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
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
1995 – Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reports that Iran has been unable to sell 200 million barrels per day of crude oil since the imposition of a unilateral oil embargo by the US
2010 – 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games opens in Singapore
2012 – 46 people are killed and 80 injured after a series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan
2017 – Cholera has now infected more than 500,000 people in Yemen and killed over 2,000 according to the World Health Organisation
2019 – Pakistan PM Imran Khan strongly criticizes India for revoking Kashmir’s special status and putting it under lockdown in address in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir
Film & TV:
1938 – BBC’s 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague)
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
2016 – Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt wins coveted 100m Olympic 100m gold medal in 9.81 at Rio de Janeiro Olympics – first man to win the event 3 times
