This Day in American Military History

9 August

1945: A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Nagasaki was not the intended target, but bad visibility over Kokura forced the switch to the city of more than 250,000 people. Major Charles Sweeney was the mission commander flying the B-29 Bockscar. The bombing, ordered by President Harry Truman, came three days after a similar bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The obliteration of two cities in three days helped convince the Japanese to surrender on August 14, bringing World War II to an end.

1990: Operation Desert Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began one week after Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait. The rapid military buildup by the U.S. and its allies culminated in Operation Desert Storm, a six-week war against Iraq (see January 16).

Brandus, Paul. This Day in U.S. Military History (pp. 195-196). Bernan Press. Kindle Edition.