December 20th, 1872

Born on December 20th, 1872

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 55,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 720 days, exactly on April 17th, 2026, people who were born on December 20th, 1872 will be 56,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on December 20th?

December 20th, 1955

Cardiff was recognised as the capital of Wales by the British government.

December 20th, 1940

The superhero Captain America made his first published appearance in the comic book Captain America Comics #1.

December 20th, 1852

Led by George Cathcart, British troops defeated Basuto and Taung forces at the Battle of Berea in present-day Lesotho, leading to an offer of peace from King Moshoeshoe I.

December 20th, 1248

Attempting to form an alliance with the Mongol Empire, Louis IX of France met with two of their envoys while en route to the Seventh Crusade.

December 20th, 1968

The first two confirmed murders by the Zodiac Killer occurred in Benicia, California, in a case which remains unsolved.

December 20th, 2007

Pablo Picasso's Portrait of Suzanne Bloch was stolen from the São Paulo Museum of Art before being recovered about three weeks later.

December 20th, 1999

Portugal transferred the sovereignty over Macau, which it had administered since the mid–16th century, to China.

December 20th, 1995

Mandated by the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian War, the NATO-led Implementation Force (troops pictured) began peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

December 20th, 1988

The United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, governing international cooperation against the illegal drug trade, opened for signatures.

December 20th, 1980

NBC aired the American football match between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins without announcers.

December 20th, 1999

Macau is handed over to China by Portugal.

December 20th, 1995

American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashes into a mountain 50 km north of Cali, Colombia, killing 159 of the 163 people on board.

December 20th, 1977

With the approval of the State Council, China’s two largest newspapers, the People’s Daily and the Guangming Daily, publish in full for the first time the Second Chinese Character Simplification Scheme.

December 20th, 1991

A Missouri court sentences the Palestinian militant Zein Isa and his wife Maria to death for the honor killing of their daughter Palestina.

December 20th, 1970

Koza riot: After a series of hit-and-runs and other vehicular incidents involving American service personnel, roughly 5,000 Okinawans take to the streets, clashing with American law enforcement in protest against the U.S. occupation of Okinawa.

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

Born on December 20th, 1872

84

Charles Faroux

French engineer, carom billiards player and multiple world champion

*December 20th, 1872, Noyon †February 9th, 1957, Neuilly-sur-Seine

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

87

Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman

US tennis and badminton player

*December 20th, 1886, Healdsburg †December 5th, 1974, Chestnut Hill

28

Irama

Italian singer-songwriter (1995-)

*December 20th, 1995, Carrara

65

Henry Kimball Hadley

American composer (1871-1937)

*December 20th, 1871, Somerville †September 6th, 1937, New York City

86

Charley Grapewin

American actor (1869-1956)

*December 20th, 1869, Xenia †February 2nd, 1956, Corona

34

Clarisse Crémer

French offshore sailor

*December 20th, 1989, Paris

25

Kylian Mbappé

French association football player

*December 20th, 1998, 19th arrondissement of Paris

61

Andreas Blunck

German politician (1871-1933)

*December 20th, 1871, Krempe †April 12th, 1933, Aumühle

90

Ferdinand Buisson

French academic and politician (1841-1932)

*December 20th, 1841, former 1st arrondissement of Paris †February 16th, 1932, Thieuloy-Saint-Antoine

76

Gigliola Cinquetti

Italian singer (1947-)

*December 20th, 1947, Verona

81

Arturo Alessandri

Chilean politician and President

*December 20th, 1868, Longaví †August 24th, 1950, Santiago

82

Dora Montefiore

Suffragette, socialist, writer

*December 20th, 1851, Coulsdon †December 21st, 1933, Hastings

79

Walter Sydney Adams

American astronomer

*December 20th, 1876, Antioch †May 11th, 1956, Pasadena

62

Albert Dekker

American actor and politician (1905–1968)

