On this day

20 August in history.

5 moments from 1858 to 1977: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

1977

Voyager 2 launches. NASA launched Voyager 2. It went on to visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and is still sending messages from deep space.

Photo: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

1858
Natural selection in print
The papers by Darwin and Wallace on natural selection were published in a scientific journal.
Wikipedia: Charles Darwin Wikipedia: Alfred Russel Wallace
Photo: Charles_Darwin_seated.jpg : Henry Maull (1829–1914) and John Fox (1832–1907) (Maull &am… / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1882
The 1812 Overture
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with its bells and cannon, was first performed in Moscow.
Wikipedia: 1812 Overture Wikipedia: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Photo: Émile Reutlinger / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
$This picture was taken of Yerkes Observatory, which holds a refracting telescope. It was taken from the air over Geneva Lake during the summer of 2006$
1909
Pluto on a photo
Pluto was photographed at Yerkes Observatory, 21 years before anyone realised it was there.
Wikipedia: Pluto Wikipedia: Yerkes Observatory
Photo: Jtakemann / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
1920
Radio for everyone
Station 8MK in Detroit began regular broadcasts, one of the first commercial radio stations.
Wikipedia: WWJ (AM)
Photo: WWJ (AM) (Rudy2alan 00:31, 30 January 2016 (UTC)) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.