Once Upon A Time – August 9 – 1898 – Rudolf Diesel Of Germany Obtains Patent #608,845 For Internal Combustion Engine, Later Known As Diesel Engine

48 BC Caesar’s civil war: Battle of Pharsalus – Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.

378 Battle of Adrianople: Goth army defeats Roman forces under Emperor Valens, who is killed

1790 Robert Gray’s Columbia Rediviva returns to Boston after A 3 year journey, 1st American ship to circumnavigate the Globe

1898 Rudolf Diesel of Germany obtains patent #608,845 for his internal combustion engine, later known as the diesel engine

1942 Mahatma Gandhi and 50 others arrested in Bombay after passing of a “quit India” motion and campaign by the All-India Congress

1945 US drops second atomic bomb “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, Japan, destroying part of the city

1965 Singapore separates from the Federation of Malaysia and gains its independence

1974 Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States and Vice President Gerald Ford swears the oath of office to take his place as the 38th US President

2020 Disputed Belarusian presidential election sees long time dictator Alexander Lukashenko officially win 80% of the votes but unofficially lose 60-70% of the votes to main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Sparks widespread protests in Belarus and international condemnation.

Historical Events Today Events in 2023

Today in Film & TV

1930 Animated character Betty Boop debuts in Max Fleischer’s cartoon “Dizzy Dishes”

1997 “Just to See You Smile” single released by Tim McGraw (Billboard Song of the Year 1998)

Today in Sport

1900 1st International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Boston, MA: Dwight Davis & Holcombe Ward beat Ernest Black & Herbert Roper Barrett 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to give US an unassailable 3-0 lead over British Isles

2012 Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 200m at the London Olympics in 19.32 to become first to win 100/200m double in back-to-back Olympics

1483 Opening of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican

2016 Longest ever hunger strike ends, Indian human rights campaigner Irom Sharmila tastes honey after 16 years

Famous Weddings

1832 King Leopold I of Belgium marries Louisa Maria

1949 Film and stage actor Jimmy Stewart (41) weds former model Gloria Hatrick McLean (31) at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles

1958 Actor Robert Redford (21) weds Lola Van Wagenen in Las Vegas, Nevada