Today in History: August 8, devastating Maui wildfires

Today is Saturday, Aug. 8, the 220th day of 2026. There are 145 days left in the year.Today in history:On Aug. 8, 2023, a series of wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui, destroying the town of Lahaina and killing more than 100 people.Also on this date:In 1814, during the War of 1812, peace talks between the United States and Britain began in Ghent, Belgium.In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile.In 1876, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric pen — the forerunner of the mimeograph machine.In 1908, Wilbur Wright made the Wright Brothers’ first public flying demonstration, at Le Mans racecourse in France.In 1911, President William Howard Taft signed a measure raising the number of U.S. representatives