August 20

Events

AD 14 – Agrippa Postumus, adopted son of the late Roman emperor Augustus, is executed by his guards while in exile under mysterious circumstances.

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.

1000 – The foundation of the Hungarian state by Saint Stephen, celebrated as a National Day in Hungary.

1083 – Canonization of the first King of Hungary, Saint Stephen and his son Saint Emeric.

1308 – Pope Clement V pardons Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, absolving him of charges of heresy.

1391 – Konrad von Wallenrode becomes the 24th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order.

1467 – The Second Battle of Olmedo takes places as part of a succession conflict between Henry IV of Castile and his half-brother Alfonso, Prince of Asturias.

1519 – Philosopher and general Wang Yangming defeats Zhu Chenhao, ending the Prince of Ning rebellion against the reign of the Ming dynasty's Zhengde Emperor.

1672 – Former Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis are brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague.

1707 – The first Siege of Pensacola comes to end with the failure of the British to capture Pensacola, Florida.

1710 – War of the Spanish Succession: A multinational army led by the Austrian commander Guido Starhemberg defeats the Spanish-Bourbon army commanded by Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay in the Battle of Saragossa.

1775 – The Spanish establish the Presidio San Augustin del Tucson in the town that became Tucson, Arizona.

1794 – Battle of Fallen Timbers: American troops force a confederacy of Shawnee, Mingo, Delaware, Wyandot, Miami, Ottawa, Chippewa, and Potawatomi warriors into a disorganized retreat.

1852 – Steamboat Atlantic sank on Lake Erie after a collision, with the loss of at least 150 lives.

1858 – Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London, alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory.

1866 – President Andrew Johnson formally declares the American Civil War over.

1882 – Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow, Russia.

1910 – The Great Fire of 1910 (also commonly referred to as the "Big Blowup" or the "Big Burn") occurs in northeast Washington, northern Idaho (the panhandle), and western Montana, burning approximately 3 million acres (12,000 km²).

1914 – Brussels is captured during the German invasion of Belgium.

1920 – The first commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), begins operations in Detroit.

1926 – Japan's public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) is established.

1938 – Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam, a record that stood for 75 years until it was broken by Alex Rodriguez.

1940 – In Mexico City, Mexico exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramón Mercader. He dies the next day.

1940 – World War II: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill makes the fourth of his famous wartime speeches, containing the line "Never was so much owed by so many to so few".

1944 – World War II: 168 captured allied airmen, including Phil Lamason, accused by the Gestapo of being "terror fliers", arrive at Buchenwald concentration camp.

1944 – World War II: The Battle of Romania begins with a major Soviet Union offensive.

1950 – Korean War: United Nations repel an offensive by North Korean divisions attempting to cross the Nakdong River and assault the city of Taegu.

1955 – Battle of Philippeville: In Morocco, a force of Berbers from the Atlas Mountains region of Algeria raid two rural settlements and kill 77 French nationals.

1960 – Senegal breaks from the Mali Federation, declaring its independence.

1962 – The NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered civilian ship, embarks on its maiden voyage.

1968 – Soviet Union-dominated Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia, crushing the Prague Spring.

1975 – Viking program: NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.

1977 – Voyager program: NASA launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft.

1986 – In Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. Postal employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers and then commits suicide.

1988 – "Black Saturday" of the Yellowstone fire in Yellowstone National Park

1988 – Iran–Iraq War: A ceasefire is agreed after almost eight years of war.

1988 – The Troubles: Eight British soldiers are killed and 28 wounded when their bus is hit by an IRA roadside bomb in Ballygawley, County Tyrone.

1989 – The pleasure boat Marchioness sinks on the River Thames following a collision. Fifty-one people are killed.

1991 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union, August Coup: More than 100,000 people rally outside the Soviet Union's parliament building protesting the coup aiming to depose President Mikhail Gorbachev.

1991 – Estonia, annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940, issues a decision on the re-establishment of independence on the basis of historical continuity of its pre-World War II statehood.

