So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

August 20th


- Christian Feast Day
- Father's Day (Nepal)
- Feast of Asmá’ (Bahá'í Faith)
- Restoration of Independence Day, re-declaration of the independece of Estonia from the Soviet Union in 1991.
- Revolution of the King and People (Morocco)
- Saint Stephen’s Day (Hungary)

August 20th


- 2008 - Spanair Flight 5022, from Madrid to Gran Canaria, skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport. 146 people are killed in the crash, and 8 more die later. Only 18 people survive.
- 2002 - A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.
- 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-Qaida camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
- 1997 - Souhane massacre in Algeria; over 60 people are killed and 15 kidnapped.
- 1993 - After rounds of secret negotiations in Norway, the Oslo Peace Accords are signed, followed by a public ceremony in Washington, D.C. the following month.
- 1991 - Collapse 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 her pre-World War II statehood.
- 1989 - The pleasure boat Marchioness sinks on the River Thames following a collision, 51 people are killed.
- 1989 - The O-Bahn in Adelaide, the world's longest guided busway, opens.
- 1988 - Peru becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 1988 - Iran–Iraq War: a cease-fire is agreed after almost eight years of war.
- 1988 - "Black Saturday" of the Yellowstone fire in Yellowstone National Park
- 1986 - In Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. Postal employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers and then commits suicide.
- 1982 - Lebanese Civil War: a multinational force lands in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization's withdrawal from Lebanon.
- 1979 - The East Coast Main Line rail route between England and Scotland is restored when the Penmanshiel Diversion opens.
- 1977 - Voyager Program: NASA launches the Voyager 2 spacecraft.
- 1975 - Viking Program: NASA launches the Viking 1 planetary probe toward Mars.
- 1960 - Senegal breaks from the Mali federation, declaring its independence.
- 1955 - In Morocco, a force of Berbers from the Atlas Mountains region of Algeria raid two rural settlements and kill 77 French nationals.
- 1953 - The Soviet Union publicly acknowledges that it had tested a hydrogen bomb.
- 1944 - WWII: 168 captured allied airmen, including Phil Lamason, accused by the Gestapo of being "terror fliers", arrive at Buchenwald concentration camp.
- 1944 - WWII: the Battle of Romania begins with a major Soviet offensive.
- 1940 - In Mexico City exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded with an ice axe by Ramon Mercader. He dies the next day.
- 1938 - Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam – a record that still stands.
- 1926 - Japan's public broadcasting company, Nippon H?s? Ky?kai (NHK) is established.
- 1920 - The first commercial radio station, 8MK (WWJ), begins operations in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1920 - The National Football League, (NFL), is founded in the United States.
- 1914 - World War I: German forces occupy Brussels.
- 1910 - The Great Fire of 1910 (also commonly referred to as the Big Blowup or the Big Burn) occurred in northeast Washington, northern Idaho (the panhandle), and western Montana, burning approximately 3 million acres (12,000 km2).
- 1888 - Mutineers imprison Emin Pasha at Dufile.
- 1882 - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow.
- 1866 - President Andrew Johnson formally declares the American Civil War over.
- 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.
- 1804 - Lewis and Clark Expedition: the "Corps of Discovery", exploring the Louisiana Purchase, suffers its only death when sergeant Charles Floyd dies, apparently from acute appendicitis.
- 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.
- 1775 - The Spanish establish a presidio (fort) in the town that became Tucson, Arizona.
- 1672 - Former Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis are brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague.
- 1391 - Konrad von Wallenrode becomes the 24th Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order.
- 1083 - Canonization of the first King of Hungary, Saint Stephen and his son Saint Emeric.
- 1000 - The foundation of the Hungarian state by Saint Stephen. Today celebrated as a National Day in Hungary.
- 917 - Battle of Acheloos: Tsar Simeon I of Bulgaria decisively defeats a Byzantine army.
- 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.

