Published
This Day In History: August 7
Take a look at all of the important historic events that took place on August 7.
On this day, Aug. 7 …
2000: Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore selects Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman as his running mate; Lieberman becomes the first person of Jewish descent on a major party's presidential ticket
Also on this day:
A United States Military Purple Heart
- 1782: Gen. George Washington creates the Order of the Purple Heart, a decoration to recognize merit in enlisted men and noncommissioned officers.
- 1789: The U.S. Department of War is established by Congress.
- 1959: The United States launches the Explorer 6 satellite, which sent back images of Earth.
- 1961: Yale psychology professor Stanley Milgram began conducting his controversial human behavior experiments concerning obedience toward authority figures.
- 1964: Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson broad powers in dealing with reported North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. forces.
- 1971: The Apollo 15 moon mission ends successfully as its command module splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
- 1998: Terrorist bombs at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania kill 224 people, including 12 Americans.
- 2005: ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings dies in New York at age 67.
- 2010: Elena Kagan is sworn in as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
- 2018: Chicago police say they will deploy hundreds of additional officers to neighborhoods where a surge of gun violence over the weekend leaves at least 11 people dead and 70 wounded.
- 2019: Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, faces backlash for posting the names and employers of dozens of Trump campaign donors in the San Antonio area.
