This Day in History

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 30 1965 President Johnson signs Medicare into law On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare, a health insurance program for elderly Americans, into law. At the bill-signing ceremony, which took place at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, former President Harry Truman was enrolled as Medicare’s first beneficiary and... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1866 The New Orleans Massacre   1970s 1971 Fighter jet collides with passenger plane   American Revolution 1777 New York’s first elected governor takes office   Arts & Entertainment 1966 The Troggs take their signature hit, “Wild Thing,” to #1 1999 “The Blair Witch Project” released in theaters   Civil War 1864 Union forces stopped at the Battle of the Crater   Inventions & Science 2003 Last classic VW Beetle rolls off the line   Sports 1976 Caitlyn Jenner wins Olympic decathlon   U.S. Government and Politics 1619 First legislative assembly in America convenes in Jamestown   U.S. Presidents 1956 President Eisenhower signs “In God We Trust” into law 1974 Under subpoena, Nixon surrenders Watergate tapes   World War II 1945 USS Indianapolis torpedoed

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY July 31 1975 Labor leader Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing On the morning of July 31, 1975, James Riddle Hoffa, one of the most influential American labor leaders of the 20th century, is officially reported missing after he failed to return home the previous night. Though he is popularly believed to have been the victim of a Mafia hit, conclusive evidence...  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1973 Delta Flight 723 crashes in fog at Boston Logan   American Revolution 1777 Marquis de Lafayette becomes a major-general without pay   Natural Disasters & Environment 1715 Hurricane sinks Spanish treasure ships   Religion 1556 Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, dies   Space Exploration 1964 Ranger 7 photographs moon   World War I 1917 Third Battle of Ypres begins in Flanders   World War II 1941 Preparations for the Final Solution begin

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 01 1943 Operation Tidal Wave: U.S. forces attempt risky air raid on Axis oil refineries On August 1, 1943, 177 B-24 bombers take off from an Allied base in Libya, bound for the oil-producing city Ploiești, Romania, nicknamed “Hitler’s gas station.” The daring raid, known as Operation Tidal Wave, resulted in five men being awarded the Medal of Honor—three of them posthumously—but... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1961 The first Six Flags opens in Texas   Arts & Entertainment 1981 MTV launches 1996 George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones” debuts   Black History 1943 The Harlem Riot of 1943 begins   Cold War 1975 Helsinki Final Act signed   Crime 1966 An ex-Marine goes on a killing spree at the University of Texas   European History 1936 Hitler oversees Berlin Olympics opening ceremony   Exploration 1498 Columbus first sets eyes on South America, thinks it’s an island    Holocaust 1944 Anne Frank writes her last diary entry   Inventions & Science 1861 World’s first weather forecast published   Sports 1996 Michael Johnson earns third gold medal   U.S. Presidents 1972 George W. Bush is suspended from flying with the Air National Guard   Women's History 1786 Caroline Herschel becomes first woman credited with discovering a comet   World War I 1914 First World War begins to escalate   World War II 1944 Warsaw Uprising begins

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 02 1990 Iraq invades Kuwait On August 2, 1990, at about 2 a.m. local time, Iraqi forces invade Kuwait, Iraq’s tiny, oil-rich neighbor. Kuwait’s defense forces were rapidly overwhelmed, and those that were not destroyed retreated to Saudi Arabia. The emir of Kuwait, his family, and other government leaders fled to Saudi... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1776 Delegates sign Declaration of Independence   Civil War 1865 CSS Shenandoah learns the war is over   Cold War 1945 Potsdam Conference concludes   Crime 1876 Wild Bill Hickok is murdered 1942 Man murdered near L.A. reservoir   European History 1934 Hitler becomes dictator of Germany   Natural Disasters & Environment 1985 Sudden thunderstorm causes plane crash   Sports 1992 Jackie Joyner-Kersee wins gold in heptathlon, again   U.S. Presidents 1923 President Warren G. Harding dies before scandals break   World War I 1917 Mutiny breaks out on German battleship 1918 American troops land at Archangel   World War II 1943 PT-109 sinks; Lieutenant Kennedy is instrumental in saving crew