August 20th


- 1995 - Liana Liberato, American actress
- 1992 - Demi Lovato, American actress and singer
- 1992 - Matej Dela?, Croatian footballer
- 1991 - Marko ?okovi?, Serbian tennis player
- 1991 - Luke O'Neill, English footballer
- 1990 - Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Dutch swimmer
- 1988 - Jerryd Bayless, American basketball player
- 1987 - C?t?lina Ponor, Romanian gymnast
- 1986 - Robert Clark, Canadian actor
- 1984 - Mirai Moriyama, Japanese actor
- 1984 - Tsokye Karchung, Bhutanese beauty queen, Miss Bhutan 2008
- 1983 - Brian Schaefering, American football player
- 1982 - Cléber Luis Alberti, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 - Youssouf Hersi, Ethiopian footballer
- 1982 - Joshua Kennedy, Australian footballer
- 1982 - Barney Rogers, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1981 - Ben Barnes, English actor
- 1981 - Bernard Mendy, French footballer
- 1980 - Corey Carrier, American actor
- 1980 - Rochelle Gadd, British actress
- 1980 - Samuel Dumoulin, French cyclist
- 1979 - Jamie Cullum, British musician
- 1979 - Cory Sullivan, American baseball player
- 1979 - Haha, South Korean entertainer
- 1977 - Wayne Brown, English footballer
- 1977 - Felipe Contepomi, Argentine rugby player
- 1977 - Manuel Contepomi, Argentine rugby player
- 1977 - Ivar Ingimarsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1977 - Mayra Veronica, Cuban model and actress
- 1977 - James Ormond, England cricketer
- 1976 - Chris Drury, American hockey player
- 1975 - Marcus Mastin, American author
- 1974 - Amy Adams, American actress
- 1974 - Big Moe, American rapper (d. 2007)
- 1974 - Szabolcs Sáfár, Hungarian footballer
- 1974 - Andy Strachan, Australian musician (The Living End)
- 1974 - Maxim Vengerov, Russian violinist
- 1974 - Misha Collins, American actor and producer
- 1973 - Todd Helton, American baseball player
- 1972 - Chaney Kley, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1971 - Jonathan Ke Quan, Vietnamese/American actor
- 1971 - Steve Stone, English footballer
- 1971 - David Walliams, British comedian
- 1970 - Els Callens, Belgian tennis player
- 1970 - John D. Carmack, American computer game programmer
- 1970 - Fred Durst, American singer (Limp Bizkit)
- 1969 - Duke Droese, American professional wrestler
- 1968 - Klas Ingesson, Swedish footballer
- 1968 - Yuri Shiratori, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1967 - Andy Benes, American baseball player
- 1967 - Colin Cunningham, American actor
- 1967 - Terri Poch, American yogini and professional wrestler
- 1966 - Dimebag Darrell, American guitarist (Pantera and Damageplan) (d. 2004)
- 1965 - KRS-One, American rapper
- 1963 - Uwe Bialon, German footballer
- 1962 - James Marsters, American actor
- 1962 - Dong-Wook Song, South Korean tennis player
- 1962 - Sophie Aldred, English actress
- 1961 - Greg Egan, Australian author
- 1961 - Joe Pasquale, English comedian
- 1958 - Patricia Rozema, Canadian film director and screenwriter
- 1958 - John Stehr, American journalist
- 1957 - Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby player
- 1956 - Joan Allen, American actress
- 1956 - Alvin Greenidge, West Indian cricketer
- 1955 - Agnes Chan, Hong Kong singer and writer
- 1954 - Quinn Buckner, American basketball player and coach
- 1954 - Tawn Mastrey, American disc jockey (d. 2007)
- 1954 - Al Roker, American television personality
- 1954 - Don Stark, American actor
- 1953 - Gerry Bertier, American wheelchair Olympian (d. 1981)
- 1952 - John Emburey, English cricketer
- 1952 - Doug Fieger, American musician (The Knack) (d. 2010)
- 1952 - John Hiatt, American musician
- 1951 - Greg Bear, American author
- 1949 - Nikolas Asimos, Greek composer and singer (d. 1988)
- 1949 - Norman Featherstone, South African cricketer
- 1949 - Alan Hardwick, English TV presenter
- 1949 - Phil Lynott, Irish musician (d. 1986)
- 1948 - John Noble, Australian actor
- 1948 - Robert Plant, British Musician (Led Zeppelin)
- 1947 - Alan Lee, English conceptual artist
- 1946 - Connie Chung, American journalist
- 1946 - Ralf Hütter, German musician (Kraftwerk)
