On this day

6 August in history.

5 moments from 1926 to 2012: discovery, creativity and courage, each with a source to read more.

5 moments

Gertrude Ederle (1905 – 2003), American competitive swimmer

1926

Gertrude Ederle swims the Channel. Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel, and did it faster than any of the men before her.

Wikipedia: Gertrude Ederle

Photo: Bain News Service, publisher / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

More from 6 August

  1. Vitaphone

    1926

    Movies with recorded sound

    The film Don Juan opened with a soundtrack on disc using the Vitaphone system, a big step toward talking pictures.

    Wikipedia: VitaphoneWikipedia: Don Juan (1926 film)

    Photo: New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc. / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  2. National Diet Building, Tokyo

    1991

    The web goes public

    Tim Berners-Lee posted a summary of his World Wide Web project and invited others to join in.

    Wikipedia: World Wide WebWikipedia: Tim Berners-Lee

    Photo: Summit / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

  3. National Diet Building, Tokyo

    1991

    Japan's first woman speaker

    Takako Doi became the first woman to lead Japan's House of Representatives.

    Wikipedia: Takako Doi

    Photo: Kakidai / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  4. Curiosity (rover)

    2012

    Curiosity lands on Mars

    NASA's car-sized Curiosity rover was lowered onto Mars by a hovering "sky crane".

    Wikipedia: Curiosity (rover)

    Photo: NASA / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Moments chosen for discovery, creativity and courage. Each one links to a source where you can read more; photos are credited to their owners.