August 6
At Auburn Prison in New York, the first execution by electrocution in history is carried out against William Kemmler, who had been convicted of murdering his lover, Matilda Ziegler, with an axe. – 1890.
At 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world’s first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 individuals are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. At least another 60,000 would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the fallout. – 1945.
August 7
In Newburgh, N. Y., General George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the U.S. 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 the face in silver. The badge was to be presented to soldiers for “any singularly meritorious action” and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without challenge. – 1782.
Kon-Tiki, a balsa wood raft captained by Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl, completes a 4,300-mile, 101-day journey from Peru to Raroia in the Tuamotu Archipelago, near Tahiti. Heyerdahl wanted to prove his theory that prehistoric South Americans could have colonized the Polynesian islands by drifting on ocean currents. – 1947.
August 8
President Harry S Truman signs the United Nations Charter and the United States becomes the first nation to complete the ratification process and join the new international organization. – 1945.
Cesar Chavez is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by president Bill Clinton, to become the first Mexican-American to receive the honor. – 1994.
August 9
In one of the most decisive battles in history, a large Roman army is defeated by the Visigoths at the Battle of Adrianople in present-day Turkey. Two-thirds of the Roman army, including Emperor Valens, were overrun and slaughtered by the mounted barbarians. The victory left the Eastern Roman Empire nearly defenseless. – 379.
Twenty individuals, including at least nine firefighters, are killed in Boston’s worst fire. It consumes 65 downtown acres and 776 buildings in more than 12 hours. – 1872.
A second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan’s unconditional surrender. – 1945.
Richard M. Nixon officially ends his term as president of the United States. Minutes later, vice president Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as the 38th U.S. president. – 1974.
Members of Charles Manson’s cult kill five individuals in movie director Roman Polanski’s home, including Polanski’s pregnant wife. Less than two days later, the group killed two more individuals. The savage crimes shocked the Nation. – 1969.
August 10
Construction on the St. Lawrence Seaway begins. Ultimately 22,000 workers spent five years building the 2,342-mile route from the Atlantic Ocean to the northern-most part of the Great Lakes. – 1954.
The United Kingdom records its first temperature above 100°F. Throughout the month, an intense heat wave scorched the European continent which claimed more than 35,000 lives. – 2003.
August 11
One hundred platform men employed by the privately owned United Railroads streetcar service in San Francisco abandon their streetcars which ties up many of the main lines in and out of the city center. – 1917.
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. – 1934.
Racial tension reaches a breaking point in the Watts section of Los Angeles after two white policemen scuffle with a black motorist suspected of drunken driving. A riot quickly rages over a 50-square-mile area of South Central Los Angeles. Order was restored August 16 which left 34 dead, 1,032 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested. – 1965.
August 12
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was concluded between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It went into effect in January 1994. – 1992.
What was to become a 232-day strike by Major League Baseball players over owners’ demands for team salary caps begins; ultimately 938 games were canceled. It ended the 1994 season. – 1994.