Today is Friday, Aug. 8, the 221st day of 2008. There are 145 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 8, 1974, President Nixon announced he would resign following damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal. On this date: In 1876, Thomas A. Edison received a patent for his mimeograph. In 1908, American statesman and Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg was born in Chicago. In 1942, six convicted Nazi saboteurs who'd landed in the U.S. were executed in Washington, D.C.; two others were spared. In 1945, President Truman signed the United Nations Charter. In 1945, the Soviet Union declared war against Japan during World War II. In 1963, Britain's "Great Train Robbery" took place as thieves made off with 2.6 million pounds in banknotes. In 1968, the Republican national convention in Miami Beach nominated Richard M. Nixon for president on the first ballot. In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew branded as "damned lies" reports he had taken kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland, and vowed not to resign _ which he ended up doing. Continued... |