Today is Friday, August 9, the 222nd day of the year 2024. There are 144 days left in the year.
Today in History:
On August 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, an American B-29 Superfortress aircraft codenamed Bockscar dropped a nuclear device over Nagasaki; the bombing and subsequent radiation poisoning killed an estimated 74,000 people.
Also on this date:
In 1173, construction began on the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral, better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
In 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” which describes Thoreau’s experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.
In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics, as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.
In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four others were found brutally murdered in Tate’s Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.
In 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in to become President of the United States after Richard Nixon’s resignation; in a speech that followed, Ford declared that “our long national nightmare is over.”
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated Lauro Cavazos to serve as Secretary of Education; Cavazos became the first Hispanic to serve in the Cabinet.
In 2014, Michael Brown Jr., an 18-year-old black man, was shot and killed by a police officer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown’s death sparked sometimes violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, spawning a national “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Today’s birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 96. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 86. Jazz musician Jack DeJohnette is 82. Comedian and film director David Steinberg is 82. Actor Sam Elliott is 80. Singer Barbara Mason is 77. College Football Hall of Famer and NFL player John Cappelletti is 72. College Football Hall of Famer and NFL player Doug Williams is 69. Actress Melanie Griffith is 67. Actress Amanda Bearse is 66. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 65. Senator Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, is 64. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 60. TV host Hoda Kotb is 60. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 57. Actress Gillian Anderson is 56. Actor Eric Bana is 56. Producer and director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 56. NHL player turned coach Rod Brind’Amour is 54. TV journalist Chris Cuomo is 54. Actor Thomas Lennon is 54. Rapper Mack 10 is 52. Actress Nikki Schieler Ziering is 53. Latin rock singer Juanes is 52. Actress Liz Vassey is 52. Actor Kevin McKidd is 51. Actress Rhona Mitra is 49. Actress Texas Battle is 48. Actress Jessica Capshaw is 48. Actress Ashley Johnson is 41. Actress Anna Kendrick is 39.
