Famous people born on August 20 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is August 20, you share it with Benjamin Harrison, Al Roker, Amy Adams — and you were born under Leo, the sign of the warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
Birthday basics for August 20
Leo ♌
Zodiac sign
Peridot
Birthstone
Gladiolus
Birth flower
232nd
Day of the year
August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years), with 133 days still to come.
Famous people born on August 20
Benjamin Harrison — American politician and 23rd president of the United States (born 1833).
Al Roker — American weather forecaster and longtime Today show personality (born 1954).
Amy Adams — American actress known for Enchanted and Arrival (born 1974).
Also sharing the day:
H. P. Lovecraft (b. 1890) — American writer whose cosmic horror tales built the Cthulhu mythos.
Robert Plant (b. 1948) — English singer and frontman of Led Zeppelin.
Demi Lovato (b. 1992) — American pop singer and actress who rose to fame on Camp Rock.
August 20 in history
1911 — The New York Times sent the first telegram around the world; it returned in just 16.5 minutes.
1920 — Detroit station 8MK, forerunner of commercial radio in America, made its first broadcast.
1977 — NASA launched the Voyager 2 space probe on its grand tour of the outer planets.
1882 — Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with cannon fire, debuted in Moscow.
1920 — The league that became the NFL was organized at a meeting in Canton, Ohio.
1975 — NASA launched the Viking 1 probe toward Mars, where it made America's first successful Mars landing.
August 20 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is August 20?
Anyone born on August 20 is a Leo — warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
What is the birthstone for August 20?
The birthstone for a August 20 birthday is Peridot, and the birth flower is the Gladiolus.
Who is the most famous person born on August 20?
Benjamin Harrison is among the best known — American politician and 23rd president of the United States (born 1833).
What happened on August 20?
In 1911, The New York Times sent the first telegram around the world; it returned in just 16.5 minutes.
What day of the year is August 20?
August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years), with 133 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on August 20? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.