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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in August 2020

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Historical anniversaries are great for On This Day in History features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re simple to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book.

1 Aug 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Clark, American explorer (Lewis and Clark expedition).

2 Aug 1990 to 28 Feb 1991 – 30 years ago
Gulf War. On 2nd August Iraq invaded Kuwait. On 6th the United Nations Security Council ordered a global trade embargo against Iraq. On 7th the USA launched Operation Desert Shield, sending U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia to prevent an Iraqi invasion. On 8th Iraq took full control of Kuwait and installed a puppet government. This led to Operation Desert Storm (17 Jan – 28 Feb 1991). Coalition victory.

3 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of P. D. James, British novelist. Best known for her crime novels featuring the detective Adam Dalgliesh.

4 Aug 1870 – 150 years ago
The British Red Cross Society was founded.

5 Aug 1895 – 125 years ago
Death of Friedrich Engels, German socialist philosopher and social scientist who collaborated with Karl Marx to found modern communism and co-write The Communist Manifesto.

6 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the U.S. Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The center of the city was totally destroyed and approximately 80,000 people were killed immediately. A further 60,000 people died by the end of the year because of injury or radiation. It was the first city in history to be hit by a nuclear weapon. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on 9th August.

7 Aug 1955 – 65 years ago
Sony (then known as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) released the first transistor radio made in Japan: the TR-55. It was also the first transistor radio in the world to use all-miniature components.

8 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and entered the Pacific War, exactly three months after the war in Europe ended, as agreed at the Yalta Conference in February.

9 Aug 1930 – 90 years ago
The cartoon character Betty Boop first appeared, in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes.

10 Aug 1895 – 125 years ago
The Proms (Promenade Concerts) began in London.

11 Aug 1995 – 25 years ago
U.S. President Bill Clinton banned all nuclear weapons testing by the USA, saying that the country’s nuclear stockpile could be safely maintained without the need for any further testing. He made this statement ahead of signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in September 1996.

12 Aug 1960 – 60 years ago
NASA launched the first successful communications satellite, Echo 1, into low Earth orbit, to relay voice and TV signals. The satellite’s 30-meter (98-foot) shiny surface reflected signals from one point on the Earth to another. (This satellite was officially named Echo 1A. It was a replacement for the first Echo 1, whose launch in May 1960 ended in failure and it ditched into the Atlantic.)

13 Aug 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the main phase of the Battle of Britain began. The German Luftwaffe launched raids on RAF airfields and radar installations.

14 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: V-J Day. Japan announced its unconditional surrender, ending WWII in the Pacific. (The war officially ended on 2nd September when Japan signed the surrender document.)

15 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
Korea was divided along the 38th parallel, creating the Soviet-occupied North Korea and the U.S.-occupied South Korea.

16 to 23 Aug 1930 – 90 years ago
The first British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

17 Aug 1960 – 60 years ago
The Beatles gave their first live public performance, at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany. They performed there seven evenings a week, then relocated to the Kaiserkeller on 4th October after the Indra Club was closed down because of noise complaints.

18 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian nationalist. Leader of a WWII force that attempted (unsuccessfully) to liberate the Indian military from British rule.

19 Aug 1960 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5 with the dogs Belka and Strelka (plus 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants) on board. After a day in orbit, they returned safely. They were the first animals to survive orbital flight.

20 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
The National Football League (NFL) was founded (as the American Professional Football Association).

21 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Christopher Robin Milne, British bookseller. Son of the author A. A. Milne. He appears as a character in his father’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories. (Died 1996.)

22 Aug 1770 – 250 years ago
British explorer Captain James Cook discovered eastern Australia, named it New South Wales, and claimed it for Britain.

23 to 31 Aug 2005 – 15 years ago
Hurricane Katrina hit the Bahamas, Cuba and the southern U.S. states. The city of New Orleans, Louisiana was particularly badly affected (on 29th August) when the levee system failed, flooding 80% of the city for several weeks. Florida and Mississippi also suffered severe damage. Over 1,800 people were killed. It was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

24 Aug 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, German engineer and television pioneer who invented the Nipkow disk – a spinning perforated disk that could scan images. It was used by John Logie Baird to develop the first mechanical television system.

25 Aug 1270 – 750 years ago
Death of Saint Louis IX, King of France (1226–70).

26 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution came into effect. It granted women the right to vote.

27 Aug 1955 – 65 years ago
The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records (now Guinness World Records) was published.

28 Aug 1955 – 65 years ago
Death of Emmett Till, African American teenager who was mutilated and killed in Mississippi after flirting with a white woman. His death was one of the key events that motivated the Civil Rights Movement.

29 Aug 1895 – 125 years ago
The Rugby Football League was founded in England (as the Northern Rugby Football Union. The first match was played on 7th September.

