◆ On this day

May 20

4 sourced moments from May 20 in history: Vasco da Gama reaches India by sea around Africa (1498); Lind's 1747 scurvy trial: why the Navy waited 48 years; The Patent That Riveted the World Into Blue Jeans (1873), plus 1 more.

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4 things happened on May 20

newest first ↓

1927 Technology · Transportation

Charles Lindbergh takes off on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight

A lone pilot in an overloaded monoplane lifted off a muddy Long Island runway and aimed for Paris.

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1873 Technology · Inventions

The Patent That Riveted the World Into Blue Jeans

A tailor's fix for torn pockets became a partnership, a patent, and the most enduring garment in modern history.

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1747 Science · The Scientific Method

Lind's 1747 scurvy trial: why the Navy waited 48 years

James Lind showed citrus beat scurvy on 20 May 1747, yet the Royal Navy only issued lemon juice to every sailor in 1795.

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1498 Geography · Borders & Maps

Vasco da Gama reaches India by sea around Africa

A Portuguese fleet rounded Africa and crossed the Indian Ocean, opening a sea route that reshaped world trade.

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