On This Day in History — August 6

Highlights of August 6

• 2013 — A gas leak caused an explosion that collapsed a building and led to the deaths of 22 people in Rosario, Argentina. Read more
• 2011 — A series of riots broke out in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England in response to the shooting of Mark Duggan by Metropolitan Police officers. Read more
• 2010 — Flash floods, mudslides, and debris flows across Ladakh in Indian-administered Kashmir left at least 255 people dead. Read more
• 2008 — Mauritanian president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high-ranking generals that he had dismissed from office several hours earlier. Read more
• 1997 — Korean Air Flight 801 crashed into a hill on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam, killing 228 of the 254 people aboard. Read more
• 1996 — Researchers announced that the meteorite ALH84001 (pictured), discovered in the Allan Hills of Antarctica, may contain evidence of life on Mars, but further tests were inconclusive. Read more
• 1991 — British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee posted a public invitation to collaborate on a system of interlinked, hypertext documents accessible via the Internet, known as the World Wide Web. Read more
• 1979 — An earthquake struck along the Calaveras Fault near Coyote Lake, California, injuring sixteen people. Read more
• 1965 — U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disfranchisement of African Americans. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force bomber Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan (mushroom cloud pictured), killing about 70,000 people instantly. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: Allied forces attacked German fortifications at Saint-Malo, France, beginning the Battle of Saint-Malo (pictured). Read more
• 1930 — New York Supreme Court judge Joseph Force Crater disappeared in Manhattan, in a case that was never solved. Read more
• 1892 — The Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company was founded in Antwerp to exploit natural rubber in the Congo Free State. Read more
• 1777 — The Battle of Oriskany, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolutionary War, was fought about 6 mi (10 km) east of Fort Stanwix, New York. Read more
• 1623 — After the death of Gregory XV, a papal conclave in Rome elected Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII. Read more
• 686 — Second Fitna: Pro-Alid forces defeated the Umayyad Caliphate at the Battle of Khazir, allowing them to take control of Mosul in present-day Iraq. Read more

