On August 4, 1914, the contours of what would become the First World War changed dramatically as three pivotal nations made their positions unmistakably clear. In response to Germany’s invasion of neutral Belgium, both Belgium and the British Empire formally declared war on the…
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Jesse Owens’ performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics stands as one of the most compelling chapters in sports history. In the midst of a politically charged atmosphere, with the world watching, Owens delivered a series of performances that shattered not only records but also…
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n August 4, 2020, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, experienced a catastrophic explosion at its port, marking one of the most devastating non-nuclear explosions in history. This tragic event stemmed from the detonation of approximately 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a substance typically used…
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On a nice summer day on August 3, 1852, Harvard University and Yale University upped the ante in rivalry by introducing a fun little sporting competition between the two schools. The first college sporting event in American history was born. No, it wasn’t football…
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On August 4, 1790, under the leadership of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Congress authorized the construction of ten cutters to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and to prevent smuggling. Initially called the Revenue Marine, today we better know it as the…
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On August 3, 1949, a meeting in New York City changed the course of American sports history. Officials from the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL), two rival professional basketball circuits, agreed to a merger that would create the…
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On August 2, 1939, just weeks before the outbreak of World War II, physicist Albert Einstein and fellow Hungarian émigré Leo Szilard co-signed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt that would become one of the most consequential pieces of correspondence in history. The…
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On August 2, 1923, the United States suddenly had a new president. The 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding’s unexpected death brought an abrupt end to his term in office and left a profound impact on the nation. Harding’s tenure as…
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On August 2, 1790, the United States of America took its first count of the population. The U.S. Constitution ratified in 1789, mandated that a census be conducted to enumerate the people to apportion seats in the House of Representatives and assess direct taxes…
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On August 1, 1800, the Acts of Union were passed by the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland, legally binding the two into a single political entity: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The union, which took effect on January 1, 1801,…
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