Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies was made
public on V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day, in an
official announcement on August 14, 1945. (Because
of time zone differences, it was August 15 in Japan.)
Japan formally surrendered in writing two weeks later,
on September 2.
Former New York Yankees star Mickey Mantle died of liver
cancer at the age of 63.
While Mantle patrolled center field and batted clean-up
between 1951 and 1968, the Yankees won 12 American
League pennants and seven World Series championships.
Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, on October 20,
1931. He grew up in nearby Commerce,
At the time of his death Mantle held many of the records
for World Series play, including most home runs (18),
most RBIs (40) and most runs (42).
In the predominantly Black Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles,
racial tension reached a breaking point after two white policemen
scuffle with a Black motorist suspected of drunken driving.
A crowd of spectators gathered near the corner of Avalon
Boulevard and 116th Street to watch the arrest and soon grew
angry by what they believed to be yet another incident of
racially motivated abuse by the police.
Early in the morning of August 9, 1969, members of Charles
Manson’s cult killed five people in movie director Roman
Polanski’s Beverly Hills, California, home, including
Polanski’s pregnant wife, actor Sharon Tate.
Less than two days later, the group killed again, murdering
supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary
in their home.
The savage crimes shocked the nation and turned Charles
Manson into a criminal icon.
Roman Polanski
Manson has been the subject of numerous movies and books,
including the best-seller Helter Skelter (the title is a reference
to a Beatles’ song of the same name, through which Manson
believed the group was sending secret messages to start a
race war). Manson died in prison in 2017 at age 83.
In accordance with his statement of resignation the previous
evening, Richard M. Nixon officially ended his term as the 37th
president of the United States at noon on August 9, 1974.
Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White
House lawn, he smiled farewell and enigmatically raised his
arms in a victory or peace salute.
The helicopter door was then closed, and the Nixon family
began their journey home to San Clemente, California.
Richard Nixon was the first U.S. president to resign from
office.
