Today in History

Richard Nixon resigned the presidency on August 8, 1974. His resignation became effective the next day, August 9, 1974. So far, he is the only U.S. president to resign from office. Richard Nixon holds the record for the most appearances on the cover of TIME magazine, being featured 55 times over five different decades, from 1952 to 1994.

Enola Gay, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, dropped the first atomic bomb, code-named “Little Boy”, over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. At 8:15 a.m. Hiroshima time, bombardier Thomas Ferebee dropped the bomb using the Aioi Bridge as an aiming point. The plane was named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets.

Originally designated as the "Badge of Military Merit," the Purple Heart was instituted by General George Washington on August 7, 1782 to acknowledge exceptional acts of courage displayed by soldiers amidst battle. It is the oldest military award still given to American military personnel. John F Kennedy is the only Purple Heart winner to become the US President.