Aug. 9 (UPI) – On this date in history:
In 1483 the Sistine Chapel was opened in the Vatican.
In 1854 Walden was published by Henry David Thoreau.
In 1936, American athletics star Jesse Owens won his fourth Olympic gold medal in Berlin.
(In 1945, a US B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb nicknamed “Fat Man” on the Japanese city of Nagasaki three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Three weeks later, Japan officially surrendered, thus ending World War II
In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other people were murdered by followers of Charles Manson in the first of two nights of murder in Los Angeles.
In 1974, the resignation of US President Richard Nixon took effect at noon and Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38th head of the United States government.
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In 1991, Vietnamese Prime Minister Do Muoi resigned. He was succeeded by Vo Van Kiet, who promised to transform Vietnam into a market economy.
In 1993, King Albert II of Belgium was crowned, ten days after his older brother King Baudouin I died of heart failure. King Albert II abdicated in 2013 for health reasons.
In 1995, rock legend and lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, died at the age of 53. He was undergoing treatment at a drug rehabilitation center at the time.
In 2001, US President George W. Bush announced that he would allow limited government funding for stem cell research on human embryos.
In 2004, Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people.
In 2009, Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan, bringing over 200 centimeters of rain and causing flooding and massive landslides. At least 500 people were killed and thousands of homes were destroyed.
In 2010, former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, a six-term Republican from Alaska, was killed along with four others when a small plane crashed in a remote area of his home state.
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In 2012, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt became the first person to win the 100 and 200 meters at two consecutive Olympic Games.
In 2014, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed 18-year-old black youth Michael Brown, sparking weeks of protests.
In 2017, the North Korean military threatened a missile attack near the US territory of Guam, saying a recent bomber flight from the island could “provoke a dangerous conflict”.
In 2022, Serena Williams announced her plans to retire after participating in the 2022 US Open. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made her professional debut in 1995 at the age of 14 and developed into one of the best tennis players in history.
File photo by John Angelillo/UPI