- 1946 - N.R. Narayana Murthy, Indian businessman
- 1944 - Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (d. 1991)
- 1944 - Graig Nettles, American baseball player
- 1943 - Sylvester McCoy, Scottish actor
- 1942 - Fred Norman, American baseball player
- 1942 - Isaac Hayes, American singer, songwriter, and actor (d. 2008)
- 1941 - Dave Brock, British musician and founder of Hawkwind
- 1941 - Rich Brooks, American football coach
- 1941 - Slobodan Miloševi?, President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia (d. 2006)
- 1941 - Robin Oakley, British journalist
- 1941 - Jo Ramirez, Mexican motor racing team manager and author
- 1940 - Rubén Hinojosa, American politician
- 1940 - Rex Sellers, Australian cricketer
- 1939 - Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor and politician (d. 2004)
- 1938 - Alain Vivien, French politician
- 1937 - Jim Bowen, English comedian
- 1937 - El Fary, Spanish singer and actor (d. 2007)
- 1937 - Andrei Konchalovsky, Russian film director
- 1936 - Hideki Shirakawa, Japanese chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1935 - Ron Paul, US Congressman, and presidential candidate
- 1934 - Armi Kuusela, Finnish beauty queen
- 1933 - George J. Mitchell, former United States Senator
- 1932 - Anthony Ainley, British actor (d. 2004)
- 1932 - Vasily Aksyonov, Russian novelist (d. 2009)
- 1932 - Atholl McKinnon, South African cricketer (d. 1983)
- 1931 - Don King, American boxing promoter
- 1930 - Mario Bernardi, Canadian conductor
- 1929 - Kevin Heffernan, Gaelic footballer
- 1927 - Geriatric1927, English video blogger
- 1927 - Yootha Joyce, English actress (d. 1980)
- 1926 - Nobby Wirkowski, American and Canadian football player and coach
- 1924 - George Zuverink, American baseball player
- 1923 - Jim Reeves, US country music singer (d. 1964)
- 1921 - Jack Wilson, Australian cricketer (d. 1985)
- 1919 - Walter Bernstein, American screenwriter
- 1918 - Jacqueline Susann, American novelist (d. 1974)
- 1916 - Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–German chess player (d. 1984)
- 1913 - Roger Wolcott Sperry, American neurobiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
- 1910 - Eero Saarinen, Finnish architect (d. 1961)
- 1909 - Alby Roberts, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1978)
- 1908 - Al Lopez, American baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
- 1907 - Alan Reed, original voice of Fred Flintstone. (d. 1977)
- 1905 - Jean Gebser, German-born author, linguist, and poet (d. 1973)
- 1905 - Jack Teagarden, American musician (d. 1964)
- 1901 - Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
- 1898 - Vilhelm Moberg, Swedish author and historian (d. 1973)
- 1897 - Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian writer (d. 1970)
- 1890 - H. P. Lovecraft, American writer (d. 1937)
- 1886 - Paul Tillich, German-American theologian (d. 1965)
- 1881 - Edgar Guest, English poet (d. 1959)
- 1873 - Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen, Finnish architect (d. 1950)
- 1868 - Ellen Roosevelt, American tennis player (d. 1954)
- 1865 - Bernard Tancred, South African cricketer (d. 1911)
- 1860 - Raymond Poincaré, French statesman (d. 1934)
- 1856 - Jakub Bart-?išinski, Sorbian writer (d. 1909)
- 1847 - Andrew Greenwood, England cricketer (d. 1889)
- 1847 - Boles?aw Prus, Polish writer (d. 1912)
- 1845 - St. Albert Chmielowski, Polish Catholic Saint (d. 1916)
- 1833 - Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States (d. 1901)
- 1779 - Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (d. 1848)
- 1778 - Bernardo O'Higgins, South American revolutionary (d. 1842)
- 1719 - Charles-François de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (d. 1791)
- 1719 - Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer (d. 1783)
- 1710 - Thomas Simpson, British mathematician (d. 1761)
- 1632 - Louis Bourdaloue, French Jesuit preacher (d. 1704)
- 1625 - Thomas Corneille, French dramatist (d. 1709)
- 1561 - Jacopo Peri, Italian composer (d. 1633)
- 1517 - Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, French church leader (d. 1586)