August 16th

Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador.

China eclipsed Japan as the world's second biggest economy after three decades of blistering growth.

Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly by a hundredth of a second for his seventh gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, tying Mark Spitz's 1972 record.

Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen held for 3-1/2 years as an enemy combatant, was convicted in Miami of helping Islamic extremists and plotting overseas attacks. (He was sentenced to 17 years, four months in prison.).

Idi Amin, the former dictator of Uganda, died in Saudi Arabia.

Terrorist mastermind Abu Nidal was found shot to death in Baghdad, Iraq.

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles nominated Vice President Al Gore for president.

Vice President George H.W. Bush tapped Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle to be his running mate on the Republican ticket.

Thousands of people worldwide began a two-day celebration of the "harmonic convergence," which believers called the start of a new, purer age of humankind.

Elvis Presley died at Graceland, his Memphis,Tenn., home, from heart failure at age 42.

Algeria was admitted to the Arab League.

Cyprus, the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, became an independent republic.

Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

First Issue of Sports Illustrated Hits the Newsstands. The sports magazine which is famous for its annual swimsuit issue was not profitable for the first few years of its existence. The boost in spectator sports eventually helped it become successful.

Baseball legend Babe Ruth died in New York City at age 53.

Direct Action Day: Widespread riots erupt in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus over whether Pakistan should be a separate state, killing over 4,000 and leaving 100,000 homeless.

Puyi, the last Chinese Emperor and ruler of Manchukuo is captured by Soviet troops.

Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was born in Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus.

Patent for Loop-the-Loop Roller Coaster is Awarded. The United States’ patent office awarded the patent for the loop-the-loop roller coaster to American inventor Edwin Prescott. First installed in Coney Island, New York, the roller coaster was able to carry only 4 people at a time.

Gold first discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek, Alaska by George Carmack.

T.E. Lawrence, the British soldier who gained fame as "Lawrence of Arabia," was born in Tremadoc, Wales.

A telegraphed message from Britain's Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan was transmitted over the recently laid trans-Atlantic cable.

The original Siamese twins, Eng and Chang, arrived in Boston.

The Revolutionary War battle of Bennington, Vt., won by American forces.

Earliest boxing code of rules formulated in England (Jack Broughton).