August 9

August 9 in recent years

2024 (Friday)

2023 (Wednesday)

2022 (Tuesday)

2021 (Monday)

2020 (Sunday)

2019 (Friday)

2018 (Thursday)

2017 (Wednesday)

2016 (Tuesday)

2015 (Sunday)

August 9 is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 144 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 586 BC – Solomon's Temple is totally destroyed by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar.
• 48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus – Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.
• 70 – Jewish revolts against the Romans caused the Roman General Titus, later who became Caesar, to besiege the city. The second Temple was completely destroyed by fire on the 9th of Av, 70 AD.
• 378 – Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople – A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths in present-day Turkey. Valens is killed along with over half of his army.
• 681 – Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta.
• 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.
• 1329 – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon, the first Indian Christian Diocese, is erected by Pope John XXII; the French-born Jordanus is appointed the first Bishop.
• 1483 – Opening of the Sistine Chapel in Rome with the celebration of a Mass.
• 1810 – Napoleon I annexes two departments of the Kingdom of Westphalia into the French Empire.
• 1814 – American Indian Wars: the Creek sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, giving up huge parts of Alabama and Georgia.
• 1842 – The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the Canada–United States border east of the Rocky Mountains.
• 1854 – Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain – At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.
• 1877 – American Indian Wars: Battle of the Big Hole – A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army
• 1892 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.
• 1902 – Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1907 – The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in southern England, United Kingdom.
• 1918 – World War I: The Flight over Vienna mission, when a dozen Italian Servizio Aeronautico single-engined military aircraft drop leaflets over the main capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, demanding that both Austrian hostilities against Italy be ended, and for Austria to end its alliance with the German Empire.
• 1925 – A train robbery takes place in Kakori, near Lucknow, India
• 1930 – Betty Boop makes her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes.
• 1936 – Summer Olympic Games: Games of the XI Olympiad – Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games becoming the first American to win four medals in one Olympiad.
• 1942 – Indian leader Mohanda Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement.
• 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.
• 1944 – The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
• 1944 – Continuation War: The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, the largest offensive launched by Soviet Union against Finland during World War II, ends to a strategic stalemate. Both Finnish and Soviet troops at the Finnish front dug to defensive positions, and the front remains stable until the end of the war.
• 1945 – World War II: Nagasaki, Japan is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar. 39,000 people are killed outright.
• 1945 – World War II: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and begins the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.
• 1965 – Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the first and only country to date to gain independence unwillingly.
• 1965 – A fire at a Titan missile base near Searcy, Arkansas kills 53 construction workers.
• 1969 – Followers led by 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.
• 1971 – The Troubles: The British security forces in Northern Ireland launch Operation Demetrius. Hundreds of people are arrested and interned, thousands are displaced, and 24 are killed in the violence that follows. Its introduction, and the abuse of those interned, leads to numerous protests.
• 1974 – As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. His Vice President, Gerald Ford, becomes president.
• 1993 – The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.
• 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, Buckinghamshire, in an overnight operation.

