Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!
Aug 9, 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
On this day in 1945, a second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan's unconditional surrender.
The devastation wrought at Hiroshima was not sufficient to convince the Japanese War Council to accept the Potsdam Conference's demand for unconditional surrender. The United States had already planned to drop their second atom bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man," on August 11 in the event of such recalcitrance, but bad weather expected for that day pushed the date up to August 9th. So at 1:56 a.m., a specially adapted B-29 bomber, called "Bock's Car," after its usual commander, Frederick Bock, took off from Tinian Island under the command of Maj. Charles W. Sweeney. Nagasaki was a shipbuilding center, the very industry intended for destruction. The bomb was dropped at 11:02 a.m., 1,650 feet above the city. The explosion unleashed the equivalent force of 22,000 tons of TNT. The hills that surrounded the city did a better job of containing the destructive force, but the number killed is estimated at anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 (exact figures are impossible, the blast having obliterated bodies and disintegrated records).
General Leslie R. Groves, the man responsible for organizing the Manhattan Project, which solved the problem of producing and delivering the nuclear explosion, estimated that another atom bomb would be ready to use against Japan by August 17 or 18—but it was not necessary. Even though the War Council still remained divided ("It is far too early to say that the war is lost," opined the Minister of War), Emperor Hirohito, by request of two War Council members eager to end the war, met with the Council and declared that "continuing the war can only result in the annihilation of the Japanese people..." The Emperor of Japan gave his permission for unconditional surrender
Historically, the bombing of Nagasaki on this date was the biggest news by far to have occurred. But this day was famous more recently for another event - Ford taking over the presidency after Nixon's infamous resignation.
Aug 9, 1974: Unusual succession makes Ford president
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. Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and enigmatically raised his arms in a victory or peace salute. The helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family began their journey home to San Clemente, California. Richard Nixon was the first U.S. president to resign from office.
Minutes later, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States in the East Room of the White House. After taking the oath of office, President Ford spoke to the nation in a television address, declaring, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."
Ford, the first president who came to the office through appointment rather than election, had replaced Spiro Agnew as vice president only eight months before. In a political scandal independent of the Nixon administration's wrongdoings in the Watergate affair, Agnew had been forced to resign in disgrace after he was charged with income tax evasion and political corruption. In September 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office, explaining that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.
Today
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.
378 - Battle of Adrianople, Visigoth cavalry defeats Roman Army
681 - Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube, after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta.
1173 - Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete.
1253 - Clare of Assisi's rules confirmed by Pope Innocent IV for Clare's Order of Poor Ladies
1329 - Quilon the first Indian Diocese was erected by Pope John XXII and Jordanus was appointed the first Bishop
1378 - Cardinals declare pope Urbanus VI lawless (anti christian/devil)
1483 - Opening of the Sistine Chapel
1559 - Willem of Orange becomes viceroy of Holland/Zealand/Utrecht
1596 - Henry van Cuyk becomes bishop of Roermond
1638 - Jonas Bronck of Holland becomes 1st European settler in Bronx
1655 - Lord Protector Cromwell divides England into 11 districts
1666 - Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 150 merchant ships in the Vlie estuary, and pillaging the town of West-Terschelling, an act later known as "Holmes's Bonfire".
1673 - Dutch under Admiral Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge recapture NY from English; regained by English in 1674
1726 - Netherlands signs Covenant of Hannover
1757 - English Ft William Henry, NY, surrenders to French & Indians troops
1778 - Captain Cook reaches Cape Prince of Wales, Bering straits
1790 - Columbia returns to Boston after 3 year journey, 1st ship to carry US flag around the world
1803 - 1st horses arrive in Hawaii
Roman Military and Political Leader Julius CaesarRoman Military and Political Leader Julius Caesar 1810 - Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire.
