History for August 20

History for August 20 - On-This-Day.com:
Benjamin Harrison (U.S.) 1833, Jacqueline Susann 1921 - Author, Don King 1931


Ron Paul 1935, Isaac Hayes (Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.) 1942 - Singer, songwriter, actor, producer, Al Roker 1954 - Telvision personality


1866 - It was formally declared by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that the American Civil War was over. The fighting had stopped months earlier.


1882 - Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuted in Moscow.


1939 - The National Bowling Association was founded in Detroit, MI. It was the first bowling association in the U.S. for African-Americans.


1940 - France fell to the Germans during World War II.


1955 - Colonel Horace A. Hanes, a U.S. Air Force pilot, flew to an altitude of 40,000 feet. Hanes reached a speed of 822.135 miles per hour in a Super Sabrejet.


1964 - A $1 billion anti-poverty measure was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

1997 - Britain began voluntary evacuation of its Caribbean island of Montserrat due to the volcanic activity of the Soufriere Hills.


1998 - Canada's Supreme Court announced that Quebec could not secede without the federal government's consent.