Battle of Fallen Timbers
On August 20, 1794, General “Mad Anthony” Wayne led American troops to victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The win enabled the Treaty of Greenville and the US acquisition of the Ohio Territory.
This Day in History
USS Constitution Earns Much-Needed American Victory At Sea
On August 19, 1812, the USS Constitution dueled with the British HMS Guerriere and reigned victorious. During the fighting, one sailor noted that the British cannonballs simply bounced off the Constitution’s oak hull, proclaiming it was “made of iron.” This earned the ship its famous nickname – “Old Ironsides.”
Kearny Expedition
On August 18, 1846, Stephen W. Kearny declared himself military governor of the New Mexico Territory. He had captured Santa Fe without firing a shot, as part of the Kearny Expedition.
First US Airmail by Balloon
On August 17, 1859, the first airmail in the United States was carried by balloon in Indiana, from Lafayette to Crawfordsville. Of the 123 letters sent by balloon mail, only about 23 are known to still exist.
Klondike Gold Rush
On August 16, 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike region of the Yukon in northwestern Canada. Lasting three years, the Klondike Gold Rush was the largest and most dramatic discovery of gold in American history.
Birth of Edna Ferber
Author Edna Ferber was born on August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Considered “the greatest American woman novelist of her day,” she’s best known for her novel Show Boat.
Atlantic Charter
On August 14, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter, which defined their postwar goals for the world. The Atlantic Charter is credited as the inspiration for several international agreements that followed.
Work Begins on the Berlin Wall
When the Nazis were defeated in World War II, Germany was divided into two countries. Shortly after midnight on August 13, 1961, East German soldiers laid barbed wire and bricks, creating the Berlin Wall.
Echo 1
On August 12, 1960, Echo I, the world’s first passive communications satellite, was placed in orbit around the Earth. The goal was to send radio signals into space from one location, bounce them off the satellite, and receive them at another location.