What are the important events that happened on August 20? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
August 20: Facts & Myths About This Day
August 20 is the 232nd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 133 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is August 7, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,755,648,000 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘dihectatriacontadigon’ day.
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Leo is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Peridot is the modern birthstone for this month. Diamond is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 181 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,625 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the August 20 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday!
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August 20 Historical Events
- 1083 –Canonization of the first King of Hungary, Saint Stephen and his son Saint Emeric.
- 1882 –Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow.
- 1926 –Japan’s public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) is established.
- 1940 –In Mexico City exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramon Mercader. He dies the next day.
- 1944 –World War II: the Battle of Romania begins with a major Soviet offensive.
- 1977 –Voyager Program: NASA launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
- 1989 –The O-Bahn in Adelaide, the world’s longest guided busway, opens.
- 1989 –The pleasure boat Marchioness sinks on the River Thames following a collision, 51 people are killed.
- 1991 –Dissolution of the Soviet Union, August Coup: more than 100,000 people rally outside the Soviet Union’s parliament building protesting the coup aiming to depose President Mikhail Gorbachev.
- 2002 –A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.
Who were born on August 20?
- 1625 –Thomas Corneille, French dramatist (d. 1709)
- 1905 –Jean Gebser, German-born author, linguist, and poet (d. 1973)
- 1923 –Jim Reeves, US country music singer (d. 1964)
- 1940 –Rex Sellers, Australian cricketer
- 1941 –Robin Oakley, British journalist
- 1968 –Yuri Shiratori, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1977 –Ivar Ingimarsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1977 –Manuel Contepomi, Argentine rugby player
- 1988 –Jerryd Bayless, American basketball player
- 1992 –Matej Delač, Croatian footballer
Who died on August 20?
- 535 –Mochta of Louth, disciple of St. Patrick
- 984 –Pope John XIV
- 1648 –Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English diplomat, poet, and philosopher (b. 1583)
- 1917 –Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1835)
- 1963 –Joan Voûte, Dutch astronomer (b. 1879)
- 1965 –Jonathan Myrick Daniels, American activist (b. 1939)
- 1971 –Rashid Minhas, Pakistani Air Force pilot (b. 1951)
- 1989 –George Adamson, India-born English game warden and lion expert (b. 1906)
- 2005 –Krzysztof Raczkowski, Polish drummer (b. 1970)
- 2007 –Leona Helmsley, American hotel operator and real estate investor (b. 1920)
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