February 20th, 1917

Born on February 20th, 1917

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 39,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 854 days, exactly on August 27th, 2026, people who were born on February 20th, 1917 will be 40,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on February 20th?

February 20th, 1988

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast voted to secede from Azerbaijan and join Armenia, triggering the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

February 20th, 1970

The Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani province, one of the largest Buddhist temples in Thailand, was founded.

February 20th, 1965

The NASA spacecraft Ranger 8 spacecraft transmitted 7,137 photographs of the Moon in the final 23 minutes of its mission before crashing as planned in Mare Tranquillitatis.

February 20th, 1959

Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker cancelled the Avro CF-105 Arrow (pictured) interceptor-aircraft program amid much political debate.

February 20th, 1943

A fissure opened in a cornfield in the Mexican state of Michoacán and continued to erupt for nine years, forming the cinder cone Parícutin .

February 20th, 1905

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Jacobson v. Massachusetts that states had the authority to order compulsory vaccination.

February 20th, 1872

The Metropolitan Museum of Art , today the largest art museum in the United States with a collection of more than two million works, opened in New York.

February 20th, 1864

American Civil War: The Union Army suffered a one-in-three casualty rate at the Battle of Olustee near Lake City, Florida.

February 20th, 1846

Polish insurgents in the Free City of Kraków led an uprising attempting to incite a fight for national independence that was put down by the Austrian Empire nine days later.

February 20th, 1835

An earthquake registering approximately 8.5 Mw devastated Concepción, Chile, and triggered a tsunami that destroyed neighbouring Talcahuano.

February 20th, 1816

Italian composer Gioachino Rossini's opera buffa The Barber of Seville premiered at the Teatro Argentina in Rome to jeers from the audience.

February 20th, 1685

The French colonization of Texas began with the landing of colonists led by Robert de La Salle near Matagorda Bay.

February 20th, 1998

At the age of 15, American figure skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest gold-medal winner in the history of the Winter Olympic Games at the time.

February 20th, 2010

Severe flooding and mudslides on the island of Madeira, Portugal, killed 51 people.

February 20th, 2009

The Tamil Tigers attempted to crash two aircraft laden with C-4 in suicide attacks on Colombo, Sri Lanka, but the planes were shot down before they reached their targets.

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

Born on February 20th, 1917

102

Juan Vicente Torrealba

Venezuelan musician (1917-2019)

*February 20th, 1917, Caracas †May 2nd, 2019, Caracas

88

Tana Hoban

American photographer and creator of children's picture books

*February 20th, 1917, Philadelphia †January 27th, 2006, Louveciennes

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

30

Mathias Christiansen

Badminton player

*February 20th, 1994, Bornholm

59

Thomas Kemmerich

German politician

*February 20th, 1965, Aachen

57

Chung So-young

South Korean badminton player

*February 20th, 1967, Gimje

21

Olivia Rodrigo

American singer and actress (born 2003)

*February 20th, 2003, Murrieta

89

Jim Poole

Badminton player

*February 20th, 1932, Nashville †November 7th, 2021, Blacksburg

36

Rihanna

Barbadian singer and actress (born 1988)

*February 20th, 1988, Saint Michael

104

Jean Erdman

American dancer (1916-2020)

*February 20th, 1916, Honolulu †May 4th, 2020, Honolulu

94

Sidney Poitier

Bahamian and American actor and diplomat (1927–2022)

*February 20th, 1927, Cat Island †January 6th, 2022, Los Angeles

58

Urs Fischer

Swiss association football player and manager (born 1966)

*February 20th, 1966, Triengen

55

Bambang Suprianto

Badminton player

*February 20th, 1969, Surakarta City

73

Gordon Brown

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010

*February 20th, 1951, Giffnock

81

Robert Altman

American filmmaker (1925–2006)

*February 20th, 1925, Kansas City †November 20th, 2006, Los Angeles

81

Mike Leigh

English writer and director (born 1943)

*February 20th, 1943, Brocket Hall

79

Antonio Inoki

Japanese professional wrestler, businessman, and politician (1943-2022)

*February 20th, 1943, Yokohama †October 1st, 2022, Minato

34

Keigo Sonoda

Badminton player

*February 20th, 1990, Yatsushiro

78

Brenda Blethyn

British actress

*February 20th, 1946, Ramsgate

26

Zhou Haodong

Chinese badminton player

*February 20th, 1998, Ningbo

42

Felo Feoto

Badminton and football player

*February 20th, 1982, Nukufetau

70

Patty Hearst

American kidnapping victim

*February 20th, 1954, San Francisco

27

Kurt Cobain

American rock musician (1967–1994)

*February 20th, 1967, Aberdeen †April 5th, 1994, Seattle

Same year
Born in 1917

46

John F. Kennedy

President of the United States from 1961 to 1963

*May 29th, 1917, Brookline †November 22nd, 1963, Parkland Memorial Hospital

87

Wee Chong Jin

Singaporean judge

*September 28th, 1917, Penang †June 5th, 2005, Singapore

66

Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of India (1966–1977, 1980–1984)

*November 19th, 1917, Prayagraj †October 31st, 1984, New Delhi

72

Ferdinand Marcos

President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986

*September 11th, 1917, Sarrat †September 28th, 1989, Honolulu

53

Bourvil

French actor and singer (1917–1970)

*July 27th, 1917, Prétot-Vicquemare †September 23rd, 1970, Paris

79

Ella Fitzgerald

American jazz singer (1917–1996)

*April 25th, 1917, Newport News †June 15th, 1996, Beverly Hills

88

John Raitt

American singer and actor (1917-2005)

*January 29th, 1917, Santa Ana †February 20th, 2005, Pacific Palisades

84

Katharine Graham

American publisher, editor and author (1917–2001)

*June 16th, 1917, New York City †July 17th, 2001, Boise

89

Barry Nelson

American actor (1917–2007)

*April 16th, 1917, San Francisco †April 7th, 2007, Bucks County

90

Arthur C. Clarke

British science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist (1917-2008)

*December 16th, 1917, Minehead †March 19th, 2008, Colombo

67

Heinrich Böll

German writer (1917–1985)

*December 21st, 1917, Cologne †July 16th, 1985, Langenbroich

103

Vera Lynn

British singer (1917–2020)

*March 20th, 1917, East Ham †June 18th, 2020, Ditchling

91

Robert Anderson

American playwright, screenwriter, and theater producer (1917-2009)

*April 28th, 1917, Manhattan †February 9th, 2009, Manhattan

61

Park Chung Hee

Leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979

*November 14th, 1917, Gumi †October 26th, 1979, Jongno District

49

William Tracy

American actor (1917-1967)

*December 1st, 1917, Pittsburgh †July 18th, 1967, Hollywood

99

Kurt Gossweiler

German historian of modern age (1917-2017)

*November 5th, 1917, Stuttgart †May 17th, 2017, Berlin

92

Carl Ballantine

American entertainer (1917-2009)

*September 27th, 1917, Chicago †November 3rd, 2009, Hollywood Hills

87

Ramanand Sagar

Indian film director (1917-2005)

*December 29th, 1917, Lahore †December 12th, 2005, Mumbai

70

Henry Ford II

American automotive industry executive (1917–1987)

*September 4th, 1917, Detroit †September 29th, 1987, Detroit

91

Helga Tiemann

German painter and sculptor (1917–2008)

*October 11th, 1917, Remscheid †October 13th, 2008, Cologne

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on February 20th

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day) which are celebrated on February 20th.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1917 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
February 1917