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by **Paul** Wed 20 Dec 2023, 7:46 am

This Day in History: December 20

Featured Event

1999

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Macau

Macau made an administrative region of China
On this day in 1999, 12 years after an agreement was reached between China and Portugal, several centuries of Portuguese rule ended in Macau when it became a special administrative region under Chinese sovereignty.
D. Normark—PhotoLink/Photodisc/Getty Images

More Events On This Day

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * United-States-President-Donald-Trump-2017

U.S. President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which established the Space Force, a new branch of the U.S. military.Take our quiz about military history
White House photograph by Shealah Craighead/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-DIG-ppbd-00608)
2008
Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Gregory-Peck-To-Kill-a-Mockingbird

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Gregory-Peck-To-Kill-a-Mockingbird

American director Robert Mulligan, whose credits most notably include the classic film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), died at age 83.How much do you know about To Kill a Mockingbird?
:copyright: 1962 Universal Pictures Company, Inc.; photograph from a private collection
1996
Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Wes-Craven-American

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Wes-Craven-American

The horror classic Scream, directed by Wes Craven, was released in American theatres; it became especially known for using the genre's clichés for comic effect.Test your knowledge of scary movies
Rex Features/AP Images
1989
Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Flames-building-invasion-Panama-1989

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Flames-building-invasion-Panama-1989

The United States launched Operation Just Cause, a military invasion of Panama, the initial attack focusing primarily on the Panama City headquarters of leader Manuel Noriega.Take our quiz about Latin American history
National Archives, Washington, D.C.
1974

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Flag-Ethiopia

Ethiopia was declared a socialist state under the leadership of Mengistu Haile Mariam.Test your knowledge of African leaders
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1971

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Flag-symbolism-Pakistan-design-Islamic

Pakistani President Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan transferred power to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.Take our quiz about world governments and their leaders
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1960
Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Thistle-blue-half.svg?v=3.110

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Thistle-blue-half.svg?v=3.110

The Vietnamese National Liberation Front was formed, with the purpose of effecting the reunification of North and South Vietnam.Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Southeast Asia
1946
Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * James-Stewart-Its-a-Wonderful-Life

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * James-Stewart-Its-a-Wonderful-Life

Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, a drama starring Jimmy Stewart, premiered and later became a holiday classic.Test your knowledge of famous movie quotes
Culver Pictures
1860

Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * State-flag-South-Carolina-Union-fort-palmetto-1861

Following Abraham Lincoln's election as U.S. president, South Carolina became the first U.S. state to secede from the Union.How much do you know about Abraham Lincoln?
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1841
Britannica On This Day December 20 2023 * Macau made an administrative region of China, John Steinbeck is featured, and more * Ferdinand-Edouard-Buisson