Did you know
Napoleon Bonaparte established the First French Empire on 18 May 1804, marking the beginning of his reign as Emperor of the French.
August 9 in History
1810 — Napoleon annexes Westphalia as part of the First French Empire
August 9 spans 45 recorded events across recorded history, from 48 BC to 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
45 events
48 BC – 2024
Today in history
More major events on August 9
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1944 World War II: Continuation War: The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, the largest offensive launched by Soviet Union against Finland during the Second World War, ends to a strategic stalemate. Both Finnish and Soviet troops at the Finnish front dug to defensive positions, and the front remains stable until the end of the war. Source
- 1610 The First Anglo-Powhatan War begins in colonial Virginia. Source
- 1974 As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first president of the United States to resign from office. Vice President Gerald Ford becomes president. Source
Did you know
The French Empire's territorial control extended to much of continental Europe, with its power and influence felt across the region.
Did you know
Napoleon's military conquests and strategic alliances enabled the empire to expand its borders, incorporating various European territories.
Did you know
The First French Empire was marked by significant administrative and legal reforms, including the introduction of the Napoleonic Code.
Did you know
The empire's collapse was sealed with Napoleon's final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, leading to his exile to Saint Helena.
-48
Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt.
War in the Roman Republic (49–45 BC)
378
Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople: A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens is defeated by the Visigoths.
Valens is killed along with over half of his army.
1173
Construction of the campanile of the Cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begins; it will take two centuries to complete.
Tower containing or designed to hold bells
1329
Quilon, the first Indian Christian Diocese, is erected by Pope John XXII; the French-born Jordanus is appointed the first Bishop.
Diocese in Kerala, India
1500
Ottoman–Venetian War (1499–1503): The Ottomans capture Methoni, Messenia.
Second conflict between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice
1610
The First Anglo-Powhatan War begins in colonial Virginia.
17th-century conflicts between Virginia colonists and Algonquian Indians
1638
An army under Bernard of Saxe-Weimar defeats imperial troops at the battle of Wittenweiher.
German general of 30 year's war, serving Sweden and France
1814
American Indian Wars: The Creek sign the Treaty of Fort Jackson, giving up huge parts of Alabama and Georgia.
Frontier conflicts in North America, 1609–1890s
1830
Louis Philippe becomes the king of the French following abdication of Charles X.
King of the French from 1830 to 1848
1842
The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
1842 border treaty between British Canada and the US
1854
American Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau publishes his memoir Walden.
19th century US philosophical movement
1855
Åland War: The Battle of Suomenlinna begins.
1850s Baltic Sea theater of the Crimean War
1862
American Civil War: Battle of Cedar Mountain: At Cedar Mountain, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson narrowly defeats Union forces under General John Pope.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1877
American Indian Wars: Battle of the Big Hole: A small band of Nez Percé Indians clash with the United States Army.
Frontier conflicts in North America, 1609–1890s
1892
Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph.
American inventor and businessman (1847–1931)
1897
The first International Congress of Mathematicians is held in Zürich, Switzerland.
Quadrennial mathematics conference
1902
Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
King of the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910
1907
The first Boy Scout encampment concludes at Brownsea Island in southern England.
Youth movement
1925
A train robbery takes place in Kakori, near Lucknow, India, by the Indian independence revolutionaries, against the British government.
1925 train robbery in Kakori, India
1936
Summer Olympics: Jesse Owens wins his fourth gold medal at the games.
Multi-sport event in Berlin, Germany
1942
World War II: Battle of Savo Island: Allied naval forces protecting their amphibious forces during the initial stages of the Battle of Guadalcanal are surprised and defeated by an Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser force.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1942
Dmitri Shostakovich's 7th symphony premiers in a besieged Leningrad.
Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist (1906–1975)
1944
The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
1944
World War II: Continuation War: The Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive, the largest offensive launched by Soviet Union against Finland during the Second World War, ends to a strategic stalemate.
Both Finnish and Soviet troops at the Finnish front dug to defensive positions, and the front remains stable until the end of the war.
1945
World War II: Nagasaki is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar.
Thirty-five thousand people are killed outright, including 23,200–28,200 Japanese war workers, 2,000 Korean forced workers, and 150 Japanese soldiers.
1945
The Red Army invades Japanese-occupied Manchuria.
Soviet army and air force from 1918 to 1946
1969
Tate–LaBianca murders: Followers of Charles Manson murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski), coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Polish actor Wojciech Frykowski, men's hairstylist Jay Sebring and recent high-school graduate Steven Parent.
1969 murders in Los Angeles, US
1970
LANSA Flight 502 crashes after takeoff from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cusco, Peru, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, as well as two people on the ground.
1970 aviation accident in Peru
1971
The Troubles: In Northern Ireland, the British authorities launch Operation Demetrius.
The operation involves the mass arrest and internment without trial of individuals suspected of being affiliated with the Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Mass riots follow, and thousands of people flee or are forced out of their homes.
1973
Mars 7 is launched from the USSR.
Failed Soviet flyby/lander mission to Mars (1973–1974)
1974
As a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first president of the United States to resign from office.
Vice President Gerald Ford becomes president.
1991
The Italian prosecuting magistrate Antonino Scopelliti is murdered by the 'Ndrangheta on behalf of the Sicilian Mafia while preparing the government's case in the final appeal of the Maxi Trial.
Italian prosecuting magistrate murdered on behalf of the Sicilian Mafia in 1991
1993
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership.
Japanese political party
1995
Aviateca Flight 901 crashes into the San Vicente volcano in El Salvador, killing all 65 people on board.
1995 aviation accident in El Salvador
1999
Russian president Boris Yeltsin fires his prime minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet.
President of Russia from 1991 to 1999
2006
At least 21 suspected terrorists are arrested in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot that happened in the United Kingdom.
The arrests are made in London, Birmingham, and High Wycombe in an overnight operation.
2007
Air Moorea Flight 1121 crashes after takeoff from Moorea Airport in French Polynesia, killing all 20 people on board.
2007 aviation accident in French Polynesia
2012
Shannon Eastin becomes the first woman to officiate an NFL game.
American football official and judoka (born 1970)
2013
Gunmen open fire at a Sunni mosque in the city of Quetta killing at least ten people and injuring 30.
2014
Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American male in Ferguson, Missouri, is shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer after reportedly assaulting the officer and attempting to steal his weapon, sparking protests and unrest in the city.
City in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
2021
The Tampere light rail officially starts operating.
Light rail system in Tampere, Finland
2024
Voepass Linhas Aéreas Flight 2283 crashes near Vinhedo, São Paulo, killing all 62 people on board.
2024 aviation accident in Brazil