1498 – The 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake generated a tsunami that washed away the building housing the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan on the 20th September 1498. Since then the Buddha has sat in the open air.
1848 – The American Association for the Advancement of Science was created on the 20th September 1848.
1925 – BOBBY NUNN the American singer from The COASTERS was born on the 20th September in 1925 (d. 1986).
1934 – SOPHiA LOREN the Italian actress was born on the 20th September in 1934.
1948 – CHUCK PANOZZO & JOHN PANOZZO (d. 1996) the American musician twins from STYX were born on the 20th September in 1948.
1957 – ALANNAH CURRiE the New Zealand born musician from the British New Wave pop band THOMPSON TWiNS, was born on the 20th September in 1957. Alannah Currie emigrated to the UK in 1977, as a rock journalist, where she squatted in South West London. Alannah’s songwriting credits include “I Want That Man”, for Deborah Harry in 1989. In 1992, Alannah and her then husband, and also fellow band member Tom Bailey, left the Thompson Twins. Alannah Currie now lives in London with her daughter Indigo and current husband Jimmy Cauty. Alannah now makes sculptural art-furniture under the name of Miss Pokeno.
1958 ~ Ursula M. Burns the Chairman and CEO of Xerox was born on the 20th September 1958. Ursula Burns is the 1st African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company, the 1st woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company. In 2009 Forbes rated Ursula Burns as the 14th most powerful woman in the world.
1967 – Gunnar Nelson & Matthew Nelson the American twin singer-songwriters and guitarists from the rock band Nelson were born on the 20th September 1967.
1968 – Ben Shepherd the American singer-songwriter and bass player from Soundgarden was born on the 20th September 1968.
1969 – Tim Rogers the Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from You Am I was born on the 20th September 1969.
1973 – Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in The Battle of the Sexes tennis match on the 20th September 1973, at the Houston Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
1975 ~ DAVE CALLAN the Irish born comedian based in Australia was born on the 20th September in 1975.
1985 – Capital gains tax was introduced in Australia on the 20th September 1985, one of a number of tax reforms by the Hawke / Keating government.
2011 – The United States ended the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy on the 20th September 2011, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the first time.
Today in History for September 20th ~ video presented by the Associated Press…