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Year
1973
Month Day
October 20

Sydney Opera House opens

After 15 years of construction, the Sydney Opera House is dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973. The $80 million structure, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and funded by the profits of the Opera House Lotteries, was built on Bennelong Point, in Sydney, Australia. Famous for its geometric roof shells, the structure contains several large auditoriums and presents an average of 3,000 events a year to an estimated two million people. The first performance in the complex was the Australian Opera’s production of Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace, which was held in the 1,547-seat Opera Theatre. Today, the Opera House remains Sydney’s best-known landmark and is recognizable the world over. 

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ALSO ON THIS DAY

Sports
1968

Dick Fosbury flops to an Olympic high jump record

On October 20, 1968, 21-year-old Oregonian Dick Fosbury wins gold—and sets an Olympic record—when he high-jumps 7 feet 4 1/4 inches at the Mexico City Games. It was the first American victory in the event since 1956. It was also the international debut of Fosbury’s unique jumping ...read more

Africa
2011

Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi is killed

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World War II
1944

General MacArthur returns to the Philippines

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China
1935

Mao’s Long March concludes

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Red Scare
1947

Congress investigates Communists in Hollywood

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US Government
1973

Watergate special prosecutor dismissed, starting "Saturday Night Massacre"

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U.S. Presidents
1962

President Kennedy secretly plans blockade of Cuba

On October 20, 1962, the White House press corps is told that President John F. Kennedy has a cold; in reality, he is holding secret meetings with advisors on the eve of ordering a blockade of Cuba. Kennedy was in Seattle and scheduled to attend the Seattle Century 21 World’s ...read more

Westward Expansion
1803

U.S. Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase

On October 20, 1803, the U.S. Senate approves a treaty with France providing for the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, which would double the size of the United States. At the end of 18th century, the Spanish technically owned Louisiana, the huge region west of the ...read more

Art, Literature, and Film History
1977

Three members of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd die in a Mississippi plane crash

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Art, Literature, and Film History
1853

French poet Arthur Rimbaud is born

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Art, Literature, and Film History
1994

Actor Burt Lancaster dies

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American Revolution
1774

Congress creates the Continental Association

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