August 9th
1854
Henry David Thoreau's Walden, recounting his experiment in solitary life on the shores of Massachusetts' Walden Pond, was published.
1945
The United States exploded a nuclear bomb over Nagasaki, Japan, killing an estimated 74,000 people.
1995
Rock musician Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead died at age 53.
2002
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 600th homer, becoming the fourth major leaguer to reach the mark.
2008
Comedian Bernie Mac died at age 50.
Birthdays
81 Bob Cousy Basketball Hall of Famer
71 Rod Laver Tennis Hall of Famer
67 David Steinberg Comedian
66 Ken Norton Boxing Hall of Famer
65 Sam Elliott Actor
52 Melanie Griffith Actress
51 Amanda Bearse Actress ("Married...With Children")
46 Whitney Houston Singer, actress
45 Brett Hull Hockey Hall of Famer
42 Deion Sanders Athlete, sportscaster
41 Gillian Anderson Actress ("The X Files")
41 Eric Bana Actor
39 Arion Salazar Rock musician (Third Eye Blind)
38 Nikki Schieler Ziering Actress
37 Liz Vassey Actress ("CSI")