1993 – After rounds of secret negotiations in Norway, the Oslo Accords are signed, followed by a public ceremony in Washington, D.C. the following month.

1995 – The Firozabad rail disaster claimed 358 lives in Firozabad, India.

1997 – Souhane massacre in Algeria; over 60 people are killed and 15 kidnapped.

1998 – The Supreme Court of Canada rules that Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval.

1998 – U.S. embassy bombings: The United States launches cruise missile attacks against alleged al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical weapons plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

2002 – A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin, Germany for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.

2006 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politician and former MP S. Sivamaharajah is shot dead at his home in Tellippalai.

2007 – China Airlines Flight 120 caught fire and exploded after landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa, Japan.

2008 – Spanair Flight 5022, from Madrid, Spain to Gran Canaria, skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport. Of the 172 people on board, 146 die immediately, and eight more later die of injuries sustained in the crash.

2012 – A prison riot in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, kills at least 20 people.

2014 – Seventy-two people are killed in Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture by a series of landslides caused by a month's worth of rain that fell in one day.

2016 – 54 people are killed when a suicide bomber detonates himself at a Kurdish wedding party in Gaziantep, Turkey.

Births

1086 – Bolesław III Wrymouth, Prince of Poland (d. 1138)

1377 – Shahrukh Mirza, ruler of Persia and Transoxiania (d. 1447)

1457 – Seongjong of Joseon, King of Joseon (d. 1494)

1517 – Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French cardinal and art collector (d. 1586)

1561 – Jacopo Peri, Italian singer and composer (d. 1633)

1625 – Thomas Corneille, French playwright and philologist (d. 1709)

1632 – Louis Bourdaloue, French preacher and academic (d. 1704)

1710 – Thomas Simpson, English mathematician and academic (d. 1761)

1719 – Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer and educator (d. 1783)

1720 – Bernard de Bury, French harpsichord player and composer (d. 1785)

1778 – Bernardo O'Higgins, Chilean general and politician, 2nd Supreme Director of Chile (d. 1842)

1779 – Jöns Jacob Berzelius, Swedish chemist and academic (d. 1848)

1799 – James Prinsep, English orientalist and scholar (d. 1840)

1833 – Benjamin Harrison, American general, lawyer, and politician, 23rd President of the United States (d. 1901)

1845 – Albert Chmielowski, Polish saint, founded the Albertine Brothers (d. 1916)

1847 – Andrew Greenwood, English cricketer (d. 1889)

1847 – Bolesław Prus, Polish journalist and author (d. 1912)

1856 – Jakub Bart-Ćišinski, German poet and playwright (d. 1909)

1860 – Raymond Poincaré, French lawyer and politician, 10th President of France (d. 1934)

1865 – Bernard Tancred, South African cricketer and lawyer (d. 1911)

1868 – Ellen Roosevelt, American tennis player (d. 1954)

1873 – Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect and academic, co-designed the National Museum of Finland (d. 1950)

1881 – Edgar Guest, English-American poet and author (d. 1959)

1881 – Aleksander Hellat, Estonian politician, 6th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1943)

1885 – Dino Campana, Italian poet and author (d. 1932)

1886 – Paul Tillich, German-American philosopher and theologian (d. 1965)

1887 – Phan Khôi, Vietnamese journalist and scholar (d. 1959)

1888 – Tôn Đức Thắng, Vietnamese politician, 2nd President of Vietnam (d. 1980)

1890 – H. P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, novelist (d. 1937)

1896 – Gostha Pal, Indian footballer (d. 1976)

1897 – Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian author and poet (d. 1970)

1898 – Vilhelm Moberg, Swedish historian, journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1973)

1901 – Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)

1905 – Jean Gebser, German linguist, poet, and philosopher (d. 1973)

1905 – Jack Teagarden, American singer-songwriter and trombonist (d. 1964)

1906 – Bunny Austin, English tennis player (d. 2000)

1906 – Vidrik Rootare, Estonian chess player (d. 1981)

