What Day Is August 20? Prague Spring Crushed and Voyager 2 Launches
August 20 is the 232nd day of the year. In 1968, Warsaw Pact forces crushed the Prague Spring by invading Czechoslovakia. In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 2, which flew past Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
About August 20
August 20 is the 232nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (233rd in a leap year). There are 133 days remaining until the end of the year.
The significance of August 20
On the night of August 20-21, 1968, roughly 500,000 Warsaw Pact troops crossed into Czechoslovakia. The Prague Spring, Alexander Dubček’s attempt to build “socialism with a human face,” was over in hours. Dubček was arrested, flown to Moscow, and forced to sign documents rolling back the reforms. In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 2 on August 20 (its companion Voyager 1 followed on September 5). Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to fly past Uranus and Neptune; it crossed into interstellar space in 2018 and continues to send data. At the speed it travels, it will take about 296,000 years to reach the nearest star system other than our own.
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On This Day in History
- 1968Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia with approximately 500,000 troops and 6,000 tanks, ending Alexander Dubček's reform period known as the Prague Spring.
- 1977NASA launched Voyager 2, which went on to fly past Jupiter (1979), Saturn (1981), Uranus (1986), and Neptune (1989) — the only spacecraft to visit the outer four planets. It left the solar system in 2018.
Baby Names for This Day
August 20 is tied to the Prague Spring and Voyager 2. Names connected to this date:
- BernardBoy
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor of the Church and founder of 68 monasteries; his feast is August 20.
- VoyagerUnisex
Launched August 20, 1977; still sending data from beyond the solar system. A name for the incurably curious.
- AlexanderBoy
Alexander Dubček, leader of the Prague Spring, who was arrested on August 20-21, 1968, and taken to Moscow.
- JanaGirl
A Czech and Slovak name; the invasion of August 20, 1968, had a profound effect on a generation of Czechs and Slovaks named Jana, Pavel, and Milan.
- CarlBoy
Carl Sagan, who championed the Voyager mission and wrote the message carried on the Voyager Golden Record.
- StellaGirl
'Star'; Voyager 2 is now in interstellar space, among the stars.
Frequently Asked Questions
What day is August 20?add
August 20 is the day Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia (1968), ending the Prague Spring, and Voyager 2 was launched (1977). The feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. The 232nd day of the year.
What number day of the year is August 20?add
August 20 is the 232nd day of the year, or the 233rd in a leap year, with 133 days remaining.
What zodiac sign is August 20?add
August 20 is Leo, which runs from July 23 to August 22.