Dashed left edge = started before August 2020 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond August 2020
Events in August 2020 9
1935 – 2020Pranab Mukherjee (1935-2020)Died 31 August 2020, aged 84Pranab Mukherjee served as the 13th President of India from 2012 to 2017 after a long career as a senior Congress party minister. He died on 31 August 2020 after contracting COVID-19 and suffering complications from brain surgery.
1976 – 2020Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)Died 28 August 2020, aged 43Chadwick Boseman was an American actor who starred as T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther and portrayed figures including Jackie Robinson and James Brown. He died of colon cancer on 28 August 2020, a diagnosis he had kept private for four years.
20202020 World Snooker ChampionshipO’Sullivan Title 6Delayed due to COVID-19. Winner: Ronnie O’Sullivan; Runner-up: Kyren Wilson. Score: 18–8.
2020US Open 2020 — held during COVIDMen: Dominic Thiem · Women: Naomi OsakaHeld at a bubble in Flushing Meadows without fans during the pandemic. Thiem came back from 2 sets down to win. Osaka wore masks bearing names of victims of racial injustice.
2020Among Us surges in popularity2018 mobile game becomes global lockdown hitThe 2018 multiplayer game Among Us saw explosive growth in players during August and September 2020, boosted by popular Twitch and YouTube streamers, becoming one of the most-played games in the world. Its social-deduction gameplay resonated with audiences confined at home during the pandemic.
2020Beirut Port Explosion2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonateA massive explosion at the Port of Beirut killed at least 218 people, injured over 7,000 and left 300,000 homeless. The blast, caused by 2,750 tonnes of improperly stored ammonium nitrate, was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital.
2020Beirut port explosionAmmonium nitrate blast devastates Lebanese capitalA massive explosion of improperly stored ammonium nitrate at the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 killed more than 200 people, injured thousands, and devastated large parts of the city. The disaster deepened Lebanon's economic and political crisis and led to the government's resignation.
2020Belarusian protests erupt after disputed electionMass demonstrations challenge Lukashenko's re-electionHundreds of thousands of Belarusians took to the streets after the 9 August 2020 presidential election, which official results gave to incumbent Alexander Lukashenko amid widespread allegations of fraud. Security forces responded with mass arrests and violence as protests continued for months.
2020Mali coup d'etatMilitary officers depose President KeitaMutinous soldiers detained and forced the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on 18 August 2020 amid mass protests over corruption and a jihadist insurgency. A military junta subsequently took power and pledged a transition to civilian rule.