From Social Security To The Great Train Robbery, A Nuclear Bomb To The End Of A President, This Weeks History Had A Lot.

August is a special month. August is the last real month of the summer season, children prepare to return to school and start classes, my brother was born in August, and the days start to really get shorter. There are many reasons to celebrate August.

The Mimeograph

Prior to laser printers, inkjet printers, dot-matrix printers, and photocopiers, there was the mimeograph machine. The early form of rapid publication of information was everywhere. They were in schools, the military used them, and in business offices. If you needed something between say thirty copies of information for a flier, a class, or even over 500 copies to give out at the local church, you would use a mimeograph machine. on August 8th, 1876 Thomas Edison was awarded the patent on the mimeograph that would remain in use for nearly seventy-five years before being phased out for early day copiers.

How the mimeographs work is simple. A stencil was cut, ink pushed through holes onto paper, and repeat the process. The business of mimeographs was also simple: Machine sales, stencil sales, ink sales and even selling the paper, even though there was competition there.

The Great Train Robbery

In 1963 a gang of robbers successfully pulled off the heist of the decade when they managed to successfully steal 2.6 million pounds in banknotes from an English train. Later in history, this becomes known as the Great Train Robbery.

The team of holdup men, dressed in helmets, ski jackets, ski masks, and gloves, were believed to have two accomplices-insiders who gave them sensitive information about the train schedule and its' cargo information, and another individual that provided them a country hideaway, Letherslade Farm in Buckinghamshire. The whole job was masterminded by the ringleader, Bruce Reynolds, a professional burglar, and usually armed robber. After concocting and carrying out the audacious plan that begins with stopping the train, pulling off the heist, and then hiding out, thieves were hired to burn the hideaway down. They did such a poor job that fingerprints were still recovered. 12 of the 15 were caught, convicted, and sent to prison, all serving terms less than 13 years.

One of the daring thieves, Ronnie Biggs, escaped in 1965. He underwent plastic surgery and fled to Paris. From there, Biggs made the journey to Australia for a while and eventually would leave and end up staying in Brazil. Life on the run, unable to return home, proved too much for Biggs as he got older and he returned to the U.K. in 2001 where he was finally rearrested.

President Richard Nixon Resigns

Because of the Watergate Scandal, on August 8th, 1974, President Richard M. Nixon announced his intention to resign from the office of President. It made him the first United States President to resign. This all transpired with impeachment proceedings underway due to his involvement in the Watergate scandal as Nixon bowed to the pressures of the public and Congress, leaving the White House in disgrace.

-By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing, which is so desperately needed in America.

President Richard M. Nixon-August 8th, 1974

On August 9th, 1974, at noon, the resignation of President Nixon took effect and he has been the only American President ever to resign from office.

Nagasaki Nuclear Bombing

On August 9th, 1945, the city of Nagasaki Japan was bombed by American forces, marking only the second time the nuclear bomb was used. As a B-28 bomber was headed to the city of Kokura, it was subsequently redirected to an alternate target due to poor visibility. At about noon that day, the bomb detonated and killed an estimated 70,000 people while destroying half the city.

Frederick Douglass Speech

On August 11th, 1841 an escaped slave spoke before an audience in the north for the very first time. It was during an anti-slavery convention on Nantucket Island that he gave a powerful and emotional account of his life as a slave. Douglass was immediately asked to become a full-time lecturer for the Massachusetts Antislavery Society. Perhaps, in reading it, one of his most powerful speeches comes from his address, "The Meaning Of July Fourth for the Negro" which I urge everyone to consider reading. It's a powerful piece.

God speed the year of jubilee

The wide world o'er!

When from their galling chains set free,

Th' oppress'd shall vilely bend the knee,

And wear the yoke of tyranny

Like brutes no more.

That year will come, and freedom's reign,

To man his plundered rights again

Restore.

God speed the day when human blood

Shall cease to flow!

In every clime be understood,

The claims of human brotherhood,

And each return for evil, good,

Not blow for blow;

That day will come all feuds to end,

And change into a faithful friend

Each foe.

God speed the hour, the glorious hour,

When none on earth

Shall exercise a lordly power,

Nor in a tyrant's presence cower;

But to all manhood's stature tower,

By equal birth!

That hour will come, to each, to all,

And from his Prison-house, to thrall

Go forth.

Until that year, day, hour, arrive,

With head, and heart, and hand I'll strive,

To break the rod, and rend the gyve,

The spoiler of his prey deprive --

So witness Heaven!

And never from my chosen post,

Whate'er the peril or the cost,

Be driven.

-William Lloyd Garrison

The Social Security Act

In August 1935, on the 14th, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. While it was a framework, meant to help with recovering from the recession, it guaranteed pensions to those who retire at age 65. The system aids states in providing financial aid to dependent children, the blind, the crippled, and the mentally ill as well as administering a system of unemployment insurance.

The Greatest Party Ever Thrown

Woodstock began in a field near Yasgur's farm near Bethel, New York. 24 rock bands, a three-day festival environment, drew a crowd of more than 300,000 young people and the beginning of the counter culture movement of the 1960s had begun. Woodstock is a cornerstone of music history, pop-culture history, and the history of America as in many ways the event shaped the future for millions of people and changed the attitudes of a country.

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Thanks for reading. These are the handpicked events from this week in history, the ones that I found extremely interesting. If you enjoyed reading this I'd love to know and you can share that by clicking the heart icon just below this and show it some love. This is an independently published article and its' reach is up to the readers. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to share it with your friends. If you're interested in writing for vocal and getting those ideas and stories of yours out of your head, click the vocal link below or here and get your special introductory two months.