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.

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.

  
    
  Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane Mortenson)
(June 1, 1926 – August 4, 1962)  
    

On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead
in her home in Los Angeles.

After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that
her death was “caused by a self-administered overdose of
sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable
suicide.”     
    
    
    
    
   
          
     
  

On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first baby to
be conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) was born at Oldham
and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, to
parents Lesley and Peter Brown.        

On June 27, 1950, President Harry S. Truman announced that
he is ordering U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea to aid
the democratic nation in repulsing an invasion by communist
North Korea.

Truman’s decision was met with overwhelming approval from
Congress and the U.S. public. 

He did not ask for a declaration of war, but Congress voted to
extend the draft and authorized Truman to call up reservists.