Historical Events
- Aug 1 Battles between Druze & French in Damascus
- Aug 1 Failed assassination on General Primo de Rivera in Barcelona
- Aug 3 Traffic lights installed at Piccadilly Circus, London
- Aug 5 French & German trade agreement signed
Film & TV History
Aug 5 Harry Houdini stays in a coffin under water for 1½ hrs before escaping
Don Juan
Aug 6 "Don Juan" starring John Barrymore is released by Warner Bros, the 1st feature-length film to utilize the Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system with a synchronized musical score and sound effects
- Aug 6 American Gertrude Ederle (20) becomes 1st woman to swim English Channel in 14 hours, 39 minutes, a record for male or female
The Cocoanuts
Aug 7 George S. Kaufman and Irving Berlin's musical "The Cocoanuts" starring the Marx Brothers closes at the Lyric Theatre, NYC, after 276 performances; later adapted as a film
- Aug 10 Italian-Spanish peace treaty signed
Sports History
Aug 11 Cleveland Indians future Baseball HOF outfielder Tris Speaker hits his 700th double in 7-2 loss to Chicago White Sox at Dunn Field, Cleveland
- Aug 13 Enrique Tirabocchi of Argentina becomes the first to swim the English Channel from France to England (record 16 hours 33 minutes)
- Aug 17 Greek-Serbian, Croatian and Slavs peace treaty signed
- Aug 18 England regain Ashes with 5th Test Cricket win, to take series 1-0
- Aug 18 Weather map televised for 1st time
- Aug 20 Japan's public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai(NHK) is established.
Event of Interest
Aug 20 Uprising against Reza Shah Pahlavi in Iran
US Open Women's Tennis
Aug 23 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Elizabeth Ryan 4-6, 6-4, 9-7 for her 8th and final US singles title
Hobbs Scores 316
Aug 30 Jack Hobbs scores 316 not out at Lord's (Surrey v Middlesex)
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Burton Stein, American historian, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1996)
- Aug 1 Karl Kohn, Austrian-American composer and educator, born in Vienna, Austria
- Aug 2 Betsy Bloomingdale, American socialite and fashion leader, born in Beverly Hills, California (d. 2016)
- Aug 2 Giancarlo Bergamini, Italian fencer (Olympic gold foil, team 1956; silver foil team 1952, individual 1956), born in Milan, Italy (d. 2020)
- Aug 3 Gordon Scott [Werschkul], American actor (Tarzan series), born in Portland, Oregon (d. 2007)
Tony Bennett (1926-2023)
Aug 3 American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning pop and jazz singer ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"; "Steppin' Out With My Baby"), and painter, born in Long Island City, Astoria, New York [1]
- Aug 5 Betsy Jolas, French-American composer, born in Paris, France
- Aug 5 Jeri Southern [Genevieve Hering], American jazz singer ("You Better Go Now"; "Joey"), and pianist, born in Royal, Nebraska (d. 1991)
- Aug 6 Christa Reinig, German poet and writer (Idleness is the Root of All Love, The Tightrope Walker), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2008)
- Aug 6 Clem Labine, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1956, 57; World Series 1955, 59, 60; Brooklyn / LA Dodgers, Detroit Tigers), born in Lincoln, Rhode Island (d. 2007)
- Aug 6 Frank Finlay, British actor (Robbery, Lifeforce), born in Farnworth Lancashire (d. 2016)
- Aug 6 J[anet] O[pal] Jeppson [nee Janet Asimov], author (2nd Experiment)
- Aug 6 Norman Wexler, American screenwriter (d. 1999)
- Aug 7 Amo Houghton, American politician (Rep-R-New York), born in Corning, New York (d. 2020)
- Aug 7 John Woodcock, English cricket journalist ('The Times' 1954-88; Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1981-86; President Cricket Writers' Club 1986-2004), born in Longparish, England (d. 2021)
- Aug 7 Stan Freberg, American satirist, ad executive and cartoon voice (Bertie), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015)
- Aug 8 Richard Anderson, American actor (Oscar Goldman- The 6 Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman television series), born in Long Branch, New Jersey (d. 2017)
- Aug 8 Urban "Urbie" Green, American jazz trombonist (Woody Herman; Buck Clayton; Hugo Montenegro), born in Mobile, Alabama (d. 2018)
- Aug 9 Denis Atkinson, West Indian cricketer (WI all-rounder, 219 v Australia 1955), born in Rockley, Christ Church, Barbados (d. 2001)
- Aug 9 Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch jazz historian (Mister Jazz), born in Amsterdam (d. 1994)
- Aug 10 Benjamin Ward, 1st African American NYC Police Commissioner (1984-89), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
- Aug 10 Edwin Carr, New Zealand classical composer, born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2003)
