Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Today is the 221st day of 2025. There are 144 days left in this year.
Notable Events
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.
1790
The Columbia returned to Boston Harbor after a three-year voyage, becoming the first ship to carry the American flag around the world.
1842
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
1848
The Free-Soil Party nominated Martin Van Buren for president at its convention in Buffalo, N.Y.
1854
Henry David Thoreau published ''Walden,'' in which he described his experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts.
1854
American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau publishes his memoir Walden
1862
Battle of Cedar Mountain: At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.
1892
Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.
1902
Edward VII was crowned king of England following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
1907
The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in southern England.
1925
A train robbery takes place in Kakori, near Lucknow, India, by the Indian independence revolutionaries, against British government.
1936
Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.
1942
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.
1945
Three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.
1965
Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the only country to date to gain independence unwillingly.
1970
LANSA Flight 502 crashes after takeoff from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco, Peru, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, as well as two people on the ground.
1971
British authorities launch Operation Demetrius. The operation involves the mass arrest and internment without trial of individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Mass riots follow, and thousands of people flee or are forced out of their homes.
1974
As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. Vice President Gerald Ford becomes the 38th president of the United States.
1985
A federal judge in Norfolk, Va., found retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union.
1988
President Reagan nominated Lauro Cavazos as secretary of education, the first Hispanic to serve in the Cabinet.
1991
The Italian prosecuting magistrate Antonino Scopelliti is murdered by the 'Ndrangheta on behalf of the Sicilian Mafia while preparing the government's case in the final appeal of the Maxi Trial.
1993
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.
1995
Aviateca Flight 901 crashes into the San Vicente volcano in El Salvador, killing all 65 people on board.
1999
Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.
2000
Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced it was recalling 6.5 million tires that had been implicated in hundreds of accidents and at least 46 deaths.
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 in an overnight operation.
2012
Shannon Eastin becomes the first woman to officiate an NFL game.
2013
Gunmen open fire at a Sunni mosque in the city of Quetta killing at least ten people and injuring 30.
2014
Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American male in Ferguson, Missouri, is shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer after reportedly assaulting the officer and attempting to steal his weapon, sparking protests and unrest in the city.
Notable Births
1909
Willa Beatrice Player was an American educator, college administrator, college president, civil rights activist, and federal appointee. Player was the first African-American woman to become president of a four-year, fully accredited college. (d. 2003)
1925
David A. Huffman, American computer scientist, developed Huffman coding (d. 1999)
1928
Dolores Wilson was an American coloratura soprano who had an active international opera career from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. (d. 2010)
1938
Rod Laver is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was ranked the world number 1 professional player indisputably for five years from 1965 to 1969 and by some sources also in 1964 and 1970.
1939
The Mighty Hannibal, was an American R&B, soul, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his showmanship, and outlandish costumes often incorporating a pink turban. (d. 2014)
1939
Billy Henderson was an American singer, best known for being an original member and founder of The Spinners, a soul vocal group. (d. 2007)
1942
David Steinberg is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author. At the height of his popularity, during the late 1960s and mid 1970s, he was one of the best-known comics in the United States.
1943
Ken Norton Sr. was an American professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981. He is often considered One of Greatest Heavyweight boxers of All Time. (d. 2013)
1944
Sam Elliott is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades including a Screen Actors Guild Award and a National Board of Review Award. He has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Emmy Awards.
1946
Rinus Gerritsen is a Dutch bassist. Best known for being founding member of Dutch group Golden Earring.
1947
Barbara Mason is an American soul singer with several R&B and pop hits in the 1960s and 1970s, best known for her self-written 1965 hit song "Yes, I'm Ready".
1954
Peter Thomas is an English rock drummer best known for his collaboration with singer Elvis Costello, both as a member of his band the Attractions and with Costello as a solo artist.
1957
Melanie Griffith is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s.
1958
Amanda Bearse is an American actress, comedian and director. She starred in the 1985 supernatural horror film Fright Night, and later starred as Marcy Rhoades D'Arcy in the Fox sitcom Married... with Children.
1959
Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record/film producer, b-boy, DJ, public speaker and minister. He is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label.
1959
Michael Kors is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and fragrance.
1963
Whitney Houston was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "the Voice", she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. (d. 2012)
1964
Hoda Kotb is an American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show Today and co-host of its entertainment-focused fourth hour.
1968
Gillian Anderson is an American-British actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series The X-Files.
1970
Chris Cuomo is a television journalist anchor at NewsNation, based in New York City. He was previously an anchor at CNN.
1970
Thomas Lennon is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, director, and novelist. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series Reno 911!
1976
Jessica Capshaw is an American actress known for her roles as Jamie Stringer in The Practice, and as Arizona Robbins on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
Notable Deaths
1516
Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. (b. circa 1450)
1932
John Charles Fields, FRS, FRSC was a Canadian mathematician and the founder of the Fields Medal for outstanding achievement in mathematics. (b. 1863)
1948
Hugo Boss was a German businessman. He was the founder of the fashion house Hugo Boss AG. (b. 1885)
1969
Actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered in her Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his disciples were later convicted of the crime.
1979
Walter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. (b. 1903)
1979
Raymond Washington was an American gangster, known as the founder of the Crips gang in Los Angeles. Washington formed the Crips as a minor street gang in the late 1960s in South Los Angeles, becoming a prominent local crime boss. (b. 1953)
1980
Jacqueline Cochran was an American pilot and business executive. She pioneered women's aviation as one of the most prominent racing pilots of her generation. (b. 1906)
1995
Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, died in San Francisco of a heart attack at age 53. (b. 1942)
1996
Frank Whittle, English soldier and engineer, invented the jet engine (b. 1907)
2003
Gregory Hines was an American dancer, actor, choreographer, and singer. He is one of the most celebrated tap dancers of all time. (b. 1946)
2004
David Raksin was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit. (b. 1912)
2007
Joe O'Donnell was an American documentarian, photojournalist and a photographer for the United States Information Agency. (b. 1922)
2008
Bernie Mac, American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1957)
2015
John Henry Holland was an American scientist and professor of psychology and electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was a pioneer in what became known as genetic algorithms. (b. 1929)
2015
Frank Gifford was an American football player, actor, and television sports commentator. (b. 1930)
2023
Robbie Robertson was a Canadian musician recognized for his work as lead guitarist for Bob Dylan in the 1960s and 1970s; as guitarist and songwriter with the Band from their inception until 1978, and for his career as a solo recording artist. (b. 1943)