1829 - "Stourbridge Lion" locomotive goes into service
1830 - Louis-Philippe formally accepts crown of France, following abdication of Charles X
1831 - 1st US steam engine train run (Albany to Schenectady, NY)
1841 - Erie boat in Buffalo NY catches fire; 242 die
1842 - US-Canada border defined by Webster-Ashburton Treaty
1848 - Austria & Sardinia sign cease fire
1848 - Barnburners (anti-slavery) party merges with Free Soil Party nominateing Martin Van Buren for president
1849 - Hungarian Republic crushed by Austria & Russia
1854 - Henry David Thoreau publishes "Walden"
1855 - Battle of Acapulco during Mexican Liberal uprising
1859 - Elevator patented
1862 - Battle of Cedar Mountain VA during US Civil War (Slaughter Mountain, Southwest Mountain)
1862 - Berlioz' opera "Beatrice et Benedict," premieres in Baden-Baden
1862 - Charles S Winder, Confederate General killed at the Battle of Cedar Mountain VA aged 32
Naturalist/Pacifist Henry David ThoreauNaturalist/Pacifist Henry David Thoreau 1864 - Battle of Ft Morgan AL
1890 - 1st 44 Javans arrive in Suriname, to work 5 year on sugar plantations
1893 - 1st US bowling magazine, Gut Holz, published in NY
1901 - 34-35°N/98-99°W open for US colonization
1902 - Edward VII of England crowned after death of his mother Victoria
1902 - Edward VII is crowned king of the United Kingdom.
1905 - Mistaking her husband for a burglar, Ty Cobb's mother kills him
1907 - The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in Southern England.
1910 - Alva Fisher patents electric washing machine
1914 - German submarine U-15 sinks British cruiser
1915 - British attack at Chanak Bair at Gallipolis
1918 - Reds manager Christy Mathewson suspects Hal Chase of taking bribes to fix games, & suspends him "for indifferent play"
1920 - Bulgarian & allied Peace of Neuilly-sur-Seine goes into effect
1923 - NY State Golf Association formed
1925 - Only time Babe Ruth pinch-hit for, Bobby Veach flies out
Baseball Great Babe RuthBaseball Great Babe Ruth 1930 - 113°F (45°C) at Perryville, Tennessee (state record)
1930 - Betty Boop debuts in Max Fleischer's animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes
1930 - Percy Williams runs world record 100m (10.3 sec)
1936 - Jesse Owens wins 4th gold medal at Berlin Olympics
1941 - Winston Churchill reaches Newfoundland for 1st talk with FDR
1942 - 200 Jews escape Mir Ghetto in Poland
1942 - Dmitri Shostakovitch's 7th Symphony performed in Leningrad
1942 - Vice-Adm Mikawa lands at Guadalcanal, Solomon Island
1942 - Mahatma Gandhi & 50 others arrested in Bombay after passing of a "quit India" campaign by the All-India Congress
1943 - Bertolt Brecht's "Leben des Galilei," premieres in Zurich
1944 - 12 workers of Dutch illegal paper "Trouw," executed at Camp Vught
1944 - Smokey Bear debuts as spokeman for fire prevention
1944 - US 79th/90th division enter Le Mans
1945 - US drops 2nd atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Japan destroys part of Nagasaki
1946 - 1st time all major-league baseball games (8) are played at night
Pacifist and Spiritual Leader Mahatma GandhiPacifist and Spiritual Leader Mahatma Gandhi 1950 - Lusty Song wins Hambletonian
1951 - Dutch Korea volunteers win US Collective Unit Citation
1952 - General strike against overtime conscription in Belgium
1953 - Premier Mohammed Abdullah of Kashmir, fired
1956 - 1st state-wide, state-supported educational TV network, Alabama
1956 - South African women demonstrate against pass laws
1957 - 24th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: NY Giants 22, All-Stars 12 (75,000)
1960 - Race riot in Jacksonville Florida
1961 - James B Parsons is 1st black appointed to Federal District Court
1963 - Britains rock TV show, Ready Steady Go, premieres
1963 - NY Met Roger Craig's NL record-tying 18-game losing streak ends
1964 - 1st Rolling Stones concert in Netherlands
1964 - Shirley Englehorn wins LPGA Waterloo Women's Golf Open Invitational
