Spanish
Santo Domingo.- The events of March 20 are marked by important historical events and international celebrations that left their mark on world history. Below, the main events of March 20:
- International Day of Happiness.
- Spring Equinox.
- Autumn Equinox (Southern Hemisphere).
- World Sparrow Day.
- World Oral Health Day.
- International Day of the French Language.
- International Day of La Francophonie.
- World Meat-Free Day.
- World Flour Day.
- World Frog Day.
Saints: Saints Alexandra and Claudia. Saint Anatolius.
National: March 20th Anniversaries
- 1844: General Pedro Santana establishes his camp in Sabana Buey, while Charles Herard seizes Azua.
- 1849: Haitian President Faustino Soulouque, at the head of invading troops, seizes San Juan de la Maguana.
- 1861: Leaders from Samaná, San Pedro de Macorís, San José de Ocoa, Neiba and San Juan de la Maguana, support annexation to Spain.
- 1867: Congress authorizes the Executive Branch to take out a loan of one hundred thousand strong pesos in the neighboring island of Saint Thomas, with the guarantee of the country's credit.
- 1914: President José Bordas Valdez sends a Diplomatic Note to the United States government, asking to designate a financial expert "to prepare the debt settlement".
- 1937: President Rafael Trujillo enacts Law 1272, which institutes the celebration of the National Sports Games.
- 1961: The American surgeon Henry T. Nichols performs the first open-heart surgery at the "Doctor Salvador B. Gautier" hospital, broadcast on radio and television.
- 1964: The de facto president, Donald Reid Cabral, creates the current DNI through law 196, attached to the Presidency of the Republic.
- 1970: A dynamite charge destroys the car of journalist Juan Bolívar Díaz, interpreted as a warning from government sectors.
- 1991: Professor Juan Bosch announces the revocation of his resignation from the PLD.
- 1996: President Joaquín Balaguer meets behind closed doors with presidential candidate Leonel Fernández.
- 2014: Russia announces sanctions against US officials and politicians in response to US sanctions for the annexation of Crimea.
- 2015: Polish priest Wojciech Gil pleads guilty to child abuse in the Dominican Republic and Poland.
- 2016: Ex-guerrilla Claudio Caamaño Grullón suffers a car accident.
- 2022: The presidents of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Panama meet at the IV Summit of the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD).
International: March 20th Anniversaries
- 44 BC: Antony reveals the will of Julius Caesar, starting a civil war in Rome.
- 1179: Treaty of Cazorla between Castile and Aragon to divide the lands of the Reconquest.
- 1565: Philip II commissions Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to conquer and convert the natives of La Florida.
- 1780: The young Frenchman Gilbert du Motier (Marquis de La Fayette) embarks for the American coasts to help the insurgents against the British.
- 1814: Chilean forces under the command of General Bernardo O’Higgins defeat the Spanish in El Membrillar.
- 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte enters Paris after his exile on the island of Elba.
- 1818: General Jean Pierre Boyer is elected president for life of Haiti.
- 1854: The Republican Party, opposed to slavery, is founded in the United States.
- 1856: Costa Ricans defeat the adventurer William Walker in the Battle of Santa Rosa.
- 1861: A violent earthquake causes more than 10,000 deaths in Mendoza, Argentina.
- 1873: Slavery is abolished in the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico.
- 1890: Germany dismisses Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
- 1933: Inauguration of the first Nazi concentration camp in Dachau.
- 1976: The trial against Patricia Hearst, kidnapped in 1974, begins in San Francisco.
- 2001: The P-36 oil platform sinks off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
- 2003: US President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq.
- 2004: Hundreds of thousands demonstrate against the occupation of Iraq.
- 2010: Pope Benedict XVI apologizes to the victims of sexual abuse by priests of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
- 2015: About 137 dead and 345 injured in four attacks in two mosques in Sana'a, Yemen.
- 2016: US President Barack Obama begins his historic official visit to Cuba.
- 2018: The US Federal Trade Commission investigates Facebook for improper access to private information of 50 million users.
- 2022: The head of the National Defense Control Center of Russia calls on Ukrainian forces to leave Mariupol within 24 hours. The UNHCR estimates that 10 million people have fled Ukraine due to the war with Russia.
Births: March 20th Anniversaries
- 1477: Jerónimo Emser, German theologian, antagonist of Martin Luther.
- 1639: Ivan Mazepa, leader of the Cossack Hetmanate, fought to restore the political and military independence of Ukraine against Russia.
- 1884: Philipp Frank, physicist, mathematician and philosopher, member of the Vienna Circle.
- 1911: Alfonso García Robles, Mexican diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize in 1982.
- 1939: Brian Mulroney, Canadian politician, Prime Minister of Canada between 1984 and 1993.
- 1947: Horacio Vázquez Rial, Spanish writer and journalist born in Argentina.
- 1958: Holly Hunter, American actress, Oscar for Best Actress in 1993 for The Piano.
- 1976: Chester Bennington, American musician, from the band Linkin Park.
- 1991: Luisito Comunica, Mexican youtuber.
- 2000: Hyunjin, South Korean singer, member of the group Stray Kids.
Deaths: March 20th Anniversaries
- 1865: Yamanami Keisuke, Japanese samurai and secretary general of the Shinsengumi.
- 2009: Abdellatif Filali, politician and Prime Minister of Morocco between 1994 and 1998.
- 2024: António Pacheco, Portuguese footballer and coach.
