1865: Pierre Lallement, inventor of the bicycle, arrives in the U.S. On July 20, 1865, a Frenchman named Pierre Lallement arrives in the United States, carrying the plans and components for the first modern bicycle. Lallement constructed and patented the first bicycle in the United States, but received no significant reward or recognition for introducing the nation to an invention that soon became ubiquitous.
1944: World War II: Adolf Hitler escaped death after a third attempt on his life when a group of German officials detonated a bomb near Hitler’s Rastenburg headquarters. Hitler was only injured’
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1969: Apollo 11 lunar module carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lands on the surface of the Moon. At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. Seven hours later Armstrong becomes the first person to step on the moon at 10:56 p.m. EDT, Aldrin joins him shortly after. Michael Collins remains in orbit in the command module.
1973: Bruce Lee an American-born film actor died in Hong Kong on July 20, 1973; six days before the release of his film Enter the Dragon. Lee’s official cause of death was swelling of the brain caused by an allergic reaction to a headache medication, although some considered the circumstances of his death mysterious. He was who was renowned for his martial arts prowess and helped popularize martial arts movies in the 1970s. He was 32 years.
1976: Viking 1 lands on Mars. On the seventh anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, the Viking 1 lander, an unmanned U.S. planetary probe, successfully lands on the surface of Mars.
2013: American journalist Helen Thomas, who broke through a number of barriers for women reporters and was known especially for her coverage of U.S. presidents, died at age 92.
2017: China announces a plan against “foreign garbage”, banning the import of 24 categories of plastic and recyclable waste from 2018
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY: July 20
Carlos Santana, 77 years
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán, an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the rock band Santana was born on 20 July 1947. The sound of Carlos Santana guitar is one of the world’s best-known musical signatures. For more than four decades—from Santana’s earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco—Carlos has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural and geographical boundaries.
Dayo Amusa, 41 years
Dayo Amusa is a Nigerian actress, singer, television personality, and businesswoman. She is well known for her performance in Nollywood movies especially Yoruba movies.
