The word Garhwal means 'country of forts.' It was a princely state in India's northwestern state of Uttarakhand, ruled by the Garhwali Rajput dynasty. Three dynasties ruled this state: the Katyuri dynasty, the Chand dynasty, and the Shah dynasty. It was administered by the 'Punjab Hill States Agency' during the British Raj.

Naseeruddin Shah, an Indian actor and director in the Hindi film industry, was born on July 20, 1950. In Indian parallel cinema, he is well-known. Additionally, he has appeared in international productions. He has received many honours throughout his career, including the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, three National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards, and three Filmfare nominations. He received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards from the Indian government in recognition of his contributions to Indian cinema.

Bruce Lee, also known by his Chinese name Li Jun Fan, was a famous American film actor who was born in San Francisco, California. He died in Hong Kong on July 20, 1973. Bruce Lee is credited with popularising martial arts films in the 1970s. Lee was raised in Hong Kong despite being born in San Francisco. His father was an opera singer and occasional actor, so he was exposed to the entertainment business at a young age. When the younger Lee first started acting in movies, he was frequently cast as a street kid or a juvenile offender.

Mangal Pandey was an Indian soldier who played a key role in the events leading up to the outbreak of the 1857 Indian rebellion. He served in the British East India Company's 34th Bengal Native Infantry (BNI) regiment as a sepoy (infantryman). To commemorate him, the Indian government issued a postage stamp in 1984. His life and actions have also been depicted in a number of film adaptations.

An Indian actor who appeared in Bollywood movies, Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999). In a career spanning more than four decades and beginning in 1950, he made appearances in more than 80 movies. The "Jubilee Kumar" was how most people referred to him. In the 1960s, he was regarded as one of the most popular Indian actors. His son Kumar Gaurav appeared in a number of the films he also produced. In 1970, the Indian government presented him with the Padma Shri.

Roger Michael Humphrey Binny (born July 19, 1955) is a former Indian cricketer who was a member of the team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Binny was the first Scottish-born Anglo-Indian to play cricket for India. Stuart Binny, his son, followed in his footsteps, playing state cricket for the Karnataka cricket team as well as international cricket for the India national team.

India was bowled out for 58 and 82 in a single day at Old Trafford on July 19, 1952. By the time the Indians arrived at Old Trafford for the third Test of 1952, they had been flattened, demotivated, and completely destroyed. it was the first time a team was bowled out twice on the same day of a Test match.

A mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist from New Zealand, Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG ONZ KBE lived from 20 July 1919 to 11 January 2008. Tenzing Norgay and Hillary, two Sherpa mountaineers, were the first climbers to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. They were a part of John Hunt's ninth British Everest expedition. He represented New Zealand as both the High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and the Ambassador to Nepal from 1985 to 1988.

In 1969, the Indian government nationalised 14 large commercial banks. The following is a complete list of banks that have been nationalised: Nationalized in 1969 were Allahabad Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India, Canara Bank, Dena Bank, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Syndicate Bank, UCO Bank, Union Bank, and United Bank of India.

On July 20, 1969,  Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Eagle Pilot Buzz Aldrin touched down. Six hours and 39 minutes later, at 02:56 UTC, Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.