August 20 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2008

Usain Bolt broke the 200-meter world record at the Beijing Olympics

Bolt ran the 200m in 19.30 seconds, shattering Michael Johnson's 12-year-old record. What made it more impressive? He slowed down and celebrated befor...

1991

Estonia declared independence from the Soviet Union during the collapse of the USSR

Following a failed coup attempt in Moscow, Estonia seized the moment to restore its independence after 51 years of Soviet occupation. The Estonian par...

1977

Scientists launched two unmanned spacecraft on the same day: Voyager 2 preceded its twin Voyager 1 into space

In a confusing naming convention, Voyager 2 actually launched before Voyager 1 (which launched on September 5). The reason? Voyager 1 would travel on...

1977

NASA launched Voyager 2, which became the only spacecraft to visit all four outer planets

Major

Voyager 2 embarked on what would become humanity's most ambitious planetary tour. The probe visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, sending back...

1968

Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia to crush the Prague Spring reforms

Major

Around 200,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia to end Alexander Dubček's liberal reforms. The invasion shocked the world and demonstrated th...

1940

Leon Trotsky was fatally wounded with an ice axe in Mexico City

Major

Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky was attacked by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish communist and Soviet agent, in his own home. Mercader struck him in the he...

1920

The first licensed radio station in the United States, 8MK in Detroit, broadcast its first program

Major

On this day, 8MK (later WWJ) made history by airing what's considered the first commercial radio broadcast in America. The station broadcast the resul...

1914

German forces occupied Brussels during World War I

Despite Belgium's declared neutrality, German troops marched into the Belgian capital as part of the Schlieffen Plan. The occupation would last four y...

1882

Tchaikovsky's famous 1812 Overture premiered in Moscow

The piece, complete with cannon fire, was written to commemorate Russia's defense against Napoleon's invasion 70 years earlier. Ironically, Tchaikovsk...

1866

President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, though fighting had ended more than a year earlier

In a strange bureaucratic quirk, the Civil War didn't officially end when Lee surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865. Johnson had to issue a proclama...

1833

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd U.S. President, was born in Ohio

Harrison was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison, making them the only grandfather-grandson presidential duo in American history. Despite...

1611

The first recorded performance of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' allegedly took place

While the exact date is disputed, many scholars believe Macbeth was first performed around this time at the Globe Theatre. The play has been considere...