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Today in History: August 6, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
U.S. forces dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima; an estimated 140,000 people died
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Today is Thursday, Aug. 6, the 218th day of 2026. There are 147 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths.
Also on this date:
In 1806, Emperor Francis II abdicated, marking the end of the Holy Roman Empire after nearly a thousand years.
In 1825, Upper Peru became the autonomous republic of Bolivia.
In 1890, at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be executed via the electric chair.
In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
In 1942, Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands became the first reigning queen to address a joint session of Congress, telling lawmakers that despite Nazi occupation, her people’s motto remained, “No surrender.”
In 1962, Jamaica gained independence from the United Kingdom after 300 years of British rule.
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting.
In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the internet.
In 2011, insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans; seven Afghan commandos also died.
In 2025, a U.S. Army sergeant shot and wounded five fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia before being tackled by other troops. Quornelius Radford was later sentenced to life in military prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of attempted murder at a court-martial.
Today’s Birthdays: Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 88. Actor Dorian Harewood is 76. Actor Leland Orser is 66. Actor Michelle Yeoh is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 61. Movie writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (SHAH’-mah-lahn) is 56. Singer Geri Halliwell Horner is 54. Actor Vera Farmiga is 53. Actor Soleil (soh-LAY’) Moon Frye is 50. Actor Leslie Odom Jr. is 45. Soccer coach and former player Robin van Persie is 43. Actor Ty Simpkins is 25. Singer Nessa Barrett is 24.
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