1305

On Aug. 23 in London, William Wallace was executed for treason, condemned for leading Scottish resistance forces during the first years of the long and ultimately successful struggle to free Scotland from English rule.

1827

Jedediah Smith and his party returned from California and crossed the center of what became Nevada.

1849

An estimated 22,500 settlers passed through the Truckee Meadows in 1849, then 45,000 in 1850 and up to 52,000 in 1852. Gold and silver prospectors began combing the sparsely populated land of Northern Nevada.

1866

President Andrew Johnson on Aug. 20 formally declared the end of the U.S. Civil War.

1896

On Aug. 16, gold was discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek in the Yukon, Canada by George Carmack.

1911

On Aug. 21, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by three Italian handymen; it was not recovered until 1913, and the media sensation helped make it one of the world’s most famous paintings.

1927

Yankees slugger Babe Ruth hit a home run on Aug. 16 off of Tommy Thomas in the 5th inning. It was the first home run hit in Comiskey Park, Chicago.

1946

President Bill Clinton was born Aug. 19 in Hope, Arkansas.

1969

Hurricane Camille struck the U.S. coastline on Aug. 17 and killed 259 people, mainly in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

1977

Elvis Presley died suddenly on Aug. 15 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42. His last words were: “I’m going to the bathroom to read”.

1977

The United States on Aug. 16 performed a nuclear test at the Nevada Test Site.

1987

The romantic drama “Dirty Dancing,” starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, was released on Aug. 21 in American theaters, and it became a huge—and enduring—hit.

1989

In a game against the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 21, Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers struck out Rickey Henderson to become the first MLB pitcher to register 5,000 strikeouts; he ended his career with a record-setting 5,714.

1998

President Bill Clinton admitted on Aug. 17 in taped testimony that he had an “improper physical relationship” with intern Monica Lewinsky. Later in the day he admitted before the nation that he “misled people” about the sexual relationship some of which took place in the Oval Office of the White House.

2000

The first season of the U.S. version of the reality TV game show Survivor ended on Aug. 23, with Richard Hatch being pronounced the winner; the hugely popular series was credited with launching the reality TV fad of the early 21st century.