On This Day · The 232nd day of the year

August 20

From 1707 to 2008, August 20 gathers 301 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Leo is the sign for August 20 — read more on the Leo page, or see August's birthstone & birth flower.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on August 20?

August 20 is the 232nd day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1707 and 2008. Famous people born on August 20 include Rajiv Gandhi, Ron Paul and Andrew Garfield.

Released on August 20

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game The Rogue Prince of Persia

2024

  • Game Black Myth: Wukong

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1707

    Siege of Pensacola (1707)

  2. 1710

    War of the Spanish Succession

  3. 1914

    World War I

  4. 1920

    National Football League

  5. 1940

    World War II

  6. 1948

    New York City

  7. 1949

    Hungary

  8. 1988

    The Troubles

  9. 1991

    Estonia

  10. 2008

    Spanair Flight 5022

Famous birthday twins

Born on August 20

Rajiv Gandhi

b. 1944

Ron Paul

b. 1935

Andrew Garfield

b. 1983

Bernardo O'Higgins

b. 1778

Benjamin Harrison

b. 1833

Bernard Mendy

b. 1981

Demi Lovato

b. 1992

Fred Durst

b. 1970

Deaths

  • 2008Hua Guofeng
  • 1995Hugo Pratt
  • 1982Ulla Jacobsson
  • 1914Pope Pius X
  • 1528Georg von Frundsberg

Holidays & observances

  • Christian feast day: Amadour
  • Christian feast day: Bernard of Clairvaux
  • Christian feast day: Blessed Georg Häfner
  • Christian feast day: Heliodorus of Bet Zabdai
  • Christian feast day: Maria De Mattias
  • Christian feast day: Oswine of Deira
  • Christian feast day: Philibert of Jumièges
  • Christian feast day: Samuel (prophet)

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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