May 20th, 1881

Born on May 20th, 1881

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 52,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 797 days, exactly on June 29th, 2026, people who were born on May 20th, 1881 will be 53,000 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

Born on May 20th, 1881

62

Władysław Sikorski

Polish military and political leader (1881-1943)

*May 20th, 1881, Tuszów Narodowy †July 4th, 1943, Gibraltar

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

67

Sigrid Undset

Norwegian writer (1882-1949)

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

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

89

James Stewart

American actor (1908–1997)

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

44

Jonathan Neil Morgan

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1979, Llanelli

23

Rosa Linn

Armenisk singer-songwriter

*May 20th, 2000, Vanadzor

34

Goh V Shem

Malaysian badminton player

*May 20th, 1989, Setapak

84

Annie M.G. Schmidt

Dutch writer (1911-1995)

*May 20th, 1911, Kapelle †May 21st, 1995, Amsterdam

28

Iben Bergstein

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1995, Rødovre

27

Yukino Nakai

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1996, Nerima

37

Kenn Lim

Badminton player

*May 20th, 1986, Alor Setar

21

Ferdian Mahardika Ranialdy

Badminton player

*May 20th, 2002, Yogyakarta City

51

Honoré de Balzac

French novelist and playwright (1799–1850)

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

92

David Hedison

American actor (1927-2019)

*May 20th, 1927, Providence †July 18th, 2019, Los Angeles

80

Max Euwe

Dutch chess player and mathematician

*May 20th, 1901, Amsterdam †November 26th, 1981, Amsterdam

78

Dietrich Mateschitz

Austrian businessman

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

55

Timothy Olyphant

American actor

*May 20th, 1968, Honolulu

Same year
Born in 1881

91

Pablo Picasso

Spanish painter and sculptor (1881–1973)

*October 25th, 1881, Málaga †April 8th, 1973, Mas Notre-Dame-de-Vie de Mougins

91

George Alan Thomas

English badminton, chess and tennis player

*June 14th, 1881, Tarabya †July 23rd, 1972, London

88

Dora Boothby

English badminton and tennis player

*August 2nd, 1881, Finchley †February 22nd, 1970, Hammersmith

63

Harry Hillman

American athletics competitor

*September 8th, 1881, Brooklyn †August 9th, 1945, Hanover

49

Anna Pavlova

Russian ballet dancer

*February 12th, 1881, Saint Petersburg †January 23rd, 1931, The Hague

73

Alcide De Gasperi

Italian politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party (1881-1954)

*April 3rd, 1881, Pieve Tesino †August 19th, 1954, Borgo Valsugana

81

John XXIII

Head of the Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963 (1881-1963)

*November 25th, 1881, Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII †June 3rd, 1963, Apostolic Palace

73

Alexander Fleming

Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, botanist, and Nobel laureate (1881–1955)

*August 6th, 1881, Lochfield †March 11th, 1955, London

93

P. G. Wodehouse

English author (1881–1975)

*October 15th, 1881, Guildford †February 14th, 1975, Village of Southampton

64

Béla Bartók

Hungarian composer and pianist

*March 25th, 1881, Sânnicolau Mare †September 26th, 1945, New York City

60

Stefan Zweig

Austrian writer (1881-1942)

*November 28th, 1881, Vienna †February 23rd, 1942, Petrópolis

84

Eleanor Farjeon

English children's writer

*February 13th, 1881, London †June 5th, 1965, Hampstead

77

Roger Martin du Gard

French writer

*March 23rd, 1881, Neuilly-sur-Seine †August 22nd, 1958, Château du Tertre

62

Ulrich von Hassell

German diplomat and resistance fighter against National Socialism (1881–1944)

*November 12th, 1881, Anklam †September 8th, 1944, Plötzensee Prison

76

Clinton Davisson

American physicist (1881-1958)

*October 22nd, 1881, Bloomington †February 1st, 1958, Charlottesville

80

Felix Rütten

German priest, church historian, theologian and historian (1881-1961)

*January 7th, 1881, Kempen †December 18th, 1961, Kempen

76

Irving Langmuir

American chemist and physicist

*January 31st, 1881, Brooklyn †August 16th, 1957, Woods Hole

76

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Spanish poet

*December 23rd, 1881, Moguer †May 29th, 1958, San Juan

77

Cecil B. DeMille

American film director, producer and actor (1881–1959)

*August 12th, 1881, Ashfield †January 21st, 1959, Hollywood

92

Ludwig von Mises

Austrian-American economist

*September 29th, 1881, Lviv †October 10th, 1973, New York City

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 1881 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1881