August 6
1806 - The Holy Roman Empire ended after having been in existence for nearly 1,000 years with the abdication of Emperor Francis II.
1825 - Bolivia declared independence from Peru.
1890 - At Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be executed via the electric chair.
1926 - Gertrude Ederle became the first American woman to swim across the English Channel.
1942 - Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning European monarch to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people's motto remained, "No surrender."
1945 - The first atomic bomb used in warfare was dropped by the United States via the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. The blast resulted in an estimated 140,000 deaths.
1962 - Jamaica gained independence within the British Commonwealth.
1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed poll taxes and literacy tests that had restricted black voter registration in the South.
1991 - The World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet.
1997 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams meet -- the first time in 76 years that a British leader and an IRA ally meet.
2003 - Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy to replace Gray Davis as governor of California while appearing with Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight Show."
2011 - 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.
2012 - Curiosity, a SUV-size rover, successfully landed on Mars. The rover's research has been planned for the next two years, but since Curiosity's electricity is powered by plutonium, it could be operational and provide insight into Mars for decades to come.
Birthdays
28 - A'ja Wilson (basketball player)
38 - Reby Hardy (professional wrestler)
42 - Romola Garai (actress)
43 - Leslie Odom Jr. (actor)
43 - Travis McCoy (singer)
48 - Melissa George (actress)
48 - Soleil Moon Frye (actress)
50 - Ever Carradine (actor)
51 - Vera Farmiga (actress)
52 - Jason O'Mara (actor)
52 - Geri Halliwell Homer (singer)
56 - Lisa Stewart (singer)
56 - Benito Martinez (actor)
59 - Jeremy Ratchford (actor)
59 - David Robinson (basketball player)
60 - Patsy Lynn (singer)
60 - Peggy Lynn (singer)
62 - Michelle Yeoh (actress)
66 - Randy DeBarge (singer)
67 - Faith Prince (actress)
68 - Stepfanie Kramer (actress)
73 - Catherine Hicks (actress)
74 - Dorian Harewood (actress)
81 - Michael Anderson Jr. (actor)
84 - Louise Sorel (actress)
=============================
Today in Sports History - August 6
1879 - The first Australian rules football game to be played at night took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was to promote the introduction of electricity to the city of Melbourne.
1890 - Cy Young achieved his first major league victory. He would accumulate 511 in his career.
1937 - MLB overturns a 7-6 New York Yankees win over the Cleveland Indians because of umpire error.
1952 - Satchel Paige, at age 46, became the oldest pitcher to complete a major league baseball game, appearing for the St. Louis Browns in a 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1963 - Philadelphia's NBA franchise changes its name from "Nationals" to "76ers" in honor of the Declaration of Independence being signed in the city in 1776.
1972 - Hank Aaron hits his 661st home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record for most home runs hit for a single team.
1973 - Roberto Clemente, Warren Spahn, Billy Evans, Monte Irvin, Mickey Welch and George "High Pockets" Kelly are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1981 - Lee Trevino was disqualified from the PGA Championship in Duluth, GA when he had his scorecard signed by Tom Weiskopf instead of himself.
1988 - Rich Gossage becomes the second player in MLB history to record 300 career saves.
1989 - The Boston Red Sox retire Carl Yastrezemski's #8.
1990 - Jim Palmer and Joe Morgan are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres collects his 3,000th career hit.
2001 - Track and field star Marion Jones is disqualified, snapping her streak of 42 consecutive victories in the 100 meters.
2006 - Tiger Woods, at age 30, becomes the youngest player to ever record 50 PGA Tour wins.
1806 - The Holy Roman Empire ended after having been in existence for nearly 1,000 years with the abdication of Emperor Francis II.
1825 - Bolivia declared independence from Peru.
1890 - At Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be executed via the electric chair.
1926 - Gertrude Ederle became the first American woman to swim across the English Channel.
1942 - Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning European monarch to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people's motto remained, "No surrender."
1945 - The first atomic bomb used in warfare was dropped by the United States via the B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. The blast resulted in an estimated 140,000 deaths.
1962 - Jamaica gained independence within the British Commonwealth.
1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed poll taxes and literacy tests that had restricted black voter registration in the South.
1991 - The World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the Internet.
1997 - British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams meet -- the first time in 76 years that a British leader and an IRA ally meet.
2003 - Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy to replace Gray Davis as governor of California while appearing with Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight Show."
2011 - 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.
2012 - Curiosity, a SUV-size rover, successfully landed on Mars. The rover's research has been planned for the next two years, but since Curiosity's electricity is powered by plutonium, it could be operational and provide insight into Mars for decades to come.
Birthdays
28 - A'ja Wilson (basketball player)
38 - Reby Hardy (professional wrestler)
42 - Romola Garai (actress)
43 - Leslie Odom Jr. (actor)
43 - Travis McCoy (singer)
48 - Melissa George (actress)
48 - Soleil Moon Frye (actress)
50 - Ever Carradine (actor)
51 - Vera Farmiga (actress)
52 - Jason O'Mara (actor)
52 - Geri Halliwell Homer (singer)
56 - Lisa Stewart (singer)
56 - Benito Martinez (actor)
59 - Jeremy Ratchford (actor)
59 - David Robinson (basketball player)
60 - Patsy Lynn (singer)
60 - Peggy Lynn (singer)
62 - Michelle Yeoh (actress)
66 - Randy DeBarge (singer)
67 - Faith Prince (actress)
68 - Stepfanie Kramer (actress)
73 - Catherine Hicks (actress)
74 - Dorian Harewood (actress)
81 - Michael Anderson Jr. (actor)
84 - Louise Sorel (actress)
=============================
Today in Sports History - August 6
1879 - The first Australian rules football game to be played at night took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game was to promote the introduction of electricity to the city of Melbourne.
1890 - Cy Young achieved his first major league victory. He would accumulate 511 in his career.
1937 - MLB overturns a 7-6 New York Yankees win over the Cleveland Indians because of umpire error.
1952 - Satchel Paige, at age 46, became the oldest pitcher to complete a major league baseball game, appearing for the St. Louis Browns in a 1-0 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1963 - Philadelphia's NBA franchise changes its name from "Nationals" to "76ers" in honor of the Declaration of Independence being signed in the city in 1776.
1972 - Hank Aaron hits his 661st home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record for most home runs hit for a single team.
1973 - Roberto Clemente, Warren Spahn, Billy Evans, Monte Irvin, Mickey Welch and George "High Pockets" Kelly are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1981 - Lee Trevino was disqualified from the PGA Championship in Duluth, GA when he had his scorecard signed by Tom Weiskopf instead of himself.
1988 - Rich Gossage becomes the second player in MLB history to record 300 career saves.
1989 - The Boston Red Sox retire Carl Yastrezemski's #8.
1990 - Jim Palmer and Joe Morgan are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1999 - Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres collects his 3,000th career hit.
2001 - Track and field star Marion Jones is disqualified, snapping her streak of 42 consecutive victories in the 100 meters.
2006 - Tiger Woods, at age 30, becomes the youngest player to ever record 50 PGA Tour wins.