1908 – Al López, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005)

1909 – Alby Roberts, New Zealand cricketer and rugby player (d. 1978)

1910 – Eero Saarinen, Finnish-American architect and furniture designer, designed the Gateway Arch (d. 1961)

1912 – John H. Michaelis, American general (d. 1985)

1913 – Roger Wolcott Sperry, American neuropsychologist and neurobiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)

1916 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–German chess player and chemist (d. 1984)

1918 – Jacqueline Susann, American actress and author (d. 1974)

1919 – Walter Bernstein, American screenwriter and producer

1919 – Adamantios Androutsopoulos, Greek lawyer, educator and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2000)

1920 – Arnold Green, Estonian soldier and politician (d. 2011)

1921 – Jack Wilson, Australian cricketer (d. 1985)

1923 – Jim Reeves, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)

1924 – George Zuverink, American baseball player (d. 2014)

1926 – Frank Rosolino, American jazz trombonist (d. 1978)

1926 – Nobby Wirkowski, American-Canadian football player and coach (d. 2014)

1927 – John Boardman, English archaeologist and historian

1927 – Yootha Joyce, English actress (d. 1980)

1927 – Fred Kavli, Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist, founded The Kavli Foundation (d. 2013)

1927 – Peter Oakley, English soldier and blogger (d. 2014)

1929 – Kevin Heffernan, Irish footballer and manager (d. 2013)

1930 – Mario Bernardi, Canadian pianist and conductor (d. 2013)

1930 – Peter Randall, English sergeant (d. 2007)

1931 – Don King, American boxing promoter

1932 – Vasily Aksyonov, Russian physician, author, and academic (d. 2009)

1932 – Atholl McKinnon, South African cricketer (d. 1983)

1933 – George J. Mitchell, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician

1934 – Sneaky Pete Kleinow, American country-rock pedal-steel guitarist and songwriter (d. 2007)

1934 – Tom Mangold, German-English journalist and author

1935 – Ron Paul, American captain, physician, and politician

1936 – Hideki Shirakawa, Japanese chemist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1937 – Stelvio Cipriani, Italian composer

1937 – Andrei Konchalovsky, Russian director, producer, and screenwriter

1937 – Sky Saxon, American singer-songwriter and bassist (d. 2009)

1938 – Peter Day, English chemist and academic

1938 – Alain Vivien, French politician

1939 – Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor and politician (d. 2004)

1940 – Rubén Hinojosa, American businessman and politician

1940 – Gus Macdonald, Scottish academic and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office

1940 – Rex Sellers, Indian-Australian cricketer

1941 – Dave Brock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1941 – Rich Brooks, American football player and coach

1941 – Anne Evans, English soprano and actress

1941 – William H. Gray, American lawyer and politician (d. 2013)

1941 – Slobodan Milošević, Serbian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Serbia (d. 2006)

1941 – Robin Oakley, English journalist and author

1941 – Jo Ramírez, Mexican race car driver and manager

1942 – Isaac Hayes, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor (d. 2008)

1942 – Fred Norman, American baseball player

1943 – Roger Gale, English journalist and politician

1943 – Sylvester McCoy, Scottish actor

1944 – Rajiv Gandhi, Indian lawyer and politician, 6th Prime Minister of India (d. 1991)

1944 – Graig Nettles, American baseball player and manager

1945 – Roy Gardner, English businessman

1946 – Henryk Broder, Polish-German journalist and author

1946 – Connie Chung, American journalist

1946 – Laurent Fabius, French politician, 158th Prime Minister of France

1946 – Ralf Hütter, German singer and keyboard player

1946 – N. R. Narayana Murthy, Indian businessman, co-founded Infosys

1947 – Alan Lee, English painter and illustrator

1947 – Ray Wise, American actor

1948 – John Noble, Australian actor and director

1948 – Robert Plant, English singer-songwriter

1949 – Nikolas Asimos, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1988)

1949 – Phil Lynott, Irish singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (d. 1986)

