{"id":4983,"date":"2026-07-20T11:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4983"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:07:08","slug":"today-in-history-july-20-world-war-i-draft-lottery-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4983","title":{"rendered":"Today in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery begins"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today is Monday, July 20, the 201st day of 2026. There are 164 days left in the year.<\/p>\n

Read more Spain wins the World Cup by beating Argentina 1-0 on Ferran Torres\u2019 goal in extra time<\/a><\/p>\n

Today in History:<\/h4>\n

On July 20, 1917, America\u2019s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony in the Senate office building.<\/p>\n

Also on this date:<\/h4>\n

In 1944, an attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a bomb in a briefcase failed as the explosion only wounded the Nazi leader.<\/p>\n

In 1951, Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah I was assassinated in Jerusalem by a Palestinian gunman who was shot dead on the spot by security.<\/p>\n

In 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin \u201cBuzz\u201d Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon after reaching its surface in their Apollo 11 lunar module.<\/p>\n

In 1976, America\u2019s Viking 1 robot spacecraft made a successful, first-ever landing on Mars.<\/p>\n

In 1977, a flash flood hit Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing more than 80 people and causing $350 million worth of damage.<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes July 20, 2026: Julianne Hough, refuse to let outside influencers take precedence<\/a><\/p>\n

In 1990, Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, one of the court\u2019s most liberal voices, announced he was stepping down.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

In 1993, White House deputy counsel Vincent Foster Jr., 48, was found shot to death in a park near Washington, D.C.; it was ruled a suicide.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the Senate voted 98-0 to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act for another quarter-century.<\/p>\n

In 2007, President George W. Bush signed an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment, including humiliation or denigration of religious beliefs, in the detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects.<\/p>\n

In 2012, gunman James Holmes opened fire inside a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight showing of \u201cThe Dark Knight Rises,\u201d killing 12 people and wounding 70 others. (Holmes was later convicted of murder and attempted murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.)<\/p>\n

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In 2015, the United States and Cuba restored full diplomatic relations after more than five decades of frosty relations rooted in the Cold War.<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: He doesn\u2019t understand the concept of indoor shoes<\/a><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Birthdays:<\/h4>\n
    \n
  • Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Oliva is 88.<\/li>\n
  • Artist Judy Chicago is 87.<\/li>\n
  • Country singer T.G. Sheppard is 82.<\/li>\n
  • Singer Kim Carnes is 81.<\/li>\n
  • Rock musician Carlos Santana is 79.<\/li>\n
  • Author and commentator Thomas Friedman is 73.<\/li>\n
  • Rock musician Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) is 70.<\/li>\n
  • Actor Frank Whaley is 63.<\/li>\n
  • Conservationist and TV personality Terri Irwin is 62.<\/li>\n
  • Rock musician Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam) is 60.<\/li>\n
  • Actor Josh Holloway (TV: \u201cLost\u201d) is 57.<\/li>\n
  • Singer Vitamin C is 57.<\/li>\n
  • Actor Sandra Oh is 55.<\/li>\n
  • Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg is 53.<\/li>\n
  • Actor Omar Epps is 53.<\/li>\n
  • Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Allen is 51.<\/li>\n
  • Hockey Hall of Famer Pavel Datsyuk is 48.<\/li>\n
  • Actor Percy Daggs III is 44.<\/li>\n
  • Actor John Francis Daley is 41.<\/li>\n
  • Dancer-singer-actor Julianne Hough is 38.<\/li>\n
  • Former MLB pitcher Stephen Strasburg is 38.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    America\u2019s World War I draft lottery began as Secretary of War Newton Baker, wearing a blindfold, reached into a glass bowl and pulled out a capsule containing the number 258 during a ceremony in the Senate office building.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nToday in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery begins - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4983\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Today in History: July 20, World War I draft lottery begins - 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