Today in HistoryTODAY is Wednesday, August 9, the 221st day of 2006. There are 144 days left in the year.

ON THIS DATE<$>

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau published “Walden,” which described his experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts.

In 1902, Edward VII was crowned king of England following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-metre relay.

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

In 1965, Singapore proclaimed its independence from the Malaysian Federation.

In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally murdered in Tate’s Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his disciples were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, US president Nixon’s resignation took effect. Vice president Gerald R. Ford became the US’s 38th chief executive.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“Hope is a waking dream.” — Aristotle