Historical Events 1461  Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor 1714  The Battle of Gangut: the first important victory of the Russian Navy during the Great Northern War against Sweden 1933  The Iraqi Government slaughters over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Sumail. The day becomes known as Assyrian Martyrs Day. 1955  Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, begins selling its first transistor radios in Japan 1990  Operation Desert Shield begins - US deploys troops to Saudi Arabia 2009  “Tik Tok” single released by Kesha (Billboard Song of the Year 2010) More Historical Events Famous Birthdays Charlize Theron 43rd Birthday Elizabeth Báthory (1560 - 1614) Mata Hari (1876 - 1917) Ralph Bunche (1904 - 1971) More Famous Birthdays Famous Deaths Henry IV (1050 - 1106) Oliver Hardy (1892 - 1957) More Famous Deaths August 7th: Why Mata Hari Was Not the Spy You Thought She Was The controversial life and death of Mata Hari, the glamorous WWI double agent, executed in 1917, has recently been reassessed in the light of new evidence. Read the Article