Today in 1843, African-Americans participated in a national political convention for the first time at the Liberty Party Convention.
Today in 1862, Union forces were defeated by the Confederates at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia.
Today in 1961, the first Black judge of a US District Court was confirmed – James Benton Parsons. Appointed to United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, he served as chief judge from 1975 to 1981, assuming senior status in August 1981, and serving in office until just before his death in 1993.
Today in 1963, the hotline communication link between the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow was installed. Often known as the "red telephone" no phones were ever used relying instead on Teletype equipment, fax machines and most recently secure email.
Today in 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the Supreme Court.
Today in 1993, the Eiffel Tower welcomed its 150,000,000 visitor.
Today in 1996, an expedition to raise part of the Titanic failed when the nylon lines being used to raise part of the hull snapped.
Today in 1997, Americans learned of the deaths of Princess Diana, her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, in a car crash in a Paris traffic tunnel. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived. Because of the time difference, it was the morning of August 31st in Paris when Diana was pronounced dead.
Today in 2015, Kanye West announced plans to run for President in 2020 at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Today in 2021, America officially ended its longest-ever war of 20 years in Afghanistan as the last military evacuation plane flies out of Kabul.