Births

• 1201 – Arnold Fitz Thedmar, English chronicler and merchant (d. 1274)
• 1537 – Francesco Barozzi, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and humanist (d. 1604)
• 1544 – Bogislaw XIII, Duke of Pomerania (d. 1606)
• 1593 – Izaak Walton, English author (d. 1683)
• 1603 – Johannes Cocceius, German-Dutch theologian (d. 1669)
• 1631 – John Dryden, English poet and playwright (d. 1700)
• 1648 – Johann Michael Bach, German composer (d. 1694)
• 1653 – John Oldham, English poet (d. 1683)
• 1669 – Eudoxia Lopukhina, Russian wife of Peter the Great (d. 1731)
• 1674 – František Maxmilián Kaňka, Czech architect, designed the Veltrusy Mansion (d. 1766)
• 1696 – Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein (d. 1772)
• 1722 – Prince Augustus William of Prussia (d. 1758)
• 1726 – Francesco Cetti, Italian scientist (d. 1778)
• 1754 – Pierre Charles L'Enfant, French-American architect and engineer, planner of Washington, D.C. (d. 1825)
• 1757 – Thomas Telford, Scottish civil engineer (d. 1834)
• 1776 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856)
• 1783 – Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (d. 1801)
• 1788 – Adoniram Judson, American missionary (d. 1850)
• 1797 – Charles Robert Malden, English naval officer (d. 1855)
• 1805 – Joseph Locke, English railway and civil engineer (d. 1860)
• 1845 – André Bessette, Canadian pastor and saint (d. 1937)
• 1847 – Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Italian wife of Amadeo I of Spain (d. 1876)
• 1867 – Evelina Haverfield English activist (d. 1920)
• 1871 – Leonid Andreyev, Russian writer (d. 1919)
• 1872 – Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Austrian field marshal (d. 1962)
• 1874 – Reynaldo Hahn, Venezuelan composer and conductor (d. 1947)
• 1874 – Otto Steffen, American gymnast (death date unknown)
• 1875 – Albert Ketèlbey, English conductor, composer, and pianist (d. 1959)
• 1896 – Erich Hückel, German physicist (d. 1980)
• 1896 – Jean Piaget, Swiss psychologist (d. 1980)
• 1899 – P. L. Travers, Australian author (d. 1996)
• 1901 – Charles Farrell, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1902 – Zino Francescatti, French violinist (d. 1991)
• 1909 – V. K. Gokak, Indian writer (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Adam von Trott zu Solz, German diplomat (d. 1944)
• 1911 – William Alfred Fowler, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Eddie Futch, American boxing trainer (d. 2001)
• 1914 – Ferenc Fricsay, Hungarian-Austrian conductor (d. 1963)
• 1914 – Tove Jansson, Finnish author (d. 2001)
• 1914 – Joe Mercer, English footballer (d. 1990)
• 1918 – Giles Cooper Irish playwright (d. 1966)
• 1919 – Ralph Houk, American baseball player and manager (d. 2010)
• 1919 – Joop den Uyl, Dutch politician (d. 1987)
• 1920 – Enzo Biagi, Italian journalist and writer (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Francis Lynch, American politician (d. 1993)
• 1921 – Ernest Angley, American evangelist and broadcaster
• 1921 – J. James Exon, American politician (d. 2005)
• 1922 – Philip Larkin, English poet (d. 1985)
• 1925 – David A. Huffman, American computer scientist, developed the Huffman coding (d. 1999)
• 1927 – Daniel Keyes, American author
• 1927 – Marvin Minsky, American computer scientist
• 1927 – Robert Shaw, English actor (d. 1978)
• 1928 – Bob Cousy, American basketball player
• 1928 – Dolores Wilson, American soprano (d. 2010)
• 1928 – Camilla Wicks, American concert violinist
• 1929 – Abdi İpekçi, Turkish journalist (d. 1979)
