The Encyclopedia for Everything on the NetOn this day, Aug. 14 … 1945: President Harry S. Truman announces that Imperial Japan surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II. Also on this day: 1935: The Social Security Act becomes law. 1947: Pakistan becomes independent of British rule. 1997: Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh is sentenced to death. 1980: Actress-model Dorothy Stratten, 20, is shot to death by… read more »
On this day, Aug. 13 … 2016: Michael Phelps wins his record 23rd (and final) Olympic gold medal. Also on this day: 1860: Legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley is born in Darke County, Ohio. 1889: William Gray of Hartford, Conn., receives a patent for a coin-operated telephone. 1910: Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, dies in London… read more »
On this day, Aug. 12 … 1939: The MGM movie musical “The Wizard of Oz,” starring Judy Garland, has its world premiere at the Strand Theater in Oconomowoc, Wis., three days before opening in Hollywood. Also on this day: 1909: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indianapolis 500, first opens. 1937: President Franklin D. Roosevelt… read more »
On this day, Aug. 10 … 1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Also on this day: 1861: Confederate forces rout Union troops in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in Missouri, the first major engagement of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River. 1921: Franklin… read more »
On this day, Aug. 9 … 2014: Michael Brown Jr., an unarmed 18-year-old Black man, is shot to death by police Officer Darren Wilson following an altercation in Ferguson, Mo. Brown’s death leads to volatile protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, spawning a national “Black Lives Matter” movement. Also on this day: 1854: Henry… read more »
On this day, Aug. 8 … 1974: President Richard Nixon, facing damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal, announces he would resign the following day. Also on this day: 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte sets sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile.1876: Thomas A. Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.1968:… read more »
On this day, Aug. 7 … 2000: Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore selects Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate; Lieberman becomes the first person of Jewish descent on a major party’s presidential ticket Also on this day: 1782: Gen. George Washington creates the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration… read more »
On this day, Aug. 6 … 1991: The World Wide Web makes its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet. Also on this day: 1806: The Holy Roman Empire goes out of existence as Emperor Francis II abdicates. 1890: Cy Young gains the first of his 511 major league victories as he… read more »
On this day, Aug. 5 … 1884: The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid. Also on this day: 1861: President Lincoln signs the Revenue Act of 1861, the first income tax in America. 1914: The first electric traffic lights are installed in Cleveland. 1933: President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes the National Labor Board, which… read more »
2004: Former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, convicted of having sex with a sixth-grade pupil, is released from a Washington state prison after 7 1/2 years behind bars. (Letourneau died July 7, 2020, from cancer.) Also on this day: 1790: The U.S. Coast Guard has its beginnings as President George Washington signs a measure authorizing a group of… read more »