August 8

It’s Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day and National Waffle Day

ON THIS DAY…
1588 In the Battle of Gravelines, an English fleet led by Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake destroys the Spanish Armada, a fleet of ships sent by Spain to invade England
1709 The first known ascent in a hot-air balloon was made in Portugal by Father Bartolomeu de Gusmão – indoors – as a demonstration before the Portuguese court
1786 In an early milestone in mountain climbing, Michel Piccard and Jacques Balmat make the first ascent of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps
1815 After his final defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon leaves for his forced exile on the remote south Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he dies six years later
1846 The US House of Representatives passes the Wilmot Proviso, a controversial measure that bans slavery from territory acquired in the Mexican War; the proviso fails to pass the Senate
1854 Metal bullet cartridges were patented by Smith & Wesson
1863 Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt)
1865 The streamlined railroad train was patented by Samuel Calthorp
1876 Thomas Edison patents the mimeograph, which he described as a “method of preparing autographic stencils for printing”
1894 The US administration of President Grover Cleveland recognizes the Republic of Hawaii 1899 A.T. Marshall of Brockton, MA patents the refrigerator
1904 The protectograph patented by Libanus McLouth Todd; protects against check forgers
1911 The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire
1929 The German airship Graf Zeppelin began a round-the-world flight
1930 Betty Boop debuts in Dizzy Dishes
1938 The building of Mauthausen concentration camp begins
1942 Disney’s fifth animated feature, Bambi, has its world premiere in London, England
1945 The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and commenced the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation
1945 The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, which becomes the third nation to join
1949 Bhutan becomes independent
1955 Geneva conference held to discuss peaceful uses of atomic energy
1963 “Louie Louie” by the Kingsmen was released and Radio stations quickly labeled it obscene
1966 The Beatles album “Revolver” is released in the US along with the double a-side single “Eleanor Rigby”/”Yellow Submarine”
1969 The cover photo for the Beatles album “Abbey Road” is taken and after this, Paul chooses out of the 6 pictures taken the best one for the LP; before the recording session, Paul takes John home, at Cavendish Avenue, George and Mal go to the London Zoo at Regent’s Park, and Ringo goes shopping
1974 Richard Nixon announces his resignation as president, effective the next day
1978 Odie, dog, made his first appearance in the “Garfield” comic strip
1986 Dr. Don Rose did his last show on KFRC, San Francisco
1988 The lights are turned on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last major league stadium to host night games
1990 Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq
1991 John McCarthy, British Journalist held hostage in Lebanon for more than five years by Islamic Jihad, is released
1992 The United States men’s Olympic basketball team, made up of professional stars for the first time, defeats Croatia to win the gold medal after dominating the Olympic tournament
2000 Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor
2007 Barbara Morgan became the first educator to safely reach space was launched on the US Space Shuttle Endeavor en route to the International Space Station

BORN:
1910 Sylvia Sidney, actress (Dead End, Beetle Juice, Cop Killers, Damien: Omen II, Blood on the Sun)
1921 Esther Williams, competitive swimmer and movie star, famous for her musical films that featured elaborate performances with swimming and diving (Million Dollar Mermaid, Jupiter’s Darling, Bathing Beauty)
1926 Richard Anderson, prolific actor (Scaramouche (1952), Forbidden Planet, The Buster Keaton Story, Paths of Glory, Seven Days in May, Perry Mason, Seconds, Dan August, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Dynasty)
1935 Donald P. Bellisario, television producer and screenwriter (Magnum, P.I., Quantum Leap, Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, JAG, Airwolf, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Battlestar Galactica (1978), Baa Baa Black Sheep)
1937 Dustin Hoffman, 2-time Academy Award-winning actor (Rain Man, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Lenny, Wag the Dog)
1938 Connie Stevens, actress, singer (The Party Crashers, Hawaiian Eye, Mister Jerico, Grease 2, Back to the Beach, Tapeheads)
1949 Keith Carradine, actor and Academy Award-winning songwriter (Nashville, Dexter, Deadwood, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, The Moderns, Pretty Baby)
1953 Donnie Most, actor (Happy Days, Crazy Mama, Dungeons & Dragons (TV), Teen Wolf (TV), Planting Melvin)
1961 The Edge (David Howell Evans), musician (U2)

DIED:
1965 Shirley Jackson, author who was popular in her time and has influenced such writers as has influenced such writers as Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Nigel Kneale and Richard Matheson (The Lottery, Come Along With Me, The Haunting of Hill House), died of heart failure in her sleep at 48
1969 Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, Nazi shithead, human biologist and eugenicist primarily concerned with “racial hygiene” and twin research, died in an automobile accident at 73
1985 Louise Brooks, dancer, showgirl, and silent film actress (Pandora’s Box, Beggars of Life, Diary Of A Lost Girl), dies at 78
1988 Alan Napier, actor (Batman (TV), My Fair Lady, Marnie, The Sword in the Stone, Premature Burial), dies at 85
2004 Fay Wray, actress (King Kong, Doctor X, The Most Dangerous Game (1932), The Vampire Bat, Tammy and the Bachelor), dies at 96
2005 Barbara Bel Geddes, Emmy-winning actress (Dallas, I Remember Mama, Vertigo, Panic on the Streets), dies at 82