1951 – Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian engineer and politician, 5th President of Egypt

1951 – DeForest Soaries, American minister and politician, 30th Secretary of State of New Jersey

1952 – John Emburey, English cricketer and coach

1952 – Doug Fieger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)

1952 – John Hiatt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1952 – Ric Menello, American director and screenwriter (d. 2013)

1953 – Gerry Bertier, American football player (d. 1981)

1953 – Peter Horton, American actor and director

1953 – Mike Jackson, American politician

1953 – Jim Trenton, American radio host and actor

1953 – Leroy Burgess, American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, recording artist, and record producer

1954 – Quinn Buckner, American basketball player and coach

1954 – Tawn Mastrey, American radio host and producer (d. 2007)

1954 – Al Roker, American news anchor, television personality, and author

1955 – Agnes Chan, Hong Kong singer and author

1955 – Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, English politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

1956 – Joan Allen, American actress

1956 – Alvin Greenidge, Barbadian cricketer

1956 – Desmond Swayne, English soldier and politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household

1957 – Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player

1957 – Jim Calder, Scottish rugby player

1957 – Simon Donaldson, English mathematician and academic

1957 – Sorin Antohi, Romanian journalist and historian

1957 – Paul Johnson, American football coach

1958 – Nigel Dodds, Northern Irish lawyer and politician

1958 – Patricia Rozema, Canadian director and screenwriter

1958 – David O. Russell, American director and screenwriter

1958 – John Stehr, American journalist

1960 – Dom Duff, Breton singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer

1960 – Mark Langston, American baseball player

1961 – Amanda Sonia Berry, English businesswoman

1962 – James Marsters, American actor

1963 – Uwe Bialon, German footballer and manager

1963 – Kal Daniels, American baseball player

1963 – José Cecena, Mexican baseball player

1964 – Azarias Ruberwa, Congolese lawyer and politician, Vice-Presidents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

1966 – Miguel Albaladejo, Spanish director and screenwriter

1966 – Dimebag Darrell, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2004)

1966 – Enrico Letta, Italian lawyer and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Italy

1967 – Andy Benes, American baseball player

1968 – Brett Angell, English footballer and coach

1968 – Abdelatif Benazzi, Moroccan-French rugby player

1968 – Klas Ingesson, Swedish footballer and manager (d. 2014)

1968 – Yuri Shiratori, Japanese voice actress and singer

1969 – Billy Gardell, American comedian, actor, and producer

1969 – Mark Holzemer, American baseball player and scout

1970 – Els Callens, Belgian tennis player and sportscaster

1970 – Fred Durst, American singer-songwriter

1971 – Nenad Bjelica, Croatian footballer and manager

1971 – Matt Calland, English rugby player and coach

1971 – Steve Stone, English footballer and coach

1971 – David Walliams, English comedian, actor, and author

1972 – Derrick Alston, American basketball player

1972 – Melvin Booker, American basketball player

1972 – Chaney Kley, American actor, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2007)

