MAY 20 | Birthdays and Events
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Notable Birthdays for May 20
Dolley Madison (1768-1849) - The 4th First Lady of the U.S. (President James Madison).
William Fargo (1818-1881) - Co-founder of Wells Fargo and American Express.
Emile Berliner (1851-1929) - Inventor of the Gramophone record.
Rose Hawthorne Lathrop (1851-1926) - Daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne who became and nun and founded the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne.
Francis Raymond Fosberg (1908-1993) - Botanist who helped develop the standards for studying coral reef and the study of islands.
James Stewart (1908-1997) - Actor who earned great distinction in film, including The Murder Man (1935), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), It's a Wonderful Life (1946).
William Hewlett (1913-2001) - Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard.
Hal Newhouser (1921-1998) - MLB pitcher who was known as "Hurricane Hal."
Cher (1946-Still Living) - Award-winning musician and actress who has been dubbed the "Goddess of Pop."
Memorable Events for May 20
1639 - Dorchester, MA, forms the first school to be funded by local tax dollars.
1734 - The first jockey club forms in SC.
1862 - President Lincoln signs the Homestead Act, opening 84 million acres of public land to settlers.
1873 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
1926 - According to Thomas Edison, Americans prefer silent movies over talkies.