On this day

20 June in history.

5 moments from 1819 to 2003: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

A painting of SS Savannah , 1819, by Hunter Wood

1819

Steam across the Atlantic. The SS Savannah reached Liverpool after 29 days at sea, the first ship with a steam engine to cross the Atlantic.

Wikipedia: SS Savannah

Photo: Hunter Wood / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 20 June

  1. Hamilton, ON

    1877

    The first commercial telephone service

    Alexander Graham Bell set up the first telephone service for paying customers in Hamilton, Ontario.

    Wikipedia: Alexander Graham Bell

    Photo: V. L. / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

  2. Town hall of Kiel, capital of Schleswig-Holstein , Germany. Its tower, which is 106 metres (348 ft) high, is one of the city landmarks

    1895

    The Kiel Canal opens

    A canal across northern Germany opened, linking the North Sea and the Baltic. It is one of the busiest canals in the world.

    Wikipedia: Kiel Canal

    Photo: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  3. Steven Spielberg at the Berlinale 2023

    1975

    Jaws opens

    Steven Spielberg's film about a giant shark opened in cinemas and created the idea of the summer blockbuster.

    Wikipedia: Jaws (film)Wikipedia: Steven Spielberg

    Photo: Martin Kraft / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  4. Official Wikimedia Foundation logo and wordmark used for Wikimedia visual identity guidelines

    2003

    The Wikimedia Foundation

    Jimmy Wales set up the Wikimedia Foundation to support Wikipedia and its sister projects.

    Wikipedia: Wikimedia Foundation

    Photo: Logo and trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, designed by Wikipedia user Neolŭ (SVG v… / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.