1938 pieces of a meteorite land near chicora pennsylvania
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1996 30 years ago Selected Events August 6 4 sources

Researchers announced that the meteorite ALH84001 (pictured), discovered in the Allan Hills of Antarctica, may contain evidence of life on Mars, but further tests were inconclusive.

On August 6, in the year 1996, Researchers announced that the meteorite ALH84001 (pictured), discovered in the Allan Hills of Antarctica, may contain evidence of life on Mars, but further tests were inconclusive. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of August 6, a notable event in this corner of history.

A meteorite is a rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface, the meteor becomes a meteorite. Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 6, 1996 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 28 July 2026.

On This Date in History

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 6 Billy Bean, American baseball player (born 1964)
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 6 Connie Chiume, South African actress and filmmaker (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2024 Aug 6 James Bjorken, American theoretical physicist (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2020 Aug 6 Vern Rumsey, American bass guitarist (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 6 Joël Robuchon, French Chef (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 6 Margaret Heckler, American politician (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 6 Anya Krugovoy Silver, American poet (born 1968)
Notable Deaths 2017 Aug 6 Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2017 Aug 6 Darren Daulton, American baseball player (born 1962)
Historical Events 2015 Aug 6 A suicide bomb attack kills at least 15 people at a mosque in the Saudi city of Abha.
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 6 Ray Hill, American football player (born 1975)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 6 Orna Porat, German-Israeli actress (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 6 Ralph Bryans, Northern Irish motorcycle racer (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 6 Ananda W.P. Guruge, Sri Lankan scholar and diplomat (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 6 John Woodland Hastings, American biochemist and academic (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 6 Stan Lynde, American author and illustrator (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 6 Mava Lee Thomas, American baseball player (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 6 Jerry Wolman, American businessman (born 1927)
Selected Events 2013 Aug 6 A gas leak caused an explosion that collapsed a building and led to the deaths of 22 people in Rosario, Argentina.
Historical Events 2012 Aug 6 NASA's Curiosity rover lands on the surface of Mars.
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Richard Cragun, American-Brazilian ballet dancer and choreographer (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Marvin Hamlisch, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Robert Hughes, Australian-American author and critic (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Bernard Lovell, English physicist and astronomer (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Mark O'Donnell, American playwright (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist and educator (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 6 Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (born 1953)
Historical Events 2011 Aug 6 War in Afghanistan: A United States military helicopter is shot down, killing 30 American special forces members and a…
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 6 Fe del Mundo, Filipino pediatrician and educator (born 1911)
Selected Events 2011 Aug 6 A series of riots broke out in several London boroughs and in cities and towns across England in response to the…
Historical Events 2010 Aug 6 Flash floods across a large part of Jammu and Kashmir, India, damages 71 towns and kills at least 255 people.
Selected Events 2010 Aug 6 Flash floods, mudslides, and debris flows across the Ladakh region of Indian-administered Kashmir left at least 255…
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 6 Riccardo Cassin, Italian mountaineer and author (born 1909)
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 6 Willy DeVille, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 6 John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1950)
Historical Events 2008 Aug 6 A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup d'état in Mauritania, overthrowing president Sidi Ould…
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 6 Angelos Kitsos, Greek lawyer and author (born 1934)
Selected Events 2008 Aug 6 Mauritanian president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high-ranking generals that he had…
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 6 Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian guitarist (born 1969)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 6 Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 6 Creme Puff, tabby domestic cat, oldest recorded cat (born 1967)
Notable Births 2004 Aug 6 Takhmina Ikromova, Uzbekistani rhythmic gymnast
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 6 Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2004 Aug 6 Donald Justice, American poet and academic (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2003 Aug 6 Julius Baker, American flute player and educator (born 1915)
Notable Births 2002 Aug 6 Nessa Barrett, American singer-songwriter
Notable Deaths 2002 Aug 6 Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch physicist, computer scientist, and academic (born 1930)
Historical Events 2001 Aug 6 Erwadi fire incident: Twenty-eight mentally ill persons tied to a chain are burnt to death at a faith based…
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 6 Jorge Amado, Brazilian novelist and poet (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2001 Aug 6 Adhar Kumar Chatterji, Indian Naval officer (born 1914)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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