What Happened on August 20?

All

events

births

deaths

holidays

EVENTS ON AUGUST 20

Eighth Route Army

Year: 1940

World War II: The Eighth Route Army launches the Hundred Regiments Offensive, a successful campaign to disrupt Japanese war infrastructure and logistics in occupied northern China.

World War II

Year: 1940

World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line "Never was so much owed by so many to so few".

Lou Gehrig

Year: 1938

Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam, a record that stood for 75 years until it was broken by Alex Rodriguez.

Saladin

Year: 1191

Believing Saladin had reneged on ransom promises, Richard I of England initiates the massacre at Ayyadieh, beheading 2,700 captive Muslim soldiers and another 300 women and children seized at the Fall of Acre.

WWJ (AM)

Year: 1920

The first commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), begins operations in Detroit.

Leon Trotsky

Year: 1940

In Mexico City, exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramón Mercader. He dies the next day.

Battle of Romania

Year: 1944

World War II: The Battle of Romania begins with a major Soviet Union offensive.

King of Hungary

Year: 1083

The first King of Hungary, Stephen I, and his son, Prince Emeric, are canonized, a date now celebrated as a National Day in Hungary.

Hungary

Year: 1949

Hungary adopts the Hungarian Constitution of 1949 and becomes a People's Republic.

New York City

Year: 1948

Soviet Consul General in New York, Jacob M. Lomakin is expelled by the United States, due to the Kasenkina Case.

BIRTHS ON AUGUST 20

Connie Chung

Year of birth: 1946

Connie Chung, American journalist

Henryk M. Broder

Year of birth: 1946

Henryk Broder, Polish-German journalist and author

Laurent Fabius

Year of birth: 1946

Laurent Fabius, French politician, 158th Prime Minister of France

Ralf Hütter

Year of birth: 1946

Ralf Hütter, German singer and keyboard player

Roy Gardner (businessman)

Year of birth: 1945

Roy Gardner, English businessman

N. R. Narayana Murthy

Year of birth: 1946

N. R. Narayana Murthy, Indian businessman, co-founded Infosys

Mufaddal Saifuddin

Year of birth: 1946

Mufaddal Saifuddin, 53rd Da'i al-Mutlaq of Fatimid Caliphate

Ray Wise

Year of birth: 1947

Ray Wise, American actor

Phil Lynott

Year of birth: 1949

Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (died 1986)

DeForest Soaries

Year of birth: 1951

DeForest Soaries, American minister and politician, 30th Secretary of State of New Jersey

DEATHS ON AUGUST 20

Pope Pius X

Year of death: 1914

Pope Pius X (born 1835)

William Booth

Year of death: 1912

William Booth, English preacher, co-founded The Salvation Army (born 1829)

Paul Ehrlich

Year of death: 1915

Paul Ehrlich, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1854)

Adolf von Baeyer

Year of death: 1917

Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1835)

Gregor MacGregor (sportsman)

Year of death: 1919

Greg MacGregor, Scottish cricketer and rugby player (born 1869)

Charles Lilley

Year of death: 1897

Charles Lilley, English-Australian politician, 4th Premier of Queensland (born 1827)

Alexander Wassilko von Serecki

Year of death: 1893

Alexander Wassilko von Serecki, Austrian lawyer and politician (born 1827)

Shiranui Dakuemon

Year of death: 1854

Shiranui Dakuemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 8th Yokozuna (born 1801)

Juan Bautista Ceballos

Year of death: 1859

Juan Bautista Ceballos, former president of Mexico (born 1811)

James Whyte (Australian politician)

Year of death: 1882

James Whyte, Scottish-Australian politician, 6th Premier of Tasmania (born 1820)

HOLIDAYS ON AUGUST 20

August 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christian feast day: August 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Saint Amadour

Christian feast day: Amadour

Manipuri Language Day

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.