What Happened Today in History on August 9

Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus. The Battle during Caesar's Civil War takes place in Pharsalus, Central Greece. Julius Caesar and his allies fought against the army of the Roman Republic under the command of Pompey who had the backing of a majority of Roman senators and his army significantly outnumbered the veteran Caesarian legions. Expand +

The Visigoths defeat a large Roman army led by Valens, the Roman emperor of the East, at the Battle of Adrianople (also known as the Battle of Hadrianopolis), in present-day Turkey. The battle was an overwhelming victory for the Visigoths ending with two-thirds of the Roman army being overran and slaughtered, including Emperor Valens. More

The Treaty of Leake is signed by King Edward II and his cousin, Thomas of Lancaster in Leake, Nottinghamshire. The agreement was a compromise to reconcile the king with Lancaster and his followers and to end the baronial conflict. The treaty reconfirmed the Ordinances of 1311 and granted a pardon to Lancaster and his supporters.

The United States drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. An American B-29 bomber headed for the primary target which was the city of Kokura but because of the weather and poor visibility chose a secondary target, Nagasaki. The bomb detonated killing an estimated 70,000 persons and destroying about half the city.

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, gains its independence from Malaysia following a period of political and racial tensions within the short-lived Malaysia federation . The separation was formalized through the Independence of Singapore Agreement, declaring Singapore an independent and sovereign nation. Expand +

The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, sparks protests and civil unrest, leading to a national conversation on racial tensions and police violence in the United States.