20 February events: Significant incidents that took place on this date

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From the eruption of the Paricutín volcano to John Glenn becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, several major events have taken place on 20 February in the past

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20 February events: Significant incidents that took place on this date

Today is 20 February and this date marks a number of significant events that are still being chronicled in history books. Aside from the births and deaths of famous people, the world has also seen important war treaties, the development of new technologies, power shifts, and the rise and fall of governments, as well as a number of local, regional, and global events. The arcs and significance of these events must be understood for the coming generations to know about them. Continue reading to learn more about some of the significant events that happened on 20 February in detail. 20 February: Historical events

1909 - ‘Futurism’ was launched

It was on 20 February 1909 when Italian author Filippo Tommaso Marinetti coined the term ‘Futurism’ in his Manifesto of Futurism, which was published on the front page of the Paris newspaper Le Figaro.

1943 - Paricutín volcano erupted

One of the youngest volcanoes on Earth, Paricutín which is located in Mexico’s Michoacán state, started erupting in an open field on 20 February 1943. The volcano’s eruption buried two villages and hundreds of homes.

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1962 - John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth

It was on 20 February 1962, when astronaut John H Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth as a part of his three-orbit Mercury-Atlas 6 mission. In 4 hours and 55 minutes, Glenn circled the planet thrice in his space capsule ‘Friendship 7’. Nearly four decades after this, the astronaut also became the oldest human ever to travel in space.

1986 - The core module of space station Mir was launched

It was on this date back in 1986 when the core module of the Russian Space Station ‘Mir’ was launched by the Soviet Union. Over the next 10 years, additional modules were sent aloft, following which a large habitat was created. It served as a versatile space laboratory for over 14 years.

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