August 7
Japanese airfield on Guadalcanal seized by Allies
1942: On this day, in the Allies' first major offensive in the Pacific theatre of World War II, 6,000 U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, and seized the airfield, surprising the island's 2,000 Japanese defenders.
1960: Côte d'Ivoire gained independence from France.
1957: Oliver Hardy, member of the first great Hollywood motion-picture comedy team, Laurel and Hardy, died in North Hollywood, California.
1888: The first of the murders committed by Jack the Ripper took place in London's East End.
1819: A group of South American insurgents under Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish forces at the Battle of Boyacá, which freed New Granada (Colombia and Venezuela) from Spanish control.
1807: The first serviceable steamboat, the Clermont, designed by American engineer Robert Fulton, embarked on its maiden voyage.
1782: George Washington ordered the creation of the first U.S. military decoration, the Badge of Military Merit, today called the Purple Heart, which was awarded to three Revolutionary War soldiers for bravery in action.
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