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Today in History

On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths. Also on this date: In 1806, Emperor Francis II abdicated, marking the end of the Holy Roman Empire after nearly a thousand years. In 1825, Upper Peru became the autonomous republic of Bolivia. In 1890, at Auburn Prison in Auburn, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be executed via the electric chair. In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. In 1942, Queen ...

Arson suspect arrested as Spokane battles devastating wildfires

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A man from Spokane, Washington, was arrested and charged with setting one of the three devastating wildfires that are burning through the region. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the largest of the three blazes around Spokane. His bond was set at $1 million. Together, the fires have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced some 67,000 people to evacuate around the state’s second-largest city. Authorities haven’t ...

A book found bricked in a fireplace is returned to an Australian library, 150 years overdue

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A book on Greek antiquities has been returned to an Australian public library about 150 years late, with water damage from years bricked into a fireplace. The book was returned to the library in the seaside town of Kiama last week by a local Ross Simmons who had found it during recent home renovations inside a tea crate bricked into a sealed fireplace, Kiama Library manager Michelle Hudson said. “We’ve never had anything that old come back to us,” Hudson said Thursday. “I follow lots of libraries on social media and often you’ll get things ...

Colombia’s deforestation rises slightly as Amazon forest loss holds steady

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s government said nationwide deforestation increased slightly in 2025 but that it had still surpassed its four-year target to reduce forest loss under President Gustavo Petro, with pressure on the Amazon remaining largely unchanged in the administration’s final year. The Environment Ministry and IDEAM, the country’s meteorological agency, said late Friday that Colombia lost 119,483 hectares (295,000 acres) of forest in 2025 — about the size of Los Angeles. That was a 5% increase from the previous year. Officials emphasized that despite the ...

McDonald’s posts strong second quarter profit, names new leader for US market

McDonald’s posted a strong profit in its second quarter and named a new head of the U.S. market with sales at home under pressure as many Americans grow increasingly cautious about spending. Same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, edged up 0.8% in the U.S. That’s a sharp slowdown from the 2.5% increase a year ago, when the company had a big win with a meal tied to “A Minecraft Movie.” Global same-store sales rose 1.3%. CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the company’s earnings call on Tuesday that the U.S. performance was partly hurt by inconsistent ...

FAA certifies Boeing’s new 737 Max 7 jetliner for flight after years of delays

The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday approved the smallest model of Boeing’s Max jetliners for commercial service nearly a decade after the aircraft manufacturer first unveiled the plane. Certification of the Boeing 737 Max 7 represents a milestone in the company’s work to overcome years of safety, quality and production challenges. The long-delayed Max 7 is part of Boeing’s 737 family of commercial jets, which is the company’s bestseller and has been at the center of its troubles. The FAA said it cleared the new plane after years of additional testing, design ...