1. On August 20, 1964, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, three civil rights workers, were murdered in Neshoba County by the Ku Klux Klan. Their deaths were a catalyst for national attention on the violent racism and discrimination faced by Black Americans in Mississippi and the South.

2. On August 20, 1890, Hiram Revels, the first Black member of the U.S. Senate, died in Aberdeen, Mississippi. Revels' appointment to the Senate during Reconstruction was historical, as it represented a political milestone in the fight for civil rights during the era.

3. August 20, 1955 marks the day Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago, was brutally murdered by two white men in Money, Mississippi. Till's death and the lack of justice for his killers was a key moment in the civil rights movement and served as a spark for further activism.

4. In 1953, future Blues Hall of Famer Big Joe Williams recorded his hit song "Baby Please Don't Go" on August 20. The song would go on to become a blues standard, covered by artists like Van Morrison, Aerosmith, and AC/DC.

5. August 20, 1940, marked the birth of Isaac Hayes in Covington County, Mississippi. Hayes was a prolific songwriter, musician, and producer known for his work with Stax Records and notable songs such as "Shaft" and "Walk on By." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.