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 Czesław Miłosz—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
Via Britannica / On This Day
