August is traditionally a vacation month and East Coast elites, following European tradition, tend to be thick on the ground in the Hamptons, Martha’s Vineyard (the Obamas’ choice) and Nantucket.

But news — in some cases, shattering news — keeps breaking out all over, at home and abroad this August. Actually that’s not unusual. Saddam Hussein overran Kuwait in August 1990, Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland in August 1939, the great powers of Europe went to war in August 1914.