Historical Events on August 9
- 378 A.D: During the Battle of Adrianople, Roman forces led by Emperor Valens are defeats by the Goths.
- 1173: Construction on what would be known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa begins on this day. Construction of the tower would take two hundred years to complete.
- 1378: Pope Urbanus VI is declared to be unchristian by Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church.
- 1483: The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican is opened.
- 1559: Willem of Orange becomes Viceroy of Holland and Zealand.
- 1648: Jonas Bronck from Holland becomes the first European to settle in what would become known as the Bronx.
- 1814: The Creeks sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson which forces them to relinquish parts of Alabama and Georgia during the Indian Wars.
- 1842: The treaty that establishes the U.S Canadian border east of the Rocky Mountains – the Webster Ashburton Treaty – was signed on this day.
- 1854: “Walden” is published by essayist and author Henry David Thoreau.
- 1892: Thomas Edison secures a patent for the two-way telegraph.
- 1930: Betty Boob is introduced in the animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes.
- 1936: Jesse Owens wins his 4th gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games of the XI Olympiad.
- 1942: Mahatma Gandhi is arrest by the British in Bombay. This would be the catalyst for the Quit India Movement.
- 1945: The United States drop the H-bomb nicknamed “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, Japan. This bomb killed over 35,000 people.
- 1945: The Russians invade Japanese-occupied Manchuria.
- 1965: Malaysia expels Singapore making Singapore the only country to have gained its independence unwillingly.
- 1971: The British Army launches Operation Demetrius in Northern Ireland.
- 1974: After U.S President’s Richard Nixon’s official resignation takes effect, Gerald Ford becomes the 38th President of the United States.
- 2014: In Ferguson, Missouri, 18-year old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer. This event would spark civil unrest and protest within the city.
Famous Birthdays on August 9
- German composer Johann Michael Bach was born in Arnstadt, Germany in 1648.
- American singer and actress Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1963.
- Canadian-American NHL right winger for the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, Brett Hull was born in 1964.
- American NFL wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys and MLB player for the NY Yankees, Deion Sanders was born in 1967.