So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

May 20th


- Christian Feast Day:
- Emancipation Day (Florida)
- European Maritime Day (European Council)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Cuba from the United States in 1902.
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of East Timor from Indonesia in 2002.
- National Day (Cameroon)
- National Day of Hatred (Cambodia)

May 20th


- 2002 - The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and 3 years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976).
- 1996 - Gay rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.
- 1990 - The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania.
- 1989 - The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
- 1985 - Radio Martí, part of the Voice of America service, begins broadcasting to Cuba.
- 1983 - First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo individually.
- 1980 - In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada.
- 1969 - The Battle of Hamburger Hill in Vietnam ends.
- 1965 - PIA Flight 705, a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 720 – 040 B, crashes while descending to land at Cairo International Airport, killing 119 of the 125 passengers and crew.
- 1956 - In Operation Redwing (shot Cherokee), the first United States airborne hydrogen bomb is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean;
- 1949 - In the United States, the Armed Forces Security Agency, the predecessor to the National Security Agency, is established.
- 1949 - The Kuomintang regime declares martial law in Taiwan.
- 1941 - World War II: Battle of Crete – German paratroops invade Crete.
- 1940 - Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz.
- 1932 - Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.
- 1927 - Treaty of Jedda: the United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- 1927 - At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He touched down at Le Bourget Field in Paris at 22:22 the next day.
- 1920 - Montreal, Quebec radio station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio programming in North America.
- 1916 - The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting (Boy with Baby Carriage).
- 1902 - Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President.
- 1896 - The six ton chandelier of the Palais Garnier falls on the crowd resulting in the death of one and the injury of many others.
- 1891 - History of cinema: The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope.
- 1883 - Krakatoa begins to erupt. The volcano's final and most notable explosion occurs on August 26.
- 1882 - The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is formed.
- 1873 - Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church – in the Virginia Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory.
- 1862 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law.
- 1861 - American Civil War: The state of Kentucky proclaims its neutrality, which will last until September 3 when Confederate forces enter the state.
- 1845 - HMS Erebus and HMS Terror with 134 men under John Franklin sail from the River Thames in Britain, beginning a disastrous expedition to find the Northwest Passage. All hands are lost.
- 1840 - York Minster is badly damaged by fire
- 1835 - Otto is named the first modern King of Greece.
- 1813 - Napoleon Bonaparte leads his French troops into the Battle of Bautzen in Saxony, Germany, against the combined armies of Russia and Prussia. The battle ends the next day with a French victory.
- 1802 - By the Law of 20 May 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution
- 1631 - The city of Magdeburg in Germany is seized by forces of the Holy Roman Empire and most of its inhabitants massacred, in one of the bloodiest incidents of the Thirty Years' War.
- 1609 - Shakespeare's sonnets are first published in London, perhaps illicitly, by the publisher Thomas Thorpe.
- 1570 - Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas.
- 1521 - Battle of Pampeluna: Ignatius Loyola is seriously wounded.
- 1498 - Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India.
- 1497 - John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west (other documents give a May 2 date).
- 1293 - King Sancho IV of Castile creates the Study of General Schools of Alcalá.
- 1217 - The Second Battle of Lincoln is fought near Lincoln, England, resulting in the defeat of Prince Louis of France by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke.
- 685 - The Battle of Dunnichen or Nechtansmere is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated.
- 526 - An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia.
- 325 - The First Council of Nicea – the first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church is held.