• 1930 – Jacques Parizeau, Canadian economist and politician
• 1931 – Chuck Essegian, American baseball player
• 1931 – Mário Zagallo, Brazilian footballer and coach
• 1932 – John Gomery, Canadian jurist
• 1933 – Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Japanese actress and author
• 1935 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (d. 2008)
• 1936 – Julián Javier, American baseball player
• 1936 – Patrick Tse, Hong Kong director
• 1938 – Leonid Kuchma, Ukrainian politician
• 1938 – Rod Laver, Australian tennis player
• 1938 – Otto Rehhagel, German footballer and coach
• 1939 – Bulle Ogier, French actress
• 1939 – Romano Prodi, Italian politician and statesman
• 1939 – Hércules Brito Ruas, Brazilian footballer
• 1941 – Way Bandy, American make-up artist (d. 1986)
• 1941 – Shirlee Busbee, American novelist
• 1942 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (d. 2001)
• 1942 – Jack DeJohnette, American drummer, pianist, and composer (Gateway and Trio Beyond)
• 1942 – David Steinberg, Canadian comedian, actor, director, and author
• 1943 – Ken Norton, American boxer
• 1944 – Sam Elliott, American actor
• 1944 – Patricia McKissack, American author
• 1944 – Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician, 9th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
• 1945 – Barbara Delinsky, American author
• 1945 – Aleksandr Gorelik, Russian figure skater (d. 2012)
• 1945 – Posy Simmonds, English cartoonist
• 1946 – Jim Kiick, American football player
• 1947 – Roy Hodgson, English footballer and manager
• 1947 – Barbara Mason, American singer-songwriter
• 1948 – Bill Campbell, American baseball player
• 1949 – Jonathan Kellerman, American author
• 1949 – Ted Simmons, American baseball player
• 1951 – Steve Swisher, American baseball player
• 1952 – Ewa Fröling, Swedish actress
• 1952 – Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai politician
• 1953 – Kay Stenshjemmet, Norwegian speed skater
• 1953 – Roberta Tovey, English actress and singer
• 1954 – Ray Jennings, South African cricketer and coach
• 1955 – Peter Schmuck, American columnist
• 1955 – John E. Sweeney, American politician
• 1957 – Melanie Griffith, American actress
• 1958 – Amanda Bearse, American actress
• 1958 – James Lileks, American columnist
• 1959 – Kurtis Blow, American rapper and producer
• 1959 – Stuart Hughes, Canadian actor
• 1959 – Michael Kors, American fashion designer
• 1959 – Toni Servillo, Italian actor and director
• 1961 – Brad Gilbert, American tennis player
• 1961 – John Key, New Zealand politician, 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand
• 1961 – Amy Stiller, American comedian and actress
• 1962 – Louis Lipps, American football player
• 1962 – Kevin Mack, American football player
• 1962 – John "Hot Rod" Williams, American basketball player
• 1963 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer (d. 2012)
• 1964 – Brett Hull, Canadian-American ice hockey player
• 1964 – Hoda Kotb, American journalist
• 1966 – Vinny Del Negro, American basketball player and coach
• 1967 – Deion Sanders, American football player
• 1968 – McG, American director, writer, and producer
• 1968 – Gillian Anderson, American actress
• 1968 – Eric Bana, Australian actor
• 1968 – Sam Fogarino, American drummer (Interpol and Magnetic Morning)
• 1969 – Smaragda Karydi, Greek actress
• 1969 – Troy Percival, American baseball player
• 1969 – Estella Marie Thompson, American prostitute
• 1970 – Rod Brind'Amour, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1970 – Christopher Cuomo, American journalist
