The Curiosity Rover was a part of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission. It landed on Mars on August 6th, 2012, and began its journey around the red planet. The rover was car-sized, bigger than many of us imagined it to be. The job of curiosity was to survey the climate, surface, and geology of Mars. It also would use this information to assess whether the planet could sustain life.
As shared in a Q&A about the rover in The Gazette on August 12th, 2012, the rover was not the only one on the plane, as it joined the Opportunity rover. The Curiosity Rover has been helpful in expanding our understanding of Mars and is still operational today.
The 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, famously known as the “Dream Team,” is widely regarded as the greatest basketball team ever assembled. This iconic team competed this week in 1992 at the Barcelona Summer Olympics and featured NBA legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Charles Barkley. Under the coaching of Chuck Daly, the Dream Team beat the competition, winning all of their games, and their victories secured them the gold medal. Their outstanding performance showcased the American basketball scene and boosted the sport’s global popularity, inspiring countless fans and future players worldwide.
The dream team story was shared in The Gazette on August 9th, 1992, where they shared the story of how the team delivered on the promise of a gold medal. It shares how previous international losses motivated them to play well in the Olympics. Their effort paid off, as not only did they get the gold medal, but they also were the first team to score over 100 points in every game.
At the height of the civil rights movement in 1965, the voting rights of minority groups in the United States were being threatened. In response, under the administration of President Lyndon B Johnson, they created a way to secure voting rights for every citizen of the United States. The Voting Rights Act was built upon the foundation set by the 14th and 15th amendments. It worked by getting rid of any remaining voting restrictions, including literacy tests and poll taxes, which were historically used to discriminate against minorities at the polls. The Act was signed into law on August 6th, 1965.
An interesting piece I found talking about the Voting Rights Act was published in the Newark Evening News a week after the act was enacted into law. William S. White wrote a piece titled “To Whom the Work Falls”, in which he described how he felt about the new Voting Rights Act as a white northerner. He claimed that the burden of registering and helping minorities vote would fall on the shoulders of white northern men, and that it would be yet another responsibility they must do. I think this is an interesting take, and while it isn’t one a lot of people agree with, I think it is interesting to see the reactions of those who were not in favor of the Voting Act.
All attention turned to the Pacific front after the Allied forces defeated Germany in World War II. Unlike the Germans, the Japanese were not going to surrender. One of the biggest beliefs of the Japanese army was the refusal to surrender. They would rather die than be captured or accept defeat. The allies quickly realized they needed to find a different way to defeat Japan, and fast.
The solution they came up with was atomic weapons. As I covered a few weeks ago, the US began to develop nuclear bombs to use against Japan in the war. On August 6th, 1945, the new weaponry made its debut.
Hiroshima was a well-developed city in Japan and became the target of the first bombing. The first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy” was carried on a bomber plane. Troops on the plane carrying the little boy had a dangerous job and had been preparing restlessly for their impossible task. They had a short window of time following the deployment of the bomb to get out of the area to avoid the blast. Even the scientists that made the bomb weren’t sure if the plane would survive. Despite the small chances of survival, they took off early in the morning of August 6th, 1945, and dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.
The bomb was unlike any other To create the explosion, uranium would undergo a chemical process called fission, which involves splitting the nuclei of the atoms. Under 2% of the uranium in the bomb reached fission when it was dropped on Hiroshima, but the damage was so intense you wouldn’t have guessed it. In the Newark Evening News on August 6th, 1945, they published the headline “Atomic Bomb Blasts Japan, Equals 20,000 Tons Of TNT” on the front page. Ground temperatures climbed to well above 7000 degrees (f) within seconds. It was so powerful that it instantly vaporized civilians, killing an estimated 80,000 in the direct impact area. Buildings were melted and most of the city was destroyed.
The damage went further than the initial explosion. The city faced the challenges of the destruction while also completely unaware of the effects the nuclear blast would have on them in the long run. Even those who lived outside of the direct impact area developed illnesses from the radiation that went undiscovered until later in their life.
This topic is where my search tip of the week comes into play. One important thing to keep in mind when researching international events is how time zones affect reporting. Japan is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so while it was one day in Japan, it was a different day in the US. This means that you should look for when it would have been reported in the US, which may differ due to the time difference.
The Battle of Mobile Bay was an important battle in the American Civil War. It began on August 2nd, 1864, and lasted until August 23. Union troops were trying to capture a major Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico. In the Quincy Whig and Republican on August 13th, news of the Union invasion had spread, and they said that if it were true, the forts would need to immediately surrender. Under the command of Admiral David Farragut, the Union fleets engaged the Confederate fort and overtook the post. They were then able to take control and close off Mobile from open trade, hurting Confederate supply lines. This was a significant victory that helped the Union win the Civil War.
This week in history provides a wide variety of important moments in our history, and we can experience them through the eyes of people living them because we have digitized these important resources. Join me again next week to discover more of history’s hidden gems and timeless tales.
Explore the “Read All About It” archives to read stories that spotlight our partners and their communities, announcements from our team, updates on current projects, and so much more. Discover articles about engagement, outreach, primary sources, community, digitization, education, and other topics of interest. Delve into the happenings in this week in history and take a deep dive into the events and people who helped shape our communities, our nation, and the world.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye, READ ALL ABOUT IT!
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