What Happened in August 1884

Historical Events

Statue of Liberty

Aug 5 Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe's Island (NYC)

  • Aug 7 Germany annexes Angra Pequena / German South West-Africa (modern Namibia)
  • Aug 11 First double-century stand in Test cricket; Percy McDonnell (103) Billy Murdoch (211) for Australia in drawn 3rd Test v England in London
  • Aug 12 Bill Murdoch scores 1st Test Cricket double-century, 211 at The Oval

US Men's Tennis Open

Aug 27 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Newport R.I.: Richard Sears makes it 4 straight US singles titles; beats Howard Taylor 6-0, 1-6, 6-0, 6-2

  • Aug 28 MLB pitcher Mickey Welsh makes record for most consecutive batters struck out to begin a game, striking out the 1st 9 men he faces
1884 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Aug 2 Nanny Larsén-Todsen, Swedish opera singer, born in Hagby, Sweden (d. 1982)
  • Aug 2 Rómulo Gallegos, 48th President of Venezuela (1948), born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 1969)
  • Aug 3 Louis Gruenberg, Russian-American composer (Daniel Jazz), born in Brest-Litovsk, Russia (now Belarus) (d. 1964)
  • Aug 4 Henri Cornet, French cyclist who won the second Tour de France, born in Desvres, France (d. 1941)
  • Aug 6 Arthur Fields [Abraham Finkelstein], American singer-songwriter ("Aba Daba Honeymoon"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1953)
  • Aug 7 (Mary) "Billie" Burke, American radio, stage, silent and sound film actress (Zieigfield Follies; The Wizard of Oz; Merrily We Live), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 1970)
  • Aug 8 Sara Teasdale, American lyric poet (Pulitzer Prize 1918 "Love Songs"), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 1933)
  • Aug 9 Maria "Mary" Beekman, Flemish actress (Genius Against Violence; Modern Landhaaien), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1957)
  • Aug 10 Panait Istrati, Romanian writer (d. 1935)
  • Aug 12 Frank Swinnerton, English novelist and critic (Summer Storm, Sanctuary), born in London, England (d. 1982)
  • Aug 13 Harry Dean, English cricketer (England left-arm bowler in 3 Tests, 1912), born in Burnley, Lancashire, England (d. 1957)
  • Aug 16 Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourg-born American inventor and sci-fi writer (1960 Hugo), born in Luxembourg (d. 1967)
  • Aug 23 Ogden L. Mills, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (1927-1932), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 1937)
  • Aug 23 Will Cuppy, American humorist (The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody), born in Auburn, Indiana (d. 1949)
  • Aug 26 Earl Derr Biggers, American author ("Charlie Chan" detective series), born in Warren, Ohio (d. 1933)
  • Aug 27 Harry Antrim, American actor (Miracle on 34th St, Devil's Doorway), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1967)
  • Aug 27 Vincent Auriol, President of France (1947-53), born in Revel, France (d. 1966)

Peter Fraser (1884-1950)

Aug 28 British-born New Zealand statesman and 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1940-49), born in Hill of Fearn, Scotland

  • Aug 29 Ehm Welk [Thomas Trimm], German writer, born in Biesenbrow, Brandenburg (d. 1966)
  • Aug 30 Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, worked with colloids (Nobel 1926), born in Fleräng, Valbo, Gävleborg, Sweden (d. 1971)
  • Aug 31 George Al Sarton, Belgian-American chemist and historian, born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 1956)
Born in 1884

Famous Deaths

  • Aug 1 Heinrich Laube, writer, dies
  • Aug 6 Robert Spear Hudson, English businessman, dies at 71
  • Aug 14 Arnoldus Pannevis, Dutch-born South African linguist (tried to get Afrikaans recognized as separate language), dies at 46
  • Aug 23 LeRoy Pope Walker, American lawyer and 1st Confederate States Secretary of War (1861), dies at 67
  • Aug 28 Juan de la Cruz Ignacio Moreno y Maisonave, Guatemalan-Spanish Cardinal (Archbishop of Toledo, first Cardinal born in America and of Creole parents), dies at 66