Today in History: August 9, U.S. bombs Nagasaki

Today is Sunday, Aug. 9, the 221st day of 2026. There are 144 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic device over Nagasaki; the bombing and subsequent radiation poisoning killed an estimated 74,000 people.

Also on this date:

In 1173, construction began on the campanile of Pisa Cathedral — better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” which described Thoreau’s experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.

In 1969, actor Sharon Tate and four other people were found killed at Tate’s Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, Gerald Ford took the oath of office to become U.S. president after Richard Nixon’s resignation; in a speech afterward, Ford declared that “our long national nightmare is over.”

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated Lauro Cavazos to be secretary of education; Cavazos became the first Hispanic to serve in the Cabinet.

In 2014, Michael Brown Jr., a Black 18-year-old, was shot to death by a police officer following an altercation in Ferguson, Missouri; Brown’s death led to sometimes-violent protests in Ferguson and other U.S. cities, helping fuel a national “Black Lives Matter” movement.

In 2024, a passenger plane crashed in a gated residential community in Brazil's Sao Paulo state, killing all 61 people aboard. The twin-engine plane operated by Voepass was en route to Sao Paulo's international airport at the time.

In 2025, Jen Pawol broke Major League Baseball's gender barrier as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game; Pawol worked both games of a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins.

Today’s Birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 98. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 88. Actor Sam Elliott is 82. Singer Barbara Mason is 79. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Doug Williams is 71. Actor Melanie Griffith is 69. Actor Amanda Bearse is 68. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 67. Hockey Hall of Famer Brett Hull is 62. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 59. Actor Gillian Anderson is 58. Actor Eric Bana is 58. Producer-director McG (aka Joseph McGinty Nichol) is 58. NHL player-turned-coach Rod Brind’Amour is 56. Actor Thomas Lennon is 55. Actor Nikki Schieler Ziering is 55. Latin rock singer Juanes is 54. Actor Liz Vassey is 54. Actor Kevin McKidd is 53. Actor Jessica Capshaw is 50. Actor Ashley Johnson is 43. Actor Anna Kendrick is 41. Singer-rapper Kazuha is 23.