# On this day: August 6

August 6 is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years), with 147 days left until the end of the year.

## August 6 in one line

Headline entries for August 6, from Wikipedia: in 1945, World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force bomber Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing about 70,000 people instantly; born 1928: Andy Warhol, American painter, photographer and film director (died 1987); died 1660: Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter and educator (born 1599). In 2026 it is a Thursday, in 2027 a Friday.

## Events on August 6

- 258 Pope Sixtus II is arrested while celebrating mass and then beheaded with several of his deacons. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_II)
- 686 Second Fitna: Pro-Alid forces defeated the Umayyad Caliphate at the Battle of Khazir, allowing them to take control of Mosul in present-day Iraq. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khazir)
- 1623 After the death of Gregory XV, a papal conclave in Rome elected Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1623_conclave)
- 1777 The Battle of Oriskany, one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolutionary War, was fought about 6 mi (10 km) east of Fort Stanwix, New York. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Oriskany)
- 1787 Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Convention_(United_States))
- 1806 Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares the moribund empire to be dissolved, although he retains power in the Austrian Empire. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1890 At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_chair)
- 1892 The Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company was founded in Antwerp to exploit natural rubber in the Congo Free State. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abir_Congo_Company)
- 1901 Kiowa land in Oklahoma is opened for white settlement, effectively dissolving the contiguous reservation. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma)
- 1930 New York Supreme Court judge Joseph Force Crater disappeared in Manhattan, in a case that was never solved. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Force_Crater)
- 1942 Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands becomes the first reigning queen to address a joint session of the United States Congress. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_of_the_Netherlands)
- 1944 World War II: Allied forces attacked German fortifications at Saint-Malo, France, beginning the Battle of Saint-Malo. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saint-Malo)
- 1945 World War II: The U.S. Army Air Force bomber Enola Gay dropped the Little Boy atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing about 70,000 people instantly. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enola_Gay)
- 1960 Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba)
- 1965 U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disfranchisement of African Americans. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965)
- 1979 An earthquake struck along the Calaveras Fault near Coyote Lake, California, injuring sixteen people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Coyote_Lake_earthquake)
- 1990 Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council)
- 1991 British computer programmer Tim Berners-Lee posted a public invitation to collaborate on a system of interlinked, hypertext documents accessible via the Internet, known as the World Wide Web. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee)
- 1996 Researchers announced that the meteorite ALH84001, discovered in the Allan Hills of Antarctica, may contain evidence of life on Mars, but further tests were inconclusive. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Hills_84001)
- 1997 Korean Air Flight 801 crashed into a hill on approach to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam, killing 228 of the 254 people aboard. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_801)
- 2008 Mauritanian president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high-ranking generals that he had dismissed from office several hours earlier. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mauritanian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat)
- 2009 Metalworkers at a Ssangyong Motor factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea agree to end a 77-day strike that culminated in a police raid via helicopters leading to several deaths and arrests. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyeongtaek)
- 2010 Flash floods, mudslides, and debris flows across Ladakh in Indian-administered Kashmir left at least 255 people dead. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Ladakh_floods)
- 2011 A series of riots broke out in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England in response to the shooting of Mark Duggan by Metropolitan Police officers. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Mark_Duggan)
- 2012 NASA's Curiosity rover lands on the surface of Mars. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curiosity_(rover))
- 2013 A gas leak caused an explosion that collapsed a building and led to the deaths of 22 people in Rosario, Argentina. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Rosario_gas_explosion)

