August 7 – In 1990, President Bush authorized Desert Shield, a massive military buildup to prevent further invasions by Iraq in the Middle East.
August 8 – In 1974, President Nixon addressed the nation, announcing his resignation from the office.
August 9 - The second atomic bombing of Japan occurred. Kokura was the intended target, but because of poor visibility, Nagasaki was chosen. The bomb killed an estimated 70,000 persons.
August 10 – Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States, was born in West Branch, Iowa.
August 11 – In 1841, escaped slave Frederick Douglass spoke before an audience in the North for the first time. His remarks on his experiences as a slave were so powerful he was immediately recruited as an orator for the anti-slavery movement.
August 12 – In 1676, Metacom was assassinated, ending an American Indian uprising against white settlers that had raged for nearly two years. Metacom was the leader of the Pokanokets, dubbed “King Philip” by the settlers. The uprising is now known as “King Philip’s War.”
August 13 – In 1961, East Germany erected the Berlin Wall, 12 feet high and eventually 103 miles long, to discourage emigration from East to West Berlin.
