20 August in the history of Mykolaiv combined maritime education, the arrival of the railway, an incredible stunt by a strongman from Zhovtneve, one of the largest launches at the “Okean” shipyard, and a Russian missile strike. At the same time two events of the 19th century require an important calendar clarification.
20 August 1871: the seafaring class was not yet opened – only the regulations were approved
Local historical calendars sometimes claim that on this day a seafaring class was opened in Mykolaiv, but the State Archive of Mykolaiv Oblast clarifies: on 20 August 1871 the Ministry of Finance only approved the regulations for its creation, while the educational institution actually opened on 4 December 1873. The date 20 August 1871 is given according to the old Julian style; in the modern Gregorian calendar this corresponds to 1 September 1871.
20 August 1873: railway traffic opened between Znamyanka and Mykolaiv
Historical sources date this day as the opening of traffic on the Znamyanka – Mykolaiv railway, and the Institute of History of Ukraine notes that thanks to this line Mykolaiv was becoming a major grain-exporting port. This date is also given according to the Julian calendar: in the modern calendar it corresponds to 1 September 1873.
20 August 1942: a truck drove over people as part of the strongman’s stunt in Zhovtneve
During the Nazi occupation, a performance by Ivan Semenovych Kruts dedicated to the 20th anniversary of his sporting and performing career took place in Petrovsky Garden in Mykolaiv. As reported earlier by “Korabeliv.Info”, the athlete lay on the ground, thick boards were placed on his chest, after which a truck carrying people drove over them. The strongman got up, jumped onto the vehicle and thanked the audience. Later he returned to Zhovtneve – the present-day Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv.
20 August 1977: the giant “Borys Butoma” was launched from the dock at “Okean”
At the “Okean” shipyard in today’s Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv, the main large-capacity oil-ore carrier “Borys Butoma” was launched from the dry dock. The Mykolaiv historical chronicle recorded its displacement at 130,000 tons, and the State Archive of Mykolaiv Oblast preserves documents about the construction of this vessel at “Okean” as early as 1976.
20 August 2022: around 03:00 Mykolaiv was struck by S-300 missiles
Around 03:00 in Mykolaiv several powerful explosions were heard: Russian forces struck with S-300 missiles. By morning there were no casualties, and one of the missiles exploded in the air. The night attack was then reported by “Korabeliv.Info”; information about the time of the strike, the type of missiles and the absence of injured people was also confirmed by the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration.
This day in Ukraine and the world
On 20 August 1941, by order of Adolf Hitler, the Reichskommissariat “Ukraine” was created, which later included almost all of Mykolaiv region. 20 August 1977 – the same day when “Okean” launched “Borys Butoma” from the dock – NASA launched the Voyager 2 spacecraft. And on 20 August 1991 the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) adopted a decision to restore state independence – 69 deputies voted in favor.
That was 20 August for Mykolaiv: the railway and maritime education, an incredible strongman from Zhovtneve, a 130-thousand-ton giant from the “Okean” shipyard, and decades later – nighttime strikes by Russian missiles.
Earlier we wrote:
- Myth about Hitler in Shyroka Balka, a dolphin and rockets at “Mohylianka”: what 19 August in Mykolaiv was remembered for
- From Denikin’s forces to trolleybuses: what 18 August in Mykolaiv was remembered for
- Huts on the gas network, “Pryluky” between the bridges and S-300 missiles: what 17 August in Mykolaiv was remembered for
- From the black August of 1941 to new trolleybuses: what 16 August in Mykolaiv was remembered for
- Sewage, S-300, then finally trolleybuses: how Korabelnyi “got lucky” on 15 August
