August 9

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining.

[edit] Events

• 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.
• 378 - Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople - A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths in present-day Turkey. Valens is killed along with ⅔ of his 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.
• 1048 - Pope Damasus II dies in Rome, after reigning for only 23 days.
• 1173 - Construction of the (Leaning) Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete.
• 1483 - Opening of the Sistine Chapel
• 1842 - Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
• 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain - At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.
• 1877 - Indian Wars: Battle of Big Hole - A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army.
• 1892 - Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.
• 1902 - Edward VII is crowned king of the United Kingdom.
• 1930 - Betty Boop premiered in her first cartoon, Dizzy Dishes.
• 1936 - Summer Olympic Games: Games of the XI Olympiad: Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games becoming the first American to win four medals in one Olympic Games.
• 1942 - Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement.
• 1942 - World War II: Battle of Savo Island - Allied naval forces protecting their amphibious forces during the initial stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal are surprised and defeated by an Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser force.
• 1944 - The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
• 1945 - World War II: An atomic bomb, codenamed Fat Man, is dropped on the city of Nagasaki, Japan killing an estimated 70,000-90,000 people.
• 1965 - Singapore seceded from Malaysia.
• 1965 - Space disasters: A fire at a Titan missile base near Little Rock, Arkansas kills 53 construction workers.
• 1967 - Vietnam War: Operation Cochise initiated - United States Marines begin a new operation in the Que Son Valley.
• 1969 - Members of a cult led by Charles Manson brutally murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men's hairstylist Jay Sebring, and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles.
• 1969 - Popular attraction The Haunted Mansion opens in Disneyland.
• 1974 - As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, becomes president.
• 1983 - Peter Jennings hosts his first broadcast of ABC's World News Tonight as sole anchor.
• 1986 - The Headington Shark is erected in Oxford.
• 1986 - Knebworth Park, Stevenage, UK sees the final live performance of rock band Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury.
• 1987 - 9 people are shot dead and 17 more injured as 19-year old Julian Knight opens fire at random in the Hoddle Street Massacre in Clifton Hill
• 1988 - Wayne Gretzky is traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial transactions in hockey history.
• 1988 - Baseball's all-day-game era officially came to an end when the Cubs beat the Mets 6-4 in Wrigley Field's first night game.
• 1989 - Kaifu Toshiki becomes Prime Minister of Japan.
• 1993 - The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.
• 1993 - King Albert II of Belgium is sworn into office.
• 1994 - Dilbert is drawn with his necktie down, signifying that he "lost his innocence" with Liz.
• 1995 - Netscape launches IPO.
• 1999 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.
• 1999 - The Diet of Japan enacts a law establishing the Hinomaru and Kimi Ga Yo as the official national flag and national anthem.
• 2000 - A Piper Navajo and a Piper Seminole collide in mid-air over a housing development in Burlington, New Jersey, killing 11
• 2001 - US President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.
• 2001 - In Jerusalem, 15 people die and 130 are wounded in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing.
• 2005 - Space Shuttle program: STS-114 Mission - Space Shuttle Discovery successfully lands at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
• 2005 - A chemical plant explosion happened at the EQ Recovery Plant in Romulus, Michigan, forcing residence within 1 to 1⅓ mile radius from the plant to evacuate.
• 2006 - Mexican fishermen get rescued near the Marshall Islands after being lost nine months in the sea, eating raw fish and birds.

[edit] Births

• 1201 - Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English chronicler (d. 1274)
• 1593 - Izaak Walton, English angler (d. 1683)
• 1631 - John Dryden, English Poet Laureate (d. 1700)
• 1648 - Johann Michael Bach, German composer (d. 1694)
• 1653 - John Oldham, English poet (d. 1683)
• 1674 - František Maxmilián Kaňka, Czech architect (d. 1766)
• 1722 - Augustus William, Prince of Prussia (d. 1758)
• 1726 - Francesco Cetti, Italian Jesuit scientist (d. 1778)
• 1757 - Thomas Telford, Scottish civil engineer (d. 1834)
• 1776 - Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856)
• 1797 - Charles Robert Malden, British naval officer (d. 1855)
• 1805 - Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer (d. 1860)
• 1845 - André Besette, Canadian religious figure (d. 1937)
• 1871 - Leonid Andreyev, Russian writer (d. 1919)
• 1872 - Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Austrian field marshal (d. 1962)
• 1874 - Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan composer and conductor (d. 1947)
• 1896 - Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980)
• 1896 - Lev Vygotsky, Russian psychologist (d. 1934)
• 1896 - Erich Hückel, German physicist (d. 1980)
• 1899 - P. L. Travers, Australian author (d. 1996)
• 1901 - Charles Farrell, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1902 - Zino Francescatti, French violinist (d. 1991)
• 1909 - Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat opposing the Nazi regime (executed) (d. 1944)
• 1911 - William Alfred Fowler, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1996)
• 1914 - Tove Jansson, Finnish author, the creator of the Moomins (d. 2001)
• 1914 - Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian conductor (d. 1963)
• 1919 - Joop den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1987)
• 1919 - Ralph Houk, baseball player and manager
• 1920 - Enzo Biagi, Italian journalist and writer
• 1921 - J. James Exon, American politician, 36th Governor of Nebraska & United States Senator from Nebraska
• 1922 - Philip Larkin, English poet (d. 1985)
• 1925 - David A. Huffman, Creator of Huffman coding (d. 1999)
• 1927 - Daniel Keyes, American author
• 1927 - Robert Shaw, English actor (d. 1978)
• 1928 - Bob Cousy, American basketball player
• 1931 - Mário Zagallo, Brazilian football coach and player
• 1931 - Chuck Essegian, baseball player
• 1933 - Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese television personality and children's author
• 1936 - Julián Javier, baseball player
• 1938 - Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian politician
• 1938 - Rod Laver, Australian tennis player
• 1939 - Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy, former President of the European Commission
• 1939 - Brito, Brazilian footballer
• 1940 - Beverlee McKinsey, American actress
• 1942 - Tommie Agee, Baseball player (d. 2001)
• 1943 - Ken Norton, American boxer
• 1944 - Sam Elliott, American actor
• 1945 - Posy Simmonds, English cartoonist
• 1948 - Bill Campbell, baseball player
• 1949 - Jonathan Kellerman, American writer
• 1952 - Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai politician
• 1957 - Melanie Griffith, American actress
• 1959 - Kurtis Blow, American rapper
• 1959 - Stuart Hughes, Canadian actor
• 1961 - Amy Stiller, American actress
• 1962 - Kevin Mack, American football player
• 1962 - Louis Lipps, American football player
• 1963 - Whitney Houston, American singer and actress
• 1964 - Brett Hull, Canadian-born hockey player
• 1967 - Deion Sanders, American football player
• 1968 - Gillian Anderson, American actress
• 1968 - Eric Bana, Australian actor
• 1968 - Karyn Parsons, American actress
• 1969 - Troy Percival, baseball player
• 1970 - Rod Brind'Amour, hockey player
• 1970 - Arion Salazar, American musician (Third Eye Blind)
• 1971 - Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist
• 1972 - Juanes, Colombian singer
• 1972 - A-Mei, Taiwanese singer
• 1973 - Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor
• 1973 - Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer
• 1974 - Mahesh Babu, Indian film actor
• 1974 - Matt Morris, baseball player
• 1976 - Jessica Capshaw, American actress
• 1976 - Rhona Mitra, English actress
• 1977 - Chamique Holdsclaw, American basketball player
• 1977 - Mikael Silvestre, French footballer
• 1978 - Audrey Tautou, French actress
• 1980 - Ryu Seung-beom, South Korean actor
• 1985 - Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer
• 1985 - Luca Filippi, Italian racing driver
• 1994 - Forrest Landis, American actor

