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September 20
5 moments across history
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Takes Effect
On September 20, 2011, repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” took effect, ending the U.S. military’s ban on openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members. The change allowed them to serve openly without discharge based solely on sexual orientation, advancing equal treatment in the armed forces. Adopted in 1993 as a compromise, the policy was repealed by Congress in 2010 after years of activism, legal challenges, and shifting public opinion.
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Takes Effect
Vietnam Joins the United Nations
Vietnam Joins the United Nations
Year: 1977
On September 20, 1977, the UN General Assembly admitted the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as the organization’s 149th member state. Membership gave unified Vietnam formal representation in the UN and marked an important step in its international diplomatic integration. The admission came two years after the Vietnam War ended and the following year’s reunification of North and South Vietnam.
First Cannes Film Festival Opens
First Cannes Film Festival Opens
Year: 1946
On September 20, 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival opened in Cannes, France, bringing together films and filmmakers from several countries. It mattered because it established an international showcase that would become one of cinema’s most prestigious festivals. The event revived plans for a 1939 festival that had been canceled after World War II began, reflecting Europe’s postwar cultural renewal.
Chester A. Arthur Becomes President
Chester A. Arthur Becomes President
Year: 1881
On September 20, 1881, Vice President Chester A. Arthur took the presidential oath after James A. Garfield died from complications of an assassin’s gunshot. Arthur’s accession ensured a peaceful constitutional transfer of power during a national crisis and made him the 21st president of the United States. Garfield’s assassination intensified demands to reform the patronage system, and Arthur later signed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883.
Capture of Rome at Porta Pia
Capture of Rome at Porta Pia
Year: 1870
On September 20, 1870, Italian troops breached Rome’s Aurelian Walls at Porta Pia and captured the city from papal forces. The victory ended the popes’ temporal rule over Rome and enabled its annexation to the Kingdom of Italy, completing a crucial stage of Italian unification. The capture followed decades of the Risorgimento and became possible after the Franco-Prussian War prompted France to withdraw troops protecting the Papal States.