^B{^#!16!8 August^N! Feast day of St Dominic, Saints Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, St Hormidas the Martyr, and The Fourteen Holy Helpers.
^B{117^B} Hadrian became emperor of Rome following the death of his father Trajan. ^B{1786^B} Mont Blanc, Europe's tallest peak, was climbed for the first time; Swiss scientist Horace Saussure had offered a prize for the accomplishment of this feat. ^B{1940^B} The Battle of Britain, which would continue into the following Oct, began. ^B{1945^B} The USSR declared war on Germany. ^B{1963^B} The Great Train Robbery, in which over ú2.5 million was stolen, took place near Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, UK. ^B{1974^B} Richard Nixon became the first US president to resign from office in face of threats to impeach him for his implication in the Watergate scandal. ^B{1988^B} The luckiest day of the decade, according to the Chinese, because the date - 8.8.88 - is a palindrome. ^B{1990^B} Iraq annexed Kuwait, precipitating the onset of the Gulf War. ^B{1991^B} Islamic Jihad released John McCarthy, a British journalist who had been held hostage since April ^B{1986^B}.^B}
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Godfrey Kneller, German-born painter, ^B{1646^B}; Ernest O Lawrence, US physicist, ^B{1901^B}; Dino De Laurentis, Italian film producer, ^B{1919^B}; Esther Williams, US swimmer and film actress, ^B{1923^B}; Andy Warhol, US Pop artist and filmmaker, ^B{1931^B}; Dustin Hoffman, US film actor, ^B{1937^B}; Nigel Mansell, British racing driver, ^B{1953^B}.^B}
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Girolamo Fracastoro, Italian physician and writer, ^B{1553^B}; James Tissot, French painter, ^B{1902^B}; Frank Winfield Woolworth, US chainstore founder, ^B{1919^B}; James Gould Cozzens, US novelist, ^B{1978^B}; Louise Brooks, US actress, ^B{1985^B}.
