20 August: What Happened On This Day in History

The first ship of the Dutch East India Company returned from Far East.

Raja Rammohan Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, and Kalinath Roy established Bromho Samaj, In Calcutta. 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.

Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution through natural selection.

First meeting of the Indian National Congress was held.

Sir Ronald Ross invented the early stages of malaria parasite inside a mosquito stomach.

Lord George Curzon reigned as the Viceroy of India. He was then replaced by Lord Minto II, the Earl of Minto.

Adolphe Pegond bales out of an airplane at 700 ft (213 m) and parachute safely to the ground, became the first person to parachute from a plane.

Declaration of historic 'Mongegue'.

The Mopla revolt, one of the important uprisings of India, was started at Kerala.

Mahatma Gandhi is rushed to the hospital on the fourth day of his latest fast.

Radar was used for the first time by the British during World War II.

Jawaharlal Nehru breaks off relations with the Portuguese after the invasion of Goa by Indian nationalists.

Varahagiri Venkata Giri was elected President and G. S. Pathak as Vice President of India.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed elected President of India with B. D. Jatti as Vice President.

Indian premier Charan Singh resigns.

Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, a ragi, reluctant politician and Sikh leader, died. He was shot by Sikh extremists at Sherpur.

India's Ambassador to Romania J.F.Ribeiro shot by Sikh extremists in Bucharest.

Sivarasan and Subha, the main suspects in Rajiv Gandhi case, commit suicide in Bangalore.

The Firozabad rail disaster, caused 358 lives, in Firozabad, India.

Indira Mahila Vikas Yojana launched.

India defeat Pakistan in Under-15 World Challenge Final at Lord's, England.

Lata Mangeshkar receives the Fifth Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award from the President.

Arun Gawli, Mumbai underworld don, arrested for his alleged involvement in the killing of a builder.

Premananda, self-styled godman, sentenced by Pudukottai district and sessions court to life imprisonment for two terms and a fine of Rs. 66.4 lakhs for rape of 13 inmates of his ashram and murder of a male inmate.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court upholds the conviction of former Punjab DGP K.P.S. Gill for outraging the modesty of an IAS officer Mrs. Rupan Deol Bajaj.

Wrestler Sushil Kumar from India won the Bronze medal in Beijing Olympics.

A prison riot in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, kills at least 20 people

Seventy-two people are killed in Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture by a series of landslides caused by a month's worth of rain that fell in one day.

Fifty-four people are killed when a suicide bomber detonates himself at a Kurdish wedding party in Gaziantep, Turkey.