August 6 facts for kids

August 6 is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 147 days remain until the end of the year.

August 6th is a day filled with many important events throughout history, from ancient battles to modern space exploration. It's also a day when many famous people were born or passed away, and when different cultures celebrate special holidays.

Events

Battles and Wars

• 1284 – In the Battle of Meloria, the Republic of Pisa was defeated by the Republic of Genoa. This loss meant Pisa lost its strong control of the seas in the Mediterranean.
• 1777 – During the American Revolutionary War, the tough Battle of Oriskany happened. This battle stopped American forces from helping out during the Siege of Fort Stanwix.
• 1870 – In the Franco-Prussian War, two important battles took place: the Battle of Spicheren and the Battle of Wörth. Both battles ended with big victories for Germany.
• 1914 – World War I began, and German U-boats (submarines) left their base to attack British warships in the North Sea.
• 1915 – During World War I, the Allied forces launched a special attack called the Battle of Sari Bair. This was planned to happen at the same time as a large landing of new soldiers at Suvla Bay.
• 1917 – Another World War I battle, the Battle of Mărășești, started between the armies of Romania and Germany.
• 1945 – In World War II, the city of Hiroshima, Japan, was hit by an atomic bomb called "Little Boy". This terrible event caused many deaths and injuries.

Foundations and Independence

• 1538 – The city of Bogotá, which is now the capital of Colombia, was founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.
• 1819 – Norwich University was started in Vermont. It was the first private military school in the United States.
• 1825 – Bolivia officially declared its independence, becoming a free country.
• 1962 – Jamaica gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

Important Agreements and Laws

• 1661 – The Treaty of The Hague was signed between Portugal and the Dutch Republic.
• 1787 – Sixty copies of the first draft of the Constitution of the United States were given to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
• 1861 – Britain put the Lagos Treaty of Cession into effect to help stop slavery in the area that is now Nigeria.
• 1965 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. This law helped protect the right to vote for all citizens.
• 1990 – During the Gulf War, the United Nations Security Council ordered a worldwide ban on trade with Iraq. This was in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

Science and Technology

• 1991 – Tim Berners-Lee shared his ideas for the World Wide Web. This was the first time the WWW became available to the public on the Internet.
• 1996 – NASA announced that a meteorite from Mars, called ALH 84001, might have signs of very simple life forms.
• 2012 – NASA's Curiosity rover successfully landed on the surface of Mars to explore the planet.

Other Notable Events

• 1806 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, declared that the old Holy Roman Empire was officially dissolved. He still kept his power in the Austrian Empire.
• 1862 – During the American Civil War, the Confederate ironclad ship CSS Arkansas was sunk in the Mississippi River after its engines broke down.
• 1901 – Land belonging to the Kiowa people in Oklahoma was opened up for new settlers.
• 1926 – Gertrude Ederle made history by becoming the first woman to swim all the way across the English Channel.
• 1940 – Estonia became part of the Soviet Union.
• 1942 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands became the first queen to speak to both houses of the United States Congress at the same time.
• 1944 – The Warsaw Uprising began in Poland. It was a brave but difficult fight against occupation.
• 1956 – The American TV network DuMont Television Network aired its last broadcast, which was a boxing match.
• 1960 – During the Cuban Revolution, Cuba took control of many properties in the country that were owned by Americans and other foreign groups.
• 1986 – The city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, experienced a record-breaking amount of rain in one day, with 328 millimeters (about 13 inches) falling.
• 1997 – Korean Air Flight 801 crashed in Guam, sadly killing many people on board.
• 2008 – A military group led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz took control of the government in Mauritania.
• 2010 – Flash floods caused a lot of damage and deaths in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
• 2011 – In the War in Afghanistan, a United States military helicopter was shot down. This was a very sad day for the US forces in the war.

