1. On May 20, 1987, a rare EF4 tornado struck the town of Okeechobee, Florida, causing extensive damage and leaving 25 people dead. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in Florida's history.

2. In 2018, the state of Florida banned the practice of greyhound racing on May 20, effectively ending a controversial industry that had been operating in the state for decades.

3. May 20, 1932 was the day that Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She departed from Newfoundland and landed in a pasture north of Londonderry, Northern Ireland nearly 15 hours later.

4. On May 20, 2006, the National Hurricane Center recorded the first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which would go on to be one of the most active seasons on record.

5. May 20, 1961 marked the day that astronaut Alan Shepard became the first American in space. His suborbital flight aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft lasted just over 15 minutes and reached an altitude of 116 miles above the Earth before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.