September 20 belongs to Desi Bou

On September 20, 1870, the troops of the Kingdom of Italy entered Rome through the breach opened in the Porta Pia wall, completing Italian unification. Pope Pius IX locked himself in the Vatican, declaring himself a prisoner, and Rome became the capital of the unified kingdom. The conflict between the Holy See and Italy would not be resolved until the Lateran Pacts of 1929.

On September 3, 1976, the Viking 2 probe landed on the Martian plain of Utopia Planitia, some 6,460 kilometres from Viking 1. Equipped with a robotic arm and biological experiments, it searched for signs of life in the Martian soil. Its analyses found no conclusive evidence, but laid the foundations for all subsequent robotic exploration of Mars.

On September 20, 1946, the first edition of the Cannes International Film Festival took place, one of the most prestigious in the world. The inaugural Palme d'Or was shared by eleven films from different countries. Founded in 1939 but interrupted by the war, Cannes became the most influential showcase for European and international art cinema.