What Happened on August 6

War Front

1945 — Atomic Bomb Devastates Hiroshima

New weapon of unprecedented power levels Japanese city; 70,000 dead instantly — tens of thousands more to die from burns and radiation; war enters new era.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 — The war has entered a new and terrible phase. An atomic bomb, the most destructive weapon ever devised by man, was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima this morning, wiping out the city and killing an estimated 70,000 people instantly. The bomb, named 'Little Boy,' was an enriched uranium gun-type fission weapon, released from the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber Enola Gay.

The blast leveled the city, and early reports reaching this office indicate that some 90 percent of the dead were civilians, despite a military garrison of 24,000 troops. In the coming two to four months, the death toll is expected to climb to between 90,000 and 166,000, as thousands succumb to burns and radiation poisoning. Roughly half of all these deaths occurred on the first day.

The order for the attack was issued on July 25 by Gen. Thomas T. Handy, acting chief of staff, who directed that atomic bombs be used against Hiroshima and other Japanese cities. The mushroom cloud rose over the city as the B-29 made its getaway, and observers described a blinding flash followed by a column of smoke and fire.

President Truman, in a statement, called the bomb a harnessing of the basic power of the universe and warned Japan of a 'rain of ruin' unless it surrendered. The full measure of the devastation is still being assessed, but the age of atomic warfare has begun.

• The United States detonated an atomic bomb over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
• The bomb, named 'Little Boy', was an enriched uranium gun-type fission weapon.
• The bombing killed 90,000 to 166,000 people in Hiroshima over the next two to four months.
• Roughly half of the deaths in Hiroshima occurred on the first day.
• Despite a military garrison of 24,000 troops, some 90% of the dead in Hiroshima were civilians.

National Desk

1965 — Johnson Signs Voting Rights Act, Outlaws Literacy Tests

President puts into law measure that bans discriminatory practices and is called the most effective civil rights legislation in the nation's history.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 — In the long struggle for equal rights, this day may stand with the Emancipation Proclamation. President Lyndon B. Johnson today signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory devices that for generations have kept Negroes from the ballot box in the South and elsewhere.

The President, in a ceremony in the Capitol, called the act a triumph for freedom, and the National Archives has termed it 'the most significant statutory change' in federal-state voting relations since Reconstruction. The law prohibits racial discrimination in voting and is widely regarded as the most effective federal civil rights legislation ever enacted.

Johnson's action is a cornerstone of his Great Society program, aimed at expanding civil rights and opportunity for all Americans. Under the new law, federal examiners may be sent to any county where fewer than half the voting-age residents are registered, and literacy tests are suspended in states where they have been used to deny the franchise.

Negro leaders hailed the signing, but noted that enforcement will be the test. The law takes effect immediately, and the first federal examiners are expected to be on duty in the South within weeks.

• President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965.
• The act prohibits racial discrimination in voting and is considered the most effective federal civil rights legislation ever enacted.
• The act outlawed literacy tests and other devices historically used to disenfranchise racial minorities.
• The National Archives called the act 'the most significant statutory change' in federal-state voting relations since Reconstruction.
• Johnson's signing of the act was part of his Great Society domestic agenda aimed at expanding civil rights.

Science Desk

1996 — NASA Scientists Say Meteorite May Hold Signs of Martian Life

ALH84001, found in Antarctica in 1984, contains tiny structures that could be fossil evidence, but researchers urge caution.

HOUSTON, Aug. 6 — A team of NASA scientists, led by Dr. David S. McKay, announced today that a meteorite discovered in Antarctica may contain evidence of primitive life on Mars, a finding that, if confirmed, would be the first proof that life exists beyond Earth.

The meteorite, designated ALH84001, was found in the Allan Hills of Antarctica on Dec. 27, 1984, by the ANSMET project. It is one of the oldest known Martian meteorites, crystallized from molten rock 4.091 billion years ago, and was blasted from Mars by an impact about 17 million years ago, falling to Earth about 13,000 years ago.

McKay and his colleagues say the rock contains tiny structures, 20 to 100 nanometres in diameter, similar in size to theoretical nanobacteria. They say these structures, along with certain mineral compounds, could be interpreted as fossil evidence of ancient microbial life.

However, the scientists stressed that further tests were inconclusive, and that the findings are not proof of life. The announcement prompted President Clinton to give a formal televised speech, calling the potential discovery 'a moment that will be remembered.'

• The meteorite Allan Hills 84001 was found in Antarctica on December 27, 1984, by the ANSMET project.
• On August 6, 1996, NASA scientists led by David S. McKay announced the meteorite may contain trace evidence of Martian life.
• The structures found on ALH84001 are 20–100 nanometres in diameter, similar in size to theoretical nanobacteria.
• President Bill Clinton gave a formal televised speech about the potential discovery of extraterrestrial life.
• ALH84001 is one of the oldest Martian meteorites, crystallized from molten rock 4.091 billion years ago.