1964 - Bunning continues pitching perfectly to NY Mets until 2 outs in 5th, when Joe Christopher beats out a bunt. He totals 15 innings
1965 - Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy Arkansas, 53 die
1965 - Singapore gains independence from Malaysia (National Day)
1967 - Biafran offensive against Nigerian army
1967 - KYAY TV channel 39 in West Monroe, LA (IND) begins broadcasting
1968 - Yugoslav president Tito visits Prague
1969 - "Zorba" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 305 performances
1969 - Manson family commits Tate-LaBianca murders
1970 - Jane Blalock wins LPGA Lady Carling Golf Open
1970 - Peruvian Airlines jet carrying 45 US exchange students explodes
1971 - Le Roy (Satchel) Paige inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame
1972 - Rockwell receives NASA contract to construct Space Shuttle
1973 - Henry McCullough & Denny Seiwell quit Wings
1973 - USSR launches Mars 7
37th US President Richard Nixon37th US President Richard Nixon 1974 - Richard Nixon resigns presidency, VP Gerald Ford becomes 38th pres
1975 - 1st NFL game in Louisiana Superdome, Houston beats Saints 13-7
1975 - Dodger Davey Lopes steals record 32nd consec base without being caught
1975 - Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Colgate European Ladies Golf Open
1976 - Clive Lloyd scores double-ton in 120 mins, WI v Glamorgan
1976 - Pitt Pirate John Candelaria no-hits LA Dodgers, 2-0
1976 - USSR launches Luna 24, last Lunar flight to date from Earth
1977 - Chris Old completes a century in 37 mins, Yorks v Warwicks
1977 - NHL refuses merger of 6 WHA clubs
1977 - The military-controlled Government of Uruguay announces that it will return the nation to civilian rule through general elections in 1981 for a President and Congress.
1978 - USSR performs (underground) nuclear test
1978 - Yanks score 5 in bottom of 9th beat Brewers 8-7
1979 - English seaside resort Brighton gets 1st British nude beach
1980 - Belgian constitution revised
1981 - 52nd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 5-4 at Municipal Stadium, Cleve
1981 - 6 English lifeguards set relay swim record English Channel (7:17)
1981 - 63rd PGA Championship: Larry Nelson shoots a 273 at Atlanta AC Ga
1981 - All star MVP: Gary Carter (Mont Expos)
1981 - Hollis Stacy wins LPGA West Virginia Bank Golf Classic
1981 - NL beats AL 5-4 in 52nd All Star Game (Cleveland Stadium)
1984 - Daley Thomas of Britain sets decathalon record (8,847) in LA Cal
1984 - STS 41-D vehicle again moves out to launch pad
1986 - "Honky Tonk Nights" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 4 perfs
1987 - "Les Miserables," opens at Cameri Theatre, Tel Aviv
1987 - 69th PGA Championship: Larry Nelson shoots 287 at PGA Natl Palm Beach
1987 - LA Rams beat Dallas Cowboys 28-27 in London, England (NFL expo)
1987 - Mary Beth wins LPGA Henredon Golf Classic
1988 - Cubs beat Mets 6-4 in their 1st official night game at Wrigley Field
NHL all-time top scorer Wayne GretzkyNHL all-time top scorer Wayne Gretzky 1988 - Edmonton Oilers trade Wayne Gretzky to LA Kings for $15-$20 millions
1988 - Just 1 day after 8/8/88 NY's daily number is 888
1990 - 12 Arab leaders agree to send pan-Arab forces to protect Saudi Arabia
1990 - Soyuz TM-10 lands
1992 - "Streetcar Named Desire" closes at Ethel Barrymore NYC after 137 perf
1992 - 25th Olympic Summer games closes in Barcelona, Spain
1992 - Florence Descampe wins McCall's LPGA Golf Classic at Stratton Mt
1992 - Last day of Test Cricket for David Gower
1992 - Record temperature in Berlin-Dahlem 99.3°F (37.4°C)
1993 - King Albert II of Belgium, crowned
1994 - Phil Rizzuto Hall of Fame Night
1994 - Stanley Betrian put in charge of Curacao
1997 - Security guard Abner Louima, attacked by NYC police
1997 - Yanks break Minnesota Twins Brad Radke's string of 12 straight wins
1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.
