Beirut Blast Impact
Today in History: Massive Beirut Explosion Kills Over 200, Injures Thousands in 2020
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Five years ago today, on August 4, 2020, nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded at the port of Beirut, Lebanon. The blast killed more than 200 people, injured over 7,000, and devastated a city already on the edge of collapse, according to Santa Maria Times. It remains one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded in human history.
August 4 is also marked by a string of other defining moments in American and world history — from the founding of the U.S. Coast Guard to a landmark civil rights verdict and the conviction of WNBA star Brittney Griner in Russia, according to WFMZ.
Beirut Port Blast Levels a City Already in Crisis
The Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020, was caused by ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the city's port for years, according to Santa Maria Times. The shockwave flattened entire neighborhoods and shattered windows miles away. It was felt as far as Cyprus, roughly 150 miles across the Mediterranean Sea.
Lebanon was already suffering a severe economic crisis before the blast. The explosion wiped out the port, which handled most of the country's imports. The disaster triggered international outrage and demands for accountability, but no senior official has been convicted for the negligence that allowed the chemicals to sit unsecured for over six years, according to HNG News.
U.S. Coast Guard Founded, Virgin Islands Purchased on This Date
On August 4, 1790, President George Washington signed legislation creating the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service. That agency later became the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Journal Gazette. It was one of the earliest federal agencies established under the new American government.
On the same date in 1916, the United States agreed to buy the Danish Virgin Islands for $25 million in gold, according to Journal Gazette. The purchase gave the U.S. a strategic foothold in the Caribbean. The islands officially became a U.S. territory in 1917.
Civil Rights Workers Found Dead, Officers Sentenced Decades Later
On August 4, 1964, the bodies of three civil rights workers were found buried in an earthen dam in Mississippi. James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner had gone missing in June while registering Black voters in the Deep South, according to WFMZ. Their murders shocked the nation and fueled the push for the Civil Rights Act.
Nearly three decades later, on August 4, 1993, a federal judge sentenced Los Angeles police officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 2.5 years in prison. They were convicted of violating Rodney King's civil rights during a brutal 1991 beating that was caught on video, according to Erie News Now.
Fairness Doctrine Killed, Brittney Griner Convicted on August 4
On August 4, 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine. The rule had required radio and TV stations to give balanced coverage to controversial topics, according to WD Times. Its removal opened the door to one-sided political broadcasting across the country.
On August 4, 2022, American basketball star Brittney Griner was convicted in Russia on drug possession charges. A Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison after cannabis oil cartridges were found in her luggage at a Moscow airport, according to Voice of Alexandria. She was later released in a prisoner exchange with Russia in December 2022.
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