20th August - What Happened Today In History?

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What Happened Today In History?

Find out what happened on 20th August in History. There are a lot many happenings which had taken place on this date in the pages of Indian History, here we have listed some of the very important events occurred on 20th August .

Famous Birthdays in History on this day:

- Randeep Singh Hooda is an Indian actor who works in Bollywood films, best known for his work in the movies Risk, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster and the latest Jannat 2. Hooda was born in a Jat family in the village of Jassia in Rohtak district of Haryana. His mother, Asha Hooda, is a social worker and his father, Dr. Ranbir Hooda, is a surgeon by profession.
- Amrita Puri is an Indian actress and model who mainly appears on stage and in Bollywood films. She is the daughter of Aditya Puri, Managing Director of HDFC Bank. She resides in Mumbai, India. She was born in 1983. After completing her post-graduation, Puri started her career through writing and doing theatre, with her first play being Quasar Thakore Padamsee’s English play View From The Stage.
- Rajiv Ratna Gandhi 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was the sixth Prime Minister of India (1984–1989). He took office after his mother’s assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.
- Tania Sachdev (born 20 August 1986 in Delhi) is an Indian chess player, who holds the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster. Tania was introduced to the game by her mother Anju in a bid to channel her restless energy into something constructive. Tania soon developed a liking for the game and, realising she was good, her parents decided to provide her with professional training.

Death anniversaries on 20th August:

George Adamson (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the Baba ya Simba (“Father of Lions” in Swahili), was a British wildlife conservationist and author. He and his wife, Joy Adamson, are best known through the movie Born Free and best-selling book with the same title, which is based on the true story of Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lioness cub they had raised .
Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi (February 21, 1703 – August 20, 1762) was an Islamic scholar and reformer. He was born during the reign of Aurangzeb. He worked for the revival of Muslim rule and intellectual learning in South Asia, during a time of waning Muslim power. He invited Ahmed Shah Abdalli (Durrani) to attack India and quell the rising power of Marathas.
Ram Sharan Sharma (26 November 1919 – 20 August 2011) was an eminent historian of Ancient and early Medieval India. He taught at Patna University, Delhi University (1973–85) and the University of Toronto and was a senior fellow at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; University Grants Commission National Fellow (1958–81) and President of Indian History Congress in 1975.

Notable Events:
1597 – The first ship of the Dutch East India Company returned from Far East.
1828 – Brahmo Samaj, the first movement to initiate religio-social reforms, was founded by Ram Mohun Roy (1772-1833) in Calcutta. Influenced by Islam and Christianity, Roy denounced polytheism, idol worship, repudiated the Vedas, avataras, karma and reincarnation, caste and more. The first session of Adi Brahmo Samaj was held in the rented house by Kamal Bose of Chitpore Road in Jorasanko area in Calcutta.
1885 – First meeting of the Indian National Congress held.