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Made for the 250thOn this day › August 8
What happened on August 8 in American history
August 8 is the 220th day of the year (the 221st in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from August 8 spanning 1863 to 1989. Among them: in 1863, Lee asks Davis to let him go; Davis refuses; and in 1863, Military governor Johnson frees his own slaves in Greeneville.
1863
Lee asks Davis to let him go; Davis refuses
Days after retreating from Gettysburg, the general tells his president he has lost confidence in himself.
1863Member story · 1776 Club
Military governor Johnson frees his own slaves in Greeneville
Tennessee was exempt from Lincoln's proclamation, so Johnson started with the people he owned.
1929
A German airship lifts off from New Jersey to fly around the world
Hearst money bought the trip; a New Jersey field bought its start and finish.
1945Member story · 1776 Club
Four powers sign a charter to try Nazi leaders as criminals, not just prisoners of war
The document invents a charge nobody has ever prosecuted before: waging aggressive war.
1974
Nixon tells the nation he is resigning; Ford takes over at noon tomorrow
Facing certain impeachment after the smoking gun tape, Nixon becomes the first president to quit.
1989Member story · 1776 Club
Columbia launches on a secret Pentagon mission, carrying a human skull for science
The orbiter's fourth Department of Defense flight also tests how deep radiation reaches into human bone.
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