Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century
Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 - 1925 - 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930
- January 3 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
- January 5 - Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the first female governor in the United States.
- January 21 - Albania declares itself a republic
- January 30 - Government of Turkey throws Patriarch Constantine VI[?] out of Istanbul
- February 21 - The New Yorker publishes its first issue.
- March 4 - Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to have his inauguration broadcasted on radio.
- March 13 - Scopes Trial: A law in Tennessee prohibits the teaching of evolution.
- May 25 - Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.
- May 25 - The National Forensics League is founded.
- June 13 - Charles Francis Jenkins[?] achieves the first synchronized transmission of pictures and sound, using 48 lines, and a mechanical system. A 10-minute film of a miniature windmill in motion is sent across 5 miles from Anacostia to Washington, DC. The images were viewed by representatives of the Bureau of Standards[?], the U.S. Navy, the Commerce Department[?], and others. Jenkins called this "the first public demonstration of radiovision"
- Modern revival of ancient Latvian mythology begins, called Dievturiba
- Scopes Trial testing a law favouring Creationism over Evolution.
- Sweden decides on extensive disarmament.
- Spanish and French expeditionary forces landing at Alhucemas[?] during the war of the Rif.
- Vladimir Zworykin takes out the first patent for colour television
- The Woodcraft Folk, an organisation for young people to promote equality, peace, social justice and co-operation, founded in London.
- January 6 - John DeLorean, auto maker
- January 8 - James Saunders[?], dramatist
- January 10 - Max Roach, drummer, composer
- February 4 - Russell Hoban[?], writer
- February 8 - Jack Lemmon, actor and film director (+ 2001)
- January 11 - Grant Tinker[?], television executive
- January 11 - William Styron, writer
- January 24 - Maria Tallchief[?], prima ballerina
- January 13 - Gwen Verdon, actress, dancer (+ 2000)
- January 20 - Ernesto Cardenal[?], theologian, author and politician
- January 21 - Benny Hill, comedian, actor (+ 1992)
- January 26 - Paul Newman, actor
- January 30 - Dorothy Malone[?], actress
- January 31 - Benjamin Hooks[?], head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- February 1 - Alfred Grosser[?], political scientist and publicist
- February 2 - Elaine Stritch[?], actress
- February 8 - Jack Lemmon, actor and film director (+ 2001)
- February 11 - Peter Berger[?], British Vice-Admiral.
- February 11 - Kim Stanley, actress.
- February 11 - Virginia Johnson[?], doctor/sexologist.
- February 12 - Sir Anthony Berry, British politician
- February 17 - Hal Holbrook[?], actor
- February 18 - George Kennedy[?], actor
- February 20 - Robert Altman, film director
- February 20 - Heinz Kluncker[?], labor union leader
- February 21 - Sam Peckinpah, director (+ 1984)
- February 25 - Edward Gorey, illustrator (+ 2000)
- March 4 - Paul Mauriat[?], musician
- March 25 - Flannery O'Connor, author (+ 1964)
- March 26 - Pierre Boulez, French composer and conductor
- April 2 - Hans Rosenthal[?], showmaster (+ 1987)
- April 2 - George MacDonald Fraser[?], author
- April 3 - Tony Benn, British politician
- April 14 - Rod Steiger, actor
- April 25 - Sammy Drechsel[?], journalist, film director and cabaretist (+ 1986)
- May 6 - Hanns Dieter Hüsch[?], cabaretist
- May 12 - Yogi Berra, Baseball Hall of Famer
- May 19 - Pol Pot - Cambodian dictator (+ 1998)
- May 19 - Malcolm X (+ 1965)
- May 22 - Jean Tinguely, kinetic artist (+ 1991)
- May 28 - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau[?], bariton
- June 26 - Pavel Belyayev, cosmonaut (+1970)
- July 6 - Bill Haley, rock and roll musician.
- August 15 - Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist
- October 13 - Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister (1979-1990)
- October 24 - Luciano Berio, Italian composer
- November 20 - Robert Kennedy (+ 1968)
- December 28 - Hildegard Knef, actress, singer and writer
Main article: Nobel Prizes