Unix Timestamp: 1030147200
Saturday, August 24. 2002, 12:00:00 AM UTC

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill defends his decision to release the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. //news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8216897.stm (BBC) //www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/24/macaskill-defends-megrahi-release-lockerbie ("The Guardian") //english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/08/2009824141339595745.html (Al Jazeera) //news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/24/content_11937958.htm (Xinhua)

Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895, a Boeing 737, crashes in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan shortly after takeoff, killing 71 people. //afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gWBJlDt_jARNi5s_PQLU-antCwmQ (AFP via Google News)

Dozens of people are rescued from floods on the Sunshine Coast of the Australian state of Queensland. //www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/24/2014358.htm (ABC News)

Two people are killed and eleven are injured when a hot air balloon bursts into flames in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. //www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/25/balloon.crash/index.html?eref=rss_topstories (CNN)

The International Astronomical Uniondefines 'planet' at its 26th General Assembly, demoting Pluto to the status of 'dwarf planet' more than 70 years after its discovery.

Two airliners in Russia, carrying a total of 89 passengers, crash within minutes of each other after flying out of Domodedovo International Airport, leaving no survivors. Authorities suspect suicide attacks by rebels from Chechnya to be the cause of the crashes.

A United Nations court finds Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of a small town in Rwanda, guilty of nine counts of genocide, marking the first time that the 1948 law banning genocide is enforced.

A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 airliner (Swissair Flight 111) crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, after taking off from New York City en-route to Geneva all 229 people on board are killed.

The first RFID human implantation is tested in the United Kingdom.

Microsoft releases Windows 95

August 28 – Hurricane Andrew hits south Florida and dissipates over the Tennessee valley when it merges with a storm system 23 are killed.

A special commission in Brazil concludes that there is sufficient evidence to begin impeachment proceedings against President of Brazil Fernando Collor de Mello, finding he had accepted millions of dollars worth of illegal payments from business interests.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Belarus declares independence from Soviet Union.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Ukraine declares independence from Soviet Union.

Student Linus Torvalds posts messages to Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix about the new operating system kernel he has been developing.

The Old Philadelphia Arena is destroyed by arson.

Mark David Chapman is sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, after being convicted of murdering John Lennon in Manhattan 8 months earlier.

Ghana recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

In Uruguay, the army captures Marcelo Gelman and his pregnant wife. Marcelo is later killed and his wife (and unborn child) disappear.

In Sacramento, California, Lynette Fromme, a follower of jailed cult leader Charles Manson, attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford, but is thwarted by a Secret Service agent.

Officers responsible for the military coup in Greece in 1967 are sentenced to death in Athens. The sentences are later commuted to life imprisonment.

The London Hilton hotel is bombed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army 2 people are killed and 63 injured.//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/5/newsid_2499000/2499203.stm 1975: London Hilton bombed

SeptemberndashOctober ndash In New Zealand, Māori leader Whina Cooper leads a march 5,000 people in support of Maori claims to their land.

France explodes its first hydrogen bomb.

Riots occur in French Somaliland.

First battle between the South African Defense Force and the armed wing of SWAPO - PLAN takes place at Ongulumbashe in Northern Namibia.

The Doors record their self-titled debut LP.

27 – The Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City nominates incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson for a full term, and U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota as his running mate.

A group of armed Cuban exile terrorists fire at a hotel in Havana from a speedboat.

Cyprus joins the United Nations.

The Brazilian president, Getulio Vargas, commits suicide after being accused of involvement in a conspiracy to murder a Brazilian Air Force officer.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization established.

The first meeting of the charter members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) is held.//www.accj.or.jp/history

Liberation of Paris: The Allies enter Paris, successfully completing Operation Overlord.

Japanese attack the USS "Harder"

WWII: ndash Heinrich Himmler is named Reichminister of the Interior in Germany .

WWII: A Luftwaffe bomb hits an Estonian steamer with 3,500 Soviet-mobilized Estonian men on board, killing 598 of them.

Howard Florey and a team including Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, publish their laboratory results showing the "in vivo" bactericidal action of penicillin. They have also purified the drug.

As details of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact become public, Neville Chamberlain recalls the Parliament of the United Kingdom several weeks early. In a burst of legislation, a War Powers Act is approved and HMG order the Royal Navy to be put on a war footing, all leaves to be cancelled, and the Naval and coast defense reserves to be called up, especially radar and anti-aircraft units. In addition, the last British and French private citizens in Germany are ordered home by their respective Governments.

The Labour Government of Ramsay MacDonald resigns in Britain, replaced by a National Government of people drawn from all parties, also under MacDonald.

August 25 ndash The 1927 Nova Scotia hurricane hits the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, causing massive damage and at least 56 deaths.

A statue of Joan of Arc was unveiled in Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier.

