History Today

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 8th. Many Americans remember exactly where they were when they heard the news 44 years ago today that President Richard Nixon had become the first and so far only U.S. president to resign from office. With impeachment proceedings against him already underway for his role in the Watergate break-in and cover-up, Nixon finally bowed to political and public pressure for him to leave the White House.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 7th. It’s the time of year when a swim makes for a refreshing break from a hot summer day. But on this day in 1987, swimmer Lynne Cox took the summer plunge to the next level when she became the first person ever to swim from the United States to what was then the Soviet Union.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 6th. It remains some of the most important legislation in American history-- on this day in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Votings Right Act into law. The Act guaranteed the right of African Americans to vote, making it illegal to impose restrictions on federal, state or local elections that were designed to deny the vote to blacks.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 4th. It was a story that captivated the world: Seventy five years ago today, teenager Anne Frank was captured after two years spent hiding from the Nazis during World War II. The Frank family survived for two years before they were caught and sent to various concentration camps to die. Anne’s father Otto survived and published Anne’s now-famous diary, which was found intact in the annex.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on August 3rd. With basketball’s biggest stars headed to new teams this fall, we look back to another basketball re-org. America once had two basketball leagues--the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. But on this day in 1949, the two leagues merged to become the National Basketball Association.

On this day in History: Enough signatures for the Declaration to be official, Hitler became dictator, and the first woman to win back-to-back gold.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History brought to you by AARP. Take on today and every day with AARP. Here’s what happened on August 1st. If you love thrill rides, then a trip to the amusement park is a summer staple, and today we say “happy birthday” to one of the oldest in the country--the very first Six Flags opened on this day in 1961.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on July 31st. It’s a mystery that has puzzled law enforcement for more than 40 years--where is Jimmy Hoffa? On this day in 1975, the influential American labor leader went missing in Detroit, never to be heard from again.

Hello and welcome to This Day in History. Here’s what happened on July 30th. In God We Trust: You may never have noticed, but those four words are printed on every piece of American currency. At least that’s been the case since this day in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation making “In God We Trust” the nation’s official motto. The law also mandated that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency.

On this day in history: Civil War espionage, the creation of NASA, and the royal marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Di.