1931 – Richard Caliguiri, American lawyer and politician, 54th Mayor of Pittsburgh (d. 1988)

1931 – Mickey Mantle, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1995)

1931 – Ken Morrison, English businessman

1932 – Rosey Brown, American football player and coach (d. 2004)

1932 – William Christopher, American actor and singer (d. 2016)

1932 – Rokurō Naya, Japanese voice actor (d. 2014)

1933 – Barrie Chase, American actress and dancer

1934 – Bill Chase, American trumpet player (d. 1974)

1934 – Eddie Harris, American saxophonist (d. 1996)

1935 – Jerry Orbach, American actor and singer (d. 2004)

1936 – Bobby Seale, American activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party

1937 – Cancio Garcia, Filipino lawyer and jurist (d. 2013)

1937 – Wanda Jackson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1937 – Juan Marichal, Dominican baseball player and sportscaster

1937 – Emma Tennant, English author

1938 – Emidio Greco, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2012)

1938 – Iain Macmillan, Scottish photographer and educator (d. 2006)

1939 – Patrick Hughes, English painter, illustrator, and photographer

1940 – Kathy Kirby, English singer (d. 2011)

1940 – Robert Pinsky, American poet and critic

1942 – Earl Hindman, American actor (d. 2003)

1942 – Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, German biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate

1942 – Bart Zoet, Dutch cyclist (d. 1992)

1943 – Dunja Vejzović, Croatian soprano and actress

1944 – Nalin de Silva, Sri Lankan physicist and philosopher

1944 – David Mancuso, American party planner, created The Loft (d. 2016)

1946 – Diana Gittins, American-English sociologist, author, and academic

1946 – Lewis Grizzard, American comedian and author (d. 1994)

1946 – Elfriede Jelinek, Austrian author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate

1946 – Richard Loncraine, English director and screenwriter

1946 – Lucien Van Impe, Belgian cyclist

1946 – Chris Woodhead, English civil servant and academic (d. 2015)

1948 – Sandra Dickinson, American-English actress and composer

1948 – Piet Hein Donner, Dutch jurist and politician, Dutch Minister of Justice

1948 – Melih Gökçek, Turkish journalist and politician, Mayor of Ankara

1949 – Valeriy Borzov, Ukrainian-Russian sprinter

1950 – Tom Petty, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1950 – William Russ, American actor and director

1951 – Al Greenwood, American keyboard player

1951 – Patrick Hall, English lawyer and politician

1951 – Ken Ham, Australian-American evangelist

1951 – Leif Pagrotsky, Swedish businessman and politician

1951 – Claudio Ranieri, Italian footballer and manager

1952 – Melanie Mayron, American actress and director

1952 – Derek Ridgers, English photographer and art director

1953 – Keith Hernandez, American baseball player and sportscaster

1953 – Richard McWilliam, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Upper Deck Company (d. 2013)

1954 – Steve Orich, American composer and conductor

1955 – Thomas Newman, American composer and conductor

1955 – David Profumo, English author and academic

1955 – Aaron Pryor, American boxer

1956 – Danny Boyle, English director, producer, and screenwriter

1956 – Martin Taylor, English guitarist

1957 – Jane Bonham-Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, English politician

1957 – Chris Cowdrey, English cricketer and sportscaster

1957 – Hilda Solis, American academic and politician, 25th United States Secretary of Labor

1958 – Valerie Faris, American director and producer

1958 – Lynn Flewelling, American author and academic

1958 – Scott Hall, American wrestler

1958 – Mark King, English singer-songwriter and bass player

1958 – Dave Krieg, American football player

1958 – Viggo Mortensen, American actor and producer

1959 – Mark Little, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter

1960 – Konstantin Aseev, Russian chess player and trainer (d. 2004)

1961 – Audun Kleive, Norwegian drummer and composer

1961 – Kate Mosse, English author and playwright

1961 – Ian Rush, Welsh footballer and manager

1961 – Les Stroud, Canadian director, producer, and harmonica player

1961 – Michie Tomizawa, Japanese voice actress and singer

1962 – David M. Evans, American director and screenwriter

1962 – Dave Wong, Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor

1963 – Julie Payette, Canadian engineer and astronaut

1963 – Nikos Tsiantakis, Greek footballer

1963 – Stan Valckx, Dutch footballer and manager

1964 – Kamala Harris, American lawyer and politician, 32nd Attorney General of California

1964 – Tomoko Yamaguchi, Japanese actress and singer

1965 – Norman Blake, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1965 – Jonathan I. Schwartz, American businessman

1965 – Mikhail Shtalenkov, Russian ice hockey player

1965 – William Zabka, American actor and producer

1966 – Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Jordanian militant Islamist (d. 2006)

1966 – Allan Donald, South African cricketer and coach

1966 – Patrick Volkerding, American computer scientist and engineer, founded Slackware

