August 9 Birthday
On August 9, 1945, three days after Hiroshima, a B-29 named Bockscar dropped "Fat Man" — a plutonium implosion bomb — on Nagasaki. The original target was Kokura, but cloud cover forced a diversion. The bomb detonated 1,540 feet above the city. Approximately 40,000 people died instantly; 70,000 had died by year's end. Nagasaki was not the primary target and was bombed only because Kokura was obscured. The Soviet Union had declared war on Japan the day before, and Japan surrendered on August 15. Whether the atomic bombings were necessary to end the war remains debated — some historians argue the Soviet declaration was the decisive factor. On August 9, 1969, followers of Charles Manson murdered five people at the home of actress Sharon Tate in Los Angeles. Tate, eight months pregnant, was stabbed sixteen times. The others killed were Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent. The next night, the group killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson believed the murders would spark a race war he called "Helter Skelter." He was sentenced to death, later commuted to life. He died in prison in 2017. People born on August 9 fall under the zodiac sign of Leo. The birthstone is Peridot and the birth flower is Gladiolus. Historical events on August 9 include 1945: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, killing approximately 40,000 instantly, 1969: Manson Family murders — five killed including Sharon Tate, 1974: Gerald Ford sworn in as 38th President after Nixon resigns. Famous people born on August 9 include Sam Elliott (1944), Whitney Houston (1963), Philippe Pétain (1856).