TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON: AUGUST 6
1661 The Treaty of The Hague is signed whereby the Dutch Republic sells New Holland (Brazil) for 63 tonnes of gold to Portugal
1806 The Holy Roman Empire ended with the abdication of Emperor Francis II.
1863 The CSS Alabama captures the USS Sea Bride near the Cape of Good Hope.
1888 Martha Turner is murdered by an unknown assailant, believed to be Jack the Ripper, in London, England.
1890 At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the 1st person to be executed by electric chair
1927 A Massachusetts high court hears the final plea from Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italians convicted of murder.
1934 US troops leave Haiti, which had been occupied since 1915
1945 Paul Tibbets, the commander of Enola Gay, drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It was the second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki, that induced the Japanese to surrender.
1962 Jamaica becomes independent, after 300 years of British rule.
1965 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act prohibiting voting discrimination against minorities
1988 A melee that became known as the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot in New York City leads to NYPD reforms.
1990 The U.N. Security Council ordered a worldwide trade embargo with Iraq. The embargo was to punish Iraq for invading Kuwait.
1991 Tim Berners-Lee publishes the first-ever website, Info.cern.ch.
1993 Pope John Paul II publishes “Veritatis splendor encyclical,” regarding fundamentals of the Catholic Church’s role in moral teachings.
1996 Punk rock band the Ramones perform for the last time at the Palace in Hollywood
1997 Microsoft announces it will invest $150 million in troubled rival Apple Computer, Inc.
1998 Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky spent 8 1/2 hours testifying before a grand jury about her relationship with U.S. President Clinton.
REFERENCE: history.net, onthisday.com, thepeopleshistory.com, timeanddate.com, scopesys.com, on-this-day.com
