July 20 in History: From Apollo 11's Moon Landing to the Restoration of US-Cuba Ties

Saturday, July 20, 2024, is the 202nd day of the year, leaving 164 days before it ends. The date is best remembered for the moment in 1969 when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon, after their Apollo 11 lunar module reached the surface.

Other milestones from the first half of the 20th century also fell on July 20. In 1917, the American draft lottery for World War I began at a ceremony inside the Senate office building. Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and drew a capsule holding the number 258. In 1944, a group of German officials tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a bomb, but the blast only wounded the Nazi leader.

The date has also been marked by killings and disasters. In 1951, Jordan's King Abdullah I was assassinated in Jerusalem by a Palestinian gunman, whom security forces shot dead on the spot. In 1977, a flash flood struck Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing more than 80 people and causing $350 million in damage. In 1993, Vincent Foster Jr., a 48-year-old White House deputy counsel, was found shot to death in a park near Washington, D.C. His death was ruled a suicide.

Among the more recent entries, the 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colorado, stands out. Gunman James Holmes opened fire in a crowded movie theater during a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 people and wounding 70. Holmes was later convicted of murder and attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Space exploration, law and diplomacy also feature in the date's history. In 1976, the American Viking 1 robot spacecraft made the first successful landing on Mars. In 1990, Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, one of the court's most liberal voices, announced he was stepping down. In 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve Elena Kagan as the court's fourth female justice.

Congress and the White House took notable steps on the date as well. In 2006, the Senate voted 98-0 to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act for another 25 years. In 2007, President George W. Bush signed an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment, including humiliation or denigration of religious beliefs, in the detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects. In 2015, the United States and Cuba restored full diplomatic relations after more than five decades of frosty ties rooted in the Cold War.

Several well-known people celebrate birthdays on July 20. Former Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, turns 88, and baseball Hall of Famer Tony Oliva turns 86. Artist Judy Chicago turns 85, rock musician Carlos Santana turns 77, and author and commentator Thomas Friedman turns 71.

The list continues with conservationist and TV personality Terri Irwin, who turns 60, and actor Sandra Oh, who turns 53. Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen turns 49, supermodel Gisele Bundchen turns 44, and dancer-singer-actor Julianne Hough turns 36.