1972 – Scott Quinnell, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster

1972 – Anna Umemiya, Japanese model and actress

1973 – Alban Bushi, Albanian footballer

1973 – Alexandre Finazzi, Brazilian footballer

1973 – Scott Goodman, Australian swimmer

1973 – Todd Helton, American baseball player

1973 – Cameron Mather, New Zealand rugby player and sportscaster

1973 – José Paniagua, Dominican baseball player

1973 – Donn Swaby, American actor and screenwriter

1974 – Amy Adams, American actress and singer

1974 – Misha Collins, American actor

1974 – Szabolcs Sáfár, Hungarian footballer and coach

1974 – Andy Strachan, Australian drummer and songwriter

1974 – Maxim Vengerov, Russian violinist and conductor

1975 – Marcin Adamski, Polish footballer and manager

1975 – Marko Martin, Estonian pianist and educator

1975 – Shaun Newton, English footballer

1975 – Elijah Williams, American football player and coach

1976 – Chris Drury, American ice hockey player

1976 – Cornel Frăsineanu, Romanian footballer

1976 – Tony Grant, Irish footballer

1976 – Kristen Miller, American actress, producer, and screenwriter

1976 – Marcel Podszus, German footballer

1976 – Fabio Ulloa, Honduran footballer

1977 – Paolo Bianco, Italian footballer

1977 – Wayne Brown, English footballer

1977 – Felipe Contepomi, Argentine rugby player, coach, and physician

1977 – Manuel Contepomi, Argentine rugby player

1977 – Shockmain Davis, American football player

1977 – A. M. Esmonde, Welsh author, director, and producer

1977 – Stéphane Gillet, Luxembourgian footballer

1977 – Aaron Hamill, Australian footballer and coach

1977 – Ívar Ingimarsson, Icelandic footballer

1977 – James Ormond, English cricketer

1977 – Josh Pearce, American baseball player

1977 – Aaron Taylor, American baseball player

1978 – Alberto Martín, Spanish tennis player

1978 – Emir Mkademi, Tunisian footballer

1978 – Chris Schroder, American baseball player

1979 – Sarah Borwell, English tennis player

1979 – Jamie Cullum, English singer-songwriter and pianist

1979 – Cory Sullivan, American baseball player

1981 – Ben Barnes, English actor

1981 – Brett Finch, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster

1981 – Artur Kotenko, Estonian footballer

1981 – Bernard Mendy, French footballer

1981 – Craig Ochs, American football player

1981 – Byron Saxton, American wrestler, manager, and sportscaster

1982 – Cléber Luis Alberti, Brazilian footballer

1982 – Aleksandr Amisulashvili, Georgian footballer

1982 – Monty Dumond, South African rugby player

1982 – Youssouf Hersi, Ethiopian footballer

1982 – Joshua Kennedy, Australian footballer

1982 – Mijaín López, Cuban wrestler

1982 – Richard Petiot, Canadian ice hockey player

1982 – Barney Rogers, Zimbabwean cricketer

1982 – Enyelbert Soto, Venezuelan-Japanese baseball player

1983 – Hamza Abdullah, American football player

1983 – Paulo André Cren Benini, Brazilian footballer

1983 – Andrew Garfield, American-English actor

1983 – Héctor Landazuri, Colombian footballer

1983 – Mladen Pelaić, Croatian footballer

1983 – Brian Schaefering, American football player

1983 – Yuri Zhirkov, Russian footballer

1984 – Aílton José Almeida, Brazilian footballer

1984 – Pavel Eismann, Czech footballer

1984 – Laura Georges, French footballer

1984 – Jamie Hoffmann, American baseball player

1984 – Ingrid Lukas, Estonian-Swiss singer-songwriter and pianist

1985 – Glen Buttriss, Australian rugby league player

1985 – Blake DeWitt, American baseball player

1985 – Thomas Domingo, French rugby player

1985 – Matt Hague, American baseball player

1985 – Jack King, English footballer

1985 – Álvaro Negredo, Spanish footballer

1985 – Willie Ripia, New Zealand rugby player

1985 – Joe Vitale, American ice hockey player

1985 – Stephen Ward, Irish footballer

1985 – Mark Washington, American football player

1986 – Andrew Surman, South African-English footballer

1986 – Steven Zalewski, American ice hockey player

1987 – Stefan Aigner, German footballer

1987 – Vedran Janjetović, Croatian-Australian footballer

1987 – Sido Jombati, Portuguese footballer

1987 – Egon Kaur, Estonian race car driver

1988 – Jerryd Bayless, American basketball player

1988 – Sarah R, Lotfi, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1988 – José Zamora, Spanish footballer

