Today is Monday, August 9, the 221st day of 2010. There are 144 days left in the year.

On this date:

In 480 B.C., Greek troops led by Spartan King Leonidas are overcome by the Persians at Thermopylae after a heroic stand.

In 378 B.C., Visigoths annihilate a Roman army and kill the emperor at Adrianople (present-day Edirne, Turkey), marking the beginning of serious barbarian inroads on Roman territory.

In 1792, a revolutionary commune is established in Paris, France to remove the influence of government.In 1944, 258 black sailors based at Port Chicago, California refused to load a munitions ship following an explosion on another ship that killed 320 men, two-thirds of them black. Fifty sailors were convicted of mutiny, fined and imprisoned.

In 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.

In 1979, Nicaragua's new Sandinista government announces a series of reforms designed to restore normal life to the country and stimulate the economy.

In 1985, fighting in Beirut breaks out between Christian and Muslim militiamen. Thousands of rocket, mortar and artillery rounds crash into residential areas on both sides, killing at least 43 people.

In 1988, army troops in Yangon, Myanmar, open fire on thousands of demonstrators who call for overthrow of President Sein Lwin.

In 1990, the UN Security Council unanimously declares Iraq's annexation of Kuwait invalid. Iraq seals its borders, raising concern about thousands of foreigners in Iraq and Kuwait.

In 1992, thousands of frightened Afghans flee Kabul as warring guerrilla factions pound the capital with rockets.

In 1996, Chechen rebels in the centre of Grozny repel Russian attacks, supported by artillery and aircraft fire.

Thought for Today

"Hope is a waking dream." — Aristotle, Greek philosopher (384 B.C.-322 B.C.).