Holidays Calendar for August 6, 2018

August 6 is Independence Day in Bolivia. This public holiday commemorates the establishment of the Republic of Bolivia (now the Plurinational State of Bolivia) in 1825.

Central American country El Salvador and its capital and largest city San Salvador were named after Jesus Christ who is considered their patron (El Salvador means “The Savior” and San Salvador stands for “Holy Savior”). Festivities dedicated to the patron of the country and its capital are held in El Salvador every August. They culminate on August 6, the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

The national day of Jamaica is its Independence Day. It commemorates the proclamation of Jamaican independence from the United Kingdom on August 6, 1962.

The first Monday in August is Civic Holiday in most Canadian provinces. This holiday is known under different names in many provinces and municipalities.

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Battle of Junín Day is a Peruvian public holiday celebrated annually on August 6. It commemorates one of the most important battles of the Peruvian War of Independence, compared by some historians to the Battle of Boyacá in Colombia in terms of historic significance.

Labor Day is one of the public holidays in Samoa. It's annually observed on the first Monday in August.

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Emancipation Day is a common holiday for the former colonies of Great Britain and Guyana. This day is celebrated on the first Monday in August. At some point the holiday became the first day of the traditional Carnival and adopted the name of August Monday.

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People across Zambia celebrate Farmers' Day on the first Monday in August. Zambians depend on farming very much, that is why this holiday praises their work.

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The first Monday in August is National Childrens' Day in Tuvalu. This public holiday is called in Tuvalu Aso Tamaliki.

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Youth Day is a public holiday in Kiribati. Celebration of this holiday is aimed to promote healthy lifestyle among youth and children of Kiribati.

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Iceland annually celebrates Commerce Day on the first Monday in August. This holiday appeared in 1894, and the first observation took place in Reykjavik.

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The Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus is observed by various Christian denominations. It is celebrated on August 6 by most churches that follow the Gregorian calendar. This date was chosen by Pope Callixstus III to commemorate the 1456 Siege of Belgrad.

Sailor Moon is one of the most popular manga and anime series of all time, so it is not surprising that Sailor Moon fans celebrate it not once, but twice a year: International Sailor Moon Day is observed on June 30 and on August 6.

National Space Day (Hari Keantariksaan Nasional) is celebrated in Indonesia annually on August 6. It commemorates the promulgation of the Space Act of 2013 that outlines the national space policy of Indonesia.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is an annual vigil that takes place in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. It is dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that occurred in August 1945.

Constitution Day is an Iranian observance held on August 6 each year (the 14th of Mordad in the Iranian calendar). It commemorates the events of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1911. It is not a public holiday.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s Accession Day is observed in the United Arab Emirates on August 6. It honors the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the first president of the UAE, who is considered the founding father of the country. Although it’s not a public holiday, it’s marked with various events and activities that take place across the country.

August 6 is National Root Beer Float Day. This food related holiday celebrates a type of ice cream soda which is sometimes referred to as a “brown cow” or “black cow”.

National Fresh Breath Day is observed annually on August 6. It was created to raise awareness of the importance of fresh breath and encourage people to practice good dental hygiene and maintain their oral and gut health.

 

This Day in History

  • 2014 Died: John Woodland Hastings, American biochemist and academic, leader in photobiology and one of the founders of circadian biology, field of biology that studies circadian rhythms, or the sleep-wake cycle.
  • 2012 NASA's Curiosity robotic rover successfully landed on the surface of Mars. The landing was broadcast, over 200,000 people watched it.
  • 1998 Died: André Weil, French mathematician and academic, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. He is known for foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry.
  • 1990 The United Nations Security Council ordered a global trade embargo against Iraq, thus responding Iraq's invasion to Kuwait.
  • 1985 Died: Forbes Burnham, Guyanese politician, Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 to 1980 and President of Guyana from 1980 till his death. He is revered as a leader, who fought for nationalism and encouraged manufacture and export of local products.
  • 1979 Died: Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate for discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism.
  • 1978 Died: Edward Durell Stone, American architect, early proponent of modern architecture in the USA. He is known as designer of Radio City Music Hall (New York) and the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.).
  • 1978 Died: Pope Paul VI, born as Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montin. His papacy lasted from 1963 till his death. He is known for implementation of numerous reforms, that improved relations with Eastern Orthodox Church and Protestants.
  • 1972 Born: Geri Halliwell, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress, best remembered as a member of popular British girl group Spice Girls. She left Spice Girls due to depression and differences within the group and started successful solo career.
  • 1970 Born: Manoj Shyamalan, or M. Night Shyamalan in professional circle, Indian screenwriter, producer and film director. His best known works are The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, The Last Airbender, After Earth.
  • 1964 World's oldest tree Prometheus was cut down. The tree grew in eastern Nevada, United States. The tree was at least 4862 years old and it was cut down by a graduate student and United States Forest Service personnel for research purposes. At the time of cutting, people didn't know of the record-breaking age of the tree.
  • 1963 Born: Kevin Mitnick, American computer hacker and author. Once he was the most-wanted computer criminal in the USA and in 1999 he was convicted for various computer crimes. Now he runs a security firm.
  • 1959 Died: Preston Sturges, American director, screenwriter, and playwright, winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This award was brought by film The Great McGinty.
  • 1945 Died: Richard Bong, American soldier and pilot. He is known for his highest-scoring air race, having shot down at least 40 Japanese aircraft during WWII. In 1944 he received the Medal of Honor.
  • 1940 The Soviet Union illegally annexed the territory of Estonia.
  • 1928 Born: Andy Warhol, American painter and photographer, leading figure in pop art movement. The Andy Warhol Museum was founded in his native city, that hold an extensive collection of his works. This museum is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist.
  • 1926 Gertrude Ederle, American competition swimmer and Olympic champion, became the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
  • 1911 Born: Lucille Ball, American actress, model, comedian. Audience remembers her for the role as Lucy in popular American sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Here's Lucy and Life with Lucy.
  • 1890 World's first execution on electric chair took place at Auburn Prison, New York. William Kemmler, American murderer, was subjected to this kind of punishment. The first attempt failed and Kemmler survived, that is why the second attempt was made.
  • 1881 Died: James Springer White, American religious leader, remembered as co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
  • 1881 Born: Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist, author of numerous articles on bacteriology, chemotherapy and immunology. He received Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945.
  • 1826 Born: Thomas Alexander Browne, Australian author, best known for his novel Robbery Under Arms. This novel is considered to be one of the greatest Australian colonial novels.
  • 1819 Norwich University was founded in Vermont as the first private military school in the United States.
  • 1809 Born: Alfred, Lord Tennyson, English poet and author. He was the favorite poet of Queen Victoria, who titled him 1st Baron Tennyson and Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • 1806 Francis II, the last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, abdicated the throne, thus ending the Holy Roman Empire.
  • 1766 Born: William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist, famous for discovery of the elements palladium and rhodium. He also found a method of processing platinum ore into malleable ingots.
  • 1661 Portugal and the Dutch Republic signed the Treaty of The Hague. Under the treaty, the Dutch Republic recognized Portuguese imperial sovereignty over New Holland (Brazil).
  • 1660 Died: Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter, the leading artist of the court of King Philip IV and one of the most important painters of the Spanish Golden Age. His best known for such masterpieces, as Las Meninas, Mars Resting, The Lady with a Fan.
  • 1644 Born: Louise de La Vallière, the first mistress of Louis XIV of France from 1661 to 1667. They had five children, only tow of them survived infancy.
  • 1538 Spanish explorer and conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founded Bogotá, present-day capital of Colombia.