1967 – Elizabeth Carling, English actress and singer

1967 – Kerrod Walters, Australian rugby league player

1967 – Kevin Walters, Australian rugby league player and coach

1968 – Susan Tully, English actress, director, and producer

1969 – Laurie Daley, Australian rugby league player and coach

1969 – Juan González, Puerto Rican-American baseball player

1969 – Labros Papakostas, Greek high jumper

1970 – Sander Boschker, Dutch footballer

1970 – Neil Heywood, English-Chinese businessman (d. 2011)

1970 – Aapo Ilves, Estonian poet and illustrator

1970 – Michelle Malkin, American blogger and author

1971 – Snoop Dogg, American rapper, producer, and actor

1971 – Eddie Jones, American basketball player

1971 – Kamiel Maase, Dutch runner

1971 – Dannii Minogue, Australian singer-songwriter and actress

1972 – Pie Geelen, Dutch swimmer

1972 – Will Greenwood, English rugby player and sportscaster

1972 – Brian Schatz, American academic and politician, 11th Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii

1974 – Bashar Rahal, Emirati-American actor and producer

1976 – Nikolaos Bacharidis, Greek footballer

1976 – Dan Fogler, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1976 – Nicola Legrottaglie, Italian footballer and manager

1977 – Matt Jansen, English footballer and manager

1977 – Leila Josefowicz, Canadian-American violinist

1977 – Erko Saviauk, Estonian footballer

1978 – Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer

1978 – Paul Wilson, Scottish bass player and songwriter

1979 – Vasyl Baranov, Ukrainian footballer

1979 – Paul Ifill, English footballer

1979 – John Krasinski, American actor, director, and producer

1979 – Paul O'Connell, Irish rugby player

1979 – Paul Terek, American decathlete

1980 – Gary Jarman, English singer-songwriter and bass player

1980 – Chad Robinson, Australian rugby league player (d. 2016)

1980 – José Veras, Dominican baseball player

1981 – Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek footballer

1981 – Francisco Javier Rodríguez, Mexican footballer

1982 – Kristian Bak Nielsen, Danish footballer

1982 – Becky Brewerton, Welsh golfer

1982 – Katie Featherston, American actress

1983 – Flavio Cipolla, Italian tennis player

1983 – Luis Saritama, Ecuadorian footballer

1983 – Michel Vorm, Dutch footballer

1984 – Mitch Lucker, American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)

1984 – Florent Sinama Pongolle, French footballer

1984 – Andrew Trimble, Irish rugby player

1985 – Jennifer Freeman, American actress

1985 – Dominic McGuire, American basketball player

1985 – Alphonso Smith, American football player

1985 – James Sutton, English race car driver

1986 – Wanlop Saechio, Thai footballer

1986 – Elyse Taylor, Australian model

1987 – Raphael Hackl, German rugby player

1988 – Candice Swanepoel, South African model

1989 – Jess Glynne, English singer-songwriter

1989 – Colin Wilson, Canadian-American ice hockey player

1990 – Sam Mataora, Cook Islands rugby league player

1992 – Mattia De Sciglio, Italian footballer

1992 – Ksenia Semyonova, Russian gymnast

1992 – Ferhat Yazgan, Turkish footballer

Deaths

460 – Aelia Eudocia, Byzantine wife of Theodosius II (b. 401)

1122 – Ralph d'Escures, archbishop of Canterbury

1139 – Henry X, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1108)

1187 – Pope Urban III

1327 – Teresa d'Entença, Countess of Urgell (b. 1300)

1401 – Klaus Störtebeker, German pirate

1423 – Henry Bowet, Archbishop of York

1439 – Ambrose the Camaldulian, Italian theologian

1438 – Jacopo della Quercia, Sienese sculptor (b. c. 1374)

1524 – Thomas Linacre, English physician and scholar (b. 1460)

1570 – João de Barros, Portuguese historian and author (b. 1496)

1631 – Michael Maestlin, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1550)

1640 – John Ball, English clergyman and theologian (b. 1585)

1652 – Antonio Coello, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1611)

1713 – Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician and academic (b. 1652)

1740 – Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1685)

1865 – Champ Ferguson, American guerrilla leader (b. 1821)

1870 – Michael William Balfe, Irish violinist and composer (b. 1808)

1871 – Karl Christian Ulmann, Latvian-German theologian and academic (b. 1793)

1883 – George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall (b. 1797)

1890 – Richard Francis Burton, English-Italian geographer and explorer (b. 1821)

1900 – Naim Frashëri, Albanian poet and translator (b. 1846)

1910 – David B. Hill, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of New York (b. 1843)

1926 – Eugene V. Debs, American union leader and politician (b. 1855)

1935 – Arthur Henderson, Scottish-English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1863)

1936 – Anne Sullivan, American educator (b. 1866)

1940 – Gunnar Asplund, Swedish architect and academic, co-designed Skogskyrkogården (b. 1885)