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 03 1958 Nautilus submarine travels under North Pole On August 3, 1958, the U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. The world’s first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus dived at Point Barrow, Alaska, and traveled nearly 1,000 miles under the Arctic ice cap to reach the top of the world. It... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1975 Boeing 707 crashes into a mountain near Agadir, Morocco   Arts & Entertainment 1977 “The Spy Who Loved Me” released in U.S. theaters 1996 “The Macarena” begins its reign atop the U.S. pop charts 2008 Multimillion-dollar baby photos published   Cold War 1948 Chambers accuses Hiss of being a communist spy   Crime 1982 Sodomy arrest sparks controversy   European History 1916 Sir Roger Casement hanged   Exploration 1492 Columbus sets sail from Spain   Sports 1949 NBA is born 1984 Gymnast Mary Lou Retton scores two perfect '10s' to win Olympic All-Around Gold   U.S. Presidents 1923 Calvin Coolidge takes oath of office after Warren G. Harding’s death   World War I 1914 Germany declares war on France

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 04 1944 Anne Frank captured Acting on tip from an informer, the Nazi Gestapo captures 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse. The Franks had taken shelter there in 1942 out of fear of deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. They occupied the small space with... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1873 Colonel Custer and 7th Cavalry clash with Indians   Arts & Entertainment 2006 “Talladega Nights” released in theaters   Black History 1964 Slain civil rights workers found   Colonial America 1753 George Washington becomes a Master Mason   Crime 1892 Lizzie Borden’s parents found dead 2019 Dayton, Ohio shooting becomes second mass shooting in 24-hour period   Exploration 1784 Russians begin to settle Alaska   Immigration 1942 U.S. and Mexico sign the Mexican Farm Labor Agreement   Sports 1936 Jesse Owens wins long jump—and respect—in Germany 2012 Oscar Pistorius becomes the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympics   World War I 1914 U.S. proclaims neutrality in World War I

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 05 1962 Marilyn Monroe is found dead On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1858 First transatlantic telegraph cable completed   21st Century 2002 Divers recover U.S.S. Monitor turret   Arts & Entertainment 1924 'Little Orphan Annie' comic strip is first published 1957 “American Bandstand” goes national 1983 “Risky Business” debuts, launches Tom Cruise to stardom   Asian American & Pacific Islander History 1948 Vicki Draves and Sammy Lee become the first Asian American Olympic gold medalists   Civil War 1864 Union scores a victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay   Cold War 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed   Crime 1998 Mother charged with smothering her eight children   Inventions & Science 1914 First electric traffic signal installed   U.S. Presidents 1861 Abraham Lincoln imposes first federal income tax 1981 Ronald Reagan fires 11,359 air-traffic controllers   Vietnam War 1965 TV news shows Marines burning village   World War I 1914 German assault on Liege begins first battle of World War I   World War II 1944 Hundreds of Jews are freed from forced labor in Warsaw

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 06 1945 American bomber drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima On August 6, 1945, the United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. At least another... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1846 Donner Party encounters first delay 1890 First execution by electric chair   Arts & Entertainment 1911 Lucille Ball is born 1928 Andy Warhol is born   Civil War 1862 Confederate ship blown up by crew 1864 Philip Sheridan receives orders to command the Army of the Shenandoah   Crime 1902 Mobster Dutch Schultz is born 1930 Judge Joseph Force Crater becomes the “missingest man” in New York   Inventions & Science 1996 Researchers claim to have found signs of Martian life in Antarctic meteorite   Sports 1926 Gertrude Ederle becomes first woman to swim English Channel   U.S. Constitution 1787 First draft of Constitution debated   U.S. Presidents 1965 President Johnson signs Voting Rights Act   Vietnam War 1969 Army announces murder charges against Green Berets