- Aug 10 Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and composer (most recorded classical organist), born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France (d. 2013)
- Aug 10 Tom Danby, English dual-code international wing: rugby union (1 cap; Harlequin RFC) and rugby league (3 caps England, 3 caps GB; Salford RLFC), born in Trimdon district, County Durham, England (d. 2022)
- Aug 11 Aaron Klug, Biochemist (Nobel prize for Chemistry 1982), born in Lithuanian (d. 2018)
- Aug 11 Bernard Ashley, English businessperson, fashion designer and co-founder of Laura Ashley, born in London (d. 2009)
- Aug 11 Claus Von Bulow, socialite accused of murdering his wife
- Aug 11 J R S Fincham, geneticist
- Aug 11 Johnny Van Derrick, British jazz violinist (Pink Panther Theme), born in Ealing, England (d. 1995)
- Aug 12 Joe Jones, American R&B singer (d. 2005)
- Aug 12 John Derek, American actor, director and photographer (Knock on Any Door, All the King's Men, Rogues of Sherwood Forest), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1998)
- Aug 12 Wallace Markfield, American writer (d. 2002)
Fidel Castro (1926-2016)
Aug 13 Cuban revolutionary, Prime Minister (1959-76) and President (1976-2008), born in Birán, Holguin Province
- Aug 14 (Armando) "Buddy" Greco, American jazz and pop singer ("Ooh! Look-A There, Ain't She Pretty"; "The Lady Is A Tramp"), pianist, and television personality (Away We Go), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2017)
- Aug 14 Alice Adams, American author (Beautiful Girl), born in Fredericksburg, Virginia (d. 1999)
René Goscinny (1926-1977)
Aug 14 French cartoonist (Asterix), born in Paris, France
- Aug 15 Georgann Johnson, American actress (Marge-Mr Peepers, Star Trek, Midnight Cowboy), born in Decorah, Iowa (d. 2018)
- Aug 15 Kostis Stephanopoulos, Greek conservative politician (President of Greece, 1995-2005), born in Patras, Greece (d. 2016)
- Aug 15 Lewis Thompson Preston, American banker (President of the World Bank 1991-95), born in New York City (d. 1995)
- Aug 15 Lyutsian Abramovich Prigozhn, Russian composer, born in Tashkent (d. 1994)
- Aug 17 George Melly, English jazz and blues singer, born in Liverpool, England (d. 2007)
- Aug 17 Hakon Barfod, Norwegian sailor (Olympic gold 1948, 52), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 2013)
- Aug 17 Jean Poiret [Jean-Gustave Poiré], French actor, director, and screenwriter (La Cage Aux Folles), born in Paris, France (d. 1992)
Jiang Zemin (1926-2022)
Aug 17 General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (1989-2002) and President of the People's Republic of China (1993-2003), born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu
- Aug 19 Arthur Rock, American venture capitalist (Apple Inc.), born in Rochester, New York
- Aug 20 Frank Rosolino, American jazz trombonist (The Frank Rosolino Sextet), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1978)
- Aug 20 Nobby Wirkowski, American-Canadian football player and coach (Toronto Argonauts), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2014)
- Aug 21 Ben-Zion Orgad, Israeli composer, born in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (d. 2006)
- Aug 22 Bob Flannigan, American barbershop-pop-jazz singer (The Four Freshmen), born in Greencastle, Indiana (d. 2011)
- Aug 22 Marc Bohan, French fashion designer, born in Paris
- Aug 23 Clifford Geertz, American anthropologist (symbolic anthropology), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2006)
- Aug 24 Nancy Spero, American feminist artist, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2009)
- Aug 24 Paul Blackburn, American poet, and editor (Black Mountain Review), born in St, Albans, Vermont (d. 1971) [1]
- Aug 27 Kristen Nygaard, Norwegian computer scientist, born in Oslo, Norway (d. 2002)
- Aug 27 Patricia "Pat" Coombs, British comedienne and actress (Carry On Again Doctor, Cranford), born in Camberwell, London (d. 2002)
- Aug 29 Elizabeth "Betty" Lynn, American actress (The Andy Griffith Show), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Aug 29 María Dolores Pradera, Spanish melodic singer and actress, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2018)
- Aug 30 Ernie Roth, American wrestling manager (ring name "The Grand Wizard of Wrestling"), born in Canton, Ohio (d. 1983)
- Aug 30 Oļģerts Grāvītis, Latvian-Soviet composer, born in Alūksne, Latvia (d. 2015)
Famous Weddings
Stan Laurel
Aug 13 Comedian Stan Laurel (36) marries 1st wife actress Lois Neilson (30)
Arna Bontemps
Aug 26 Poet Arna Bontemps (24) weds fellow Seventh-Day Adventist Alberta Johnson
Famous Deaths
Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926)
Aug 23 Italian actor and silent movie idol (The Sheik, Eagle), dies of a relapse of pleuritis in NY at 31