• 1970 – Thomas Lennon, American actor
• 1971 – Mack 10, American rapper and actor (Westside Connection)
• 1971 – James Kim, American journalist and technology expert (d. 2006)
• 1971 – Mark Povinelli, American actor
• 1971 – Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist
• 1971 – Nikki Ziering, American model and actress
• 1972 – A-mei, Taiwanese singer-songwriter
• 1972 – Juanes, Colombian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Ekhymosis)
• 1972 – Ryan Bollman, American actor
• 1972 – Yetunde Price, American murder victim (d. 2003)
• 1973 – Filippo Inzaghi, Italian footballer
• 1973 – Kevin McKidd, Scottish actor
• 1974 – Derek Fisher, American basketball player
• 1974 – Stephen Fung, Hong Kong actor and director
• 1974 – Matt Morris, American baseball player
• 1974 – Kirill Reznik, American politician
• 1974 – Nicola Stapleton, English actress
• 1975 – Mahesh Babu, Indian Telugu Actor
• 1975 – Mike Lamb, American baseball player
• 1975 – Robbie Middleby, Australian footballer
• 1976 – Nawaf al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
• 1976 – Jessica Capshaw, American actress
• 1976 – Aled Jones, Welsh radio host and producer
• 1976 – Rhona Mitra, English actress
• 1976 – Mark Priestley, Australian actor (d. 2008)
• 1977 – Csaba Csordás, Hungarian footballer
• 1977 – Jason Frasor, American baseball player
• 1977 – Chamique Holdsclaw, American basketball player
• 1977 – Adewale Ogunleye, American football player
• 1977 – Mikaël Silvestre, French footballer
• 1977 – Ime Udoka, Nigerian-American basketball player
• 1978 – Daniela Denby-Ashe, English actress
• 1978 – Ana Serradilla, Mexican actress
• 1978 – Audrey Tautou, French actress
• 1979 – Michael Kingma, Australian basketball player
• 1979 – Tony Stewart, American football player
• 1979 – Kyle Watson, American mixed martial artist
• 1980 – Texas Battle, American actor
• 1980 – Nuria Cabanillas, Canadian-Spanish gymnast
• 1980 – Charlie David, Canadian actor
• 1980 – Rachel Kramer, Dutch singer
• 1980 – Ryu Seung-beom, South Korean actor
• 1980 – Dominic Tabuna, Nauruan politician
• 1981 – Jarvis Hayes, American basketball player
• 1981 – Li Jiawei, Singaporean table tennis player
• 1982 – Tyson Gay, American sprinter
• 1982 – Kanstantsin Sivtsov, Belorussian cyclist
• 1982 – Joel Anthony, American basketball player
• 1983 – Ashley Johnson, American actress
• 1983 – Shane O'Brien, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Alicja Smietana, Polish violinist
• 1984 – Paul Gallagher, Scottish footballer
• 1985 – Luca Filippi, Italian race car driver
• 1985 – Anna Kendrick, American actress
• 1985 – Hayley Peirsol, American swimmer
• 1985 – JaMarcus Russell, American football player
• 1986 – Michael Lerchl, German footballer
• 1986 – Daniel Preussner, German rugby player
• 1986 – Tyler "Telle" Smith, American singer-songwriter and musician (The Word Alive and In Fear and Faith)
• 1986 – Rafaela Zanella, Brazilian model, Miss Brasil 2006
• 1987 – Marco Carmona, Mexican illustrator and animator
• 1988 – Vasilios Koutsianikoulis, Greek footballer
• 1989 – Meredith Deane, American actress
• 1989 – Jason Heyward, American baseball player
• 1989 – Stefano Okaka, Italian footballer
• 1990 – Adelaide Kane, Australian actress
• 1990 – Bill Skarsgård, Swedish actor
• 1991 – Hansika Motwani, Indian actress
• 1991 – Candela Vetrano, Argentine actress and singer
• 1994 – Forrest Landis, American actor
• 2005 – Caylee Anthony, American murder victim (d. 2008)