May 20th


- 2010 - Lady Cosima Windsor, daughter of Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
- 1993 - Caroline Zhang, American figure skater
- 1992 - Cate Campbell, Australian swimmer
- 1991 - Mara Lopez, Filipino actress
- 1988 - Carla Humphries, Filipino actress
- 1987 - Julian Wright, American basketball player
- 1986 - Dexter Blackstock, English footballer
- 1984 - Keith Grennan, American football player
- 1984 - Patrick Ewing, Jr., American basketball player
- 1984 - Naturi Naughton, singer (3LW) and actress
- 1984 - Kenny Vasoli, American singer and bassist (The Starting Line)
- 1983 - N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Indian film actor
- 1983 - Roger Huerta, American mixed martial artist
- 1982 - Petr ?ech, Czech footballer
- 1982 - Imran Farhat, Pakistani cricketer
- 1981 - Iker Casillas, Spanish footballer
- 1981 - Lindsay Taylor, American basketball player
- 1981 - Mark Winterbottom, Australian racing driver
- 1981 - Morgan Knabe, Canadian swimmer
- 1980 - Austin Kearns, American baseball player
- 1979 - Jayson Werth, American baseball player
- 1978 - Hristos Banikas, Greek chess player
- 1978 - Pavla Hamá?ková-Rybová, Czech athlete
- 1977 - Matt Czuchry, American actor
- 1977 - Chad Muska, American professional skateboarder
- 1977 - Leonardo Noeren Franco, Argentine footballer
- 1977 - Miriam Parrish, American television actress
- 1977 - Angela Goethals, American actress
- 1977 - Vesa Toskala, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1977 - Tiger Tyson, American pornographic actor
- 1976 - Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1976 - Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
- 1975 - Isaac Gálvez, Spanish cyclist (d. 2006)
- 1975 - Juan Minujín, Argentine actor
- 1975 - Tahmoh Penikett, Canadian actor
- 1975 - Mark Zupan, American wheelchair rugby player and actor
- 1975 - Andrew Sega, American musician
- 1973 - Elsa Lunghini, French singer and actress
- 1972 - Tina Hobley, British television actress
- 1972 - Busta Rhymes, American rapper and actor
- 1971 - Šárka Kašpárková, Czech athlete
- 1971 - Tony Stewart, American race car driver
- 1970 - Louis Theroux, British television presenter
- 1970 - Terrell Brandon, American basketball player
- 1969 - Brian Gerard James ("Road Dogg" Jesse James), American professional wrestler
- 1968 - Timothy Olyphant, American actor
- 1968 - Waisale Serevi, Fijian rugby union and rugby sevens footballer
- 1967 - Gabriele Muccino, Italian film director
- 1967 - Ramzi Yousef, Kuwaiti-born Pakistani terrorist
- 1967 - Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece
- 1967 - Blake Schwarzenbach, American singer and guitarist (Jawbreaker)
- 1966 - Mindy Cohn, American actress
- 1966 - Dan Abrams, American TV reporter
- 1965 - Ted Allen, American television host
- 1963 - David Wells, American baseball player
- 1962 - Mike Jeffries, American soccer coach
- 1961 - Clive Allen, English footballer
- 1960 - John Billingsley, American actor
- 1960 - Tony Goldwyn, American actor
- 1959 - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Hawaiian singer (d. 1997)
- 1959 - Bronson Pinchot, American actor
- 1958 - Ron Reagan, American talk show host
- 1958 - Jane Wiedlin, American singer (The Go-Go's)
- 1956 - William Michaelian, American novelist and poet
- 1956 - Ingvar Ambjřrnsen, Norwegian author
- 1956 - Dean Butler, American actor
- 1955 - Zbigniew Preisner, Polish film composer
- 1954 - Guy Hoffman, American musician (Violent Femmes)
- 1954 - David Paterson, American politician
- 1954 - Cindy McCain, American businesswoman, wife of John McCain
- 1954 - Robert Van de Walle, Belgian judoka
- 1953 - Robert Doyle, Australian politician
- 1952 - Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer
- 1951 - Mike Crapo, American politician
- 1950 - Yvon Lambert, French Canadian ice hockey player
- 1950 - Reinaldo Merlo, Argentine footballer
- 1949 - Dave Thomas, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1947 - Greg Dyke, British broadcast executive
- 1947 - John Corapi, American Catholic prelate
- 1946 - Cher, American singer & actress
- 1946 - Robert Chua, Hong Kong TV Entrepreneur
- 1945 - Vladimiro Montesinos, Peruvian politician
- 1944 - Joe Cocker, British singer
- 1944 - Boudewijn de Groot, Dutch singer
- 1944 - Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman
- 1943 - Al Bano, Italian singer
