20 May

Paolo Bellasio
20 May 1554 – 10 July 1594
Italian organist and composer. » more

William Bradford
20 May 1663 – 23 May 1752
American printer who pioneered Freedom of the Press issues. » more

Francis Cotes
20 May 1726 – 16 July 1770
English artist and a founding member of the Royal Academy. Paintings can be seen in the Royal Academy, Royal Collection, National Portrait Gallery & TATE Britain, London. » more

William Thornton
20 May 1759 – 28 March 1828
American architect, designer of the American Capitol. » more

Honoré de Balzac
20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850
French author and playwright. » more

John Stuart Mill
20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873
English philosopher and author who advocated freedom of the individual. » more

William Fargo
20 May 1818 – 3 August 1881
American co-founder of the Wells Fargo company in 1852. » more

Emile Berliner
20 May 1851 – 3 August 1929
German inventor of the gramophone (record player) in 1887. » more

William Hewlett
20 May 1913 – 12 January 2001
American founder (with David Packard) of the Hewlitt Packard computer firm in 1939. » more

Today’s Quote
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
 … Chinese Proverb

Today’s No. 1 Hit
1956 – Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley.

Today’s events
20 May 1570 – A modern atlas first published by Abraham Ortelius.
20 May 1609 – Thomas Thorpe Publishes Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
20 May 1819 – The SS Savannah begins the first crossing of the Atlantic ocean by a steam powered ship.
20 May 1873 – Levi Strauss (with Jacob Davis) patent their design for their blue jeans fitted with copper rivets.
20 May 1920 – Premiere of scheduled radio broadcasting on the American continent, by Canadian radio station XWA in Montreal.