Event:
Standard &: Poor's rating agency downgrades U.S. sovereign debt; the downgrade is the first in the history of the United States
More Notable Events on August 8:
1988 Russian troops begin pull out of Afghanistan after 9 year war
1945 President Harry S. Truman signs United Nations Charter
1937 Bonneville Dam on Columbia River begins producing power
1929 German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight
1864 Red Cross forms in Geneva
