Berlin, Germany. Major events recorded on March 20 include political resignations, landmark developments during World War II-era Germany, and international crises and milestones.
Political developments and independence
In 1890, Herbert Bismarck resigned as German Foreign Secretary.
In 1956, France granted full independence to Tunisia.
In 2002, Tommy Suharto, the son of former Indonesian leader Suharto, went on trial accused of masterminding the killing of a judge, and was later sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Germany and the Dachau camp
In 1933, the first concentration camp in Germany opened at Dachau near Munich, six weeks after Adolf Hitler came to power.
Deaths
In 1964, Irish playwright Brendan Behan, author of “The Quare Fellow” and the autobiographical “Borstal Boy,” died. Behan, a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was imprisoned twice for political activity.
In 2004, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands died aged 94. She was often called the “People’s Queen” for her role in the Netherlands’ post-war recovery and in overseeing the independence of its colonies.
Major attacks and disasters
In 1995, 12 people died and more than 6,000 were injured in a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway carried out by the Aum Shinri Kyo religious sect.
In 2001, the world’s largest offshore oil platform sank off Brazil within minutes, five days after explosions on the rig killed 11 people.
War in Iraq
In 2003, the United States began its war on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq with overnight air strikes on Baghdad targeting senior leaders. Hours later, U.S. and British troops began invading Iraq from Kuwait.
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