Historical Events for 20th August 2026

[CoM Moderators]

1945 - Soviet troops occupy Harbin and Mukden
1964 - US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Economic Opportunity Act, an anti-poverty measure totaling nearly $1 billion
1979 - The East Coast Main Line rail route between England and Scotland is restored with the opening of the Penmanshiel Diversion
1989 - American Janet Evans swims the women's 800 m freestyle world record of 8:16.22 at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan
2006 - PGA Championship Men's Golf, Medinah CC: Tiger Woods wins his 3rd PGA C'ship by 5 strokes from Shaun Micheel
2008 - Spanair Flight 5022 from Madrid to Gran Canaria skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport, killing 146 people in the crash and 8 more afterward. Only 18 people survive
2016 - Star British runner Mo Farah wins the men's 5000 m in 13:03.30 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and wraps up the 5k/10k double, which he also completed in London 2012
2016 - N. K. Jemisin is the first African American author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel with her work "The Fifth Season"

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