At A Glance

20 June 1944 at a glance

Day of the week
20 June 1944 was a Tuesday.
Top Film of 1944
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 1944 was Going My Way.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 June is Gemini.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 June 1944 fell in the Year of the Monkey.
Birthstone
The birthstone for June is Pearl.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 June 1944 was New Moon.

On this day: 20 June

  • 1942 The Holocaust: Kazimierz Piechowski and three others, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, steal an SS staff car and escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
  • 1944 World War II: The Battle of the Philippine Sea concludes with a decisive U.S. naval victory. The lopsided naval air battle is also known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot".
  • 1944 World War II: During the Continuation War, the Soviet Union demands unconditional surrender from Finland during the beginning of partially successful Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive. The Finnish government refuses.
  • 1944 The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space.
  • 1945 The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.

Famous people born on 20 June

  • Nicole Kidman, American-Australian actress (born 1967)
  • John Goodman, American actor (born 1952)
  • Lionel Richie, American singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor (born 1949)
  • Frank Lampard, English footballer (born 1978)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 1944 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '1944 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 3–8 May – World War II: Exercise Fabius, the last major Allied rehearsals for the Normandy landings, take place along the south coast of England.
  • 6 June – World War II: D-Day for the Normandy landings: 155,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in France, beginning Operation Overlord and the Invasion of Normandy.
  • 3 August – the Education Act, promoted by Rab Butler, provides for the postwar education system, including free secondary education for children of both sexes and raising of the school leaving age to 15.

Life in 1944

Prime Minister

Winston Churchill

Monarch

George VI

Pint of Beer

4p

Loaf of Bread

2p

Average House

£625

Weekly Wage

£4.75

Or

Browse by Year

Famous Faces Born in the 1940s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →