A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on August 9th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On August 9, 48 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar, known more familiarly to us as Julius Caesar or simply Caesar, won the Battle of Pharsalus in Central Greece against his arch enemy and former friend, Pompey, decisively winning the pivotal battle of the conflict known as “Caesar’s Civil War.”
On August 9, 1930, the voluptuous Betty Boop made her big screen debut in the animated cartoon, Dizzy Dishes.
On August 9, 1936, Clevelander and Ohio State University athlete James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens won his 4th Gold Medal at the 1936 Olympics, by anchoring the 4 X 100 m relay, winning in a world record time of 39.8 seconds.
On August 9, 1945, a Boeing B-29 bomber named Bockscar dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan, incinerating 39,000 people within seconds.
On August 9, 1965, the city/state of Singapore was evicted from the country of Malaysia and became the only country that became independent against their own will.
On August 9th, 1965, Tom Jones’s rendition of “What’s New Pussycat?”, the title song of the movie with the same name, was released in the UK. It was hugely successful in the music charts, having reached no. 3 in the US and no. 11 in the UK and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.
On August 9, 1969, members of the Manson Family, followers of cult leader Charles Manson, murdered actress Sharon Tate, her unborn baby, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and three other people.
On August 9, 1969, members of the Manson Family, followers of cult leader Charles Manson, murdered actress Sharon Tate, her unborn baby, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and three other people. (NOTE: The link in the date for this entry leads to a different article than the other mention to this same event above.)
On August 9, 1974, the Watergate presidential corruption scandal reached its climax when Richard M. Nixon became the first US president to resign, leaving Vice President Gerald R. Ford to become President after not having been elected as President or as Vice President.
On August 9, 1999, Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired not only his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, but also his entire cabinet.
On August 9, 2012, Shannon Eastin became the first woman to referee an NFL football game.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
