September 20
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1973
Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs
On this day, tennis great Billie Jean King faced self-described “male chauvinist pig” Bobby Riggs in the much-publicized “Battle of the Sexes.” More than 90 million viewers watched as King defeated the former Grand Slam champion in straight sets. The spectacle became a landmark moment for women’s tennis, and a highly visible victory in the broader fight for gender equality.
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Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Practically alone among the American writers of his generation, [Sinclair] put to the American public the fundamental questions raised by capitalism in such a way that they could not escape them.
American novelist Upton Sinclair, born this day in 1878, wrote The Jungle (1906), a landmark work that aroused indignation at impurities in processed meats and helped bring about federal food-inspection laws.
Famous Birthdays
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2017
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, causing more than $90 billion in damages and, according to government officials, nearly 3,000 deaths. [Test your knowledge of historical disasters.]
Chuck Kennedy—Official White House Photo
2011
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—a U.S. military policy that theoretically lifted a ban on homosexuals in the armed forces, provided that individuals kept their sexuality private—officially ended. [Take our quiz about U.S. history.]
© Elsa/Getty Images
1998
American professional baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr., ended his streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. [How much do you know about baseball?]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1960
Thirteen newly independent African countries—Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo-Brazzaville (now Republic of the Congo), Republic of the Congo-Léopoldville (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), Côte d’Ivoire, Dahomey (now Benin), Gabon, Malagasy Republic (now Madagascar), Niger, Somalia, Togo, and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso)—joined the United Nations, marking a major milestone in African decolonization.
© Vinicius Tupinamba/Shutterstock.com
1946
Delayed because of World War II, the first Cannes film festival began, and it became one of cinema’s major annual events. [Test your knowledge of movies.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1938
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company and scientist Wallace Hume Carothers are granted a patent for nylon, the first commercially produced synthetic polymer fiber. Initially popular in fashion, the material gained further prominence during World War II because of its strength, elasticity, lighter weight, and resistance to mildew and heat. [Learn about the people, places, and events that shaped the 1930s.]
© Neil Wigmore/Shutterstock.com
1886
The South African city of Johannesburg was founded. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South Africa.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1854
British and French forces defeated the Russians at the Battle of the Alma, a victory that left the Russian naval base of Sevastopol vulnerable and endangered the entire Russian position in the Crimean War. [Take our history of war quiz.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1792
The French Legislative Assembly was replaced by the National Convention, marking the formal beginning of the First Republic. [Test your knowledge of French history.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1761
The Portuguese Jesuit Gabriel Malagrida was burned to death for his involvement in the Conspiracy of the Távoras.
© Universal Art Archive/Alamy
1519
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan departed from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain, on a quest to circumnavigate the globe; although he died during the voyage, the expedition achieved its goal. [Take our exploration and discovery quiz.]