On This Day in History August 8 Historical Events 1509 Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the rejuvenation of the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India  1609 Venetian Senate examines Galileo Galilei's telescope  Image of the first US one dollar bill (United States Note) issued in 1862 1786 US Congress unanimously chooses the dollar as the monetary unit for the United States of America  1945 Soviet Union declares war against Japan in World War II and invades Manchuria the next day  1974 US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12pm the next day  1988 Ceasefire between Iran and Iraq takes effect after 8 years of war  More Historical Events  Famous Birthdays Paul Dirac 1902 - 1984 Dustin Hoffman 87th Birthday Roger Federer 43rd Birthday Shawn Mendes 26th Birthday Also Ken Dryden and Nigel Mansell.  More Famous Birthdays  Famous Deaths Shirley Jackson 1916 - 1965 Olivia Newton-John 1948 - 2022 Also George Canning and Fay Wray.  More Famous Deaths  Beauty Contest Winner Claws Her Way To Victory A beauty contest held every year in America since 1973 has a unique feature – every contestant is a crab! It’s the Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant.  Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant