Incas fall, speeds rise

• On Aug. 29, 1533, Atahuallpa, the 13th and last emperor of the Incas, dies by strangulation at the hands of Spanish conquistadors. His execution marked the end of 300 years of Inca civilization.

• On Aug. 31, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols, the first victim of London serial killer “Jack the Ripper,” is found murdered and mutilated in Whitechapel’s Buck’s Row. The East End of London saw four more victims of the murderer during the next few months, but no suspect was ever found.

• On Sept. 1, 1928, Robert Pirsig, author of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” is born on this day in Minneapolis. More than 120 publishing houses rejected the book before it was published in 1974. It became a cult classic, selling more than 4 million copies in the next 30 years.