On This Day August 9th

  OTD

August 9th is the two-hundredth-twenty-first day of the year, and there are 144 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus, and Pompey flees to Egypt.

1173 – Construction of the campanile of the Cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begins; it will take two centuries to complete.

1842 – The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.

1854 – American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau publishes his memoir Walden.

1892 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.

1945 – World War II: Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar. Thirty-five thousand people were killed outright, including 23,200–28,200 Japanese war workers, 2,000 Korean forced workers, and 150 Japanese soldiers.

1974—As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon became the first President of the United States to resign from office. Vice President Gerald Ford became president.

2012 – Shannon Eastin becomes the first woman to officiate an NFL game.

2021 – The Tampere light rail officially starts operating.

 

Birthdays

1653 – John Oldham, English poet and translator (d. 1683)

1805 – Joseph Locke, English engineer and politician (d. 1860)

1875 – Albert Ketèlbey, English pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1959)

1899 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author and actress (d. 1996)

1911 – William Alfred Fowler, American astronomer and astrophysicist, Nobel Laureate (d. 1996)

1928 – Bob Cousy, American basketball player and coach.

1944 – Sam Elliott, American actor and producer.

1963 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (d. 2012)

1967 – Deion Sanders, American football and baseball player  

1983 – Dan Levy, Canadian actor and comedian

1985 – Vivek Ramaswamy, American entrepreneur

 

 

Holiday Spotlight

 Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Night

The Perseid showers were first observed by Catholics in 285 A.D. The phenomenon was believed to be the saint’s tears returning to Earth. This event led to the creation of Saint Lawrence Day on August 10. Belgian astronomer Adolphe Quetelet recorded a greater frequency of Perseid meteors in 1836 and predicted it to peak on August 10. Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginia Schiaparelli linked comets to Perseid meteor showers in 1866. The Perseid meteor showers this year won’t be as grand as in 2021 due to a bright full moon. Nevertheless, you can still spot bright meteor fragments.

 

Holidays And Observance.

 International Coworking Day

International Day of the World's Indigenous People

National Book Lovers Day

National Hand-Holding Day

National Kool-Aid Day - August 9, 2024

National Polka Day

National Rice Pudding Day

Shop Online for Groceries Day

Veep Day

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In This Day December 3rd

  O.T.D December 3rd is the three hundred thirty-third day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 33 days remain until the end of the year. Events 1775—American Revolutionary War: The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); John Paul Jones hoists the flag. 1800 – United States presidential election: The Electoral College casts votes for president and vice president that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. 1854 – Battle of the Eureka Stockade: More than 20 gold miners at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licenses. 1898 – The Duquesne Country and Athletic Club defeats an all-star collection of early football players 16–0 in the first all-star game for professional American football. 1904 – Charles Dillon Perrine discovers the Jovian moon Himalia at California's Lick Observatory. 1910 – Georges Claude first demonstrates modern neon lighting at the Paris Moto...
Read more

The Lightning Mind of Benjamin Franklin: Innovator, Statesman, and Sage

Image
   Benjamin Franklin, one of the most extraordinary figures in American history, was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. His life spanned an era of remarkable change and progress, and Franklin himself was a driving force behind much of this transformation.  Franklin's thirst for knowledge was evident from a young age. Born into a modest family, he had limited formal education but compensated for this with an insatiable curiosity and a passion for self-learning. His early exposure to books and learning, mainly through his apprenticeship at his brother's printing shop, laid the foundation for his lifelong pursuit of knowledge.  Regarding Franklin's IQ, it's important to note that the concept of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and IQ tests were not developed during Franklin's lifetime. Thus, it's impossible to accurately state his IQ. However, his broad range of achievements and intellectual pursuits indicate high intelligence and creativity.  Franklin e...
Read more

On This Day January 13th

 OTD January 13th is the Thirteenth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 352 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the Roman Senate's and the people's free disposal. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. 532 – The Nika riots break out during the racing season at the Hippodrome in Constantinople because of discontent with the rule of Emperor Justinian 1815 – War of 1812: British troops capture Fort Peter in St. Mary’s, Georgia, the only battle of the war to take place in the state. 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C. 1910 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; a live performance of the operas Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci is sent out over the airwaves from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. 1920 – The Reichstag Bloodbath of January 13, 1920, the bloodiest demonstration in German history. 1966 – Robert C. Weaver became the f...
Read more