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 07 1782 George Washington creates the Purple Heart On August 7, 1782, in Newburgh, New York, General George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, creates the “Badge for Military Merit,” a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word Merit stitched across... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1970s 1974 Philippe Petit walks on a tightrope between the Twin Towers   21st Century 2005 Trapped Russian sub rescued   African History 1998 U.S. embassies in East Africa bombed   Exploration 1947 Norwegian explorer completes 4,300-mile ocean voyage in wooden raft   Latin American & Caribbean History 1956 Mysterious explosions in Colombia   Space Exploration 1959 The first U.S. satellite to photograph the Earth is launched   Sports 1987 Lynne Cox swims into communist territory   U.S. Government and Politics 1912 Teddy Roosevelt nominated as Bull Moose candidate   U.S. Presidents 1990 President George H.W. Bush orders Operation Desert Shield   Vietnam War 1964 Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution   World War II 1942 U.S. forces invade Guadalcanal

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 08 1974 Nixon announces he will resign In an evening televised address on August 8, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon announces his intention to become the first president in American history to resign. With impeachment proceedings underway against him for his involvement in the Watergate affair, Nixon was finally bowing to pressure from... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1879 Emiliano Zapata born   21st Century 2008 5-day long Russo-Georgian War begins   Arts & Entertainment 1986 Spike Lee’s first feature, “She’s Gotta Have It,” premieres 1988 Gangsta rap hits the mainstream with the release of N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton”   Civil War 1863 Robert E. Lee offers resignation as commander of the Confederate army   Exploration 1588 Spanish Armada defeated   Religion 1844 Brigham Young chosen to lead Mormon Church   Sports 1988 Lights go on at Wrigley   U.S. Government and Politics 1945 President Truman ratifies United Nations Charter 2009 Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court   World War I 1918 Battle of Amiens begins   World War II 1942 German saboteurs executed in Washington, D.C. 1945 Soviets declare war on Japan, invade Manchuria the next day

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 09 1974 Gerald Ford becomes president after Richard Nixon resigns In accordance with his statement of resignation the previous evening, Richard M. Nixon officially ends his term as the 37th president of the United States at noon on August 9, 1974. Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and enigmatically... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2010 JetBlue flight attendant quits job via escape slide 2014 Michael Brown is killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri   Ancient Rome 378 Romans routed at Adrianople   Arts & Entertainment 1854 Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” is published 1995 Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia dies   Crime 1969 Charles Manson cult kills five, including actress Sharon Tate   Native American History 1877 Nez Perce fight Battle of the Big Hole   Sports 1936 Jesse Owens wins 4th gold medal 1988 Hockey’s “Great One” gets traded   World War II 1945 Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 10 1977 Son of Sam serial killer is arrested On August 10, 1977, police arrest 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz and charged him with being the “Son of Sam,” the serial killer who terrorized New York City for more than a year, killing six young people and wounding seven others with a .44-caliber revolver. Because Berkowitz generally... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1846 Smithsonian Institution created   American Revolution 1776 London learns of American independence   Ancient Egypt 30 B.C. Cleopatra dies by suicide   Arts & Entertainment 1793 Louvre Museum opens 1912 Virginia and Leonard Woolf marry 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” movie premieres in Green Bay, Wisconsin 1984 “Red Dawn,” first PG-13 movie, is released   Inventions & Science 1937 First-ever electric guitar patent awarded to the Electro String Corporation 1978 Fatal Ford Pinto crash in Indiana   Natural Disasters & Environment 2003 Temperatures in U.K. top 100 F for first time during European heat wave   Sports 1981 Pete Rose sets National League hits record   Women’s History 1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg sworn in as Supreme Court justice   World War II 1945 Japan accepts Potsdam terms, agrees to unconditional surrender