Russian President Boris YeltsinRussian President Boris Yeltsin 1999 - The Diet of Japan enacts a law establishing the Hinomaru and Kimi Ga Yo as the official national flag and national anthem.
2001 - US President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.
2012 - The death toll from the Philippines' floods rise to 70
2012 - Usain Bolt becomes the first person to win the 100m and 200m sprint in back to back Olympics
1678 - American Indians sold the Bronx to Jonas Bronck for 400 beads. 1790 - The Columbia returned to Boston Harbor after a three-year voyage. It was the first ship to carry the American flag around the world. 1831 - The first steam locomotive began its first trip between Schenectady and Albany, NY. 1842 - The U.S. and Canada signed the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, which solved a border dispute. 1848 - Martin Van Buren was nominated for president by the Free-Soil Party in Buffalo, NY. 1854 - "Walden" was published by Henry David Thoreau. 1859 - The escalator was patented by Nathan Ames. 1892 - Thomas Edison received a patent for a two-way telegraph. 1893 - "Gut Holz" was published. It was America's first bowling magazine. 1910 - A.J. Fisher received a patent for the electric washing machine. 1930 - Betty Boop had her beginning in "Dizzy Dishes" created by Max Fleischer. 1936 - Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics. He was the first American to win four medals in one Olympics. 1942 - Mohandas K. Gandhi was arrested Britain. He was not released until 1944. 1942 - CBS radio debuted "Our Secret Weapon." 1944 - The Forest Service and Wartime Advertising Council created "Smokey the Bear." 1945 - The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The bombing came three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. About 74,000 people were killed. Japan surrendered August 14. 1945 - The first network television broadcast occurred in Washington, DC. The program announced the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. 1956 - The first statewide, state-supported educational television network went on the air in Alabama. 1965 - Singapore proclaimed its independence from the Malaysian Federation. 1973 - The U.S. Senate committee investigating the Watergate affair filed suit against President Richard Nixon. 1974 - U.S. PresidentRichard Nixon formally resigned. Gerald R. Ford took his place, and became the 38th president of the U.S. 1975 - The New Orleans Superdome as officially opened when the Saints played the Houston Oilers in exhibition football. The new Superdome cost $163 million to build. 1981 - Major league baseball teams resumed play at the conclusion of the first mid-season players’ strike. 1984 - Daley Thompson, of Britain, won his second successive Olympic decathlon. 1985 - Arthur J. Walker, a retired Navy officer, was found guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union. 1988 - Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) was traded. The trade was at Gretzky's request. He was sent to the Los Angeles Kings. 1996 - Boris Yeltsin was sworn in as president of Russia for the second time. 1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin and his entire cabinet for the fourth time in 17 months. 2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush announced he would support federal funding for limited medical research on embryonic stem cells. 2004 - Donald Duck received the 2,257th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 2004 - Trump Hotel and Casion Resorts announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
1854 Henry David Thoreau's Walden, recounting his experiment in solitary life on the shores of Massachusetts' Walden Pond, was published. 1936 Jesse Owens became the first American to win four gold medals in one Olympics. 1945 The United States exploded a nuclear bomb over Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 74,000 people. 1965 Singapore proclaimed its independence from Malaysia. 1974 Vice president Gerald Ford was sworn in as president following Nixon's resignation. 1995 Jerry Garcia, lead singer and guitarist of the Grateful Dead, died.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/aug09.htm
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