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more events on August 23
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2011
A 5.8 earthquake centered at Mineral, Virginia, damages the Washington Monument, forcing the landmark to close for repairs.
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Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi is overthrown after National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.
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2006
Natascha Kampusch, abducted at the age of 10 in Austria, escapes from her captor, Wolfgang Priklopil, after 8 years of captivity.
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1996
Osama bin Laden issues message entitled “A declaration of war against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places.”
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1990
East and West Germany announce they will unite on Oct 3.
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Armenia declares independence from USSR.
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1979
Bolshoi Ballet dancer Alexander Godunov defects in New York City.
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Iranian army opens offensive against Kurds.
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1977
Bryan Allen, piloting the Gossamer Condor, wins the Kremer prize for the first human-powered aircraft to fly a one-mile, figure-eight course.
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1975
Pathet Lao communists occupy Vientiane, Laos.
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1966
Lunar Orbiter 1 takes first photograph of Earth from the moon.
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1965
Roger Avary, screenwriter, director (Killing Zoe); shared Academy Award with co-writer Quentin Tarantino for best original screenplay (Pulp Fiction).
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1961
Belgium sends troops to Rwanda-Urundi during bloody Tutsi-Hutu conflict.
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1958
The Second Taiwan Strait crisis begins: People’s Liberation Army bombards island of Quemoy during Chinese Civil War.
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1956
Andreas Floer, mathematician, creator of the Floer homology.