At A Glance

20 January 2012 at a glance

Day of the week
20 January 2012 was a Friday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO.
Top Film of 2012
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2012 was The Avengers.
Bestselling Novel of 2012
“Fifty Shades of Grey” by E. L. James was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 2012.
Top-Rated TV Show
“NCIS” (CBS) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 2012–13 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 20 January is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 20 January 2012 fell in the Year of the Rabbit.
Birthstone
The birthstone for January is Garnet.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 20 January 2012 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 20 January

  • 1990 Protests in Azerbaijan, part of the Dissolution of the Soviet Union.
  • 1991 Sudan's government imposes Islamic law nationwide, worsening the civil war between the country's Muslim north and Christian south.
  • 2001 President of the Philippines Joseph Estrada is ousted in a nonviolent four-day revolution, and is succeeded by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
  • 2009 A protest movement in Iceland culminates as the 2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests start.
  • 2018 Syrian civil war: The Government of Turkey announces the initiation of the Afrin offensive and begins shelling Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions in Afrin Region.

Famous people born on January 20

  • J. J. McCarthy, American football player (born 2003)
  • David Lynch, American director, producer, and screenwriter (1946–2025)
  • Evan Peters, American actor (born 1987)
  • Sid Wilson, American musician (born 1977)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 2012 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '2012 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • March 2 – Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is released in theaters.
  • March 20 – John Carter records one of the biggest losses in cinema history, forcing Disney to take a $200 million writedown and chairman Rich Ross to resign.
  • May 4 – The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, is released by Marvel Studios as the sixth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the final film in its "Phase One" slate.

Life in the US in 2012

President

Barack Obama

Gas (per gallon)

$3.68

Loaf of Bread

$1.84

Average House

$256,900

Weekly Wage

$757

Or

Browse by Year

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 →