OCTOBER 20 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for October 20

Chauncey Goodrich (1759-1815) - Son-in-law of Noah Webster (creator of the Dictionary) and editor of the first printed version of the Dictionary.

James F. Hinkle (1864-1951) - Banker, politician, and cattle farmer who made significant contributions to the cattle industry.

Frederick Burton (1871-1957) - Actor known for his roles in The Big Trail and One Way Passage.

Charles Ives (1874--1954) - Composer who is considered the leading composer of art music of the 20th century.

Margaret Dumont (1882-1965) - Silent film actress known for her roles in with the Marx Brothers.

Karl Probst (1883-1963) - Car engineer best known for his design of the Bantam Reconnaissance Car (World War II "jeep").

Olive Thomas (1894-1920) - Model and actress who won Most Beautiful Girl in New York City award.

Enolia McMillan (1904-2006) - First female national President of the NAACP.

Arlene Francis (1907-2001) - Television personality on What's My Line?

Stuart Hamblen (1908-1989) - One of the first radio singing cowboys.

Grandpa Jones (1913-1998) - Musician best known for his banjo playing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry and Hee Haw.

Tracy Hall (1919-2008) - Chemist known for his work in creating synthetic diamond.

Tom Dowd (1925-2002) - Record producer who is credited with innovating the multitrack recording method.

Mickey Mantle (1931-1995) - Major League baseball player and sportscaster known as one of the sluggers of all time.

William Christopher (1932-2016) - Actor best known as Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy on M*A*S*H.

Jerry Orbach (1935-2004) - Actor known as Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law and Order.

Wanda Jackson (1937-Still Living) - One of the first female genre crossover singers (rock, country, and gospel) whose career began with You Can't Have My Love.

Robert Pinsky (1940-Still Living) - The first poet to hold The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress for three years in a row.

David Mancuso (1944-2016) - Famous DJ who created invitation only parties in New York City.

Tom Petty (1950-2017) - Lead singer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Al Greenwood (1951-Still Living) - Founding member of the rock band Foreigner.

Richard McWilliam (1953-2013) - Co-founder of the Upper Deck Company.

Thomas Newman (1955-Still Living) - Film score composer and conductor for musical compositions in The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Finding Nemo, and Elemental.

Kamala Harris (1964-Still Living) - The 49th VP of the U.S.

Jonathan I. Schwartz (1965-Still Living) - Founder of CarZone.

Snoop Dogg (1971-Still Living) - Rapper and business mogul.

Memorable Events for October 20

1774 - Continental Congress orders discouragement of entertainment among people.

1786 - The first astronomical expedition in the U.S. is organized by Harvard University.

1803 - The U.S. Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.

1817 - The first showboat leaves Mississippi on maiden voyage.

1818 - The border between U.S. and Canada (49th parallel) is formed.

1917 - Suffragette Alice Paul begins jail sentence for picketing for the Women's Suffrage Amendment.

1934 - MLB All-Star team (Connie Mack, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig) sails to Japan for 18-game series.

1947 - The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigating Communist infiltration of the Hollywood film industry.

1955 - Harry Belafonte records "Day-O" (the Banana Boat Song).

1960 - The first mechanized post office opens in Providence, Rhode Island.

1970 -Agronomist Norman Borlaug is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to world food supply.

1973 - President Richard Nixon fires U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox.

1973 - President Nixon proclaims Jim Thorpe as the greatest athlete of the 20th century.

1975 - Supreme Court rules teachers have the authority to spank pupils after one warning.

1977 - The band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in woodland in Mississippi, killing 6 people, including three band members.

1997 - The federal government accuses Microsoft for forcing Internet Explorer computers.