Births

People from History (Pre-1900)

• 1180 – Emperor Go-Toba of Japan.
• 1504 – Matthew Parker, an English archbishop.
• 1572 – Fakhr-al-Din II, a Druze emir.
• 1609 – Richard Bennett, an English-American politician and governor of Virginia.
• 1619 – Barbara Strozzi, an Italian composer and singer.
• 1667 – Johann Bernoulli, a famous Swiss mathematician.
• 1766 – William Hyde Wollaston, an English chemist and physicist.
• 1809 – Alfred, Lord Tennyson, a very well-known English poet.
• 1848 – Susie Taylor, an American writer and the first black Army nurse.
• 1881 – Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist who won the Nobel Prize for discovering penicillin.
• 1881 – Louella Parsons, an American journalist.
• 1900 – Cecil Howard Green, an English-American geophysicist who helped start Texas Instruments.

People from Recent Times (1901-Present)

• 1911 – Lucille Ball, a famous American actress and TV producer.
• 1917 – Robert Mitchum, a well-known American actor.
• 1928 – Andy Warhol, a very famous American painter and artist.
• 1930 – Abbey Lincoln, an American singer and actress.
• 1934 – Chris Bonington, a famous English mountaineer.
• 1937 – Barbara Windsor, a popular English actress.
• 1962 – Michelle Yeoh, a Malaysian-Hong Kong actress and producer.
• 1963 – Kevin Mitnick, an American computer security expert and author.
• 1965 – David Robinson, a famous American basketball player.
• 1970 – M. Night Shyamalan, an Indian-American film director and producer.
• 1972 – Geri Halliwell, an English singer and dancer, known as Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls.
• 1973 – Vera Farmiga, an American actress.
• 1983 – Robin van Persie, a famous Dutch footballer.
• 1990 – JonBenét Ramsey, an American child beauty queen.

Deaths

People from History (Pre-1900)

• 258 – Pope Sixtus II.
• 523 – Pope Hormisdas.
• 1195 – Henry the Lion, a powerful Duke in Germany.
• 1221 – Saint Dominic, a Spanish priest who started the Dominican Order.
• 1458 – Pope Callixtus III.
• 1637 – Ben Jonson, a famous English poet and playwright.
• 1660 – Diego Velázquez, a very famous Spanish painter.
• 1694 – Antoine Arnauld, a French mathematician and philosopher.

People from Recent Times (1901-Present)

• 1931 – Bix Beiderbecke, an American cornet player and composer.
• 1945 – Richard Bong, an American soldier and pilot who received the Medal of Honor.
• 1959 – Preston Sturges, an American director and screenwriter.
• 1969 – Theodor W. Adorno, a German sociologist and philosopher.
• 1973 – Fulgencio Batista, a Cuban colonel and former President of Cuba.
• 1978 – Pope Paul VI.
• 1979 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, a German biochemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1987 – Ira C. Eaker, an American general.
• 1991 – Harry Reasoner, an American journalist who helped create 60 Minutes.
• 1994 – Domenico Modugno, an Italian singer and politician.
• 2001 – Jorge Amado, a Brazilian novelist and poet.
• 2004 – Rick James, an American singer and producer.
• 2005 – Robin Cook, a Scottish politician.
• 2009 – John Hughes, an American director and producer known for many popular movies.
• 2011 – Fe del Mundo, a Filipino pediatrician and educator.
• 2012 – Marvin Hamlisch, an American composer and conductor.
• 2012 – Robert Hughes, an Australian-American author and critic.
• 2017 – Betty Cuthbert, an Australian sprinter and Olympic champion.
• 2018 – Joël Robuchon, a famous French Chef.

Holidays and observances

• Christian holidays and observances
  • Transfiguration of Jesus
  • Anna Maria Rubatto
  • Hormisdas
  • Justus and Pastor
  • August 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Accession Day. (United Arab Emirates)
• Independence Day (Bolivia), celebrates the independence of Bolivia from Spain in 1825.
• Independence Day (Jamaica), celebrates the independence of Jamaica from the United Kingdom in 1962.
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Hiroshima, Japan)
• Russian Railway Troops Day (Russia)

See also

In Spanish: 6 de agosto para niños