On this day in 1945, Japan accepted the Allied terms of surrender in World War II and the Emperor broadcast the Imperial Rescript on Surrender.
On this day in 1947, India gained Independence from the British Indian Empire after near 190 years of Crown rule and joined the Commonwealth of Nations.
On this day in 1965, The Beatles played to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.
On this day in 1995, China began eleven days of tactical guided missile exercises by firing live artillery shells into the sea 136 kilometers north of Taiwan.
And on this day in 2005, the Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending 28 years of fighting.