On this day in history - Today, August, 5

Today in History

• 2009 General Abdel Aziz sworn in as President of Mauritania

  General Abdel Aziz, who came to power in a coup in 2008, was sworn in as the President of Mauritania

• 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is Signed

  Also known as the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the document was signed by the Soviet Union, the United K

• 1962 Nelson Mandela is Arrested

  The South African anti-apartheid activist and adherent of nonviolence was arrested by the government

• 1960 Burkina Faso gains its Independence

  The landlocked West African country, known as Upper Vota until 1984, became a French protectorate in

• 1940 Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic is established

  The Soviet Union added Latvia to the union as the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic.