Discover What Happened Today in History
The United States, Great Britain, and China issued the Potsdam Declaration, calling for Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II and outlining terms for its post-war occupation. This ultimatum set the stage for the end of the war in the Pacific.
Fidel Castro led an armed attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba, a failed assault that marked the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. The date is commemorated as a national holiday in Cuba, known as the Day of the National Rebellion.
NASA launched the Apollo 15 mission, the fourth crewed lunar landing. It was the first mission to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle, allowing astronauts David Scott and James Irwin to explore the Moon's Hadley-Apennine region extensively.
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, abolishing racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and ordering the full integration of all branches. This was a major step toward desegregation in American society.
U.S. Attorney General Charles Bonaparte ordered a group of special agents to report to Chief Examiner Stanley W. Finch, formally creating the investigative agency that would later become the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).