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August 27, catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa

By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, Aug. 27, the 240th day of 2024. There are 126 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 27, 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa erupted with a series of cataclysmic explosions. The explosions (which could be heard 3,000 miles away) and resulting tsunamis in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait claimed some 36,000 lives in Java and Sumatra. Also on this date: In 1894, Congress passed the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act, which contained a provision for a graduated income tax that was later struck down by the Supreme Court. In 1964, the film “Mary ...

August 26, De Gaulle leads victory march through Paris

By The Associated Press Today is Monday, Aug. 26, the 239th day of 2024. There are 127 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 26, 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the ...

Today in History: Aug. 23, farm workers’ ‘Salad Bowl strike’

By The Associated Press Today is Friday, Aug. 23, the 236th day of 2024. There are 130 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug 23, 1970, the Salad Bowl strike began, organized by farm labor leader Cesar Chavez; between 5,000-10,000 laborers walked off the job, leading to the ...

Today in History: Aug. 22, first America’s Cup trophy

By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Aug. 22, the 235th day of 2024. There are 131 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 22, 1851, the schooner America outraced more than a dozen British vessels off the English coast to win a trophy that came to be known as the America’s Cup. Also on this date: In 1791, the Haitian Revolution began as enslaved people of Saint-Domingue rose up against French colonizers. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, which remained under Japanese control until the end of World War II. In 1922, Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was shot to ...

August 21, Nat Turner launches rebellion

By The Associated Press Today is Wednesday, Aug. 21, the 234th day of 2024. There are 132 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 21, 1831, Nat Turner launched a violent slave rebellion in Virginia, resulting in the deaths of at least 55 white people; scores of Black people were killed in retribution in the aftermath of the rebellion, and Turner was later executed. Also on this date: In 1858, the first of seven debates took place between Illinois senatorial contenders Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” was stolen from ...

August 20, Soviets invade Czechoslovakia to end liberal rise

By The Associated Press Today is Tuesday, Aug. 20, the 233rd day of 2024. There are 133 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 20, 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring” liberalization movement. Also on ...