1281– During Kublai Khan’s second Mongol invasion of Japan his invading Chinese fleet of 3,500 vessels disappears in a typhoon near Japan
1842– Second Seminole War declared over by Colonel Worth; Indians go on to be removed from Florida to Oklahoma
1945– V-J Day, Japan surrenders unconditionally to end WW II (also August 15 depending on time zone)
1947– Pakistan gains independence from Great Britain
1966 – 1st US lunar orbiter begins orbiting Moon
1969– British Army deploys on the streets of Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of Operation Banner
1980– 17,000 workers go on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, marking the beginning of the Solidarity movement
1986 – Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto arrested
Births & Deaths: 2004 – Polish-born poet, essayist, and critic CzesławMiłosz—who was considered one of the major poets of the 20th century and won the 1980 Nobel Prize for Literature—died in Kraków.
Film & TV: 1938– BBC’s 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague)
1951 – “A Place in the Sun”, directed by George Stevens, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters, is released
Music: 1995– “Battle of Brit Pop” rival bands Oasis (Roll with It) and Blur (Country House) release singles on the same day
Sport: 1987– Oakland’s Mark McGwire sets rookie HR record at 39, en route to 49
