August 9th, 1945:

The United States drops a second atomic bomb on Japan during World War Two.

This time, the target is the city of Nagasaki, where the nuclear blast kills an estimated 74,000 people. President Harry Truman...

Just days later, Japan surrenders to America and its Allies, bringing World War Two to an end.

1974:

In Washington, Richard Nixon becomes the first American President to resign, driven from office over the Watergate scandal.

Vice President Gerald Ford is sworn in as Nixon's successor...

A month later, Ford grants Nixon an unconditional pardon for any offenses that he committed during his time in the White House.

1969:

Movie actress Sharon Tate and four others are found brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home.

Cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers are later convicted of the crime.

1854:

Henry David Thoreau publishes the literary classic, 'Walden.'

The work describes Thoreau's experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts.

1964:

Singer and actress Whitney Houston is born in Newark, New Jersey.

And, 1995:

Musician Jerry Garcia of the rock band The Grateful Dead dies of a heart attack in Forrest Knolls, California. He was 53.

Today in History, August 9th --- ___ ___, The Associated Press.