August 6, 1945
The United States dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare on Hiroshima, Japan. An estimated 140,000 died from the immediate effects of this bomb and tens of thousands more died in subsequent years from burns and other injuries, and radiation-related illnesses.
August 6, 2005
During August 2005, when President George W. Bush took a vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in April, vowed to go to Crawford and demand a meeting with the President, challenging his rationale for the Iraq War. Hadi Jawad offered her the use of the Crawford Peace House as a base. On August 6 approximately 75 people began a walk for peace towards President Bush’s ranch. They were stopped by police, and ended up making the field where they stopped “Camp Casey.” In the first week, more than 700 activists passed through. They suffered vandalism and death threats: one neighbor ran, with his truck, over a shrine of crossed erected by Veterans for Peace in the memory of dead soldiers; another fired a rifle into the camp. On 26 August, 1,500 counter-protesters gathered in Crawford to support pro-war efforts. They spoke out against Ms. Sheehan and accused the anti-war message of being anti-American. At the same time, 2,500 people gathered at Camp Casey for an anti-war rally (including a busload of activists from San Antonio.) Camp Casey was disbanded on August 29 when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and President Bush’s vacation was cut short.
