Updated August 8, 2012, 2:28 pm
On Aug. 9, 1945, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, Japan, instantly killing an estimated 39,000 people. The explosion came three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
On Aug. 9, 1896, Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist famous for his studies of cognitive development in children, was born. Following his death on Sept. 17, 1980, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1854 Henry David Thoreau published “Walden,” which described his experiences living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts. 1902 Britain’s Edward VII was crowned king following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. 1936 Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay. 1969 Actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found murdered in Los Angeles; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the crime. 1974 Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States following the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. 1985 A federal judge in Norfolk, Va., found retired Navy officer Arthur J. Walker guilty of seven counts of spying for the Soviet Union. 1995 Rock musician Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead died at age 53. 2001 President George W. Bush approved federal funding for existing lines of embryonic stem cells. 2002 Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 600th home run, becoming the fourth major leaguer to reach the mark. 2004 Terry Nichols was sentenced to 161 consecutive life sentences on state murder charges in the Oklahoma City bombing. 2010 Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, 86, the longest serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, was killed in a plane crash in southwestern Alaska. Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders turns 45 years old today.
AP Photo/David J. Phillip
Actress Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air,” “Twilight” movies) turns 27 years old today.
AP Photo/Evan Agostini
1928 Bob Cousy, Basketball Hall of Famer, turns 84 1938 Rod Laver, Tennis Hall of Famer, turns 74 1942 David Steinberg, Comedian, turns 70 1943 Ken Norton, Boxing Hall of Famer, turns 69 1944 Sam Elliott, Actor, turns 68 1957 Melanie Griffith, Actress, turns 55 1958 Amanda Bearse, Actress (“Married…With Children”), turns 54 1959 Kurtis Blow, Rapper, turns 53 1964 Brett Hull, Hockey player, turns 48 1964 Hoda Kotb, TV host (“Today”), turns 48 1968 Gillian Anderson, Actress (“The X Files”), turns 44 1968 Eric Bana, Actor, turns 44 1969 Troy Percival, Baseball player, turns 43 1972 Juanes, Rock singer, turns 40 1972 Liz Vassey, Actress (“CSI”), turns 40 1976 Jessica Capshaw, Actress, turns 36 1989 Jason Heyward, Baseball player, turns 23
Historic Birthdays
Jean Piaget 8/9/1896 – 9/17/1980 Swiss psychologist whose work with children contributed immensely to the growth of developmental psychology.Go to obituary »
90 Izaak Walton 8/9/1593 – 12/15/1683
English biographer and author of “The Compleat Angler”68 John Dryden 8/9/1631 (O.S.) – 5/1/1700 (O.S.)
English poet, dramatist, and literary critic48 William Morton 8/9/1819 – 7/15/1868
American dental surgeon who first demonstrated anesthesia63 Gaston Paris 8/9/1839 – 3/6/1903
French philologist, educator, and writer83 Janie Porter Barrett 8/9/1865 – 8/27/1948
American welfare worker and educator82 Leonide Massine 8/9/1896 – 3/15/1979
Russian dancer and choreographer of over 50 ballets96 P. L. Travers 8/9/1899 – 4/23/1996
Australian-born English writer of the “Mary Poppins” books83 William Fowler 8/9/1911 – 3/14/1995
American Nobel Prize-winning physicist (1983)65 Robert Aldrich 8/9/1918 – 12/5/1983
American motion-picture director51 Robert Shaw 8/9/1927 – 8/28/1978
English actor, novelist, and playwright
