Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 20
This is a list of selected August 20 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
Images
Use only ONE image at a time
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"Anonymous" seal of Simeon I -
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky -
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky -
Statue of St. Stephen of Hungary -
Bulgarian forces routing the Byzantines at Anchialos -
Voyager Spacecraft
Ineligible
| Blurb | Reason |
|---|---|
| 1794 – American troops defeated the Western Confederacy, a Native American alliance, at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the decisive battle of the Northwest Indian War. | needs more footnotes |
| 1977 – NASA's Voyager 2 lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, on a mission to explore the outer planets of the Solar System. | unreferenced section |
| 1991 – Singing Revolution: Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union. | not neutral |
| 1993 – Oslo Accords | Moved to September 13 |
| 1998 – The Supreme Court of Canada delivered its decision in Reference re Secession of Quebec, ruling that Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval. | Tagged with {{refimprove}} |
Eligible
- 917 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Bulgarians led by Tsar Simeon I drove the Byzantines out of Thrace with a decisive victory in the Battle of Achelous.
- 1989 – After a collision with a dredger on the River Thames in London, the pleasure boat Marchioness sank in just thirty seconds, killing 51 people.
- 1998 – The Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Sudan was destroyed by a missile attack launched by the United States in retaliation for the August 7 U.S. embassy bombings.
August 20: Day of Restoration of Independence in Estonia (1991); St. Stephen's Day in Hungary
- 636 – Rashidun forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid took control of Syria and Palestine in the Battle of Yarmouk, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquests after the death of Muhammad.
- 1710 – War of the Spanish Succession: The Spanish-Bourbon army commanded by the Marquis de Bay was soundly defeated by a multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg.
- 1882 – The 1812 Overture by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was first performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
- 1988 – Fires in the United States' Yellowstone National Park destroyed more than 150,000 acres (610 km2), the single-worst day of the conflagration.
- 1989 – The final stage of the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide, South Australia, was completed, becoming the world's longest and fastest guided busway with buses travelling a total of 12 km (7.5 mi) at maximum speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph) (example pictured).
- 2008 – Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just after take off from Madrid's Barajas Airport, killing 154 people.