On this day: September 20

Billie Jean King Beats Bobby Riggs in 1973 'Battle of the Sexes'

On September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in a highly publicized tennis exhibition at the Houston Astrodome, a match framed as a symbolic contest over gender and sports equality.

U.S. Launches Retaliatory Strikes After Bombings at Kenyan and Tanzanian Embassies

After near-simultaneous bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam on August 7, 1998, the United States launched airstrikes on September 20, 1998, targeting suspected terrorist training camps and facilities in Afghanistan believed linked to the attacks.

UN General Assembly Opens in New York Amid Intensifying Cold War Standoff

On September 20, 1960, the UN General Assembly convened in New York against a backdrop of Cold War rivalry, decolonization debates, and recent crises that heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

U.S. Announces Major Troop Surge in Afghanistan

On September 20, 2009, President Barack Obama announced a significant increase in U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, beginning a years-long effort to counter the Taliban and stabilize the country amid rising violence.