On this day in history.

[J. A.]

July 16, 1920: the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye takes effect, making Burgenland a part of Austria, and South Tyrol a part of Italy

Wikipedia
The monarchy and the countries that were constituted after 1920

 

[J. A.]

July 17, 1854: the Semmering railway, designed by Carl von Ghega, is opened. It is still fully functional and now a World Heritage site.

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semmering_railway

 

[J. A.]

July 23, 1851: ZAMG, the world's oldest weather service was founded.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Institution_for_Meteorology_and_Geodynamics

 

[J. A.]

August 1, 1976: The Reichsbrücke, Vienna's most famous bridge, collapses, killing one person.
The bridge before 1976:

August 1, 1976:

The bridge now:

Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsbrücke

 

[scifan57]

August 4, 1944:

Acting on a tip from an unknown Dutch collaborator, the Gestapo discovers and arrests Anne Frank and her family in their secret hiding place. Anne's father, Otto Frank is the only one of the ten people arrested that day to survive the war. After the war he published his daughter's diary, which became an international best seller.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank

 

[abababababab]

August 5, 1944 : The Cowra Breakout occurred, which is said to the the largest prison breakout in history, where at least 1104 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from the POW camp near Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowra_breakout

 

[scifan57]

August 6, 1945;

At 8:16am, Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4...nniversary-of-us-atomic-bombing-of-hiroshima/

 

[J. A.]

August 7, 1908: Venus of Willendorf, a female figure from the Paleolithic period, is found near Willendorf, Austria.

Wikipedia

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf

 

[J. A.]

August 9, 1945: Fat Man, the second of two nuclear weapons used in warfare, is detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, destroying the city and killing 39,000 people at once.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man
The effect of the detonation on Nagasaki:

Wikipedia

 

[J. A.]

August 12, 30 BC: Cleopatra, last active pharao ot Ancient Egypt, committs suicide by means of an asp bite.

Wikipedia
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_VII

 

[J. A.]

August 15, 1977: Jerry R. Ehman detects the Wow! signal, a radio signal, while working on a SETI project at the Big Ear radio telescope of Ohio State University. It lasted for 72 seconds and seems to be of non-terrestrial and non-Solar System origin.

Wikipedia
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal

 

[J. A.]

I didn't know this yet yesterday, so I add it today:
August 24, 2014: Lord Richard Attenborough, actor and director, died, aged 90.

Wikipedia
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Attenborough

 

[scifan57]

He will be sorely missed.

 

[J. A.]

August 26, 55 BC: Caesar lands in Britain
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar's_invasions_of_Britain

 

[scifan57]

September 11, 2001;
Terrorists hijack four passenger planes and use them in suicide attacks that destroyed the World Trade Centre in New York City and damaged the Pentagon in Washington D.C. A fourth Plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field as the result of an attempt by the passengers to retake the plane after they found out what happened to the other three planes. Thousands lost their lives that day and will never be forgotten.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

http://online.wsj.com/articles/ceremony-to-mark-13th-anniversary-of-sept-11-attacks-1410429601