Born on August 20

Founder of the Mali Empire in the 13th century, Soundiata Keïta united the Mandinka peoples and defeated King Soumaoro Kanté at the Battle of Kirina (c. 1235). His epic, passed down by griots, is one of the great works of African oral literature.

French general of the Revolution (1756–1793), he took command of the Army of the North after Dumouriez's betrayal and was killed in action during the siege of Condé-sur-l'Escaut. Pantheonized in 1793, his remains were removed during the Restoration.

A French general of the Revolution and the Empire, Frédéric Henri Walther commanded the cavalry of the Imperial Guard. He distinguished himself in the major Napoleonic campaigns and was granted the title of Count of the Empire.

Bernardo O'Higgins was a Chilean soldier and statesman, considered one of the principal liberators of Chile from Spanish rule. As the first leader of the independent Republic, he served as its Supreme Director from 1817 to 1823.