1941 – Ken Farnes, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1911)

1950 – Henry L. Stimson, American colonel, lawyer, and politician, 46th United States Secretary of State (b. 1867)

1953 – Werner Baumbach, German colonel and pilot (b. 1916)

1957 – Michalis Dorizas, Greek-American javelin thrower and football player (b. 1890)

1964 – Herbert Hoover, American engineer and politician, 31st President of the United States (b. 1874)

1967 – Shigeru Yoshida, Japanese politician and diplomat, 32nd Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1878)

1968 – Bud Flanagan, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1896)

1972 – Harlow Shapley, American astronomer and academic (b. 1885)

1977 – Steve Gaines, American guitarist (b. 1949)

1977 – Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)

1978 – Gunnar Nilsson, Swedish race car driver (b. 1948)

1983 – Yves Thériault, Canadian author (b. 1915)

1983 – Merle Travis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1917)

1984 – Carl Ferdinand Cori, Czech-American biochemist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1896)

1984 – Paul Dirac, English-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)

1987 – Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1903)

1988 – Sheila Scott, English pilot and author (b. 1922)

1989 – Anthony Quayle, English actor and director (b. 1913)

1990 – Joel McCrea, American actor (b. 1905)

1992 – Werner Torkanowsky, German-American conductor (b. 1926)

1993 – Yasushi Sugiyama, Japanese painter (b. 1909)

1994 – Burt Lancaster, American actor (b. 1913)

1995 – Christopher Stone, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1942)

1999 – Calvin Griffith, Canadian-American businessman (b. 1911)

1999 – Jack Lynch, Irish footballer, lawyer, and politician, 5th Taoiseach of Ireland (b. 1917)

2001 – Ted Ammon, American financier and banker (b. 1949)

2003 – Jack Elam, American actor (b. 1918)

2004 – Anthony Hecht, American poet and educator (b. 1923)

2004 – Chuck Hiller, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1934)

2005 – Shirley Horn, American singer and pianist (b. 1934)

2005 – Eva Švankmajerová, Czech painter and poet (b. 1940)

2005 – André van der Louw, Dutch lawyer and politician, 16th Mayor of Rotterdam (b. 1933)

2006 – Arnold Viiding, Estonian shot putter and discus thrower (b. 1911)

2006 – Jane Wyatt, American actress (b. 1910)

2007 – Max McGee, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1932)

2008 – Gene Hickerson, American football player (b. 1935)

2010 – Bob Guccione, American publisher, founded Penthouse magazine (b. 1930)

2010 – Eva Ibbotson, Austrian-English author (b. 1925)

2010 – Max Kohnstamm, Dutch historian and diplomat (b. 1914)

2010 – Farooq Leghari, Pakistani politician, 8th President of Pakistan (b. 1940)

2011 – Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1942)

2011 – Mutassim Gaddafi, Libyan colonel (b. 1977)

2011 – Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr, Libyan politician (b. 1942)

2012 – Przemysław Gintrowski, Polish poet and composer (b. 1951)

2012 – Paul Kurtz, American philosopher and academic (b. 1925)

2012 – Dave May, American baseball player (b. 1943)

2012 – John McConnell, American activist, created Earth Day (b. 1915)

2012 – E. Donnall Thomas, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)

2012 – Raymond Watson, American businessman (b. 1926)

2013 – Jovanka Broz, Croatian-Serbian colonel (b. 1924)

2013 – Don James, American football player and coach (b. 1932)

2013 – Lawrence Klein, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)

2013 – Joginder Singh, Kenyan race car driver (b. 1932)

2013 – Larri Thomas, American actress and dancer (b. 1932)

2013 – Sid Yudain, American journalist, founded Roll Call (b. 1923)

2014 – René Burri, Swiss photographer and journalist (b. 1933)

2014 – Oscar de la Renta, Dominican-American fashion designer (b. 1932)

2014 – Christophe de Margerie, French businessman (b. 1951)

2015 – Makis Dendrinos, Greek basketball player and coach (b. 1950)

2015 – Arno Gruen, German-Swiss psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1923)

2015 – Kazimierz Łaski, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (b. 1921)

2015 – Michael Meacher, English academic and politician, Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (b. 1939)

2015 – Ian Steel, Scottish cyclist and manager (b. 1928)

2016 – Robert E. Kramek, former United States Coast Guard admiral (b. 1939)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast days:

Acca of Hexham

Artemius

Caprasius of Agen

Hedwig (in Canada, moved from Oct. 16)

Irene of Tomar

Margaret Marie Alacoque (in Canada, moved from Oct. 16)

October 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Arbor Day (Czech Republic)

Heroes' Day (Kenya)

Revolution Day (Guatemala), one of the two Patriotic Days (Guatemala)

Vietnamese Women's Day (Vietnam)

World Osteoporosis Day

World Statistics Day