Today
Tuesday October 20 2026
- Day of the year
- 293/ 365
- Week
- 432,026
- Days left
- 7280%
- Moon
- 69%Waxing gibbous
Today is Tuesday, October 20, 2026. It is day 293 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 72 remain, and 80% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 43.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- October 24United Nations Day
- October 31World Cities Day
- November 5World Tsunami Awareness Day
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Maria Bertilla BoscardinItalian nun and nurse (1888–1922)
- ArtemiusPrefect of Roman Egypt and martyr
- Irene of TomarPortuguese saint
- Wendelin of TrierGerman saint
- Acca of Hexham8th-century Bishop of Hexham
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:13
- Sunset
- 18:09
- Length of day
- 10h 56m−3 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 12:41
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Autumn
began on September 22, 2026
Next season
Winter — 62 days, December 21, 2026 (December solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Veterans Day — November 11, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing gibbous
Illumination : 69%
Moon age : 10.0 days
- Next full moon
- October 26, 2026
- Next new moon
- November 9, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Libra
until October 23, 2026 — Scorpio
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
1740
France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction, and the War of the Austrian Succession begins. Wikipedia
1827
Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships. Wikipedia
1910
British ocean liner RMS Olympic is launched. Wikipedia
1935
The Long March, a mammoth retreat undertaken by the armed forces of the Chinese Communist Party a year prior, ends. Wikipedia
1944
World War II: The Soviet Red Army and Yugoslav Partisans liberate Belgrade. Wikipedia
1944
World War II: American general Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines when he comes ashore during the Battle of Leyte. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1962
China launches simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line, igniting the Sino-Indian War. Wikipedia
1973
The Sydney Opera House is opened by Elizabeth II after 14 years of construction. Wikipedia
1973
Watergate scandal: "Saturday Night Massacre": United States President Richard Nixon fires U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who is finally fired by Solicitor General Robert Bork. Wikipedia
2011
Libyan Crisis: Rebel forces capture Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim in his hometown of Sirte and kill them shortly thereafter, ending the first Libyan civil war. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day October 20
- 1854Arthur Rimbaud, French soldier and poet (died 1891)
- 1859John Dewey, American psychologist and philosopher (died 1952)
- 1874Charles Ives, American composer (died 1954)
- 1882Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-American actor (died 1956)
- 1891James Chadwick, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1974)
- 1942Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, German biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureateturns 84 years
- 1946Elfriede Jelinek, Austrian author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureateturns 80 years
- 1964Kamala Harris, American politician and lawyer, 49th Vice President of the United Statesturns 62 years
Died on this day October 20
- 1964Herbert Hoover, American engineer and politician, 31st President of the United States (born 1874)aged 90 years
- 1977Ronnie Van Zant, American singer-songwriter (born 1948)aged 29 years
- 1984Paul Dirac, English-American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902)aged 82 years
- 1987Andrey Kolmogorov, Russian mathematician and academic (born 1903)aged 84 years
- 1990Joel McCrea, American actor (born 1905)aged 85 years
- 1994Burt Lancaster, American actor (born 1913)aged 81 years
- 2011Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan colonel and politician, Prime Minister of Libya (born 1942)aged 69 years
- 2011Mutassim Gaddafi, Libyan colonel (born 1974)aged 37 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 07:13 and sets at 18:09, giving 10h 56m of daylight — 3 minutes less than yesterday. It has been autumn since September 22, 2026; winter opens in 62 days, on December 21, 2026 (December solstice).
The moon is waxing gibbous, 69% illuminated. The next full moon falls on October 26, 2026 and the next new moon on November 9, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches October 20 to Maria Bertilla Boscardin, Artemius and Irene of Tomar.
No United Nations international day falls on October 20. The next one on the calendar is United Nations Day, on October 24.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony refuse to honour the Pragmatic Sanction, and the War of the Austrian Succession begins (1740); Greek War of Independence: In the Battle of Navarino, a combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet is defeated by British, French and Russian naval forces in the last significant battle fought with wooden sailing ships (1827). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Arthur Rimbaud was born on October 20, 1854; Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964.
66 days remain until Christmas and 73 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — October 20 falls under the sign of Libra.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 80%
- of the year elapsed
- 66
- until Christmas
- 73
- until New Year
- 497
- 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