Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

August 8

1987
Animal Crack-Ups debuts on ABC, with host Alan Thicke.

1975
Singer Hank Williams, Jr. falls from a mountain in Montana, requiring reconstructive surgery to his face.

1974
Watergate: Pres. Nixon announces his intention to resign the following day. He had admitted his complicity in the Watergate cover-up three days earlier.

1963
World's biggest robbery: Masked bandits rob a British train of $7,367,989.

1963
The Royal Mail train is robbed of $7,000,000, at Buckinghamshire, England.

1933
First Federal Savings and Loan Association: First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Miami, Florida is chartered.

1866
First Queen to visit the US: Queen Emma of the Sandwich Islands arrives in New York.

1829
First U.S. locomotive to run on rails: The Stourbridge Lion is tested in Pennsylvania.

1786
Coinage of U.S. money is established by Congress.

1988
Princess Beatrice, first child of Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York.

1961
The Edge (Dave Evans), Irish guitarist, with U2. Music: Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983) and With You Or Without You (1987, #1).

1953
Donny Most, American actor. TV: Happy Days (Ralph Malph).

1949
Keith Carradine, American actor, singer.

1944     d. 1988
John Holmes (John Curtis Estes), American porn star, died of AIDS. He appeared in over 2,000 pornographic films. His life was the basis for the films Boogie Nights (1997) and Wonderland (2003).

1938
Connie Stevens (Concetta Ann Ingolia), American actress. TV: Hawaiian Eye (Cricket Blake).

1937
Dustin Hoffman, American Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Graduate (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979, Oscar), Tootsie (1982), and Rain Main (1988, Oscar).

1932
Mel Tillis, American country songwriter, singer, actor. Wrote: Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town (1969). TV: Hee-Haw.

1926
Richard Anderson, actor. TV: The Six Million Dollar Man (Oscar).

1923
Esther Williams, American swimmer, actress, known as "Hollywood's Mermaid."

1922
Rudi Gernreich, fashion designer, introduced topless bathing suits (1974) and the thong bathing suit.

1922
Rory Calhoun (Francis Timothy Durgin), American actor. TV: The Texan (Bill Longley).

1901     d. 1958
Ernest Orlando Lawrence, American Nobel-winning physicist. He developed the atom smasher which produced the fuel for the first atomic bombs.

1993     b. 1905
Harry Bellaver, American actor. TV: Naked City (Frank Arcaro) and Another World (Ernie Downs).

1988     b. 1903
Alan Napier (Alan Napier-Clavering), British actor. TV: Batman (Alfred the butler).

1970     b. 1945
Citation, thoroughbred race horse, 1948 Triple Crown winner, and the first race horse to win $1,000,000 (1951).

117     b. 53 A.D.
Trajan, Spanish-born Roman Emperor (98-117). Emperor Nerva, whom he succeeded, adopted him as his son in 97 A.D.

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