The Red River Rebellion ends with the arrival of the Wolseley Expedition and the fleeing of Louis Riel.

Potato chips are first prepared.

Venice surrenders to Austrian troops after a 4-month siege.

The U.S.barque "Ocean Monarch" is burnt out off the Great Orme, North Wales, with the loss of 178, chiefly emigrants.

A Constitutionalist insurrection breaks out at Oporto, Portugal.

The Treaty of St. Louis is signed in St. Louis, Missouri.

War of 1812: British troops occupy Washington, D.C., setting numerous buildings on fire, including the Capitol.

Louis XVI of France abolishes the use of torture in extracting confessions.

Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor, returns from Italy.

Great Northern War: Final defeat of Poland by Karl XII. Augustus II the Strong deposed and replaced by Karl's ally Stanislaw Leszczynski.

Isaac Newton publishes his "Opticks".

The lower 3 counties of the Province of Pennsylvania become the colony of Delaware.

French and English fleets clash off Málaga, causing heavy casualties in both sides but without sinking any ships.

An earthquake strikes Gondar, Ethiopia.

"A Tale of a Tub", the first major satire by Jonathan Swift, is published.

The Sultanate of Brunei cedes its north-east territories to the Sultanate of Sulu.

Rome decrees that Roman ceremonial practice in Latin (not in Chinese) is to be the law for Chinese missions.

Great Northern War: Russian troops under Tsar Peter the Great capture Tartu and Narva.

The Students' Monument is built in Aiud, Romania.

Thomas Darley purchases the bay Arabian horseDarley Arabian in Aleppo, Syria, and ships him to stud in England where he becomes the most important foundation sire of all modern thoroughbredracing bloodstock.

In India, the fort and trading settlement of Sutanuti - which later becomes Calcutta - is founded on the Hooghly River by the English East India Company following signing of an Anglo-Moghul treaty.ref name=Cassell's Chronology/

Comédie-Française is founded by decree of Louis XIV of France as "La maison de Molière" in Paris.

The first official English representative to India lands at Surat.

Christian IV of Denmark refuses to let Tycho Brahe return to Denmark.

Vilcabamba, Peru, the last independent remnant of the Inca Empire, is conquered by Spain.

Siege of Sancerre: Catholic forces of the king lay siege to Sancerre, a Huguenot stronghold in central France. The fortified city holds out for nearly eight months without bombard artillery. This is one of the last times that slings are used in European warfare.

Geronimo Mercuriali from Forlì (Italy) writes the work "De morbis cutaneis" (On the diseases of the skin), the first scientific tract on dermatology.

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre: Catholics in Paris murder thousands of Protestants, including Gaspard de Coligny and Petrus Ramus, at the order of King Charles IX with Catherine de Medici's connivance. Henry of Navarre and the Prince of Condé barely escape the same fate. This brings about the Fourth War of Religion in France.

Imaginary numbers defined by Rafael Bombelli.

December ndash Siege of Haarlem is begun by the Duke of Alva, Spanish commander in the Netherlands.

A supernova, now designated as SN 1572, is first observed in the constellationCassiopeia by Cornelius Gemma. Tycho Brahe, who notes it two days later, will use it to challenge the prevailing view that stars do not change.University of Otago Library exhibition note for //www.library.otago.ac.nz/exhibitions/delights/case_eight.html "The Earth Beyond" Allen, R. H. "Star Names: their Lore and Meaning", Bill Thayer's edition at LacusCurtius, //penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/astronomy/_Texts/secondary/ALLSTA/Cassiopeia.htmlCassiopeia.

Georg Braun begins publication of his urban atlas "Civitates orbis terrarum" in Cologne.

Portugal's national epic "Os Lusíadas" by Luís de Camões is first published.

St. Bartholomew\\\\\'s Day massacre: Catholics in Paris murder thousands of Protestants, including Gaspard de Coligny and Petrus Ramus, at the order of King Charles IX with Catherine de Medici's connivance. Henry of Navarre and the Prince of Condé barely escape the same fate. This brings about the Fourth War of Religion in France.

September ndash A Royalist army under the Duc d'Anjou and Marshal Tavannes forces Coligny to abandon the siege of Poitiers.

Battle of Orthez: Huguenot forces under Gabriel de Montgomery defeat Royalist forces under General Terride in French Navarre. Catholics surrender under the condition that their lives will be spared. Huguenots agree, but then massacre the Catholics anyway.

Battle of Haddon Rig: Scotland defeats England.

Lake Maracaibo is discovered.

King Afonso V of Portugal conquers the Moroccan town of Arzila.

The Black Death breaks out in Elbing (Poland).

First Barons' War: In the Battle of Sandwich in the English Channel, English forces destroy the French and the French mercenary Eustace the Monk is captured and beheaded.