[edit] Deaths

• 117 - Trajan, Roman Emperor (b. 53)
• 378 - Valens, Roman Emperor (killed in battle) (b. 328)
• 803 - Byzantine Empress Irene
• 1107 - Emperor Horikawa of Japan (b. 1079)
• 1173 - Najm ad-Din Ayyub, father of Saladin
• 1250 - King Eric IV of Denmark (b. 1216)
• 1534 - Cardinal Cajetan, Italian theologian (b. 1470)
• 1601 - Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1558)
• 1634 - William Noy, English jurist (b. 1577)
• 1720 - Simon Ockley, English orientalist (b. 1678)
• 1744 - James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, English patron of the arts (b. 1673)
• 1837 - Xavier Sigalon, French painter (b. 1787)
• 1886 - Samuel Ferguson, Northern Irish poet and artist (b. 1810)
• 1919 - Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (b. 1857)
• 1942 - Edith Stein, (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) (executed) (b. 1891)
• 1945 - Harry Hillman, American athlete (b. 1881)
• 1945 - Robert Hampton Gray, last Canadian Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1917)
• 1962 - Hermann Hesse, German-born writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1877)
• 1967 - Joe Orton, English writer (b. 1933)
• 1969 - Abigail Folger, American heiress (murdered) (b. 1943)
• 1969 - Wojciech Frykowski, Polish writer (murdered) (b. 1936)
• 1969 - Cecil Frank Powell, British physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903)
• 1969 - Jay Sebring, American hair stylist (murdered) (b. 1933)
• 1969 - Sharon Tate, American actress (murdered) (b. 1943)
• 1969 - Steven Parent, American student (murdered) (b. 1951))
• 1975 - Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (b. 1906)
• 1979 - Walter O'Malley, baseball executive (b. 1903)
• 1985 - Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league player (b. 1927)
• 1988 - Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (b. 1905)
• 1995 - Jerry Garcia, American guitarist (Grateful Dead) (b. 1942)
• 1996 - Sir Frank Whittle, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)
• 1999 - Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politican (b. 1910)
• 2000 - John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1920)
• 2002 - Paul Samson, British guitarist (Samson) (b. 1953)
• 2002 - Peter Neville, anarchist, sociologist, and peace activist
• 2003 - Ray Harford, English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
• 2003 - Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (b. 1946)
• 2005 - Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973)
• 2005 - Judith Rossner, American novelist (b. 1935)
• 2006 - James van Allen, American physicist (b. 1914)
• 2006 - Philip E. High, Science fiction author (b. 1914)

[edit] Holidays and observances

• Singapore: National Day
• National Women's Day in South Africa

[edit] Liturgical feasts

• Feast day of the great martyr Saint Panteleimon in Russian Orthodox Church

Roman Catholicism

• Saint Auctor, bishop of Metz [Metz]
• [[Saint Domitian, bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne), confessor [Châlons-sur-Marne]
• Saint Fedlimin/Felimy, bishop of Kilmore
• [[Saint Herneus, abbot, confessor [LeMans]
• Saint Jean Vianney
• [[Saint Lawrence (Vigil) [common]
• Saint Maurilius
• Saint Nathy (David), bishop of Achonry
• Saint Romanus, martyr [common] (Romanus Ostiarius, died 258)
• Saint Secundianus and companions, martyrs [Meaux]
• Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla
• St. Edith Stein, died 1942

[edit] External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

August 8 - August 10 - July 9 - September 9 — listing of all days