On This Day for February 20 - John Glenn's orbit of Earth, Rihanna is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. February 20 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Rihanna READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1962 John Glenn's orbit of Earth READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2005: American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson —who created the genre known as gonzo journalism, a highly personal style of reporting that made him a counterculture icon—died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. [Read about Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and eight other countercultural books.] 1902: Ansel Adams, the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century, was born in San Francisco. [ Watch John Szarkowski discuss the work of Ansel Adams.] 1872: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City opened to the public, and it later became one of the foremost museums in the world. [ Watch a video about the museum.] 1986: The Soviet Union launched the core module of the space station Mir. [Take our astronomy and space quiz.] 1976: The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization held its final exercise in Manila (and formally ended on June 30, 1977). [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Southeast Asia.] 1943: The volcano Paricutín in Michoacán state, Mexico, erupted, eventually burying two villages. [Watch footage of Paricutín's volcanic eruption.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1988 Rihanna Barbadian singer 1967 Kurt Cobain American musician 1984 Trevor Noah South African comedian 1927 Sidney Poitier Bahamanian American actor 1963 Charles Barkley American basketball player 1966 Cindy Crawford American fashion model SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help