WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008

Today is Wednesday, August 27, the 240th day of 2008. There are 126 days left in the year.

26 B.C. _ Origin of Egyptian Era

1783 _ First hydrogen balloon flight (unmanned); reaches 900-meter altitude

1789 _ French National Assembly issues ``Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen"

1896 _ Zanzibar loses to England in a 38-minute war (9:02 -9:40 a.m.)

1928 _ 16 die in a NYC subway's second worst accident

1945 _ U.S. troops land in Japan after Japanese surrender

1962 _ Mariner 2 launched; first probe to fly by Venus

1966 _ Francis Chichester begins the first solo sail around the world

1982 _ Soyuz T-7 returns to Earth

1984 _ President Reagan announces the Teacher in Space project