On This Day In History
August 14th
1281 During Kublai Khan‘s second Mongol invasion of Japan his invading Chinese fleet of 3,500 vessels disappears in a typhoon near Japan
1842 Second Seminole War declared over by US Army Colonel Worth, after nearly 7 years; more than 3000 Seminole Nation survivors re-located from Florida to Oklahoma, only about 300 allowed to remain [1]
1945 V-J Day, Japan surrenders unconditionally to end WW II (also August 15 depending on time zone)
1947 Pakistan gains independence from Great Britain
1969 British Army deploys on the streets of Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of Operation Banner
1980 17,000 workers go on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, marking the beginning of the Solidarity movement
Did You Know?
King Duncan I of Scotland killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth (not murdered in his sleep as in Shakespeare’s play). The latter does succeed him as King.
Today in History in 1040
Would You Believe?
The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21.
Today in History in 1901
14th August 1985 Michael Jackson takes control of the Beatles publishing rights.
14th August 1994 - Terrorist, Carlos the Jackal is captured.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-terrorist-known-as-carlos-the-jackal-is-captured
August 15th
1461 Empire of Trebizond surrenders to forces of Sultan Mehmet II – last Byzantine Empire remnant to fall. Emperor David exiled and later murdered.
1620 Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England, with 102 Pilgrims
1900 The Boxer Rebellion: In China, the Empress, her family and court retainers flee while foreign troops move through Peking in an attempt to quell the rebellion
1947 India gains independence from Great Britain, remains a dominion until 1950
1998 Omagh Bombing in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles, kills 29 people and injures about 220
2021 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country as Taliban forces enter the capital Kabul and take control
Did You Know?
1st recorded north American hurricane hits the Plymouth Colony
Today in History in 1635
Would You Believe?
North Korea creates its own time zone -moving its clocks back half an hour to GMT+8.5
Today in History in 2015
August 16th
1896 Gold first discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, Canada by George Carmack
1930 I British Empire Games open in Hamilton, Canada
1945 Puyi, the last Chinese Emperor and ruler of Manchukuo is captured by Soviet troops
1946 Direct Action Day: Widespread riots erupt in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus over whether Pakistan should be a separate state, killing over 4,000 and leaving 100,000 homeless
2012 Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador
Did You Know?
A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market.
Today in History in 1989
Would You Believe?
Morocco King Hassan II‘s B727 shot during failed coup attempt by General Mohamed Oufkir. Reportedly, King Hassan grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots “Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!”, fooling pilots to break off attack
Today in History in 1972
August 17th
1590 Governor of Roanoke Island colony, John White, returns from England to find no trace of the colonists he had left there 3 years earlier [or Aug 18, 1591]
1903 Joe Pulitzer donates $1 million to Columbia University & begins the Pulitzer Prizes in America
1945 Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declare Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) independent from the Netherlands
1945 Korea is divided into North and South Korea along the 38th parallel
1947 The Radcliffe Line, the border between Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan is revealed
1998 Monica Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony he had an “improper physical relationship” with the intern and on the same day admits before the nation he “misled people” about the relationship
Did You Know?
Projection in Paris of the very first animated cartoon, Fantasmagorie realized by Émile Cohl
Today in History in 1908
Would You Believe?
Baseball player Richie Ashburn fouls and hits fan Alice Roth twice in the same game at bat playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1st hit breaks her nose, 2nd one hits her while she is on the stretcher
Today in History in 1957
August 18th
1737 First public admittance to the Salon de Paris art exhibition at the Louvre in Paris
1838 United States Exploring Expedition headed by Charles Wilkes departs for the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica
1914 US President Woodrow Wilson issues “Proclamation of Neutrality”
1919 Anti-Cigarette League of America forms in Chicago, Illinois
1920 22 year old representative Harry T. Burn is deciding vote in Tennessee’s and thus America’s ratification of the 19th Amendment to the constitution allowing women’s suffrage after letter from his mother
1940 Battle of Britain: The air battle known as “The Hardest Day” occurs; Luftwaffe lose approximately 69 aircraft and the RAF lose 68 in one of the largest ever air battles
Did You Know?
French Astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium in solar spectrum during eclipse
Today in History in 1868
Would You Believe?
60-70ft sea serpent sightings reported offshore in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Today in History in 1817
August 19th
43 BC Octavian, later known as Augustus, compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul
1839 Details of Louis Daguerre‘s 1st practical photographic process are released in Paris
1942 World War II: Over 4,000 Canadian and British soldiers killed, wounded or captured raiding Dieppe, France
1988 Iran and Iraq begin a cease-fire in their 8-year-old war (11 PM EDT)
1991 Conservative members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union attempt to depose Mikhail Gorbachev in a coup d’état
2010 Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, with the last of the United States brigade combat teams crossing the border to Kuwait
Did You Know?
The Chinese Community in South Africa is granted ‘White’ status
Today in History in 1970
Would You Believe?
Start of first and only Olympic cricket match in Paris; GB beats France by 158 runs
Today in History in 1900