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 233rd day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 133 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is August 7, 2024 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,724,112,000 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 ‘dihectatriacontatrigon’ day.
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 162 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 4,260 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! (Sponsored link)
August 20 Historical Events
636 –
Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine away from the Byzantine Empire, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests and the rapid advance of Islam outside Arabia.
917 –
Battle of Acheloos: Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria decisively defeats a Byzantine army.
1710 –
War of the Spanish Succession: a multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg defeats the Spanish-Bourbon army commanded by the Marquis de Bay in the Battle of Saragossa.
1926 –
Japan’s public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) is established.
1938 –
Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam – a record that still stands.
1944 –
World War II: 168 captured allied airmen, including Phil Lamason, accused by the Gestapo of being “terror fliers”, arrive at Buchenwald concentration camp.
1960 –
Senegal breaks from the Mali Federation, declaring its independence.
1975 –
Viking Program: NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
1988 –
Peru becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
2008 –
Spanair Flight 5022, from Madrid to Gran Canaria, skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport. 146 people are killed in the crash, and 8 more die later. Only 18 people survive.
Who were born on August 20?
1923 –
Jim Reeves, US country music singer (d. 1964)
1927 –
Geriatric1927, English video blogger
1954 –
Don Stark, American actor
1963 –
Uwe Bialon, German footballer
1970 –
John D. Carmack, American computer game programmer
1971 –
David Walliams, British comedian
1972 –
Chaney Kley, American actor (d. 2007)
1974 –
Big Moe, American rapper (d. 2007)
1990 –
Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Dutch swimmer
1992 –
Matej Delač, Croatian footballer
Who died on August 20?
1384 –
Geert Groote, Dutch founder of the Brethren of the Common Life (b. 1340)
1648 –
Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English diplomat, poet, and philosopher (b. 1583)
1825 –
William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1753)
1854 –
Shiranui Dakuemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 8th Yokozuna (b. 1801)
1919 –
Greg MacGregor, England cricketer (b. 1869)
1980 –
Joe Dassin, American singer (b. 1938)
1986 –
Milton Acorn, Canadian poet (b. 1923)
1996 –
Rio Reiser, German rock musician and singer (b. 1950)
1997 –
Norris Bradbury, American physicist (b. 1909)
2005 –
Thomas Herrion, American football player (b. 1981)
Holy Toledo! Did you know that coffee and word games are an excellent combination to sharpen your vocabulary? Let’s give it a quick spin. Within 30 seconds, how many words can you think of from these letters FBIAZOWZEBZ? Check your answers here: Make words with these letters FBIAZOWZEBZ. (Sponsored by WordFinder.Cafe)