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.
Bestselling Novel of 1944
“Strange Fruit” by Lillian Smith was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 1944.
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 June 20

  • 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 States

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

  • January 22 – World War II – Battle of Anzio: the Allies begin the assault on Anzio, Italy. The U.S. Army 45th Infantry Division stands their ground at Anzio against violent assaults for 4 months.
  • June 6 – World War II – Battle of Normandy: Operation Overlord, commonly known as D-Day, commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France.
  • June 15 – Battle of Saipan: the United States invades Saipan.

Life in the US in 1944

President

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Gas (per gallon)

$0.21

Loaf of Bread

$0.09

Average House

$3,450

Weekly Wage

$38

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 →