30 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: Hong Kong was liberated by British forces.

31 Aug 1980 – 40 years ago
Solidarity was formed in Gdansk, Poland after striking shipyard workers won the right to form a trade union. Communist authorities officially recognized Solidarity in October, but outlawed it in 1981 when they imposed martial law followed by years of political repression. It was legalized again in 1989.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2020. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy anniversaries in July 2020 (US edition)

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Here are 31 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in July 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing “on this day in history” features and anniversary tie-ins.

Jul 1, 1970 – 50 years ago
Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) opened in California, USA. It developed numerous important technologies including the personal computer, graphical user interface, laser printer, ethernet, and electronic paper.

Jul 2, 1940 – 80 years ago
Lake Washington Floating Bridge (now the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge) was opened. It links Seattle to Mercer Island, Washington, USA.

Jul 3, 1970 – 50 years ago
A British holiday jet (Dan-Air Flight 1903) crashed into mountains near Barcelona, Spain, killing 112 people. (Cause: misinterpreted radar data and air traffic control instructions relating to another plane flying in the same area.)

Jul 4, 1960 – 60 years ago
The 50‐star Flag of the United States made its debut. It had been updated to include Hawaii.

Jul 5, 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Max Klinger, German symbolist artist, sculptor, printmaker and writer.

Jul 6, 1945 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman established the Medal of Freedom (now known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.) It honors civilians whose actions aid the war efforts of the USA and its allies.

Jul 7, 2005 – 15 years ago
July 7th London bombings. A coordinated series of 4 suicide bomb attacks on London’s transport system during the morning rush hour. 56 people were killed, including the 4 bombers, and more than 700 were injured. It was the worst-ever terrorist attack on Britain, and the country’s first attack by suicide bombers.

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Jul 9, 1955 – 65 years ago
The song Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets reached #1 on the Billboard chart in the USA. It remained #1 for 8 weeks. Although not the first rock and roll song, it is considered the song that brought rock and roll into the mainstream.

Jul 10 to Oct 31, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Battle of Britain. British victory.

Jul 11, 1960 – 60 years ago
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published.

Jul 12, 1920 – 100 years ago
The Panama Canal was officially opened by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. (It had been operating since August 1914.)

Jul 13 to 30, 1930 – 90 years ago
The first FIFA World Cup (soccer) was held in Uruguay. The host nation, Uruguay won 4 – 2 against Argentina in the final.

Jul 14, 1995 – 25 years ago
The MP3 digital audio format was officially named.

Jul 15, 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Robert Wadlow, American giant. The world’s tallest man. Almost nine feet tall and still growing at the time of his death, aged 22.

Jul 16, 1945 – 75 years ago
The USA detonated the world’s first nuclear weapon, (“Fat Boy”), at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Jul 17, 1955 – 65 years ago
The first Disneyland theme park opened, in Anaheim, California, USA.

Jul 18, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster who operated in Memphis, Tennessee during the prohibition era.

Jul 19, 1940 – 80 years ago
The British Army’s Intelligence Corps was founded.

Jul 20, 1940 – 80 years ago
Billboard magazine published the first Music Popularity Chart, which listed the top 10 singles sold in the USA that week. The first #1 record was I’ll Never Smile Again by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.

Jul 21, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed after 11 years of construction.

Jul 22, 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Harold Larwood, British cricketer. The main exponent of the controversial “bodyline” bowling style which was denounced as “unsportsmanlike” and ended his career.

Jul 23, 1940 – 80 years ago
Britain’s Local Defence Volunteers were renamed the Home Guard.

Jul 24, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first rocket to be launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA: the Bumper 2. Its first stage was a captured German V-2 rocket, and its upper stage was a U.S. Army WAC Corporal rocket. It reached a height of 25 miles.

Jul 25, 2000 – 20 years ago
An Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after taking off for New York. All 109 people on board were killed, as well as 4 people on the ground.

Jul 26, 1945 – 75 years ago
Clement Attlee, the Labour Party leader, became British Prime Minister after defeating Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party in the general election held on July 5th.

Jul 27, 1940 – 80 years ago
Bugs Bunny made his first appearance, in the Warner Bros. cartoon A Wild Hare.

Jul 28, 1945 – 75 years ago
A U.S. Army B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City, USA in thick fog. All 3 people on board the plane and 11 people in the building were killed.

Jul 29, 1945 – 75 years ago
The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched in the UK. It broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music. It became BBC Radio 2 in 1967.

Jul 30, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. About 300 of the 1,196 crew were killed immediately, while almost 600 more died over the following days from dehydration, exposure, salt water poisoning or shark attacks while awaiting rescue. 317 survived.

Jul 31, 1970 – 50 years ago
“Black Tot Day.” The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the British Royal Navy.

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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