European Theater

1944 — Allies Battle Germans at Saint-Malo

83rd Infantry Division attacks Saint-Malo, held by about 8,000 German troops, after assault launched yesterday.

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Aug. 6 — The historic walled city of Saint-Malo, held by about 8,000 German troops, is under attack by American forces of the 83rd Infantry Division, which launched its first assault on Saturday and occupied Cancale today.

• The historic walled city of Saint-Malo was almost totally destroyed by American shelling and bombing in late August and early September 1944.
• Colonel Andreas von Aulock, the German commander, refused to surrender, saying he would defend St. Malo to the last man even if the last man had to be himself.
• The first American attack was launched by the 83rd Infantry Division on 5 August 1944, and Cancale was occupied by the Americans on August 6.
• About eight thousand German troops were in Saint-Malo itself when the battle began.
• On 13 August, the walled city was on fire and a short truce was declared to allow French civilians to flee.

South Asia Desk

2010 — Ladakh Flash Floods Kill at Least 255, Tourists Among Dead

A cloudburst triggered flash floods across Ladakh, killing at least 255 people, including six foreign tourists.

LEH, India, Aug. 6 — A cloudburst between midnight and 12:30 a.m. unleashed flash floods that killed at least 255 people in Ladakh, officials said. The floods struck a 6-kilometre-wide band along the Indus River, where rainfall reached 250 millimetres in places.

• At least 255 people died, six of them foreign tourists, after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in Ladakh on 6 August 2010.
• The cloudburst occurred between 0000 and 0030 hours IST on 6 August 2010.
• The most intense rainfall was concentrated in a 6-kilometre-wide band parallel to the Indus River.
• Estimated rainfall reached 250 millimetres in some places, with 75 millimetres falling over Leh in 30 minutes.
• Flash floods damaged 71 towns and villages, including Leh, and left 9,000 people directly affected.

Pacific Bureau

1997 — Korean Air Jet Crashes on Guam Hill; 228 Dead, Girl Survives

Flight 801 crashed while approaching runway 6L, killing 228 of 254 aboard.

ASAN-MAINA, Guam, Aug. 6 — The burning wreckage of Korean Air Flight 801 sat on Bijia Peak south of Nimitz Hill, where 228 of the 254 people aboard died. The Boeing 747-300 crashed while approaching runway 6L, whose glideslope system was out of service.

• The Boeing 747-300 crashed on Bijia Peak, south of Nimitz Hill, in Asan-Maina, Guam.
• 229 of the 254 people aboard died, making it the deadliest aviation accident in American dependent territory.
• The glideslope Instrument Landing System for runway 6L was out of service, but Captain Park mistakenly believed it was in service.
• The crew used an outdated aeronautical chart missing a 724 ft obstruction symbol at the NIMITZ VOR.
• 11-year-old Rika Matsuda survived the crash after her mother Shigeko died in the fire; she was discovered by Governor Carl Gutierrez.

Science & Technology Desk

1991 — Berners-Lee Invites Collaboration on World Wide Web Project

Tim Berners-Lee's public invitation could reshape how the Internet shares information, linking documents worldwide.

GENEVA, Aug. 6 — The Internet may soon become a web of linked documents, thanks to a project proposed by Tim Berners-Lee, a British programmer at CERN. Berners-Lee today posted a public invitation on Usenet for collaboration on the WorldWideWeb, a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessible via the Internet. He has already built the first browser, named WorldWideWeb, running on NeXTSTEP, and published the first website from CERN's network in December 1990. His March 1989 proposal, accepted by manager Mike Sendall as "vague, but exciting," has gained a partner in Robert Cailliau, who independently proposed a hypertext system. The technology has been released to other research institutions since January, and a wider release is expected later this month.

• Berners-Lee posted a public invitation for collaboration with the WorldWideWeb project on Usenet on August 6, 1991.
• Berners-Lee designed and built the first web browser, called WorldWideWeb, running on the NeXTSTEP operating system.
• The first website, describing the project, was published on December 20, 1990, and was available from the CERN network.
• Berners-Lee's March 1989 proposal was accepted by his manager Mike Sendall, who called it 'vague, but exciting'.
• Robert Cailliau independently proposed a hypertext system at CERN and joined Berners-Lee as a partner in developing the web.

Continental Affairs

1777 — Bloody Battle of Oriskany Fought; Herkimer Wounded

Battle fought six miles east of Fort Stanwix ranks among the war's bloodiest.

ORISKANY, New York, Aug. 6 — In this year of rebellion, the woods near Fort Stanwix have run red with blood. The Battle of Oriskany, fought six miles east of the fort, stands among the war's bloodiest.

• Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer commanded about 800 militiamen and 60–100 Oneida warriors.
• The ambush occurred in a small valley 6 miles east of Fort Stanwix, near the Oneida village of Oriska.
• The Americans suffered roughly 465 dead, wounded, or captured; the British force lost 93.
• Herkimer was mortally wounded during the battle.
• British Indigenous allies' morale was damaged when a sortie from Fort Stanwix looted their camp.