On August 20th...

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984 Pope John XIV died.

1619 The first Black slaves in America were "delivered" to Jamestown.

1741 Vitus Bering "discovered" Alaska.

1745 Circuit rider Francis Asbury was born.

1778 Chilean patriot Bernardo O'Higgins was born.

1794 General Anthony Wayne defeated the Miami Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, at present-day Toledo, Ohio.

1823 Pope Pius VII died.

1833 Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States, was born.

1847 U.S. forces led by General Winfield Scott defeated the Mexican army of General Antonio L. de Santa Anna at Churubusco.

1873 Architect Eliel Saarinen was born.

1896 The dial telephone was patented by A. E. Keith and the brothers John and Charles Erickson.

1908 Baseball player Al Lopez was born.

1910 Architect Eero Saarinen was born.

1912 William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, died.

1913 Adolphe Pégoud became the first pilot to parachute from an airplane.

1914 Pope Pius X died.

1915 Biochemist Paul Ehrlich died.

1917 Chemist Adolf von Baeyer died.

1918 Novelist Jacqueline Susann was born.

1920 The first commercial radio station in the United States, 8MK (WWJ), began daily broadcasting in Detroit.

1922 The first world championship athletics for women were held in Paris.

1923 Country singer Jim Reeves was born.

1929 The first airship flight around the Earth flying eastward was completed.

1931 Boxing promoter Don King was born.

1935 Politician Ron Paul was born.

1938 Lou Gehrig hit his 23rd, and last, grand slam.

1940 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said of the Royal Air Force, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
1940 Football player Gary Collins was born.

1942 Musician Isaac Hayes was born.

1943 Actor Sylvester McCoy was born.

1944 Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989, was born.

1945 17-year-old Brooklyn Dodger Tommy Brown became the youngest professional baseball player to hit a home run.

1946 Television journalist Connie Chung was born.

1948 Actor John Noble was born.
1948 Rock singer Robert Plant was born.

1949 The Magyar People's Republic (Hungary) accepted a constitution.
1949 Songer/songwriter Phil Lynott was born.

1952 Country singer Rudy Gatlin was born.

1954 Television personality Al Roker was born.

1959 William F. Halsey, Commander of the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II, died.

1960 Baseball player Mark Langston was born.

1962 Actor James Marsters was born.

1965 The Rolling Stones released "I Can't Get No Satisfaction."

1966 Guitarist Dimebag Darrell was born.

1974 Actor Misha Collins was born.

1975 Viking 1 was launched on a mission to land on Mars.

1977 Voyager 2 was launched on a mission to fly by Jupiter and Saturn.

1980 Reinhold Messner became the first person to complete a solo ascent of Mount Everest.

1990 George Steinbrenner stepped down as owner of the New York Yankees.

1991 Estonia declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

1992 Actress Demi Lovato was born.

1993 The Oslo Peace Accords were signed.

2001 Astronomer Fred Hoyle died.

2007 Businesswoman Leona Helmsley died.

2012 Comedienne Phyllis Diller died.

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This page was last updated on August 19, 2018.