August 20th


1866: President Andrew Johnson formally declares the American Civil War over... except, of course, for NASCAR fans.


1882: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow. Considering the audience had been waiting in line for 70 years to hear it, the reviews were luke warm.


1998: The Supreme Court of Canada rules that Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada... at least not without sharing its recipe for crepes and cafe au lait.