Today in History

Today in History

Today is Saturday, Aug. 6, the 219th day of 2016. There are 147 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb code-named "Little Boy" on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths. (Three days later, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki; five days after that, Imperial Japan surrendered.)

On this date:

In 1813, during the Venezuelan War of Independence, forces led by Simon Bolivar recaptured Caracas.

In 1825, Upper Peru became the autonomous republic of Bolivia.

In 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war against Russia and Serbia declared war against Germany.

In 1916, D.W. Griffith's silent film epic "Intolerance," which intercut four stories in four different settings and time periods, was sneak-previewed in Riverside, California.

In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, arriving in Kingsdown, England, from France in 14 1/2 hours. Warner Bros. premiered its Vitaphone sound-on-disc movie system in New York with a showing of "Don Juan" featuring synchronized music and sound effects.

In 1930, New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Force Crater went missing after leaving a Manhattan restaurant; his disappearance remains a mystery.

In 1956, the DuMont television network went off the air after a decade of operations.

In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov became the second man to orbit Earth as he flew aboard Vostok 2; his call sign, "Eagle," prompted his famous declaration: "I am Eagle!"

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.

In 1978, Pope Paul VI died at Castel Gandolfo at age 80.

In 1986, William J. Schroeder (SHRAY'-dur) died at at Humana Hospital-Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky, after living 620 days with the Jarvik 7 artificial heart.

In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet. TV newsman Harry Reasoner died in Norwalk, Connecticut, at age 68.

Ten years ago: Oil giant BP announced an indefinite shutdown of the biggest oilfield in the U.S., at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, after finding a pipeline leak. Sherri Steinhauer shot an even-par 72 to win the Women's British Open for the third time, and the first since it became a major. Tiger Woods won his 50th PGA Tour title with a three-stroke victory over Jim Furyk in the Buick Open.

Five years ago: Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy commando unit that had slain Osama bin Laden; seven Afghan commandos also died. Violence erupted in the north London district of Tottenham amid anger over the fatal police shooting two days earlier of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four; rioting and looting spread to other parts of the city and other English cities over the next several days, leaving five dead. Deion Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter and NFL Films founder Ed Sabol were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

One year ago: The first Republican presidential debate aired on Fox News Channel; when the 10 candidates were asked whether any of them would not pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee, only Donald Trump raised his hand, saying, "I will not make the pledge at this time," angering Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who accused Trump of "hedging his bets." Jon Stewart bade an emotional goodbye after 16 years as host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." ''Hamilton," the hip-hop flavored biography about Alexander Hamilton, the nation's first treasury secretary, opened on Broadway.

Today's Birthdays: Children's performer Ella Jenkins is 92. Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 78. Actress Louise Sorel is 76. Actor Michael Anderson Jr. is 73. Actor Ray Buktenica is 73. Actor Dorian Harewood is 66. Actress Catherine Hicks is 65. Rock singer Pat MacDonald (Timbuk 3) is 64. Country musician Mark DuFresne (Confederate Railroad) is 63. Actress Stepfanie Kramer is 60. Actress Faith Prince is 59. Rhythm-and-blues singer Randy DeBarge is 58. Actor Leland Orser is 56. Actress Michelle Yeoh is 54. Country singers Peggy and Patsy Lynn are 52. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 51. Actor Jeremy Ratchford is 51. Actor Benito Martinez is 48. Country singer Lisa Stewart is 48. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is 46. Actress Merrin Dungey is 45. Singer Geri Halliwell is 44. Actor Jason O'Mara is 44. Singer-actor David Campbell is 43. Actress Vera Farmiga is 43. Actress Ever Carradine is 42. Actress Soleil Moon Frye is 40. Actress Melissa George is 40. Rock singer Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) is 35. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 35. Actress Romola Garai is 34. Rock musician Eric Roberts (Gym Class Heroes) is 32.

Thought for Today: "The one predominant duty is to find one's work and do it." -- Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American economist and feminist (1860-1935).