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 11 1934 Federal prisoners land on Alcatraz A group of federal prisoners classified as “most dangerous” arrives at Alcatraz Island, a 22-acre rocky outcrop situated 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay, on August 11, 1934. The convicts—the first civilian prisoners to be housed in the new high-security penitentiary—joined a few dozen... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1965 Watts Rebellion begins   19th Century 1806 Meriwether Lewis is shot in the leg   Arts & Entertainment 1973 Hip hop is born at a teen party in the Bronx 1973 “American Graffiti” opens 2014 Oscar-winning actor Robin Williams dies at 63   Civil War 1864 Confederate general Jubal Early abandons Winchester, Virginia   Cold War 1984 Reagan jokes about bombing Russia   Crime 1980 Carol Bundy confesses her connection to the “Sunset Slayer”   Middle Eastern History 1952 Hussein succeeds to Jordanian throne   Vietnam War 1972 Last U.S. ground combat unit deactivated in South Vietnam   World War I 1919 Weimar Constitution adopted in Germany   World War II 1943 Germans begin to evacuate Sicily

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 12 1990 Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered On August 12, 1990, fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson discovers three huge bones jutting out of a cliff near Faith, South Dakota. They turn out to be part of the largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered, a 65-million-year-old specimen dubbed Sue, after its discoverer. Amazingly, Sue’s... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1898 Armistice ends the Spanish-American War   American Revolution 1776 General Washington anticipates British blockade of New York   Arts & Entertainment 1964 James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies 1988 Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, 27, dies of an overdose 2014 Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies   Colonial America 1676 King Philip’s War ends   Crime 1964 Great Train robber escapes from prison   Natural Disasters & Environment 1985 JAL flight 123 crashes into Mount Otsuka 2000 Russian sub, the “Kursk,” sinks with 118 onboard   Sports 1973 American golfer Jack Nicklaus sets title record   World War II 1941 FDR and Churchill meet on ship, map out Atlantic Charter

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 13 1961 Berlin is divided Shortly after midnight on August 13, 1961, East German soldiers begin laying down barbed wire and bricks as a barrier between Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western section of the city. After World War II, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British and French... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Ancient Americas 1521 Aztec capital falls to Cortés   Arts & Entertainment 1952 “Hound Dog” is recorded for the first time by Big Mama Thornton 1982 “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” debuts   Inventions & Science 1878 First victim of Memphis yellow fever epidemic dies   Latin American & Caribbean History 1926 Fidel Castro born   Sports 1995 New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle dies   U.S. Presidents 1981 Reagan signs Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA)

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 14 2003 Blackout hits Northeast United States On August 14, 2003, a major outage knocks out power across the eastern United States and parts of Canada. Beginning at 4:10 p.m. ET, 21 power plants shut down in just three minutes. Fifty million people were affected, including residents of New York, Cleveland and Detroit, as well as Toronto and... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1985 Michael Jackson takes control of the Beatles’ publishing rights   Crime 1751 A daughter poisons her father 1994 The terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal is captured   Sports 1971 Pitching ace Bob Gibson throws first no-hitter   U.S. Presidents 1795 George Washington signs Jay Treaty with Britain 1935 FDR signs Social Security Act   World War I 1917 China declares war on Germany   World War II 1945 Japan’s surrender made public

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 15 1969 Woodstock festival opens in Bethel, New York On August 15, 1969, the Woodstock music festival opens on a patch of farmland in White Lake, a hamlet in the upstate New York town of Bethel. Promoters John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfield and Michael Lang originally envisioned the festival as a way to raise funds to build a recording... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 21st Century 2021 Kabul falls to the Taliban after U.S. withdrawal   Arts & Entertainment 1979 “Apocalypse Now” released in theaters   Crime 2006 Wife of slain minister released from jail   European History 1057 King Macbeth is killed by Malcolm Canmore   Inventions & Science 1899 Henry Ford leaves Edison to start automobile company   Landmarks 1914 Panama Canal open to traffic   Middle Eastern History 1947 India and Pakistan win independence   Vietnam War 1968 Heavy fighting erupts in and around the DMZ   World War I 1914 Japan gives ultimatum to Germany