Events

• 2015 — A suicide bomb attack kills at least 15 people at a mosque in the Saudi city of Abha. Read more
• 2012 — NASA's Curiosity rover lands on the surface of Mars. Read more
• 2011 — War in Afghanistan: A United States military helicopter is shot down, killing 30 American special forces members and a working dog, seven Afghan soldiers, and one Afghan civilian. It was the deadliest single event for the United States in the War in Afghanistan. Read more
• 2010 — Flash floods across a large part of Jammu and Kashmir, India, damages 71 towns and kills at least 255 people. Read more
• 2009 — Metalworkers at a Ssangyong Motor factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea agree to end a 77-day strike that culminated in a police raid via helicopters leading to several deaths and arrests. Read more
• 2008 — A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup d'état in Mauritania, overthrowing president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Read more
• 2001 — Erwadi fire incident: Twenty-eight mentally ill persons tied to a chain are burnt to death at a faith based institution at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu. Read more
• 1997 — Korean Air Flight 801 crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam, killing 229 of the 254 people on board. Read more
• 1996 — NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms. Read more
• 1991 — Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Web. WWW makes its first appearance as a publicly available service on the Internet. Read more
• 1991 — Takako Doi, chair of the Social Democratic Party, becomes Japan's first female speaker of the House of Representatives. Read more
• 1990 — Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Read more
• 1986 — A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Read more
• 1965 — US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. Read more
• 1962 — Jamaica becomes independent from the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1960 — Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation. Read more
• 1958 — Law of Permanent Defense of Democracy, outlawing the Communist Party of Chile and banning 26,650 persons from the electoral lists, is repealed in Chile. Read more
• 1956 — After going bankrupt in 1955, the American broadcaster DuMont Television Network makes its final broadcast, a boxing match from St. Nicholas Arena in New York in the Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena series. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: Hiroshima, Japan is devastated when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people are killed instantly, and some tens of thousands die in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning. Read more
• 1942 — Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands becomes the first reigning queen to address a joint session of the United States Congress. Read more
• 1940 — Estonia is annexed by the Soviet Union. Read more
• 1926 — Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Read more
• 1926 — First public screening using the Vitaphone process Read more
• 1917 — World War I: Battle of Mărășești between the Romanian and German armies begins. Read more
• 1915 — World War I: Battle of Sari Bair: The Allies mount a diversionary attack timed to coincide with a major Allied landing of reinforcements at Suvla Bay. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: U-boat campaign: Two days after the United Kingdom had declared war on Germany over the German invasion of Belgium, ten German U-boats leave their base in Heligoland to attack Royal Navy warships in the North Sea. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: Serbia declares war on Germany; Austria declares war on Russia. Read more
• 1901 — Kiowa land in Oklahoma is opened for white settlement, effectively dissolving the contiguous reservation. Read more
• 1890 — At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair. Read more
• 1870 — Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a German victory. Read more
• 1870 — Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Wörth results in a decisive German victory. Read more
• 1862 — American Civil War: The Confederate ironclad CSS Arkansas is scuttled on the Mississippi River after suffering catastrophic engine failure near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Read more
• 1861 — Britain imposes the Lagos Treaty of Cession to suppress slavery in what is now Nigeria. Read more
• 1825 — The Bolivian Declaration of Independence is proclaimed. Read more
• 1824 — Peruvian War of Independence: Patriot forces led by Simón Bolívar defeat the Spanish Royalist army in the Battle of Junín. Read more
• 1819 — Norwich University is founded in Vermont as the first private military school in the United States. Read more
• 1806 — Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares the moribund empire to be dissolved, although he retains power in the Austrian Empire. Read more
• 1787 — Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Read more
• 1777 — American Revolutionary War: The bloody Battle of Oriskany prevents American relief of the Siege of Fort Stanwix. Read more
• 1661 — The Treaty of The Hague is signed by Portugal and the Dutch Republic. Read more
• 1585 — Toyotomi Hideyoshi is officially appointed kampaku (Imperial Regent). Read more
• 1538 — Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Read more
• 1284 — The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. Read more
• 768 — Antipope Constantine II is deposed and blinded by the Lombard troops of primicerius Christopher. Read more
• 686 — The Umayyad forces suffer a decisive defeat against the pro-Alid forces under Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar in the battle of Khazir. Read more
• 258 — Pope Sixtus II is arrested while celebrating mass and then beheaded with several of his deacons. Read more

Born on August 6

• 2004 — Takhmina Ikromova, Uzbekistani rhythmic gymnast Read more
• 2002 — Nessa Barrett, American singer-songwriter Read more
• 1999 — Hunter Greene, American baseball player Read more
• 1999 — Rebeka Masarova, Spanish-Swiss tennis player Read more
• 1995 — Rebecca Peterson, Swedish tennis player Read more
• 1991 — Wilmer Flores, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
• 1991 — Jiao Liuyang, Chinese swimmer Read more
• 1987 — Leanne Crichton, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1986 — Raphael Pyrasch, German rugby player Read more
• 1985 — Mickaël Delage, French cyclist Read more
• 1985 — Bafétimbi Gomis, French footballer Read more
• 1985 — Garrett Weber-Gale, American swimmer Read more
• 1984 — Vedad Ibišević, Bosnian footballer Read more
• 1984 — Maja Ognjenović, Serbian volleyball player Read more
• 1984 — Jesse Ryder, New Zealand cricketer Read more
• 1983 — Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1981 — Leslie Odom Jr., American actor and singer Read more
• 1981 — Diána Póth, Hungarian figure skater Read more
• 1979 — Francesco Bellotti, Italian cyclist Read more
• 1979 — Jaime Correa, Mexican footballer Read more
• 1979 — Travis Reed, American basketball player Read more
• 1977 — Leandro Amaral, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1977 — Jimmy Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager Read more
• 1977 — Luciano Zavagno, Argentinian footballer Read more
• 1976 — Soleil Moon Frye, American actress Read more
• 1976 — Melissa George, Australian-American actress Read more
• 1975 — Jason Crump, English-Australian motorcycle racer Read more
• 1975 — Renate Götschl, Austrian skier Read more
• 1975 — Víctor Zambrano, Venezuelan baseball player Read more
• 1973 — Vera Farmiga, American actress Read more
• 1973 — Stuart O'Grady, Australian cyclist Read more
• 1972 — Geri Halliwell, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress Read more
• 1972 — Jason O'Mara, Irish actor Read more
• 1970 — M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter Read more
• 1969 — Simon Doull, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster Read more
• 1969 — Elliott Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2003) Read more
• 1968 — Jack de Gier, Dutch footballer Read more
• 1966 — Regina Carter, American jazz and classical violinist, and composer Read more
• 1965 — Stéphane Peterhansel, French racing driver Read more
• 1965 — Yuki Kajiura, Japanese pianist and composer Read more

