August 9

Historic Events

2024

Voepass Linhas Aéreas Flight 2283 crashes near Vinhedo, São Paulo, killing all 62 people on board. ›

2021

The Tampere light rail officially starts operating. ›

2014

Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American male in Ferguson, Missouri, is shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer after reportedly assaulting the officer and attempting to steal his weapon, sparking protests and unrest in the city. ›

2013

Gunmen open fire at a Sunni mosque in the city of Quetta killing at least ten people and injuring 30. ›

2012

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

2007

Air Moorea Flight 1121 crashes after takeoff from Moorea Airport in French Polynesia, killing all 20 people on board. ›

2006

At least 21 suspected terrorists are arrested in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot that happened in the United Kingdom. The arrests are made in London, Birmingham, and High Wycombe in an overnight operation. ›

1999

Russian president Boris Yeltsin fires his prime minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet. ›

1995

Aviateca Flight 901 crashes into the San Vicente volcano in El Salvador, killing all 65 people on board. ›

1993

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership. ›

1991

The Italian prosecuting magistrate Antonino Scopelliti is murdered by the 'Ndrangheta on behalf of the Sicilian Mafia while preparing the government's case in the final appeal of the Maxi Trial. ›

1979

Female workers of YH Trading in South Korea hold a sit-in protest in response to the company's unilateral shutdown. ›

1974

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

1973

Mars 7 is launched from the USSR. ›

1971

The Troubles: In Northern Ireland, the British authorities launch Operation Demetrius. The operation involves the mass arrest and internment without trial of individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Mass riots follow, and thousands of people flee or are forced out of their homes. ›

1970

LANSA Flight 502 crashes after takeoff from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco, Peru, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, as well as two people on the ground. ›

1969

Tate–LaBianca murders: Followers of Charles Manson murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski), coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men's hairstylist Jay Sebring and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent. ›

1965

The State of Singapore separates from the Malaysian federation due to a heated ideological conflict between their ruling parties.[citation needed][needs copy edit] ›

1960

South Kasai secedes from the Congo. ›

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 are killed outright, including 23,200–28,200 Japanese war workers, 2,000 Korean forced workers, and 150 Japanese soldiers. ›

1945

World War II: The Red Army invades Japanese-occupied Manchuria. ›

1944

The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time. ›

1944

World War II: Continuation War: The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, the largest offensive launched by Soviet Union against Finland during the Second World War, ends to a strategic stalemate. Both Finnish and Soviet troops at the Finnish front dig to defensive positions, and the front remains stable until the end of the war. ›

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. ›

1942

Dmitri Shostakovich's 7th symphony premieres in a besieged Leningrad. ›

1936

Summer Olympics: Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games. ›

1925

A train robbery takes place in Kakori, near Lucknow, India, by the Indian independence revolutionaries, against the British government. ›

1907

The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in southern England. ›

1902

Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ›

1897

The first International Congress of Mathematicians is held in Zürich, Switzerland. ›

1892

Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph. ›

1877

American Indian Wars: Battle of the Big Hole: A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army. ›

1862

American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain: At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope. ›

1855

Åland War: The Battle of Suomenlinna begins. ›

1854

American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau publishes his memoir Walden. ›

1842

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

1830

Louis Philippe becomes the king of the French following abdication of Charles X. ›

1814

American Indian Wars: The Creek sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, giving up huge parts of Alabama and Georgia. ›

1810

Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire. ›

1638

An army under Bernard of Saxe-Weimar defeats imperial troops at the battle of Wittenweiher. ›

1610

The First Anglo-Powhatan War begins in colonial Virginia. ›

1500

Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503): The Ottomans capture Methoni, Messenia. ›

1329

Quilon, the first Indian Christian Diocese, is erected by Pope John XXII; the French-born Jordanus is appointed the first Bishop. ›

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. ›

378

Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople: A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths. Valens is killed along with over half of his army. ›

48 BC

Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. ›