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Today is Tuesday, August 6, the 219th day of 2024. There are 147 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the American B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing an estimated 140,000 people.
Also on this date:
In 1806, Emperor Francis II abdicated, which marked the end of the Holy Roman Empire after almost a thousand years.
In 1825, Upper Peru became the autonomous republic of Bolivia.
In 1890, William Kemmler at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, became the first person to be executed by electric chair.
In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel.
In 1942, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands became the first reigning queen to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite the Nazi occupation, her people’s motto remained: “No Surrender.”
In 1945, during World War II, the American B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb codenamed “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan, killing an estimated 140,000 people.
In 1962, Jamaica became independent from Britain after 300 years of British rule.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which banned racial discrimination in voting.
In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing web pages over the Internet.
In 2011, insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing thirty Americans, most of whom belonged to the same Navy commando unit that killed Osama bin Laden; seven Afghan commandos were also killed.
Today’s Birthdays:
- Children’s artist Ella Jenkins is 100.
- Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 86.
- Actor Louise Sorel is 84.
- Actor Michael Anderson Jr. is 81.
- Actor Ray Buktenica is 81.
- Actor Dorian Harewood is 74.
- Actor Catherine Hicks is 73.
- Rock singer Pat MacDonald (Timbuk 3) is 72.
- Actor Stepfanie Kramer is 68.
- Actor Faith Prince is 67.
- R&B singer Randy DeBarge is 66.
- Actor Leland Orser is 64.
- Actor Michelle Yeoh is 62.
- Country singers Patsy and Peggy Lynn are 60.
- Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 59.
- Actor Jeremy Ratchford is 59.
- Actor Benito Martinez is 56.
- Country singer Lisa Stewart is 56.
- Film writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (SHAH’-mah-lahn) is 54.
- Actor Merrin Dungey is 53.
- Singer Geri Halliwell Horner is 52.
- Actor Jason O’Mara is 52.
- Actor Vera Farmiga is 51.
- Actor Ever Carradine is 50.
- Actor Soleil (soh-LAY’) Moon Frye is 48.
- Actor Melissa George is 48.
- Rock singer Travis ‘Travie’ McCoy is 43.
- Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 43.
- Actor Romola Garai is 42.
- American Olympian and WNBA basketball star A’ja Wilson is 28.
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