Today in History: First prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp in 1940

The following is a chronological list of notable events that occurred on May 20 throughout history:

1498 – Vasco da Gama reaches India
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to reach India by sea, arriving at Calicut on the Malabar Coast on May 20, 1498. This voyage established a direct maritime link between Europe and Asia, significantly impacting global trade.

1506 – Death of Christopher Columbus
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506. Despite his voyages leading to the European awareness of the American continents, he died believing he had found a new route to Asia.

1609 – Shakespeare’s sonnets are published
On May 20, 1609, a publisher named Thomas Thorpe entered a book entitled “Shakespeare’s sonnettes” into the Stationers’ Register, marking the first known publication of Shakespeare’s collection of 154 sonnets.

1802 – Napoleon reinstates slavery in French colonies
On May 20, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte enacted a law restoring the slave trade in French colonies, reversing its earlier abolition during the French Revolution.

1862 – U.S. President Lincoln signs the Homestead Act
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law on May 20, 1862, granting 160 acres of public land to settlers after five years of residence and cultivation, promoting westward expansion in the United States.

1873 – Patent granted for blue jeans
On May 20, 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim work pants, leading to the creation of blue jeans.

1927 – Charles Lindbergh begins solo transatlantic flight
On May 20, 1927, American aviator Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in New York aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, aiming to complete the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

1940 – First prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp
On May 20, 1940, the Nazi regime transported the first group of prisoners to Auschwitz concentration camp in occupied Poland, marking the beginning of its operation as a major site of the Holocaust.

1969 – Battle of Hamburger Hill concludes
After ten days of intense combat, U.S. and South Vietnamese forces captured Hill 937, known as “Hamburger Hill,” during the Vietnam War on May 20, 1969. The battle became controversial due to its high casualties and questionable strategic value.

2015 – Major banks fined for currency market manipulation
On May 20, 2015, four major global banks—JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Barclays, and the Royal Bank of Scotland—pleaded guilty to manipulating foreign exchange markets and agreed to pay over $5 billion in penalties.