1215ndash1216 ndash The Macy Jug, from Iran, is made. It is now kept at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Beijing is captured and torched by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, initiating the Yuan Dynasty in China. The city burns for more than a month.

Kalinga Magha from Kalinga Province in India lands in Sri Lanka with a force of 24,000 men, to capture the city of Polonnaruwa and depose its King, Parakrama Pandya.

November ndash The Fourth Council of the Lateran is held.

December ndash First Barons\' War: Alexander II of Scotland invades northern England.ref name=CBH

The Dominican Order is founded, according to some sources.

Pope Innocent III declares the Magna Carta invalid.

Bhiksu Ananda of Kapitanagar completes writing the holy Buddhist book "Arya Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita" (sutra) in gold ink in Ranjana script.

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor is excommunicated and forced to abdicate as Emperor and King of Burgundy, replaced by Frederick II (King of the Romans 1212–1250).

The Iroquois invade modern-day Ohio from the north.

The Mongols defeat Northern China.

After touring an army through Aquitaine to assert his right to it,"King John" by Warren. Published by University of California Press in 1961. p. 64 John of England weds 13 year old Isabella of Angoulême at Bordeaux.

The rebel Ivanko is captured and executed by the Byzantine general Alexios Palaiologos

The University of Paris receives its charter from Philip II of France.

the Byzantine city of Thessalonica is sacked by the Norman Sicilian troops.ref name=norman adversaries

The Principality of Nitra ceases to exist, after the Coloman of Hungary deposes its last ruler.

Battle of Hundsfeld: The Poles again defeat the Holy Roman Empire.

Battle of Głogów: The Poles defeats the Holy Roman Empire.

Alfonso I of Aragon marries Urraca of Castile.

Anselm of Laon becomes chancellor of Laon.

The Almoravid army led by Ali ibn Yusuf fails to reconquer Toledo (lost in 1085).Gilbert Meynier (2010) "L'Algérie cœur du Maghreb classique. De l'ouverture islamo-arabe au repli (658-1518)". Paris: La Découverte pp.84.

Magnus III of Norway is killed in battle with the Ulaid in Ulster. Sigurd Jorsalfare, Øystein Magnusson and Olaf Magnusson succeed him as joint kings of Norway.

Bohemund I of Antioch is released from Turkish imprisonment.

Chinesearchitect and government minister Li Jie (1065–1110) publishes his "Yingzao Fashi" technical treatise on Chinesearchitecture during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song.

Amadeus III becomes Count of Savoy.

The great flood of Goa leaves thousands cut off from the war-torn city of Ohpen Bheta.

The Scandinavian city of Lund becomes a see of the Roman Catholic Church.

Sack of Rome: King Genseric leads the Vandals into Rome after he has promised pope Leo I not to burn and plunder the city. Genseric sacks the city for a period of two weeks. Eudoxia and her daughters, Eudocia and Placidia, are taken hostage. The loot is send to the harbour of Ostia and loaded into ships, from where the Vandals depart and return to Carthage.

The city of Aléria on the island of Corsica is devastated by a huge fire, destroying its port and most of its inhabitants.

Galla Placidia, daughter of Theodosius I, is captured by the Visigoths and becomes an hostage during their move from the Italian Peninsula to Gaul.

Honoratus founded on the île Saint-Honorat (France) the Monastery of Lérins and formed a monastic community.

Council of Seleucia: PersianChristians create a national church and adopt the Nicene Creed.

Prithivisena becomes king of the Vakataka in the Deccan (India).

The Visigoths under Alaric I sack Rome after a third siege. Slaves open the Salarian Gate and Goths loot the city for three days. It is the first time since 390 BC that Rome has fallen to an enemy. This marks the decline of the Roman Empire.

Alaric I marches southwards into Calabria and makes plans to invade Africa. But a storm destroyed his Gothic fleet and many of his soldiers drowned. Alaric dies in Cosenza, probably of fever, and his body is buried along with his treasure under the riverbed of the Busento. He is succeeded by his brother-in-law Ataulf, who become king of the Visigoths.

A commission of scholars canonizes the text of works of Confucius and his school.

Mount Vesuviuserupts, destroying Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Oplontis. The Roman fleet based at Misenum, commanded by Pliny the Elder, evacuates refugees but he dies after inhaling volcanic fumes.

Gnaeus Julius Agricola enters Caledonia (modern Scotland) but is resisted by the Caledonians.

Agricola founds Mamucium, a frontier fort and settlement in the North West of England. This was the first Manchester, a distance to the east of Chester.

Chester is founded as a "castrum" or Roman fort with the name Deva Victrix. The fortress is built by Legio II Adiutrix and contains barracks, granaries, military baths and headquarters.

To please the Senate, Titus exiles his Jewishmistress, Berenice of Cilicia.

Emperor Titus dedicates the famous RomanColosseum.