August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 147 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about August 6th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about August 6th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- Fresh Breath Day
- Root Beer Float Day
- International Sailor Moon Day
- Wiggle Your Toes Day
- Farmworker Appreciation Day
- International Beer Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – August 6
1965: Voting Rights Act Becomes Law in the United States
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act, which prohibited any discrimination in voting. The act enforces the 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution.
1962: Jamaican Independence
The Caribbean island country was first colonized by the Spanish in the early 16th century. In 1655, the British invaded Spanish Jamaica and made it a colony after the Spanish surrendered. Jamaica soon became one of the most profitable colonies of the British Empire, especially after sugarcane was brought to the island by the English. The Jamaica Independence Act of July 1962, which was a result of anti-colonial sentiments that were spreading throughout the globe, gave Jamaica full independence by leaving the Federation of the West Indies.
1945: US Bombs Hiroshima
In the first of the only two times nuclear weapons have been used in warfare, the United States dropped a nuclear bomb, nicknamed Little Boy on the industrial city of Hiroshima in Japan. Over 150,000 people were estimated killed by the resulting explosion. Japan had joined the Second World War in December 1941 on the side of the Axis powers. After the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings 3 days later on August 9, Japan surrendered to the Allies and ended the Pacific War.
1926: First Woman to Swim Across the English Channel
Gertrude Ederle, an American Olympic swimmer swam across the English channel a body of water between England and France, in 14 hours and 34 minutes. Only 5 other people, all men, had swum across the channel before Ederle.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, August 6
1983: Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer
1928: Andy Warhol, an American artist
1911: Lucille Ball, American actress
1881: Alexander Fleming, Scottish scientist, Nobel Prize laureate
1809: Alfred, Lord Tennyson, English poet
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, August 6
1978: Pope Paul VI
1973: Fulgencio Batista, Cuban army officer, politician, 9th President of Cuba
1969: Theodor W. Adorno, German sociologist, philosopher
1931: Bix Beiderbecke, American pianist, composer
1637: Ben Jonson, English writer
