Today in History: August 10, derecho rakes the US Midwest

Today is Monday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2026. There are 143 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 10, 2020, a powerful derecho struck several Midwest U.S. states, causing four fatalities and an estimated $11 billion in damage, making it the costliest thunderstorm in modern U.S. history.

Also on this date:

In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries (TWEE’-luh-reez) Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed.)

In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state admitted to the Union.

In 1945, a day after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Imperial Japan conveyed its willingness to surrender provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged. (The Allies responded the next day, saying they would determine the Emperor’s future status.)

In 1969, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson’s cult, one day after actor Sharon Tate and four other people were killed.

In 1977, postal employee David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, New York, accused of being “Son of Sam,” the gunman who killed six people and wounded seven others in the New York City area. (Berkowitz pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges and was sentenced to six consecutive life terms in prison.)

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a measure providing $20,000 payments to still-living Japanese-Americans who were interned by the U.S. government during World War II.

In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, serving until her death in September 2020.

In 2006, British authorities announced they had thwarted a plot to simultaneously blow up 10 aircraft heading to the U.S. using liquid explosives made to look like soft drinks.

In 2018, Richard Russell, a 29-year-old airline ground agent, stole a commercial plane from Sea-Tac International Airport near Seattle; he flew for 75 minutes, performing dangerous stunts while being chased by military jets before crashing into a remote island in Puget Sound, killing himself.

In 2019, Jeffrey Epstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found unresponsive in his New York City jail cell and later pronounced dead at a hospital. (The city’s medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.)

Today’s Birthdays: Actor James Reynolds is 80. Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 79. Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 77. Singer Patti Austin is 76. Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 74. Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 72. Actor Rosanna Arquette is 67. Actor Antonio Banderas is 66. Rock musician Jon Farriss (INXS) is 65. Singer Julia Fordham is 64. Actor Chris Caldovino is 63. Singer Neneh Cherry is 62. Singer Aaron Hall is 62. Former boxer Riddick Bowe is 59. Actor Sean Blakemore is 59. R&B singer Lorraine Pearson (Five Star) is 59. Singer-producer Michael Bivins is 58. Actor-writer Justin Theroux is 55. Actor Angie Harmon is 54. Country singer Jennifer Hanson is 53. Actor JoAnna Garcia Swisher is 47. Singer Cary Ann Hearst (Shovels & Rope) is 47. Actor Aaron Staton is 46. Actor Ryan Eggold is 42. Actor Lucas Till is 36. Reality TV star Kylie Jenner is 29. Actor Jeremy Maguire is 15.