August 7th Major News Events

1959 Space Explorer 6

1959 : Explorer 6 is launched hoping to take the first satellite photographs of Earth from an unmanned spacecraft Explorer 6. On August 14 this photograph was taken:

The photograph was later released to the worlds press by NASA in September. It was of Mexico captured by Explorer 6 as it raced westward over the earth at speeds in excess of 20,000 miles an hour.

One of the visitors to The People History (Thanks J.S) pointed out that I had mistakenly called the photo above "The First Photo From Space" this was incorrect, the first photo from space was taken from a V2 Rocket On October 24, 1946 launched from the White Sands Missile Range:

1957 U.S.A. Laurel and Hardy

1957 : For twenty years the Laurel and Hardy comedy team was wildly popular, doing over 200 slap stick comedy routines. Oliver Hardy passed away today in North Hollywood at the home of his mother-in-law. He was 65 years old and had been paralyzed by a stroke since last September 12. The stroke left him unable to speak. Hardy was described as “an elephant on tippy-toe.”

1958 U.S.A. Arthur Miller

1958 : The playwright Arthur Miller has been cleared of contempt of court by the Court of Appeals for refusing to provide the names of alleged Communist writers with whom he had attended meetings with in New York in 1947 to the House of Un-American Activities Committee.

1960 Protests Over White Only Restaurants

1960 : In Oklahoma city more than 200 black protesters had a sit-in to protest the ban on blacks eating at white-only restaurants. The protesters marched from Calvary Baptist Church to the downtown area in 90 degree temperatures. Although the group maintained a policy of non-violence, the leader Mrs. Luper decided that if the sit-in failed the next step would be a boycott of Oklahoma city businesses.

1963 President John F. Kennedy Baby

1963 : Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of President John F. Kennedy, gave birth to a son today named Patrick Bouvier Kennedy.

1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 : Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is passed which will allow President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization for increased use of military force in Southeast Asia, without a formal declaration of war by Congress. The resolution is in response to the attack by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the US Destroyer Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2.

1972 Uganda Expels Asians From Country

1972 : The Ugandan leader, Idi Amin, has ordered most Asians (estimated to be 60,000) to leave the country of Uganda within 90 days or face the consequences. Most Asians in Uganda are British Passport Holders and are expected to move to the UK many have been in the country for two generations and are the backbone to the Ugandan economy running local shops and other businesses, the reasons for the expulsions are the resentment by the black majority over their success. When the Asians were thrown out 30,000 did emigrate to Britain but arrived with no money as they were not compensated for their businesses.

1974 U.S.A. Philippe Petit

1974 : French stunt man Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between the twin towers of the nearly completed New York's World Trade Center. The stunt was illegal and when he went to court because of the news coverage and public appreciation he was ordered "to perform a show for the children of New York City" and later was also presented with a lifetime pass to the Twin Towers' Observation Deck by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

1978 Vatican Pope Paul VI Dies

1978 : Pope Paul VI died at the age of 80. He had been the pontiff for the last 15 years, guiding over 500 million Catholics. His body will be transported to the Vatican and nine days of mourning will be observed. The pope will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica.

1990 Kuwait Operation Desert Shield

1990 : Following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq troops President George Herbert Walker Bush orders the organization of Operation Desert Shield with American troops becoming part of an international coalition in the war against Iraq.

1998 Africa US Embassies Bombed

1998 : The Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organization al-Qaeda (run by Osama bin Laden) is believed responsible for the bombings today of two United States Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where at least 200 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured. US President Bill Clinton is shocked and has made a statement "We will use all the means at our disposal to bring those responsible to justice."

2004 U.S.A. Iraq Prisoners Abuse

2004 : Sgt. Joseph Darby agonized for a month before he reported that his fellow soldiers were abusing Iraqi prisoners. He turned in two CD’s of photos that revealed inmates hooded and naked being led around on a leash like dogs. Darby found it hard to submit the photos, because the soldiers who committed the dishonorable acts were his friends.

2005 Pacific Ocean Sub Rescued

2005 : A Russian Priz AS-28 mini-submarine, with seven crew members on board, is rescued from deep in the Pacific Ocean by a British Scorpio-45 rescue sub.

2006 Chili Copper Miners Strike

2006 : 2,000 workers at the largest private copper mine in the world, in Escondida, Chile went on strike on this day. The workers demanded a 13% increase in pay during the first strike of the firm’s history. The company, BHP Billiton and the workers reached an agreement on August 31st, 2006.

2007 Barry Bonds 756th Home Run

2007 : American baseball star Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run on this day, beating the previous home run record set by Hank Aaron in 1976. Despite his success, baseball fans were skeptical of his record amid rumors of steroid use.

1911 U.S.A. Anna Boyd

1911 : Two men and a woman were charged in Fulton, MO with poisoning children with strychnine-laced chewing gum. The children belonged to families who had testified against Anna Boyd in her lawsuit against prominent doctor, W.B. Boyd. Boyd was suing the physician with defamation of her character and wanted $10,000 in damages.

1924 Dr. Robert Grier LaConte

1924 : In Philadelphia, prominent surgeon, Dr. Robert Grier LaConte, an internationally acclaimed doctor shot himself in the head. His suicide note indicated that he killed himself because of financial difficulties. Dr. LaConte served as lieutenant commander and was on a medical advisory board in World War I. He was decorated with many military honors and served on many prestigious scientific committees.

1983 U.S.A. Medicare Mix Up

1983 : Zenie Finkelstein was a 72 year old Holocaust survivor who had endured the horrors of Auschwitz. However, a bureaucratic blunder in June declared that she was deceased and cancelled her Medicare records. However, Finkelstein has been resurrected again by the Social Security Administration and her doctor’s efforts. She exclaimed, “I was in six concentration camps and I never had as much trouble as this.”

1995 Interactive Television

1995 : Interactive television is the buzz word in technology this year. It would allow people to order groceries, do banking, or get movies without leaving home. A few test sites have sprung up but interactive television is unlikely to go main stream soon. The Daily Herald explains, “Ameritech aimed to deliver the technology to 1 million people in 1996, but now is working to deliver just regular cable service to 200,000 households.”

2008 Maldives Bill Of Rights

2008 : A new constitution with more democratic changes including a separation of powers and a bill of rights was ratified by President Gayoom of the Maldives on this day.

2009 Taiwan Typhoon Morakot

2009 : Typhoon Morakot strikes Taiwan with winds approaching 140 km/h (85 mph) strikes Taiwan causing catastrophic damage and loss of life leaving 650 dead or missing. Together with the strong winds was torrential rainfall (109.3 inches) causing major mudslides including One that buried the entire town of Xiaolin killing an estimated 500 people in the village alone. Typhoon Morakot was deadliest typhoon to impact Taiwan in recorded history.

2009 U.S.A. John Hughes

2009 : Film writer and director John Hughes passed away from a heart attack at the age of 59 on this day. Hughes is known for such movies as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

2011 Rioting Occurs in London

2011 : Rioting begins in Tottenham near London during which residents attacked people, set fire to shops, and looted the neighborhood. The rioting continued for several days spreading to different parts of London and to other major cities in England as a sign of unrest. Authorities believed the riots were organized through the use of social media like Facebook and Twitter. The original rioting began as residents protested the shooting of a man by police in the area.

2013 Switzerland Segregation of Asylum Seekers

2013 : The first special center to house asylum seekers was opened in Bremgarten, Switzerland. Switzerland made a law to restrict the movements and public freedoms of asylum seekers in the country. The first such move was to house asylum seekers in special centers. Other measures included banning them from public places like swimming pools and libraries. Opponents say the measures are racist and discriminatory.