In History, Today on August 20

Millions of people observed a major Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, worldwide, celebrating with communal prayers, feasts, and acts of charity. The event is noted for the sacrifice of an animal and commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son.

A suicide bomber attacked a wedding party in Gaziantep, Turkey, killing at least 51 people and injuring dozens more. The attack was attributed to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, following a protest performance in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

In a significant development, anti-Gaddafi forces captured the strategic oil refinery town of Zawiya in Libya, a crucial step towards the liberation of the capital city, Tripoli, amid the First Libyan Civil War.

Spanair Flight 5022 crashed shortly after takeoff from Madrid-Barajas Airport, resulting in the deaths of 154 people.

A group of armed men raided a school in Turpan, in the Xinjiang region of China, resulting in the death of eight attackers and one policeman.

The United States, under President Bill Clinton, launches Operation Infinite Reach, targeting al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan in response to the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Estonia declared its independence from the Soviet Union.

A ceasefire is declared in the Iran-Iraq War after eight years of conflict.

NASA launches Viking 1, the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars.

Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia to end the Prague Spring.

Senegal breaks from the Mali Federation, declaring independence.

Leon Trotsky is fatally wounded by an ice-axe-wielding assassin in Mexico City.

German forces occupy Brussels during World War I.

The Great Fire of 1910, also known as the Big Burn, began in northeast Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana, becoming one of the largest wildfires in U.S. history.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow.

President Andrew Johnson formally declares the American Civil War over.

The first session of the King of Denmark's Council of State assembled.

The Battle of Fallen Timbers was fought between the United States and Native American tribes. It marked a decisive victory for the United States, leading to the Treaty of Greenville.

During the American Revolutionary War, in the Battle of Stonington, a British naval squadron burned and captured houses in the town of Stonington, Connecticut.

Danish navigator Vitus Bering discovers Alaska.

The first siege of Pensacola took place during Queen Anne's War when the Spanish captured the town of Pensacola from the British.

Johan de Witt, a prominent Dutch statesman, and his brother Cornelis were killed by a mob in The Hague during political turmoil within the Dutch Republic.

The Second Battle of Stoke Field, which effectively ended the Wars of the Roses, took place between supporters of Henry VII and Yorkist forces.

The Treaty of Brétigny was agreed upon between England and France, temporarily halting the Hundred Years' War.

The Battle of the Golden Spurs took place near Kortrijk, where Flemish forces defeated French knights in a significant medieval conflict.

Assassination of Eustace the Monk, a notorious pirate and mercenary.

The Massacre at Ayyadieh occurred during the Third Crusade when King Richard I of England ordered the execution of over 2,000 Muslim prisoners after negotiations for a prisoner exchange broke down.

The Battle of Anchialus takes place, where the Bulgarian forces under Tsar Simeon I defeat the Byzantine army, solidifying Bulgarian power in the Balkans.

The Battle of Yarmouk concludes with a decisive victory for the Rashidun Caliphate over the Byzantine Empire, marking a significant turning point in the Muslim conquest of the Levant.