Important Events From This day in History August 8

 

1974 U.S.A. Nixon Resigns

1974 : Richard Nixon Announces his resignation following the Watergate Scandal During a nationally televised broadcast.

1962 Polio Mass Immunizations

1962 : A polio scare brought a decree from the Taylor-Jones County health authorities to do a mass immunization of all residents and encourage surrounding counties to do likewise. According to a spokesperson from the Medical Society, “The Sabin vaccine gives immunity to polio, whereas the Salk vaccine prevents paralytic polio.” They decided that the Sabin vaccine was the best, since it is given orally, not like the Salk vaccine which has to be injected.

1910 Spain Uprising Quelled

1910 : In San Sebastian, uprisings against the Spanish government ruled by King Alfonso XIII were quelled by cavalry, infantry, and other military men. A large bull fight took place on this day, however, some priests shouted, “Death to Spain! Long live the Pope!” One hundred and fifty people were arrested and the rest took flight. Troops were guarding the palace where the queen mother and her children were staying.

1921 Ship Sinks Off Alaska

1921 : Off the coast of Alaska, the ship Alaska bound for San Francisco met with tragedy. In the fog the ship hit a rocky ledge twice. The boilers blew up as a result, blowing a lot of its passengers off the decks and out into the icy ocean. One hundred and sixty-six people were saved off of the vessel, but thirty-one were missing, and 28 were dead. The ship, Anyox, rescued the survivors, but risked the rocky reef in the fog.

1949 Ecuador Earthquake

1949 : Ecuador was rocked by a devastating earthquake in 1949, killing 4,600 people and doing an estimated 20 million dollars damage. To add to the tragedy a plane on a mission of mercy crashed and killed 34 more people. In the plane crash were four government dignitaries, 28 Shell Oil Company employees, and the pilot and crew.

1956 U.S.A. First State Bank Tuscola

1956 : In Tuscola, the First State Bank was burned out, but immediately re-opened the very next morning in a feed store. When the bank opened in 1912 customers made their deposits through chicken wire, this bank had survived the Great Depression when lesser banks went under and fire did not interrupt business much.

1956 Belgium Coal Mine Fire Marcinelle

1956 : A fire in a coal mine in Marcinelle, Belgium leaves 262 miners dead.

1963 Great Britain "The Great Train Robbery"

1963 : The date of "The Great Train Robbery" in United Kingdom when thieves held up a train carrying the Royal Mail and stole 120 mail sacks , the mail sacks contained cash and gems valued in excess of 7 Million.

1976 U.S.A. Legionnaire’s Disease

1976 : In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ten thousand legionnaires who attended a convention from July 21st - July 24th were in a panic after the outbreak of a mystery disease among their ranks. Twenty-four persons have already died and 87 are ill. Doctors are completely baffled as to what virus or fungus could have caused this illness. Also, it is costing $25,000 a day to try and target the culprit. Meanwhile, street names for the mystery diagnosis have arisen. It is dubbed Legionnaire’s disease, Philadelphia fever, or Veteran’s Virus.

1988 The Burmese 8888 Uprising

1988 : Students begin protesting for a return to democracy and are joined Burmese citizens from all walks of life, including Buddhist monks. The demonstrations were peaceful and spread from the Burmese capital to other cities in Burma. As the numbers of protesters grew Burma's military government leader Ne Win put military soldiers on the streets with orders, "That Guns were not to shoot upwards,", it is estimated that the soldiers killed in excess of 2,500 students and Buddhist monks before the uprising ended. In 2007 protests started again and the government response led to the use of force by the military.

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