The Spanish Armada Leaving the Port of Ferrol, Sir Oswald W. Brierly

Today in History

• The Spanish Armada is defeated at the Battle of Gravelines (1588)
• Thomas Edison patents the mimeograph (1876)
• The Wright brothers make their first public flight at Le Mans, France (1908)
• The Graf Zeppelin begins an around-the-world flight (1929)
• The Great Train Robbery takes place in England (1963)
• The cover photo for the Beatles album Abbey Road is taken (1969)
• The Manson Family murders Sharon Tate and others (1969)
• US President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (1974 — see “August 8 in Watergate History“)
• Iraq occupies Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War (1990)

Birthdays

• Matthew Henson, Arctic explorer (1866)
• Bob Smith, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (1879)
• Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general and politician (1879)
• Sara Teasdale, poet (1884)
• Ernest Lawrence, physicist (1901)
• Paul Dirac, physicist (1902)
• Benny Carter, jazz musician (1907)
• Dino De Laurentiis, producer (1919)
• Esther Williams, swimmer and actress (1921)
• Jerry Tarkanian, basketball coach (1930)
• Mel Tillis, country musician (1932)
• Dustin Hoffman, actor (1937)
• Connie Stevens, actress (1938)
• Keith Carradine, actor (1949)
• Randy Shilts, journalist (1951)
• Deborah Norville, television journalist (1958)

Deaths

• Trajan, Roman emperor (117)
• Shirley Jackson, writer (1965)
• Cannonball Adderley, saxophonist (1975)
• Nicholas Monsarrat, writer (1979)
• Louise Brooks, actress (1985)
• Fay Wray, actress (2004)
• Barbara Bel Geddes, actress (2005)
• Patricia Neal, actress (2010)
• Charles Keating, actor (2014)
• Glen Campbell, musician (2017)

Holidays and Celebrations

• Ceasefire Day (Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan)
• Ba Ba Day (Mongolia, Taiwan)
• International Cat Day
• Namnsdag (Sweden)
• Nane Nane Day (Tanzania)
• National Frozen Custard Day (US)
• National Zucchini Day (US)
• Dalek Day (UK)

August 8 is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years). There are 145 days remaining until the end of the year.