On this day

Key Events Today in History: August 10

10 August 2025

Politics & Global Affairs

1913 – World War I’s early tremors: the Treaty of Bucharest is signed, ending the Second Balkan War and redrawing maps in Southeast Europe.

1920 – The Treaty of Sèvres is inked, carving up the Ottoman Empire and laying the groundwork for the Middle East as we know it today.

1945 – Japan, freshly scarred by atomic bombs, notifies the Allies it will surrender—provided Emperor Hirohito stays—marking a seismic move toward ending WWII.

1961 – A darker chapter: the U.S. rolls out Operation Ranch Hand in Vietnam, spraying millions of gallons of herbicides—echoes of Agent Orange’s devastating legacy.

1990 – Space ambition soars: the Magellan probe arrives at Venus, beaming back stunning images and mapping the planet’s surface like never before.

A collage of four historical illustrations, featuring: a man working on an electric guitar patent, a couple under umbrellas in London, a child in a blue dress standing before a rainbow, and a man writing with a candle beside him.

Entertainment & Cultural Landmarks

1937 – Electric guitars get legit: the first patent is granted to the Electro String Corporation, laying the groundwork for rock ’n’ roll revolutions.

1939 – The Wizard of Oz bows in Green Bay for its premiere, before taking America (and the Yellow Brick Road) by storm.

1978 – A tragedy on the open road: a Ford Pinto rear‑end collision in Indiana results in an inferno, sparking a national safety scandal that reshapes auto regulations.

1981 – Baseball history moment: Pete Rose smashes the National League hits record, surpassing Stan Musial with hit No. 3,631.

1984 – The PG‑13 rating makes its debut with Red Dawn, marking a cultural shift in how Hollywood treads the line between family and adult content.

1993 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes the Supreme Court oath as the second woman ever—and the first Jewish woman—to serve on the US highest bench. (Spoiler: she becomes an icon.