What Happened Today in History on August 20

Byzantine forces led by Emperor Constantine VII defeat the Bulgarian army at the Battle of Achelous, securing Byzantine control over the Balkans.

Henry I of England defeats Louis VI of France at the Battle of Bremule. The victory helped solidify Henry's hold on Normandy and his son William Adelin as the heir to the Duchy of Normandy. More 

The Siege of Acre ends, resulting in the fall of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the complete expulsion of European Christian forces from the Holy Land.

The first recorded enslaved Africans arrive in the English colony of Virginia at Point Comfort, present-day Fort Monroe, more than a year before the Mayflower Pilgrims docked in Plymouth Harbor on December 1620. Two English pirate ships, the Treasurer and White Lion. each carrying 20-30 African slaves land in the Jamestown colony within four days of each other. and are then bought by the colonists.  Expand +

President Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation announcing the end of the American Civil War. It came 16 months after General Lee's surrender and after all other Confederate forces; some large and some small units, had followed suit.

 "And I do further proclaim that the said insurrection is at an end and that peace, order, tranquility, and civil authority now exists in and throughout the whole of the United States of America." Expand +

A telegram reading “This message sent around the world” is sent by the New York Times to test how fast a commercial message could be sent around the world. it traveled over 28,000 miles and was relayed by 16 different operators. It arrived back at The Times only 16.5 minutes later. The building where the message originated is now called One Times Square. More

The Battle of Romania takes place (The second Jassy–Kishinev offensive) lasting until August 29. The Soviet army assisted by American Air support encircles and destroys the German Sixth Army. On 23 August, King Michael of Romania led a coup d'état against pro Germany Prime Minister Ion Antonescu; the new government surrendered to the Allies and declared war on Germany. 

Senegal formally withdraws from the Mali Federation and declares independence. The Republic of Senegal was formally proclaimed on September 5, 1960, with Léopold Sédar Senghor as president (head of state) and Mamadou. Senegal celebrates its Independence Day on April 4th commemorating Senegal's independence from French colonial rule, which was achieved on April 4, 1960. The 2024 population of Senegal was approximately 18.9 Million. More

The Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia to crack down on reformist trends in Prague. Although the Soviet Union's action successfully halted the pace of reform in Czechoslovakia, it had unintended consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. More

Viking 1 launches on its way to Mars.  it became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface. More

United States President Clinton orders cruise missile strikes against suspected Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan and Sudan in retaliation for the 1998 embassy bombings In response to the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. The strikes targeted training camps in Afghanistan and the al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan, which the US believed was producing chemical weapons for al-Qaeda. More