In History, Today on August 9

Construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa began.

The Columbia returned to Boston Harbor after a three-year voyage, becoming the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe.

The Treaty of Fort Jackson is signed, ending the Creek War.

The Webster–Ashburton Treaty was signed, resolving border issues between the United States and British North America (now Canada).

Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark were crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, marking the beginning of the Quit India Movement, a mass protest demanding an end to British rule in India.

The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, leading to Japan's surrender in World War II.

Singapore separated from Malaysia and became an independent republic.

Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign from office, following the Watergate scandal.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan lost a 38-year hold on national leadership.

U.S. President George W. Bush announced his decision to limit federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells to existing stem cell lines.

The European Central Bank injected €95 billion into the banking system to ease liquidity concerns, marking the beginning of the global financial crisis.

The shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked protests and a national debate on race and policing in the United States.

The 2016 Summer Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking the first time the Olympics were held in South America.

The presidential election in Belarus took place, leading to widespread protests against the alleged electoral fraud by President Alexander Lukashenko.