- 1942 - Carlos Hathcock, American Marine Corps sniper (d. 1999)
- 1942 - Jill Jackson, American singer (Paul & Paula)
- 1941 - Goh Chok Tong, Singaporean Senior Minister
- 1941 - John Strasberg, American actor
- 1941 - Manuel Isaias Lopez, Mexican child psychiatrist
- 1940 - Stan Mikita, Slovak-born ice hockey player
- 1940 - Sadaharu Oh, Japanese baseball player
- 1940 - Shorty Long, American musician (d. 1969)
- 1938 - Marinella, Greek singer and actress
- 1936 - Anthony Zerbe, American actor
- 1935 - José Mujica, President of Uruguay
- 1932 - Bob Florence, American jazz pianist, composer, arranger (d. 2008)
- 1931 - Ken Boyer, American baseball player (d. 1982)
- 1931 - Paul Evans, American furniture designer and sculptor (d. 1987)
- 1930 - Sam Etcheverry, American football player and coach (d. 2009)
- 1929 - Ahmed Hamdi, Egyptian soldier, who fought in Yom Kippur(d. 1973)
- 1927 - Bud Grant, American football coach
- 1927 - Franciszek Macharski, Polish Catholic cardinal
- 1927 - David Hedison, American actor
- 1926 - Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (d. 1956)
- 1926 - John Lucarotti, English-born Canadian TV writer (d. 1994)
- 1925 - Chester Ludgin, American baritone (d. 2003)
- 1924 - Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan reporter and politician (d. 1976)
- 1921 - Wolfgang Borchert, German writer (d. 1947)
- 1921 - Hal Newhouser, American baseball player (d. 1998)
- 1920 - John Cruickshank, Scottish airman, Victoria Cross recipient
- 1920 - Betty Driver MBE, English singer and actress
- 1919 - Gerhard Barkhorn, German fighter pilot (d. 1983)
- 1919 - George Gobel, American comedian (d. 1991)
- 1918 - Edward B. Lewis, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 2004)
- 1917 - Guy Favreau, French Canadian lawyer (d. 1967)
- 1917 - Bergur Sigurbjörnsson, Icelandic politician (d. 2005)
- 1916 - Trebisonda Valla, Italian athlete (d. 2006)
- 1916 - Alexei Petrovich Maresiev, Russian flying ace (d. 2001)
- 1915 - Moshe Dayan, Israeli general (d. 1981)
- 1915 - Peter Copley, British actor (d. 2008)
- 1914 - Corneliu Coposu, Romanian politician (d. 1995)
- 1914 - Hideko Maehata, Japanese swimmer (d. 1995)
- 1913 - William Hewlett, American engineer (d. 2001)
- 1911 - Gardner Fox, American writer (d. 1986)
- 1908 - James Stewart, American actor (d. 1997)
- 1906 - Giuseppe Siri, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1989)
- 1901 - Max Euwe, Dutch chess player (d. 1981)
- 1899 - Alexander Deyneka, Ukrainian painter (d. 1969)
- 1899 - John Marshall Harlan II, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1971)
- 1897 - Diego Abad de Santillán, Spanish anarchist (d. 1983)
- 1895 - R. J. Mitchell, British aircraft designer (d. 1937)
- 1894 - Chandrashekarendra Saraswati, Indian Hindu sage, Jivanmukta (d. 1994)
- 1886 - Ali Sami Yen, Turkish founder of Galatasaray Sports Club (d. 1951)
- 1883 - King Faisal I of Iraq (d. 1933)
- 1882 - Sigrid Undset, Norwegian author, Nobel laureate (d. 1949)
- 1860 - Eduard Buchner, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1917)
- 1851 - Emil Berliner, German-born recording pioneer (d. 1929)
- 1838 - Jules Méline, French statesman (d. 1925)
- 1830 - Hector Malot, French writer (d. 1907)
- 1822 - Frédéric Passy, French economist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (d. 1912)
- 1818 - William Fargo, American pioneer expressman, co-founder of Wells, Fargo & Co. (d. 1881)
- 1806 - John Stuart Mill, English philosopher (d. 1873)
- 1799 - Honoré de Balzac, French novelist (d. 1850)
- 1776 - Simon Fraser, Canadian explorer (d.1862)
- 1772 - Sir William Congreve, English inventor (d. 1828)
- 1769 - Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (d. 1835)
- 1768 - Dolley Madison, First Lady of the United States (d. 1849)
- 1759 - William Thornton, West Indian-born architect (d. 1828)
- 1737 - William Petty Fitzmaurice, British statesman (d. 1805)
- 1726 - Francis Cotes, English painter (d. 1770)
- 1706 - Seth Pomeroy, American gunsmith and soldier (d. 1777)
- 1663 - William Bradford, British-born printer (d. 1752)
- 1660 - Andreas Schlüter, German sculptor (d. 1714)
- 1593 - Salomo Glassius, German theologian (d. 1656)
- 1554 - Paolo Bellasio, Italian composer (d. 1594)
- 1470 - Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal (d. 1547)
- 1315 - Bonne of Luxembourg, wife of John II of France (d. 1349)