August 5th

The last major Viking army to raid England is defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward and Earl Aethelred.

The plutonium-powered rover Curiosity successfully lands on Mars. Larger than earlier rovers, Curiosity will spend two years examining the land, looking for evidence that conditions on Mars are fit for life.

Standard & Poor's lowered the United States' AAA credit rating by one notch to AA-plus.

Thirty-three workers were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile after a tunnel caved in. (They were rescued after being entombed for 69 days).

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term as Iran's president.

The Rev. Gene Robinson was approved as the first openly gay bishop by the U.S. Episcopal Church.

The gun turret of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was raised from the ocean floor.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban jailed eight foreign aid workers, including two Americans, for allegedly preaching Christianity.

Joan Benoit won the first Olympic women's marathon.

The federal government began firing striking air traffic controllers.

The U.S. space probe Mariner 7 flew by Mars, sending back photographs and scientific data.

The album 'Revolver' by the Beatles was released.

The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union signed the limited Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater.

Nelson Mandela is Arrested. The South African anti-apartheid activist and adherent of nonviolence was arrested by the government at Rivonia, a suburb of Johannesburg. After a year-long trial, Mandela was imprisoned at the infamous Robben Island prison where we spent the next 18 years. He was released from prison in 1990 after spending 28 years as a political prisoner. In the early 1990s, after intense international and domestic pressure, in part from the efforts of Mandela, the South African government started taking steps to end apartheid – a government policy of racial segregation and discrimination. As a result, Mandela was elected the country’s first black president in 1994.

Burkina Faso gains its Independence. The landlocked West African country, known as Upper Vota until 1984, became a French protectorate in the late 19th century. In 1958, the Republic of Upper Volta was created as a self-governing French colony. After independence, Maurice Yaméogo became the first president of the country, whose name was changed to Burkina Faso in 1984.

'American Bandstand', hosted by Dick Clark, made its network TV debut on ABC.

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic is established. The Soviet Union added Latvia to the union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

The comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" by Harold Gray made its debut.

1st electric traffic light installed in the USA on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio.

The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.

US Civil War Battle of Mobile Bay won by the Union led by Rear Admiral Farragut with the cry 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!.

The federal government levied an income tax for the first time.

Battle of Petrovaradin/Peterwardein: Habsburgs under Eugene of Savoy defeat the Turks in a decisive victory.

William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London for trial and execution.