January 20

250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the persecution of Roman emperor Decius for failing to perform sacrifices to the Roman gods.

1265 – The first English parliament to include commoner representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster

1567 – Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá drive the French out of Rio de Janeiro.

1649 – The trial of Charles I of England at the High Court of Justice begins

1783 – Great Britain signs preliminary articles of peace with France, setting the stage for the official end of the Revolutionary War later in the year.

1887 – The U.S. Senate ratifies a treaty allowing the U.S. Navy to lease Pearl Harbor Hawaii as a naval base.

1909 – Automaker General Motors buys into the Oakland Motor Car Company, at Pontiac, Michigan, which later becomes GM’s Pontiac division.

1929 – The first full length talking motion picture, In Old Arizona, is released.

1937 – Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner are sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice President; the first time a Presidential Inauguration takes place on January 20

1942 – At a conference held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee, Nazi officials discuss the implementation of the “Final Solution to the Jewish question”.

1961 – John F. Kennedy is inaugurated the 35th President of the United States of America, the youngest man to date elected to that office.

1981 – 20 minutes after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America, Iran releases 52 American hostages.

2021 – Joe Biden becomes the oldest person, at age 78, to take the oath of office of the President of the United States.