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 16 1896 Gold discovered in the Yukon While salmon fishing near the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory on August 16, 1896, George Carmack reportedly spots nuggets of gold in a creek bed. His lucky discovery sparks the last great gold rush in the American West. Hoping to cash in on reported gold strikes in Alaska, Carmack had... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1812 U.S. surrenders Fort Detroit to the British   1980s 1987 Plane crashes into highway, killing 156   Arts & Entertainment 1977 Elvis Presley dies   Crime 1984 Los Angeles jury clears John Z. DeLorean of drug charges   Sports 1920 MLB player hit in head by pitch, dies next day 1948 Babe Ruth dies 1954 “Sports Illustrated” magazine debuts 2009 Usain Bolt sets 100-meter dash world record   Vietnam War 1967 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is challenged in Senate

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 17 1969 Woodstock performers jam through a long final night On Sunday, August 17, 1969, one of the all-time grooviest events in music history—the Woodstock Music & Art Fair—approaches its end after more than three days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll in upstate New York. Rain and other delays push the festival, originally scheduled to finish before...  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1877 Billy the Kid kills his first man   1980s 1987 Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s last living henchman, dies   Cold War 1962 East Germans kill man trying to cross Berlin Wall   Exploration 1978 Balloon crosses the Atlantic   Native American History 1862 U.S.-Dakota War begins in Minnesota   Sports 1957 Foul balls batter unlucky Philadelphia Phillies fan   U.S. Presidents 1841 President Tyler is burned in effigy outside White House 1998 President Clinton testifies before grand jury   World War II 1943 General George S. Patton wins race to Messina

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 18 1991 Soviet hard-liners launch coup against Gorbachev On August 18, 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest during a coup by high-ranking members of his own government, military and police forces. Since becoming leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1988, Gorbachev had pursued comprehensive reforms... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Ancient China 1227 Genghis Khan dies   Colonial America 1590 Roanoke Colony found deserted   Crime 1988 A Seattle judge involved in a sex scandal dies by suicide   Sports 1992 Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird hangs it up   Women’s History 1920 19th Amendment ratified thanks to one vote

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 19 1909 First race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway On August 19, 1909, the first race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, now the home of the world’s most famous motor racing competition, the Indianapolis 500. Built on 328 acres of farmland five miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana, the speedway was started by local businessmen as a... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1812 Old Ironsides earns its name 1895 John Wesley Hardin killed in Texas   Arts & Entertainment 1964 The Beatles kick off first U.S. tour at San Francisco’s Cow Palace 1993 Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin marry   Cold War 1953 CIA-assisted coup overthrows government of Iran 1960 Captured U.S. spy pilot sentenced in Russia   Crime 1991 A Jewish youth is killed by a mob in Crown Heights, Brooklyn 2011 “West Memphis Three” released from prison after 18 years   Early U.S. 1791 Benjamin Banneker writes to Thomas Jefferson, urging justice for African Americans   European History 1934 Adolf Hitler cements his position of supreme power   U.S. Presidents 1946 Bill Clinton is born   World War I 1919 President Wilson appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 20 1619 First enslaved Africans arrive in Jamestown, setting the stage for slavery in North America On or about August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists. The exact date is not definitively known (a letter from the time identified the ship’s arrival coming in “the latter part of August”),...  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1804 Corps of Discovery suffers its only death   Arts & Entertainment 1918 “Valley of the Dolls” author Jacqueline Susann born   Civil War 1862 Horace Greeley’s “The Prayer of Twenty Millions” is published   Cold War 1968 Soviets invade Czechoslovakia   Crime 1989 The Menendez brothers murder their parents   Early U.S. 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers   European History 1940 Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky assassinated in Mexico   Inventions & Science 1911 Blazingly fast around-the-world telegram sent, 66 years before Voyager II launch   Space Exploration 1975 Viking 1 launched to Mars   Sports 1920 Early football leagues consolidate into precursor of the NFL 1945 17-year-old becomes youngest to hit MLB home run   U.S. Presidents 1833 Benjamin Harrison is born   Vietnam War 1954 United States decides to support noncommunist nations in Southeast Asia   World War II 1944 Soviets thwart German army in Romania

