Quick glance of 20 March in the pages of History

March 20: Here are the major events that occurred on 20 March….

• 20 March, 1602: The Dutch East India company was formed on this day. It was formed to ensure trade with India and Southeast Asian countries.
• 20 March, 1615: Birth anniversary of Dara shikoh- Dara shikoh was the eldest son of Emperor Shahjahan. Shahjahan wanted him to succeed him on the throne for Mughal Empire after his death. He also had the support of King’s elder sister Jahanara Begum for his claim. However he faced a lot of resistance from his brother Aurangzeb and had to fight him for the throne. In the war that happened for the Mughal Empire near Agra, Dara Shikoh’s army lost against Aurangzeb and he was killed. As a result Aurangzeb occupied Agra and deposed his father Shahjahan.
• 20 March, 1739: Iranian ruler Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
• 20 March, 1815: Napoleon enters Paris after escape from Elba, begins 100-day rule.
• 20 March, 1925: Death anniversary of Lord George Curzon who served as the viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905. During his tenure as Viceroy, India also faced one of the worst famines in history which led to the death of more than a million people. In 1905, Curzon partitioned Bengal into two parts which gave rise to Swadeshi Movement.
• 20 March, 1930: American fast food restaurant chain “KFC” [Kentucky Fried Chicken] is founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in North Corbin, Kentucky.
• 20 March, 1951: Birth anniversary of former Indian international cricketer Madan Lal- He had also served as Indian national cricket coach and was a part of Indian cricket squad in 1983 which won the World Cup. He also contested an election as a candidate of Indian National Congress in 2009 as a part of his short lived Political career.
• 20 March, 1952: Birth anniversary of Indian tennis player and Businessman Anand Amritraj- along with his brothers Ashok and Vijay Amritraj, Anand Amritraj was one of the initial Indian tennis players who contested at the top of the game in International Tour. His son Stephen Amritraj is also an international tennis player.
• 20 March, 1977: Congress leader and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi loses election in India.
• 20 March, 2003: A US-led coalition launches a ground invasion of Iraq after an ultimatum for Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq expires.
• 20 March, 2014: Death anniversary of Indian author, novelist, politician, journalist and diplomat Khushwant Singh. His book ‘Train to Pakistan’, based on his experience during India’s partition, is one of the most poignant creations related to the horrible chapter from Indian history. For his literary contributions he was awarded the Padma Bhushan Award which he later returned as a protest against Operation Blue Star. Later he was also awarded with Padma vibhushan. He also received the Sahitya Academy Fellowship.
• 20 March, 2019: The Walt Disney Company acquires Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox entertainment business for $71 billion.