Deaths

• 117 – Trajan, Roman emperor (b. 53)
• 378 – Traianus, Roman general
• 378 – Valens, Roman emperor (b. 328)
• 803 – Irene of Athens (b. 752)
• 833 – Al-Ma'mun, Abbasid caliph (b. 786)
• 1048 – Pope Damasus II
• 1107 – Emperor Horikawa of Japan (b. 1079)
• 1173 – Najm ad-Din Ayyub, Kurdish soldier and politician
• 1250 – Eric IV of Denmark (b. 1216)
• 1534 – Thomas Cajetan, Italian theologian (b. 1470)
• 1580 – Patriarch Metrophanes III of Constantinople (b. 1520)
• 1601 – Michael the Brave, Ottoman prince (b. 1558)
• 1634 – William Noy, English jurist (b. 1577)
• 1720 – Simon Ockley, English orientalist (b. 1678)
• 1744 – James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos (b. 1673)
• 1816 – Johann August Apel, German jurist and writer (b. 1771)
• 1837 – Xavier Sigalon, French painter (b. 1787)
• 1871 – John Paterson, Scottish-Australian politician (b. 1831)
• 1886 – Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet and artist (b. 1810)
• 1910 – Huo Yuanjia, Chinese martial artist (b. 1868)
• 1919 – Ruggero Leoncavallo, Italian composer (b. 1857)
• 1929 – Walter Katzenstein, German rower (b. 1878)
• 1942 – Edith Stein, German philosopher and nun (b. 1891)
• 1945 – Robert Hampton Gray, Canadian naval officer and pilot, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1917)
• 1945 – Harry Hillman, American runner (b. 1881)
• 1945 – Charles Sands, American golfer and tennis player (b. 1865)
• 1946 – Bert Vogler, South African cricketer (b. 1876)
• 1949 – Edward Thorndike, American psychologist (b. 1874)
• 1953 – Henri Étiévant, French actor, director (b. 1870)
• 1953 – Auguste Giroux, French rugby player (b. 1874)
• 1957 – Carl Clauberg, German nazi doctor (b. 1898)
• 1962 – Hermann Hesse, German-Swiss writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
• 1967 – Joe Orton, English writer (b. 1933)
• 1969 Victims of the Charles Manson murders:
  • • – Abigail Folger, American heiress (b. 1943)
    • – Wojciech Frykowski, Polish actor and writer (b. 1936)
    • – Steven Parent, American student (b. 1951)
    • – Jay Sebring, American hair stylist (b. 1933)
    • – Sharon Tate, American actress (b. 1943)
• 1969 – C. F. Powell, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
• 1973 – Charles Daniels, American swimmer (b. 1885)
• 1974 – Bill Chase, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1934)
• 1975 – Dmitri Shostakovich, Russian composer (b. 1906)
• 1979 – Walter O'Malley, American businessman (b. 1903)
• 1979 – Raymond Washington, American gang leader, founder the Crips (b. 1953)
• 1980 – Jacqueline Cochran, American pilot (b. 1906)
• 1985 – Clive Churchill, Australian rugby player (b. 1927)
• 1988 – Giacinto Scelsi, Italian composer (b. 1905)
• 1988 – Ramón Valdés, Mexican actor (b. 1923)
• 1990 – Joe Mercer, English footballer (b. 1914)
• 1992 – Fereydoun Farrokhzad, Iranian singer (b. 1938)
• 1995 – Jerry Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Grateful Dead, Legion of Mary, Reconstruction, Old and in the Way, and New Riders of the Purple Sage) (b. 1942)
• 1996 – Frank Whittle, English engineer, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)
• 1999 – Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician (b. 1910)
• 2000 – John Harsanyi, Hungarian-American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
• 2002 – Paul Samson, English guitarist (Samson) (b. 1953)
• 2002 – Peter Neville, English anarchist, sociologist, and activist (b. 1933)
• 2003 – Jacques Deray, French director (b. 1929)
• 2003 – Ray Harford, English footballer and manager (b. 1945)
• 2003 – Gregory Hines, American actor and dancer (b. 1946)
• 2004 – Chester Ludgin, American singer (b. 1925)
• 2004 – Robert Lecourt, French politician and lawyer (b. 1908)
• 2004 – Tony Mottola, American guitarist (b. 1918)
• 2004 – David Raksin, American composer (b. 1912)
• 2005 – Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973)
• 2005 – Judith Rossner, American novelist (b. 1935)
• 2006 – James Van Allen, American physicist (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Philip E. High, English author (b. 1914)
• 2006 – Rafael Ruiz, Spanish field hockey player (b. 1916)
• 2007 – Joe O'Donnell, American photographer and journalist (b. 1922)
• 2008 – Mahmoud Darwish, Palestinian poet and writer (b. 1941)
• 2008 – Bernie Mac, American comedian and actor (b. 1957)
• 2009 – Jasmine You, Japanese bass player (Versailles) (b. 1979)
• 2010 – Ted Stevens, American politician (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Wendy Babcock, Canadian activist (b. 1979)
• 2011 – Roberto Busa, Italian priest and scholar (b. 1913)
• 2011 – Jimmy Harris, American football player (b. 1934)
• 2011 – Kolapo Ishola, Nigerian politician (b. 1934)
• 2011 – Eleanor Josaitis, American activist, co-founder of Focus: HOPE (b. 1931)
• 2011 – Mimi Lee, American chemist and philanthropist (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Carl Davis, American record producer (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Al Freeman, Jr., American actor and director (b. 1934)
• 2012 – David Rakoff, Canadian-American writer and actor (b. 1964)
• 2012 – Jan Sawka, Polish-American artist and architect (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Mel Stuart, American director and producer (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Carmen Belen Richardson, Puerto Rican actress (b. 1930)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Edith Stein
  • Firmus and Rusticus
  • Herman of Alaska (Russian Orthodox Church and related congregations)
  • Jean Vianney
  • Nath Í of Achonry
  • Romanus Ostiarius
  • Secundian, Marcellian and Verian
  • August 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• International Day of the World's Indigenous People (International)
• National Day, celebrates the independence of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965.
• National Peacekeepers' Day, celebrated on Sunday closest to the day (Canada)
• National Women's Day (South Africa)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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