1520 506 years ago Historical Events May 20 3 sources

Hernan Cortés defeats Pánfilo de Narváez, sent by Spain to punish him for insubordination.

On May 20, in the year 1520, Hernan Cortés defeats Pánfilo de Narváez, sent by Spain to punish him for insubordination. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of May 20, one of 424 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Hernán Cortés, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish conquistador, military commander, explorer, captain general, and writer who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of what is now mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century. Cortés was part of the generation of Spanish explorers and conquistadors who began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 20, 1520 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 5 May 2026.

On This Date in History 424

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 May 20 George Wendt, American actor and comedian (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 20 Ivan Boesky, American stock trader (born 1937)
Historical Events 2022 May 20 Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claims full control of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege
Notable Deaths 2022 May 20 Roger Angell, American sportswriter and author (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 20 Susan Roces, Filipino actress (born 1941)
Selected Events 2022 May 20 Russo-Ukrainian war: Russia claimed full control of Mariupol after a nearly three-month siege
Notable Deaths 2021 May 20 Gary Wilson, American anti-pornography activist (born 1956)
Historical Events 2019 May 20 The International System of Units (SI): The base units are redefined, making the international prototype of the kilogram
Notable Deaths 2019 May 20 Niki Lauda, Austrian race car driver (born 1949)
Historical Events 2016 May 20 The government of Singapore authorised the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a
Historical Events 2016 May 20 The government of Singapore authorises the controversial execution of convicted murderer Kho Jabing for the murder of a
Notable Deaths 2016 May 20 Kho Jabing, Malaysian convicted murderer who was executed by hanging in Singapore (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 20 Bob Belden, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 20 Femi Robinson, Nigerian actor and playwright (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 20 Sandra Bem, American psychologist and academic (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 20 Ross Brown, New Zealand rugby player (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 20 Robyn Denny, English-French painter (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 20 Arthur Gelb, American journalist, author, and critic (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 20 Prince Rupert Loewenstein, Spanish-English businessman (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 20 Barbara Murray, English actress (born 1929)
Historical Events 2013 May 20 An EF5 tornado strikes the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, killing 24 people and injuring 377 others
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Flavio Costantini, Italian painter and illustrator (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Billie Dawe, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball player and coach (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Ray Manzarek, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Denys Roberts, English judge and politician (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 20 Zach Sobiech, American singer-songwriter (born 1995)
Selected Events 2013 May 20 A tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, United States, killing 24 people and causing an estimated $2 billion of damage
Historical Events 2012 May 20 At least 27 people are killed and 50 others injured when a 6
Notable Births 2012 May 20 Doug the Pug, American celebrity dog
Notable Deaths 2012 May 20 Leela Dube, Indian anthropologist and scholar (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 20 Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and producer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 20 David Littman, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 20 Ken Lyons, American bass guitarist (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 20 Eugene Polley, American engineer, invented the remote control (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 20 Andrew B
Selected Events 2012 May 20 The first of two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, resulting in seven deaths
Historical Events 2011 May 20 Mamata Banerjee is sworn in as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the first woman to hold this post
Notable Deaths 2011 May 20 Randy Savage, American wrestler and actor (born 1952)
Historical Events 2009 May 20 An Indonesian Air Force Lockheed L-100 Hercules crashes in Magetan Regency, killing 99
Notable Deaths 2009 May 20 Arthur Erickson, Canadian architect and urban planner, designed Roy Thomson Hall (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 20 Lucy Gordon, American actress and model (born 1980)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 20 Pierre Gamarra, French author, poet, and critic (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 20 Hamilton Jordan, American politician, 8th White House Chief of Staff (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 20 Norman Von Nida, Australian golfer (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 20 Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 20 William Seawell, American general (born 1918)
Historical Events 2002 May 20 The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and three years of
Notable Deaths 2002 May 20 Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, biologist, and academic (born 1941)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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