August 2, 1923 – President Warren G. Harding dies suddenly in San Francisco while on a Western speaking tour. The following day Calvin Coolidge is sworn into office. Harding’s legacy is tainted by the Teapot Dome oil lease scandal that comes to light following his death.
August 4, 1964 – “Freedom Summer” Civil Rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner are found murdered and buried in an earthen dam outside Philadelphia, Mississippi. They were participating in efforts to increase Black voter registration. Seven avowed members of the Ku Klux Klan are convicted on federal conspiracy charges in connection with the deaths.
August 6, 1945 – The first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan killing over 105,000 people. Another 100,000 die later from radiation affects.
August 6, 1965 – President Lyndon Johnson signs the federal Voting Rights Act ending voter limitation practices such as poll taxes, literacy tests, and character tests.