Died on August 6

• 2024 — Billy Bean, American baseball player (born 1964) Read more
• 2024 — Connie Chiume, South African actress and filmmaker (born 1952) Read more
• 2024 — James Bjorken, American theoretical physicist (born 1934) Read more
• 2020 — Vern Rumsey, American bass guitarist (born 1973) Read more
• 2018 — Joël Robuchon, French Chef (born 1945) Read more
• 2018 — Margaret Heckler, American politician (born 1931) Read more
• 2018 — Anya Krugovoy Silver, American poet (born 1968) Read more
• 2017 — Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter (born 1938) Read more
• 2017 — Darren Daulton, American baseball player (born 1962) Read more
• 2015 — Ray Hill, American football player (born 1975) Read more
• 2015 — Orna Porat, German-Israeli actress (born 1924) Read more
• 2014 — Ralph Bryans, Northern Irish motorcycle racer (born 1941) Read more
• 2014 — Ananda W.P. Guruge, Sri Lankan scholar and diplomat (born 1928) Read more
• 2014 — John Woodland Hastings, American biochemist and academic (born 1927) Read more
• 2013 — Stan Lynde, American author and illustrator (born 1931) Read more
• 2013 — Mava Lee Thomas, American baseball player (born 1929) Read more
• 2013 — Jerry Wolman, American businessman (born 1927) Read more
• 2012 — Richard Cragun, American-Brazilian ballet dancer and choreographer (born 1944) Read more
• 2012 — Marvin Hamlisch, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1944) Read more
• 2012 — Robert Hughes, Australian-American author and critic (born 1938) Read more
• 2012 — Bernard Lovell, English physicist and astronomer (born 1913) Read more
• 2012 — Mark O'Donnell, American playwright (born 1954) Read more
• 2012 — Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist and educator (born 1918) Read more
• 2012 — Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (born 1953) Read more
• 2011 — Fe del Mundo, Filipino pediatrician and educator (born 1911) Read more
• 2009 — Riccardo Cassin, Italian mountaineer and author (born 1909) Read more
• 2009 — Willy DeVille, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950) Read more
• 2009 — John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1950) Read more
• 2008 — Angelos Kitsos, Greek lawyer and author (born 1934) Read more
• 2007 — Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian guitarist (born 1969) Read more
• 2005 — Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (born 1946) Read more
• 2005 — Creme Puff, tabby domestic cat, oldest recorded cat (born 1967) Read more
• 2004 — Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1948) Read more
• 2004 — Donald Justice, American poet and academic (born 1925) Read more
• 2003 — Julius Baker, American flute player and educator (born 1915) Read more
• 2002 — Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch physicist, computer scientist, and academic (born 1930) Read more
• 2001 — Jorge Amado, Brazilian novelist and poet (born 1912) Read more
• 2001 — Adhar Kumar Chatterji, Indian Naval officer (born 1914) Read more
• 2001 — Wilhelm Mohnke, German general (born 1911) Read more
• 2001 — Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (born 1928) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian holidays and observances Transfiguration of Jesus; Christian holidays and observances Anna Maria Rubatto; Christian holidays and observances Felicissimus and Agapitus; Christian holidays and observances Pope Hormisdas; Christian holidays and observances Justus and Pastor; Christian holidays and observances Pope Sixtus II; Christian holidays and observances August 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Accession Day. (United Arab Emirates); Independence Day (Bolivia), celebrates the independence of Bolivia from Spain in 1825.; Independence Day (Jamaica), celebrates the independence of Jamaica from the United Kingdom in 1962.; Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Hiroshima, Japan); Russian Railway Troops Day (Russia)

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