Tukuk-OS📅 August 20
15 events · 12 births · 12 deaths
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What happened on August 20? Below are the notable events chosen by Wikipedia’s editors for this date, followed by celebrated births, deaths and the observances recognised around the world.
Events
- 2018 — Silent Sam, a Confederate monument on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was toppled by protestors.
Silent SamConfederate monuments and memorialsUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- 2008 — Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just after take-off from Madrid's Barajas Airport, killing 154 people.
- 1998 — The Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory (pictured) in Sudan was destroyed by a missile attack launched by the United States in retaliation for the August 7 U.S. embassy bombings.
Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factoryOperation Infinite Reach1998 United States embassy bombings
- 1989 — After colliding with the dredger Bowbelle on the River Thames in London, the pleasure boat Marchioness sank in thirty seconds, killing 51 people.
- 1989 — The final stage of the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Australia, was finished, completing at the time the world's longest and fastest guided busway, with buses (example pictured) travelling 12 km (7.5 mi) at speeds of up to 100 km/h (62 mph).
- 1988 — The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army bombed a bus carrying British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland, killing eight of them and wounding twenty-eight.
The TroublesProvisional Irish Republican ArmyBallygawley bus bombing
- 1988 — More than 150,000 acres (610 km2) were burned on the worst day of the largest wildfire in the recorded history of Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
- 1950 — Korean War: United Nations forces repelled an attempt by North Korea to capture the city of Taegu.
- 1920 — The American Professional Football Conference, a predecessor of the National Football League, was established in Canton, Ohio.
- 1910 — Hurricane-force winds combined hundreds of small fires in the U.S. states of Washington and Idaho into the Devil's Broom fire, which burned about 4,700 square miles (12,100 km²), the largest fire in recorded U.S. history.
- 1909 — Pluto (pictured) was photographed for the first time at the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, U.S., 21 years before it was officially discovered by Clyde Tombaugh.
- 1892 — Celtic Park, the largest football stadium in Scotland and home of Celtic F.C., opened.
- 1710 — War of the Spanish Succession: A Spanish Bourbon army commanded by the Marquis de Bay was soundly defeated by a multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg.
War of the Spanish SuccessionHouse of BourbonAlexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay
- 1707 — The first Siege of Pensacola came to an end with the British and Creek abandoning their attempt to capture Pensacola in Spanish Florida.
- 917 — Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Bulgarian forces led by Tsar Simeon I drove the Byzantines out of Thrace with a decisive victory at the Battle of Achelous.
Births
- 2003 — Prince Gabriel of Belgium
- 1998 — Lieke Klaver, Dutch track and field athlete
- 1997 — Kaho Minagawa, Japanese rhythmic gymnast
- 1997 — Daniel Vladař, Czech ice hockey player
- 1996 — Bunty Afoa, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1995 — Liana Liberato, American actress
- 1994 — Mitchell Trubisky, American football player
- 1993 — Tonisha Rock-Yaw, Barbadian netball player
- 1992 — Carolina Horta, Brazilian beach volleyball player
- 1992 — Demi Lovato, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1992 — Alex Newell, American actor and singer
- 1992 — Deniss Rakels, Latvian footballer
Deaths
- 2024 — Al Attles, American basketball player and coach (born 1936)
- 2022 — Darya Dugina, Russian journalist (born 1992)
- 2021 — Igor Vovkovinskiy, Ukrainian-American law student and actor, American tallest person (born 1982)
- 2020 — Chi Chi DeVayne, American Drag Queen (born 1985)
- 2018 — Uri Avnery, Israeli writer, politician and peace activist (born 1923)
- 2018 — Jennifer Ramírez Rivero, Venezuelan model (born 1978)
- 2017 — Jerry Lewis, American actor and comedian (born 1926)
- 2015 — Egon Bahr, German journalist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany (born 1922)
- 2015 — Paul Kibblewhite, New Zealand chemist and engineer (born 1941)
- 2014 — Anton Buslov, Russian astrophysicist and journalist (born 1983)
- 2014 — Lois Mai Chan, Taiwanese-American librarian, author, and academic (born 1934)
- 2014 — Boris Dubin, Russian sociologist and academic (born 1946)
Observances & holidays
- Christian feast day: Amadour
- Christian feast day: Bernard of Clairvaux
- Christian feast day: Blessed Georg Häfner
- Christian feast day: Heliodorus of Bet Zabdai
- Christian feast day: Maria De Mattias
- Christian feast day: Oswine of Deira
- Christian feast day: Philibert of Jumièges
- Christian feast day: Samuel (prophet)
- Christian feast day: William and Catherine Booth (Church of England)
- Christian feast day: August 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Feast of Asmá’ (Baháʼí Faith, only if Baháʼí Naw-Rúz falls on March 21)
List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendarBaháʼí FaithBaháʼí Naw-Rúz
- Indian Akshay Urja Day (India)
- Independence Restoration Day (Estonia), re-declaration of the independence of Estonia from the Soviet Union in 1991.
- Meitei Language Day, also known as Manipuri Language Day, the day on which Meitei (Manipuri) was included in the scheduled languages' list and made one of the official languages of India.
Manipuri Language DayMeitei languageEighth Schedule to the Constitution of India
- Revolution of the King and the People (Morocco)
- Saint Stephen's Day (Hungary)
- World Mosquito Day
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