October 20th Major News Events

20 Oct, 1955 Final Lord of the Rings Book Published

1955 : J. R. R. Tolkien's final book "The Return of the King" is published from the 3 fantasy novels making up "The Lord of the Rings" book series which was written between 1937 and 1949. The books were set in Middle-earth and featured hobbits, wizards, elves, dwarves, orcs, men and the quest for the One Ring that rules the other Rings of Power. All three books were made into movies directed by Peter Jackson, with each movie released for Christmas and the final movie released on 17th December 2003 which won 11 Academy Awards including the Oscar for Best Picture.

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20 Oct, 1967 U.S.A. Vietnam Protesters

1967 : More than 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Oakland, California on the fifth day of demonstrations in protest against American involvement in the Vietnam War.

20 Oct, 1968 Greece Onassis

October 20th, 1968 : Jackie Kennedy marries Greek multimillionaire Aristotle Onassis on his privately owned island paradise part of the Greek Islands.

20 Oct, 1973 U.S.A. Watergate

1973 : President Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox and abolished the Watergate prosecution force. He also accepted the resignation of Attorney General Elliot L Richardson and fired all his deputies.

20 Oct, 1973 Australia Sydney Opera House

October 20th, 1973 : Sydney Opera House one the one of the world's most distinctive buildings opens in on the banks of Sydney Harbour, Australia. The unusual design was by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the work on Sydney Opera House had begun 15 years earlier.

20 Oct, 1983 Grenada Prime Minister Assassinated

1983 : The Prime Minister of Grenada, Maurice Bishop, is shot dead by the armed forces at the Caribbean island's military headquarters.

20 Oct, 1984 Monterey Bay Aquarium

October 20th, 1984 : Monterey Bay Aquarium one of the largest aquariums in the world opens in Monterey Bay, California. Amongst it's many firsts the Aquarium is the only aquarium in the world able to keep a great white shark captive for more than 16 days.

20 Oct, 1988 England Right To Silence

1988 : The British Government announces plans to change the law regarding a suspect's right to remain silent and a person's reason for remaining silent could be interpreted by a judge and jury for guilt or innocence.

20 Oct, 1991 U.S.A. Oakland Firestorm

October 20th, 1991 : The Oakland Firestorm happens on the hillsides of northern Oakland, California killing 25 and injuring 150 others. The fire claimed 2,843 single-family dwellings and 437 apartment and condominium units.

20 Oct, 1995 U.S.A. UN Loan

1995 : The United Nations was forced to take out a loan of $125 as it had exceeded it's annual budget and decided to hand out bills to its biggest debtors and at the top of the list was the United States which owed the U.N. $1.25 billion. The announcement of America's debt, was a sad moment for the country that had helped found and initially fund the U.N.

20 Oct, 2006 India Bus Crash

October 20th, 2006 : A bus in Rewa, India, drove into a lake after possibly experiencing brake failure. A total of fifty-six people died while nine were either rescued or able to swim to shore.

20 Oct, 2007 Piyush Amrit "Bobby" Jindal Elected

2007 : Piyush Amrit "Bobby" Jindal is elected as the youngest current governor in the United States and also the first Indian-American governor in the country.

20 Oct, 2007 U.S.A. California Forest Fires

October 20th, 2007 : One of the largest and deadliest fires in US history begins in Southern California fanned by the Santa Ana winds destroying 400,000 acres and 2,000 homes.

20 Oct, 2011 Libyan Ex-Leader Muammar Gaddafi Killed

2011 : Former leader of Libya for 42 years, Muammar Gaddafi, was killed in his home town of Sirte after being thrown out of power. The country had faced months of fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and anti-Gaddafi rebels and the effort to remove Gaddafi had been aided by a Nato bombing campaign.

20 Oct, 2011 Greece National Day of Protest

October 20th, 2011 : Greeks protest on the second day of a nationwide general strike, against new austerity measures including higher taxes and cuts to public sector wages intended to alleviate the country's ongoing debt crisis. Riots break out and one man is killed and at least 74 people are injured during the protests.

20 Oct, 2012 Luxembourg Royal Wedding Takes Place

2012 : Crown Prince Guillaume marries the Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in Luxembourg. Royals and regular citizens attended a special service at Notre Dame Cathedral celebrating the marriage the day after the civil ceremony took place.

20 Oct, 2013 Nigeria Boko Haram Kills Motorists

October 20th, 2013 : At least nineteen people were killed at checkpoints in Nigeria's Borno state. Gunmen dressed as military were identified as Boko Haram, the group did not confirm that. They reportedly stopped motorists and then shot and killed them.