*December 20th, 1905, Brooklyn †May 5th, 1968, Hollywood

90

Rik Van Looy

Belgian road racing cyclist

*December 20th, 1933, Grobbendonk

82

Juan Bautista Pérez

President of Venezuela

*December 20th, 1869, Caracas †May 7th, 1952, Caracas

72

Wolfgang Güldenpfennig

East German rower

*December 20th, 1951, Magdeburg

63

Mehmet Akif Ersoy

Turkish poet, author, academic and politician (1873-1936)

*December 20th, 1873, Fatih †December 27th, 1936, Istanbul

61

Otakar Hřímalý

Czech conductor, music educator, composer and choirmaster

*December 20th, 1883, Chernivtsi †July 10th, 1945, Prague

40

Lucy Pinder

British actress and model

*December 20th, 1983, Winchester

48

Ignacio Escolar

Spanish blogger and journalist

*December 20th, 1975, Burgos

Same year
Born in 1872

55

Roald Amundsen

Norwegian explorer; first person to reach the South Pole

*July 16th, 1872, Borge Municipality †June 18th, 1928, Arctic Ocean

59

Herbert Baddeley

Tennis and badminton player

*January 11th, 1872, London Borough of Bromley †July 20th, 1931, Cannes

57

Wilfred Baddeley

Tennis player and sports administrator

*January 11th, 1872, London Borough of Bromley †January 24th, 1929, Menton

89

Max Pohlenz

German classical philologist

*July 30th, 1872, Kolkwitz †January 5th, 1962, Göttingen

60

Calvin Coolidge

President of the United States from 1923 to 1929

*July 4th, 1872, Plymouth Notch †January 5th, 1933, Northampton

97

Bertrand Russell

British philosopher and logician (1872–1970)

*May 18th, 1872, Trellech †February 2nd, 1970, Plas Penrhyn

33

Paul Laurence Dunbar

American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries

*June 27th, 1872, Dayton †February 9th, 1906, Dayton

46

Anna Held

Broadway stage performer (1872–1918)

*March 19th, 1872, Warsaw †August 12th, 1918, New York City

92

Helena Rubinstein

Polish-American businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist

*December 25th, 1872, Kraków †April 1st, 1965, New York City

79

Alexandra Kollontai

Soviet diplomat (1872-1952)

*March 31st, 1872, Saint Petersburg †March 9th, 1952, Moscow

80

Cicely Hamilton

British actress and writer

*June 15th, 1872, Paddington †December 5th, 1952, Chelsea

83

Pio Baroja

Spanish writer (1872-1956)

*December 28th, 1872, San Sebastián †October 30th, 1956, Madrid

74

Paul Langevin

French physicist, philosopher of science and pedagogue

*January 23rd, 1872, Paris †December 19th, 1946, Paris

69

Richard Willstätter

German chemist (1872–1942)

*August 13th, 1872, Karlsruhe †August 3rd, 1942, Muralto

77

Léon Blum

French politician (1872–1950)

*April 9th, 1872, Paris †March 30th, 1950, Jouy-en-Josas

94

Norman Angell

British politician (1872-1967)

*December 26th, 1872, Holbeach †October 7th, 1967, Croydon

78

Aurobindo Ghosh

Indian Bengali philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet and nationalist (1872–1950)

*August 15th, 1872, Sri Aurobindo Bhawan †December 5th, 1950, Pondicherry

101

Charles Greeley Abbot

American astrophysicist and the 5th Secretary of the Smithsonian

*May 31st, 1872, Wilton †December 17th, 1973, Washington, D.C.

71

Piet Mondrian

Dutch painter (1872–1944)

*March 7th, 1872, Amersfoort †February 1st, 1944, New York City

80

Carlo Sforza

Italian politician (1872-1952)

*January 23rd, 1872, Montignoso †September 4th, 1952, Rome

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on December 20th

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day, Earliest date for Winter solstice's eve) which are celebrated on December 20th.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

Yes: 1872 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
December 1872