1989 – Kirko Bangz, American rapper and producer

1989 – Nebil Gahwagi, Hungarian footballer

1989 – Silas Kiplagat, Kenyan runner

1989 – Slavcho Shokolarov, Bulgarian footballer

1989 – Judd Trump, English snooker player

1989 – Dean Winnard, English footballer

1990 – Macauley Chrisantus, Nigerian footballer

1990 – Venelin Filipov, Bulgarian footballer

1990 – Leigh Griffiths, Scottish footballer

1990 – Fabien Jarsalé, French footballer

1990 – Bradley Klahn, American tennis player

1991 – Marko Djokovic, Serbian tennis player

1991 – Jyrki Jokipakka, Finnish hockey player

1991 – Arseny Logashov, Russian footballer

1991 – Luke O'Neill, English footballer

1991 – Mario Tičinović, Croatian footballer

1992 – Demi Lovato, American singer-songwriter and actress

1992 – Andrei Peteleu, Romanian footballer

1992 – Deniss Rakels, Latvian footballer

Deaths

AD 14 – Agrippa Postumus, Roman son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (b. 12 BC)

535 – Mochta, Irish missionary and saint

651 – Oswine of Deira

768 – Eadberht of Northumbria

917 – Constantine Lips, Byzantine admiral

984 – Pope John XIV

1153 – Bernard of Clairvaux, French theologian and saint (b. 1090)

1158 – Rögnvald Kali Kolsson (b. 1100), Earl of Orkney and Saint

1297 – William Fraser, bishop and Guardian of Scotland

1384 – Geert Groote, Dutch preacher, founded the Brethren of the Common Life (b. 1340)

1386 – Bo Jonsson, royal marshal of Sweden

1471 – Borso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (b. 1413)

1572 – Miguel López de Legazpi, Spanish navigator and politician, 1st Governor-General of the Philippines (b. 1502)

1580 – Jerónimo Osório, Portuguese historian and author (b. 1506)

1611 – Tomás Luis de Victoria, Spanish priest and composer (b. 1548)

1639 – Martin Opitz, German poet and hymnwriter (b. 1597)

1648 – Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English soldier and diplomat (b. 1583)

1672 – Cornelis de Witt, Dutch lawyer and politician (b. 1623)

1672 – Johan de Witt, Dutch mathematician and politician (b. 1625)

1680 – William Bedloe, English spy (b. 1650)

1701 – Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet, English playwright and politician, Speaker of the British House of Commons (b. 1639)

1707 – Nicolas Gigault, French organist and composer (b. 1627)

1773 – Enrique Flórez, Spanish historian and author (b. 1701)

1785 – Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, French sculptor (b. 1714)

1823 – Pope Pius VII (b. 1740)

1825 – William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, English admiral and politician, Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1753)

1835 – Agnes Bulmer, English merchant and poet (b. 1775)

1854 – Shiranui Dakuemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 8th Yokozuna (b. 1801)

1887 – Jules Laforgue, French poet and author (b. 1860)

1893 – Alexander Wassilko von Serecki, Austrian lawyer and politician (b. 1827)

1912 – William Booth, English preacher, co-founded The Salvation Army (b. 1829)

1914 – Pope Pius X (b. 1835)

1915 – Paul Ehrlich, German physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)

1917 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1835)

1919 – Greg MacGregor, Scottish cricketer and rugby player (b. 1869)

1930 – Charles Bannerman, Australian cricketer and umpire (b. 1851)

1939 – Agnes Giberne, Indian-English astronomer and author (b. 1845)

1942 – István Horthy, Hungarian admiral and pilot (b. 1904)

1951 – İzzettin Çalışlar, Turkish general (b. 1882)

1961 – Percy Williams Bridgman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)

1963 – Joan Voûte, Dutch astronomer (b. 1879)

1971 – Rashid Minhas, Pakistani lieutenant and pilot (b. 1951)

1979 – Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (b. 1922)

1980 – Joe Dassin, American-French singer-songwriter (b. 1938)

1982 – Ulla Jacobsson, Swedish actress (b. 1929)

1985 – Donald O. Hebb, Canadian psychologist and academic (b. 1904)

1985 – Wilhelm Meendsen-Bohlken, German admiral (b. 1897)

