1. On July 20, 1939, the first highway tunnel in Minnesota opened to the public. The tunnel, located on Highway 61 near Scenic State Park, allowed motorists to travel under a ridge of solid rock instead of around it.

2. In 1969, July 20 was also the day that the Apollo 11 moon landing occurred. Patrick Air Force Base in Florida played a critical role in the moon landing by tracking the spacecraft as it went from Earth to the moon and back.

3. On July 20, 1987, Randy Shughart was killed in action during the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. Shughart was a member of the U.S. Army's elite Delta Force and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle.

4. In 1994, the Minnesota Twins played the first official game at the newly-constructed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. The game, which was against the Detroit Tigers, set a major league baseball attendance record for an indoor game with 55,153 fans in attendance.

5. July 20, 2009 marked the opening of the I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis. The new bridge replaced the one that collapsed on August 1, 2007, killing 13 people and injuring over 100 others. The new bridge features several safety enhancements, including a wider footprint and stronger piers.