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 21 1959 Hawaii becomes 50th state The modern United States receives its crowning star when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a proclamation admitting Hawaii (Native spelling: Hawai‘i) into the Union as the 50th state. The president also issued an order for an American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows: five... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1980s 1980 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is founded   African History 1961 Jomo Kenyatta, Kenyan independence leader, is freed   American Revolution 1754 Bloody Ban Tarleton born in Britain   Arts & Entertainment 1920 Christopher Robin’s birthday   Civil War 1863 Guerrillas massacre residents of abolitionist settlement of Lawrence, Kansas   Cold War 1991 Attempted coup against Gorbachev collapses   Early U.S. 1793 Yellow fever breaks out in Philadelphia   Inventions & Science 1897 Olds Motor Vehicle Company founded   Natural Disasters & Environment 1986 Gas cloud kills Cameroon villagers   Slavery 1831 Nat Turner launches massive insurrection in Virginia   Sports 1950 Althea Gibson becomes first African American on U.S. tennis tour 2004 Michael Phelps wins eighth medal   U.S. Government and Politics 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates begin 1974 The Equal Educational Opportunities Act is enacted   Vietnam War 1971 Antiwar protesters raid draft offices   World War II 1944 The seeds of the United Nations are planted

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 22 1851 U.S. wins first America’s Cup On August 22, 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America bests a fleet of Britain’s finest ships in a race around England’s Isle of Wight. The ornate silver trophy won by the America was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on condition that it be forever placed in international competition. Today,... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1864 First Geneva Convention establishes Red Cross aid for war wounded   American Revolution 1776 Redcoats land at Long Island   Arts & Entertainment 1935 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx is born 1969 Zager and Evans end a six-week run at #1 with their smash-hit “In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)”   Civil War 1862 President Lincoln replies to Horace Greeley   Cold War 1968 Czechs protest against Soviet invasion   Crime 1911 Theft of “Mona Lisa” is discovered 1922 Michael Collins assassinated 1992 Shootings continue at Ruby Ridge   European History 1485 Battle of Bosworth Field   Inventions & Science 1962 Citroen helps de Gaulle survive assassination attempt   Sports 1965 Juan Marichal hits catcher with bat, instigating epic MLB brawl 1989 Nolan Ryan registers 5,000th strikeout   Vietnam War 1972 Demonstrators disrupt Republican National Convention in Miami Beach

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 23 1927 Sacco and Vanzetti executed Despite worldwide demonstrations in support of their innocence, Italian-born anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are executed for murder on August 23, 1927. On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard....  read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1823 Mountain man Hugh Glass mauled by a grizzly bear   1920s 1926 Star of the silent screen Rudolph Valentino dies   1960s 1968 Black soldiers stage sit-in at Fort Hood   1990s 1999 New York City reports first cases of West Nile virus   21st Century 2021 FDA fully approves the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine   American Revolution 1784 North Carolina counties declare themselves breakaway state of Franklin   Arts & Entertainment 1970 Lou Reed plays his last show with the Velvet Underground 2000 First “Survivor” finale airs   Civil War 1861 Confederate spy Rose O’Neal Greenhow is arrested   Crime 2006 Austrian teen escapes after eight years in captivity   Inventions & Science 1856 Eunice Foote’s research on global warming is presented publicly   Sports 1947 First Little League World Series champion crowned 1989 Pete Rose gets booted from baseball   World War I 1914 Battle of Mons   World War II 1939 Germany, Soviet Union sign nonaggression pact 1945 Marcario García becomes first Mexican national to receive U.S. Medal of Honor 1945 Senior U.S. POW is released