1986 – Milton Acorn, Canadian poet and playwright (b. 1923)

1987 – Walenty Kłyszejko, Estonian–Polish basketball player and coach (b. 1909)

1993 – Bernard Delfgaauw, Dutch philosopher and academic (b. 1912)

1995 – Hugo Pratt, Italian author and illustrator (b. 1927)

1996 – Rio Reiser, German singer-songwriter (b. 1950)

1997 – Norris Bradbury, American soldier, physicist, and academic (b. 1909)

1997 – Léon Dion, Canadian political scientist and academic (b. 1922)

2000 – Bunny Austin, English tennis player (b. 1906)

2001 – Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (b. 1915)

2001 – Kim Stanley, American actress (b. 1925)

2005 – Thomas Herrion, American football player (b. 1981)

2005 – Krzysztof Raczkowski, Polish drummer and songwriter (b. 1970)

2006 – Bryan Budd, Northern Ireland-born English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1977)

2006 – Joe Rosenthal, American photographer and journalist (b. 1911)

2006 – S. Sivamaharajah, Sri Lankan Tamil newspaper publisher and politician (b. 1938)

2007 – Leona Helmsley, American businesswoman (b. 1920)

2008 – Ed Freeman, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1927)

2008 – Hua Guofeng, Chinese politician, 2nd Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1921)

2008 – Stephanie Tubbs Jones, American lawyer and politician (b. 1949)

2008 – Gene Upshaw, American football player (b. 1945)

2009 – Larry Knechtel, American keyboardist and bass player (b. 1940)

2009 – Karla Kuskin, American author and illustrator (b. 1932)

2010 – Đặng Phong, Vietnamese economist and historian (b. 1937)

2011 – Ram Sharan Sharma, Indian historian and academic (b. 1919)

2012 – Phyllis Diller, American actress and comedian (b. 1917)

2012 – Daryl Hine, Canadian-American poet and academic (b. 1936)

2012 – Dom Mintoff, Maltese journalist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1916)

2012 – Len Quested, English footballer and manager (b. 1925)

2012 – Mika Yamamoto, Japanese journalist (b. 1967)

2012 – Meles Zenawi, Ethiopian soldier and politician, Prime Minister of Ethiopia (b. 1955)

2013 – Sathima Bea Benjamin, South African singer-songwriter (b. 1936)

2013 – Narendra Dabholkar, Indian author and activist (b. 1945)

2013 – Don Hassler, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1929)

2013 – Elmore Leonard, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)

2013 – Marian McPartland, English-American pianist and composer (b. 1918)

2013 – John W. Morris, American general (b. 1921)

2013 – Ted Post, American director and screenwriter (b. 1918)

2014 – Anton Buslov, Russian astrophysicist and journalist (b. 1983)

2014 – Lois Mai Chan, Taiwanese-American librarian, author, and academic (b. 1934)

2014 – Boris Dubin, Russian sociologist and academic (b. 1946)

2014 – B. K. S. Iyengar, Indian yoga instructor and author, founded Iyengar Yoga (b. 1918)

2014 – Buddy MacMaster, Canadian singer-songwriter and fiddler (b. 1924)

2014 – Sava Stojkov, Serbian painter and educator (b. 1925)

2014 – Edmund Szoka, American cardinal (b. 1927)

2015 – Egon Bahr, German journalist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany (b. 1922)

2015 – Paul Kibblewhite, New Zealand chemist and engineer (b. 1941)

2015 – Frank Wilkes, Australian soldier and politician (b. 1922)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Bernard of Clairvaux

Blessed Georg Häfner

Maria De Mattias

Oswine of Deira

Philibert of Jumièges

William and Catherine Booth

August 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Feast of Asmá’ (Bahá'í Faith, only if Bahá'í Naw-Rúz falls on March 21)

Indian Akshay Urja Day (India)

Restoration of Independence Day, re-declaration of the independence of Estonia from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Revolution of the King and People (Morocco)

Saint Stephen's Day (Hungary)

World Mosquito Day