#aug. 8

The German-built zeppelin Hindenburg floats over Manhattan as pedestrians move along on Fifth Avenue at 42nd St. on August 8, 1936. Nine months later, the aircraft would explode over New Jersey, killing 35 people.

Thousands of fans cheered their hero on Willie Mays Day, August 8, 1954. Later that year, Mays won the Most Valuable Player Award for the second time.

Several hundred young women applied for places in the Beauties of History tableaux, August 8, 1921. It was planned as part of the Moulin Rouge Show that season. The characters were Helen of Troy, Marie Antoinette, Cleopatra, Salome, and other famous beauties. Here, director Billy Arnold measures the legs of Jocelyn Stafford to see if they conform to those of Betty Wright, the "Queen of Sheba."

At the opening ceremony of the Dr. Gertrude B. Kelly Playground on West 17th St., with an eager crowd of children, August 8, 1934.

Grandmas take a spin on the Bicycle Ride during their outing at Coney Island, August 8, 1952.

Members of Commander Richard Byrd’s Antarctic (or South Pole, as it was then called) crew, soon to embark on a two-year expedition to the bottom of the world, learn the art of speedwriting to ensure accurate shorthand recording of scientific data on the expedition on August 8, 1928.

Comdr. Byrd is dictating to his explorer-stenographers under the tutelage of Emma B. Dearborn, who created speedwriting. Left to right, seated: C.D. Alexander, supply officer; C.E. Lofgren, personnel officer; H. Mason, radio operator; C.G. McGuinness, First Mate of the Samson; K.F. Bubier, mechanic. Standing, left to right: F.B. Mulroy, chief engineer; F.D. Coman, doctor; Sid Greason, steward; Comdr. Byrd, and Miss Dearborn.

Jack "Legs" Diamond, center, and his attorneys leaving Federal Court on August 8, 1931, after his conviction for owning an unlicensed still and conspiring to violate Prohibition law. The jury deliberated slightly more than two hours before returning its verdict. Under the terms of law, Diamond was subject to a maximum sentence of four years in federal prison and a combined fine of $11,000 (about $214,000 in today’s dollars). While waiting for his lawyers to argue before the appeals court, he was shot and killed, possibly on the orders of his nemesis, Dutch Schultz.