This Week in American History

Here is what happened this week in American History.

• Aug. 3. On this day in 1900, Harvey Firestone founds the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. The company initially specializes in solid rubber tires used on fire apparatus, wagons and buggies. They later transition to manufacturing pneumatic tires. Firestone was personal friends with Henry Ford and Firestone Tire and Rubber began supplying tires for all Ford vehicles. Today, Firestone is owned by Bridgestone Americas which is owned by Japanese Bridgestone Corporation.

• Aug. 4. Today in 2007, NASA launches the spacecraft Phoenix to Mars. The spacecraft successfully lands on the planet and remains active for 161 days, sending information back to Earth.

• Aug. 5. In 1861, the US government imposes the Revenue Act of 1861 which establishes an income tax to help fund fighting the Civil War. The tax was temporary, set to expire in 1866. It would be replaced by the Revenue Act of 1862, which included other taxes as well.

• Aug. 6. On this day in 1956, the DuMont Television Network comes to an end, its last broadcast being a boxing match conducted in St. Nicholas Arena in New York. The DuMont network was among the first commercial television networks and might have actually been the first before declaring bankruptcy and fading into history. Comedian Jackie Gleason, known for “The Honeymooners” and “Smokey and The Bandit”, got his television start on the DuMont Television Network.

• Aug. 7. Today in 1987, Lynne Cox becomes the first person to swim across the Bering Strait, from the US to the Soviet Union. She started at Little Diomede Island in Alaska and swam to Big Diomede, a distance of less than 2-1/2 miles but through water with temperatures of only 44 degrees.

• Aug. 8. In 1942, six German saboteurs are executed in the US with two others being sentenced to prison. The eight men were to use explosives to destroy various targets in the US. They were brought into the country by two U-boats. One of the men, George Dasch, went to the FBI to defect and shared information about the plot. Dasch will be sentenced to 30 years in prison and was then deported to Germany where he was considered a traitor and remained until his death in 1992.

• Aug. 9. On this day in 1974, Richard Nixon becomes the first President to resign from office, this stemming from the Watergate scandal. Vice President Gerald Ford becomes President. Ford completes the term, but loses the next election to Jimmy Carter, thus becoming the only US President never elected by the people.

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