Daily Almanac: August 23, 2023

Sunrise/Sunset:

RISE: 7:05 a.m.
SET: 8:35 p.m.

High/Low Temperatures:

HIGH: 95 °F
LOW: 71 °F

Today is…:

• National Cuban Sandwich Day
• National Sponge Cake Day
• Internaut Day

What Happened On This Day:

• 1966 First Photograph of the Earth Taken From the Orbit of the Moon. NASA’s Lunar Orbiter 1 was the first American unmanned spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Taking black and white pictures of the Earth was not the Orbiter’s main task. Its primary task was to scope out landing sites on the Moon for future spacecrafts.
• 1944 Romania Switches Sides in World War II. A coup in the Southeast European country moved its allegiance from the Axis powers to the Allies during the Second World War. In the early years of WW II, Romania had tried to remain neutral but in 1940, due to external pressures, the country joined Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. On this day, King Michael I removed the government of Ion Antonescu and declared Romanian support to the Allies. Some experts believe that by switching sides Romania helped shorten the war by several months.
• 1904 Snow Chains Patented. Harry D. Weed of New York was awarded a patent for snow chains by the United States Patent Office. Snow chains are attached to tires of vehicles to improve their traction on snowy and icy roads.

Births On This Day:

• 1978 Kobe Bryant

American basketball player
• 1912 Gene Kelly

American dancer, actor

Deaths On This Day:

• 1926 Rudolph Valentino

Italian/American actor
• 1305 William Wallace

Scottish knight, landowner