#Middlebury
On Aug. 22, 1776, the British arrive at Long Island, between Gravesend and New Utrecht, with 24,000 men. They captured New York City on Sept. 15. It would remain in British hands until the end of the war.- On Aug. 20, 1804, Sgt. Charles Floyd, quartermaster of the Lewis and Clark expedition, dies near present-day Sioux City, Iowa, becoming the first U.S. soldier to die west of the Mississippi. Floyd likely died from acute appendicitis.
- On Aug. 16, 1841, President John Tyler vetoes a second attempt by Congress to re-establish the Bank of the United States. In response, angry supporters of the bank, many from his own party, the Whigs, burned an effigy of Tyler outside the White House.
- On Aug. 18, 1920, a dramatic battle in the Tennessee House of Representatives ends with ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. The decisive vote was cast by a 24-year-old representative, who changed his vote after receiving a note from his mother.
- On Aug. 17, 1969, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair ends after three days of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll in rural New York. Promoters expected no more than 200,000 people, but almost half a million showed up, with most getting in free when the gates had to be opened.
- On Aug. 19, 1953, the Iranian military, with U.S assistance, overthrows the government of Premier Mohammed Mosaddeq and reinstates the Shah of Iran. As thanks, the Shah signed over 40% of Iran’s oil fields to U.S. companies. The Shah was toppled from power in 1979.
- On Aug. 21, 2004, American swimmer Michael Phelps wins his eighth medal of the Athens Olympics, six gold and two bronze, tying him with Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin for the most individual medals won at a single Olympic Games.
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