Today is Friday, August 26, the 238th day of 2011. There are 127 days left in the year.
55 B.C. ― Roman forces under Julius Caesar invade Britain
1791 ― John Fitch grants U.S. patent for his working steamboat
1883 ― Krakatoa erupts with increasingly large explosions kills 36,000
1907 ― Houdini escapes from chains underwater at Aquatic Park in 57 seconds
1914 ― Germans defeat Russians in Battle of Tannenberg
1920 ― 19th amendment passes; women's suffrage granted (about time!)
1947 ― First black baseball pitcher Don Bankhead (hits a homerun on first at bat)
1957 ― USSR announces successful test of intercontinental ballistic missile
1972 ― Summer Olympics open in Munich, West Germany
1973 ― University of Texas (Arlington) is first accredited school to offer belly dancing