August 10: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Two rival driverless taxi companies were given approval to operate 24/7 in San Francisco, California.

The two companies, Cruise and Waymo, had been testing their services in the city for a year before they were given full approval.

Floods swept through India, killing over two hundred people and displacing one million.

India had experienced the heaviest monsoon season in 25 years, killing around 1,600 people from June to October 2019.

Monsanto became liable to pay out $289 million in damages to a groundsman who got terminal cancer from its “Roundup” weed killer.

A century-old fruit cake was discovered in Antarctica that was “almost edible.”

The cake was found wrapped in paper inside a tin, and it is believed to have been made by the British biscuit company Huntley & Palmers.

Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers won the 100-meter freestyle gold medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

He completed the distance in 47.58 seconds which became a junior world record.

Protesting and riots began in Missouri following the death of African American man, Michael Brown.

Brown was shot down dead by police on August 9, which sparked riots the following day. As a result, 321 protestors were arrested in Ferguson, Missouri.

The 14th IAAF World Championships opened in Moscow, Russia.

Russia won the most medals until a later date when a Russian athlete failed an anti-doping test.

After a 15-month-long journey from earth, NASA’s Magellan went into orbit around Venus and began to map the planet.

The Society for American Baseball Research was founded in Cooperstown, New York.

Canon Inc. was established in Tokyo, Japan.

Missouri entered the United States Union and became the 24th state.

Ecuador declared independence from Spain.

Spaniards first started colonization in the capital city Quito, Ecuador, in 1563. After around 250 years of colonial rule, Ecuadorians began to rebel and declared independence. They were defeated in just three weeks; however, this was the beginning of the road to gaining full independence.

A group invaded the Tuileries Palace, where Louis XVI stayed during the French revolution.

Portuguese explorer Diogo Dias became the first European to set foot on Madagascar.

Dias ended up there accidentally when his ship was blown off course while on his way to India.