## Born on August 6

- 1638 Nicolas Malebranche, French priest and philosopher (died 1715) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Malebranche)
- 1651 François Fénelon, French archbishop and poet (died 1715) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_F%C3%A9nelon)
- 1667 Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (died 1748) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Bernoulli)
- 1697 Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1745) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_VII%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1715 Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (died 1747) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc_de_Clapiers%2C_marquis_de_Vauvenargues)
- 1766 William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist (died 1828) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hyde_Wollaston)
- 1775 Daniel O'Connell, Irish lawyer and politician, Lord Mayor of Dublin (died 1847) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O'Connell)
- 1809 Alfred, Lord Tennyson, English poet (died 1892) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred%2C_Lord_Tennyson)
- 1868 Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (died 1955) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Claudel)
- 1881 Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1955) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming)
- 1911 Lucille Ball, American actress, television producer and businesswoman (died 1989) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Ball)
- 1917 Robert Mitchum, American actor (died 1997) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mitchum)
- 1928 Andy Warhol, American painter, photographer and film director (died 1987) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol)
- 1962 Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian-Hong Kong actress and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Yeoh)
- 1963 Kevin Mitnick, American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker (died 2023) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick)
- 1965 David Robinson, American basketball player and lieutenant [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Robinson)
- 1969 Elliott Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2003) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Smith)
- 1970 M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Night_Shyamalan)
- 1972 Geri Halliwell, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geri_Halliwell)
- 1973 Vera Farmiga, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Farmiga)
- 1983 Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_van_Persie)
- 1984 Vedad Ibišević, Bosnian footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedad_Ibi%C5%A1evi%C4%87)

## Died on August 6

- 258 Pope Sixtus II [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_II)
- 523 Pope Hormisdas (born 450) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Hormisdas)
- 1221 Saint Dominic, Spanish priest, founded the Dominican Order (born 1170) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_de_Guzm%C3%A1n)
- 1458 Pope Callixtus III (born 1378) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Callixtus_III)
- 1637 Ben Jonson, English poet and playwright (born 1572) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Jonson)
- 1657 Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Ukrainian soldier and politician, 1st Hetman of Zaporizhian Host (born 1595) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohdan_Khmelnytsky)
- 1660 Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter and educator (born 1599) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez)
- 1969 Theodor W. Adorno, German sociologist and philosopher (born 1903) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_W._Adorno)
- 1973 Fulgencio Batista, Cuban colonel and politician, 9th President of Cuba (born 1901) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista)
- 1978 Pope Paul VI (born 1897) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_VI)
- 1979 Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feodor_Lynen)
- 1994 Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter and politician (born 1928) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Modugno)
- 2001 Jorge Amado, Brazilian novelist and poet (born 1912) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Amado)
- 2002 Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch physicist, computer scientist, and academic (born 1930) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edsger_W._Dijkstra)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian holidays and observances Transfiguration of Jesus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus)
- Christian holidays and observances Anna Maria Rubatto [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_Rubatto)
- Christian holidays and observances Felicissimus and Agapitus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicissimus_and_Agapitus)
- Christian holidays and observances Pope Hormisdas [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Hormisdas)
- Christian holidays and observances Justus and Pastor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justus_and_Pastor)
- Christian holidays and observances Pope Sixtus II [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_II)
- Christian holidays and observances August 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_6_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Accession Day. (United Arab Emirates) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zayed_bin_Sultan_Al_Nahyan)
- Independence Day (Bolivia), celebrates the independence of Bolivia from Spain in 1825. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Bolivia)
- Independence Day (Jamaica), celebrates the independence of Jamaica from the United Kingdom in 1962. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(Jamaica))
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Hiroshima, Japan) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial_Ceremony)
- Russian Railway Troops Day (Russia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Russia)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “August 6”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_6) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/August 6”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/August_6) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“August 6”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_6) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_6?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for August 6 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## August 6 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Thursday | 2026-W32 | 🌗 Last Quarter |
| 2027 | Friday | 2027-W31 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2028 | Sunday | 2028-W31 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2029 | Monday | 2029-W32 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2030 | Tuesday | 2030-W32 | 🌓 First Quarter |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on August 6

- [🇵🇪 Peru](https://whathappen.today/holidays/peru/): Battle of Junín Day (2026 and 2027)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← August 5](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-5/) · [August 7 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-7/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-6/