Famous people born on May 20 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is May 20, you share it with James Stewart, Cher, Busta Rhymes — and you were born under Taurus, the sign of the steady, loyal, and a lover of life’s comforts.
Birthday basics for May 20
Taurus ♉
Zodiac sign
Emerald
Birthstone
Lily of the Valley
Birth flower
140th
Day of the year
May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years), with 225 days still to come.
Famous people born on May 20
James Stewart — American actor beloved for It's a Wonderful Life (born 1908).
Cher — American singer and Oscar-winning actress (born 1946).
Busta Rhymes — American rapper known for his rapid-fire delivery (born 1972).
Also sharing the day:
Honoré de Balzac (b. 1799) — prolific French novelist behind the vast story cycle La Comédie humaine.
Joe Cocker (b. 1944) — English singer famed for his raspy cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends."
Timothy Olyphant (b. 1968) — American actor known for Justified and Deadwood.
May 20 in history
1873 — Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent for blue jeans reinforced with metal rivets.
1927 — Charles Lindbergh took off from New York on the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.
1990 — The Hubble Space Telescope captured its first image of the stars.
1570 — Abraham Ortelius published the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, considered the first modern atlas.
1875 — Seventeen nations signed the Metre Convention, laying the groundwork for the metric system's international standards.
2002 — East Timor became an independent nation, the first new sovereign country of the 21st century.
May 20 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is May 20?
Anyone born on May 20 is a Taurus — steady, loyal, and a lover of life’s comforts.
What is the birthstone for May 20?
The birthstone for a May 20 birthday is Emerald, and the birth flower is the Lily of the Valley.
Who is the most famous person born on May 20?
James Stewart is among the best known — American actor beloved for It's a Wonderful Life (born 1908).
What happened on May 20?
In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a patent for blue jeans reinforced with metal rivets.
What day of the year is May 20?
May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years), with 225 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on May 20? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.