August 2nd, 1943 – World War II: The PT-109 is sunk by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri and its commander, Lt. John F. Kennedy, future U.S. president, saves all but two of his crew.
August 4th, 1964 – Vietnam War: The USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy falsely report coming under attack by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin.
August 5th, 1964 – Vietnam War: In retaliation for supposed strikes against U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, American aircraft bomb North Vietnam.
August 6th, 1945 – World War II: The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
August 7th, 1964 – Vietnam War: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passes granting President Lyndon Johnson the authority to assist any Southeast Asian country whose government was jeopardized by "communist aggression."