May 20th, 1579

Born on May 20th, 1579

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 162,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 487 days, exactly on August 29th, 2025, people who were born on May 20th, 1579 will be 163,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on May 20th?

May 20th, 2013

A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage.

May 20th, 2012

The first of two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, resulting in seven deaths.

May 20th, 1983

uMkhonto we Sizwe, the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress, detonated a car bomb in Pretoria, resulting in 19 deaths and 217.

May 20th, 1965

While attempting to land at Cairo International Airport, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 crashed for unknown reasons, killing all but 6 of the 121 people on board.

May 20th, 1947

The first session of the National Diet opened in Tokyo, Japan.

May 20th, 1943

The Luttra Woman (skull pictured), a bog body from the Early Neolithic period, was discovered near Luttra, Sweden.

May 20th, 1941

World War II: German paratroopers began the Battle of Heraklion on the island of Crete, capturing the airfield and port in Heraklion ten days later.

May 20th, 1927

By the Treaty of Jeddah, the United Kingdom recognized the sovereignty of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (pictured) over Hejaz and Nejd, which later merged to become Saudi Arabia.

May 20th, 1875

Representatives from seventeen countries signed the Metre Convention, which set up an institute for the purpose of coordinating international metrology and for coordinating the development of the metric system.

May 20th, 1609

Thomas Thorpe published the first copies of Shakespeare's sonnets, possibly without William Shakespeare's consent.

May 20th, 0794

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, King Æthelberht II of East Anglia was beheaded on the orders of King Offa of Mercia.

May 20th, 0685

The Picts defeated the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain, severely weakening the latter's power in northern Great Britain.

May 20th, 2022

Russo-Ukrainian War: Russia claims full control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege.

May 20th, 2019

The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram obsolete.

May 20th, 2016

The government of Singapore authorised the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a Chinese construction worker despite the international pleas for clemency, notably from Amnesty International and the United Nations.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on May 20th

Same Day
Who's birthday is on May 20th?

65

Jane Wiedlin

American musician

*May 20th, 1958, Oconomowoc

36

Shendy Puspa Irawati

Indonesian badminton player

*May 20th, 1987, Nganjuk

26

Dechapol Puavaranukroh

Thai badminton player

*May 20th, 1997, Chonburi

75

Jon Amiel

English film director

*May 20th, 1948, London

40

Anastasia Russkikh

Russian badminton player

*May 20th, 1983, Gatchina

23

Rosa Linn

Armenisk singer-songwriter

*May 20th, 2000, Vanadzor

51

Honoré de Balzac

French novelist and playwright (1799–1850)

*May 20th, 1799, Tours †August 18th, 1850, Paris

34

Goh V Shem

Malaysian badminton player

*May 20th, 1989, Setapak

28

Iben Bergstein

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1995, Rødovre

27

Yukino Nakai

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1996, Nerima

44

Jonathan Neil Morgan

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1979, Llanelli

37

Kenn Lim

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1986, Alor Setar

21

Ferdian Mahardika Ranialdy

Badminton player

*May 20th, 2002, Yogyakarta City

27

Robert Skov

Danish association football player

*May 20th, 1996, Marbella

66

John Stuart Mill

British philosopher and political economist (1806–1873)

*May 20th, 1806, London Borough of Islington †May 8th, 1873, Avignon

55

Timothy Olyphant

American actor

*May 20th, 1968, Honolulu

67

Sigrid Undset

Norwegian writer (1882-1949)

*May 20th, 1882, Kalundborg †June 10th, 1949, Lillehammer Municipality

89

James Stewart

American actor (1908–1997)

*May 20th, 1908, Indiana †July 2nd, 1997, Beverly Hills

78

Dietrich Mateschitz

Austrian businessman

*May 20th, 1944, Sankt Marein im Mürztal †October 22nd, 2022, St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut

38

Chris Froome

British cyclist (born 1985)

*May 20th, 1985, Nairobi

Same year
Born in 1579

46

Thomas Dempster

British philologist, historian, poet and etruscologist

*August 23rd, 1579, Aberdeenshire †September 6th, 1625, Bologna

69

Tirso de Molina

Spanish writer c. 1583-c.1648

*March 24th, 1579, Madrid †February 20th, 1649, Almazán

60

Johannes Meursius

Dutch philologist and historian

*February 9th, 1579, Loosduinen district †September 20th, 1639, Sorø

52

Tokugawa Hidetada

Japanese shogun (1579–1632)

*May 2nd, 1579, Hamamatsu †March 14th, 1632, Edo Castle

45

John Fletcher

English Jacobean playwright (1579–1625)

*November 30th, 1579, Rye †August 1st, 1625, London

65

Luis Vélez de Guevara

Spanish writer

*August 1st, 1579, Écija †November 10th, 1644, Madrid

59

Martin de Porres

Dominican lay brother and saint

*December 9th, 1579, Lima †November 3rd, 1639, Lima

72

Jan Cornelisz. Geelvinck

Dutch politician (1579-1651)

*June 11th, 1579, Amsterdam †November 9th, 1651, Amsterdam

67

François de Bassompierre

French courtier and Marshal of France (1579-1646)

*April 12th, 1579, Haroué †October 12th, 1646, Provins

55

Levin Ludwig Hahn

German soldier

*December 3rd, 1579, Seeburg †May 18th, 1635, Seeburg

64

Hermann Samson

German-Baltic clergyman and pedagogue

*January 1st, 1579, Riga †December 16th, 1643, Riga

75

Elisabeth of Hesse-Darmstadt

German countess (1579-1655)

*November 29th, 1579, Darmstadt †July 17th, 1655, Wehen

70

Louis I, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen

German prince

*June 17th, 1579, Dessau †January 17th, 1650, Köthen

41

Janusz Radziwiłł

(1579-1620)

*July 2nd, 1579, Vilnius †December 3rd, 1620, Czarlin

77

Frans Snyders

Flemish painter (1579–1657)

*November 11th, 1579, Antwerp †August 19th, 1657, Antwerp

61

Friedrich Hortleder

German politician and historian (1579-1640)

*March 22nd, 1579, Ampfurth †June 5th, 1640, Jena

49

Jens Munk

Danish explorer

*June 3rd, 1579, Arendal †June 28th, 1628, Copenhagen

70

Marie of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth

*January 23rd, 1579, Königsberg †February 11th, 1649, Bayreuth

73

Federico Baldissera Bartolomeo Cornaro

Catholic cardinal

*November 16th, 1579, Venice †June 5th, 1653, Rome

87

Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Prince of Wolfenbüttel (1579-1666)

*April 10th, 1579, Dannenberg (Elbe) †September 17th, 1666, Wolfenbüttel

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on May 20th

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day, National Awakening Day) which are celebrated on May 20th.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1579 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1579