1 of 5 | On August 6, 2011, Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan shot down a U.S. military Chinook transport helicopter similar to the one pictured, killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans. File Photo by Spc. Glenn M. Anderson/U.S. Army
Today is Friday, Aug. 6, the 218th day of 2021 with 147 to follow.
The moon is waning. Morning stars are Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson in 1809; First lady Edith Roosevelt in 1861; Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons in 1881; Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, in 1881; basketball Hall of Fame member Henry Iba in 1904; comedian Lucille Ball in 1911; actor Robert Mitchum in 1917; artist Andy Warhol in 1928; writer Piers Anthony in 1934 (age 87); actor Catherine Hicks in 1951 (age 70); basketball Hall of Fame member David Robinson in 1965 (age 56); film director M. Night Shyamalan in 1970 (age 51); singer Geri Halliwell in 1972 (age 49); actor Vera Farmiga in 1973 (age 48); actor Soleil Moon Frye in 1976 (age 45); actor Leslie Odom Jr. in 1981 (age 40); model Adrianne Curry in 1982 (age 39); actor Ty Simpkins in 2001 (age 20).
On this date in history:
In 1890, the first execution by electric chair was carried out. William Kemmler was put to death at Auburn Prison in New York for the ax murder of his girlfriend.
In 1926, Gertrude Ederle of New York became the first American to swim the English Channel.
In 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later an atomic bomb hit Nagasaki and Japan soon surrendered, ending World War II.
In 1965, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. The measure barred states from conducting discriminatory voting practices.
In 1969, Robert Rheault, commander of the Green Berets during the Vietnam War, and seven of his subordinates were arrested for summarily executing Thai Khac Chuyen, a Vietnamese civilian they suspected of being a double agent. The charges were later dropped, the Army said, in the interests of national security.
In 1978, Pope Paul VI died at the age of 80 after a heart attack. He had led the Roman Catholic Church for 15 years.
In 1986, William Schroeder died of a stroke in Louisville, Ky., after 620 days with the Jarvik-7 mechanical heart. At the time, he had been the longest-living permanent artificial heart patient.
In 1997, a Korean Airjetliner crashed in Guam's capital city of Adana, killing 228 people.
In 2009, the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court on a 68-31 vote.
In 2011, Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan shot down a Chinook transport helicopter, killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans. Officials said it was the highest U.S. death toll in a single incident in the decade-old war.
In 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama signed legislation that bans protests within 300 feet of military funerals 2 hours before or after the services.
In 2018, rival leaders in South Sudan signed a power-sharing agreement to end a five-year civil war and form a transitional government.
A thought for the day: "Knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can do. In fact, that's good taste." -- American comedian/actor Lucille Ball
