On Aug. 6, 1806, the Holy Roman Empire went out of existence as Emperor Francis II abdicated.

In 1945, during World War II, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb code-named “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, Japan.

In 1962, Jamaica, formerly ruled by Britain, became an independent dominion within the Commonwealth of Nations.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act.

In 1978, Pope Paul VI, age 80, died at Castel Gandolfo.

In 1986, William J. Schroeder died after living 620 days with the Jarvik 7 artificial heart.

In 1991, the World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the internet.

In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.