Today
Wednesday May 20 2026
- Day of the year
- 140/ 365
- Week
- 212,026
- Days left
- 22538%
- Moon
- 20%Waxing crescent
Today is Wednesday, May 20, 2026. It is day 140 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 225 remain, and 38% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 21.
What's celebrated on this date
World Bee Day
WorldwideUnited Nations — International Days
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Bernardino of SienaItalian Franciscan and saint (1380–1444)
- Lydia of Thyatira1st‑century Lydian merchant of purple cloth, Christian saint, early European convert to Christianity mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles
- Daumantas of PskovLithuanian duke, ruler of the Pskov Republic, Eastern Orthodox saint (1240–1299)
- Marcellin ChampagnatFrench priest and Catholic saint
- Æthelberht IISaint and king of East Anglia
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 05:34
- Sunset
- 20:11
- Length of day
- 14h 37m+2 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:53
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Spring
began on March 20, 2026
Next season
Summer — 32 days, June 21, 2026 (June solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Memorial Day — May 25, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing crescent
Illumination : 20%
Moon age : 3.8 days
- Next full moon
- May 31, 2026
- Next new moon
- June 15, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Taurus
until May 21, 2026 — Gemini
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
325
The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church. Wikipedia
685
The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated. Wikipedia
1498
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route to India when he arrives at Kozhikode (previously known as Calicut), India. Wikipedia
1873
Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets. Wikipedia
1882
The Triple Alliance between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Italy is formed. Wikipedia
1927
Charles Lindbergh takes off for Paris from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, N.Y., aboard the Spirit of St. Louis on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, landing 33+1⁄2 hours later. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1927
Treaty of Jeddah: 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. Wikipedia
1941
World War II: Battle of Crete: German paratroops invade Crete. Wikipedia
1990
The first post-Communist presidential and parliamentary elections are held in Romania. Wikipedia
2002
The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976). Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day May 20
- 1315Bonne of Luxembourg, first wife of John II of France (died 1349)
- 1470Pietro Bembo, Italian cardinal, poet, and scholar (died 1547)
- 1799Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright (died 1850)
- 1806John Stuart Mill, English economist, civil servant, and philosopher (died 1873)
- 1901Max Euwe, Dutch chess player, mathematician, and author (died 1981)
- 1908James Stewart, American actor (died 1997)
- 1915Moshe Dayan, Israeli general and politician, 5th Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 1981)
- 1944Joe Cocker, English singer-songwriter (died 2014)
Died on this day May 20
- 1277Pope John XXI (born 1215)aged 62 years
- 1444Bernardino of Siena, Italian-Spanish missionary and saint (born 1380)aged 64 years
- 1506Christopher Columbus, Italian explorer, early European explorer of the Americas (born 1451)aged 55 years
- 1550Ashikaga Yoshiharu, Japanese shōgun (born 1510)aged 39 years
- 1622Osman II, Ottoman sultan (born 1604)aged 18 years
- 1793Charles Bonnet, Swiss botanist and biologist (born 1720)aged 73 years
- 1834Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, French general (born 1757)aged 77 years
- 1896Clara Schumann, German pianist and composer (born 1819)aged 77 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 05:34 and sets at 20:11, giving 14h 37m of daylight — 2 minutes more than yesterday. It has been spring since March 20, 2026; summer opens in 32 days, on June 21, 2026 (June solstice).
The moon is a waxing crescent, 20% illuminated. The next full moon falls on May 31, 2026 and the next new moon on June 15, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches May 20 to Bernardino of Siena, Lydia of Thyatira and Daumantas of Pskov.
May 20 is World Bee Day, designated by the United Nations or one of its agencies.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: The First Council of Nicaea is formally opened, starting the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church (325); The Battle of Dun Nechtain is fought between a Pictish army under King Bridei III and the invading Northumbrians under King Ecgfrith, who are decisively defeated (685). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Bonne of Luxembourg was born on May 20, 1315; Pope John XXI died on May 20, 1277.
219 days remain until Christmas and 226 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — May 20 falls under the sign of Taurus.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 38%
- of the year elapsed
- 219
- until Christmas
- 226
- until New Year
- 650
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26