Historical Events
Atomic Energy Commission Established
Aug 1 US President Harry Truman establishes Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
Event of Interest
Aug 7 1st US commemorative coin of an African American, Booker T. Washington (half dollar)
- Aug 8 Dreyfuss family, owners of Pittsburgh Pirates since 1900, sells club to Frank McKinney & John Galbreath for $25 million
- Aug 8 First flight of the Convair B-36.
- Aug 8 India agrees to give Bhutan 32 sq miles
- Aug 9 1st time all major-league baseball games (8) are played at night
- Aug 13 Britain diverts illegal emmigrants bound for Palestine to Cyprus
- Aug 15 Dumont TV Network (WABD NY) is launched in the US
- Aug 16 Direct Action Day: Widespread riots erupt in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus over whether Pakistan should be a separate state, killing over 4,000 and leaving 100,000 homeless
Liturgique
Aug 17 Arthur Honegger's 3rd Symphony "Liturgique" premieres in Zürich, Switzerland with Charles Munch conducting the Suisse Romande Orchestra
Animal Farm
Aug 17 George Orwell publishes "Animal Farm" in the United Kingdom
The Big Sleep
Aug 23 "The Big Sleep" directed by Howard Hawks and starring Humphrey Bogart (Philip Marlowe) and Lauren Bacall, premieres
- Aug 23 13th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 16, Los Angeles 0 (97,380)
- Aug 23 Ordinance No. 46 of the British Military Government constitutes the German Land (state) of Schleswig-Holstein.
PGA Championship
Aug 25 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Portland GC: Ben Hogan beats Ed Oliver, 6 & 4 for first of his 9 major titles
The Killers
Aug 28 Film noir "The Killers" premieres, directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, based on a story by Ernest Hemingway
- Aug 31 Foghorn Leghorn, Warner Bros. cartoon character created by Robert McKimson and Warren Foster, (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series), first debuts in "Walky Talky Hawky"
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Fiona Stanley, Australian epidemiologist (Telethon Institute for Child Health Research), born in Little Bay, Sydney, Australia
- Aug 1 Raymond "Boz" Burrell, British rock bassist, and singer (King Crimson, 1971-72; Bad Company, 1973-82), born in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, England (d. 2006)
- Aug 1 Richard O. Covey, American astronaut (STS 51I, 26, 38, 61) and USAF officer, born in Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Aug 1 Rick Boucher, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia), born in Abingdon, Virginia
- Aug 1 Tom Loeffler, American politician (United States House of Representatives for Texas, 1979-87), born in Fredericksburg, Texas
- Aug 3 Jack Straw, British politician (Member of Parliament for Blackburn), born in Buckhurst Hill, Essex
- Aug 3 John York [Foley], American rock bassist and guitarist, born in White Plains, New York.
- Aug 3 Petko Petkov, Bulgarian soccer forward (33 caps; Beroe Stara Zagora, Austria Wien), born in Sinitevo, Bulgaria (d. 2020)
- Aug 4 Maureen Starkey [Mary Cox], British ex-wife of Beatle Ringo Starr, born in Liverpool, England (d. 1994)
- Aug 4 Max Middleton, British rock keyboard player (Jeff Beck Group), born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
- Aug 5 Erika Slezak, American actress (One Life to Live - "Viki"), born in Hollywood, California
- Aug 5 Gary Beban, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1967, UCLA: NFL: Washington Redskins), born in San Francisco, California
- Aug 5 Rick van der Linden, Dutch keyboardist (Ekseption), and composer, born in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands (d. 2006)
- Aug 5 Ron Silliman, American poet (The Alphabet), born in Pasco,Washington
- Aug 6 Allan Holdsworth, British progressive rock and jazz-fusion guitarist (Soft Machine), born in Bradford (d. 2017)
- Aug 6 Masaaki Sakai, Japanese comedian
- Aug 6 Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean politician
- Aug 6 Yvon Pedneault, Canadian Hockey HOF journalist and broadcaster (Montreal Canadiens: Réseau des sports, Télévision de Radio-Canada, TVA, TQS), born in Chicoutimi, Quebec (d. 2023)
- Aug 7 Ed Seykota, American commodities and futures trader
- Aug 8 James W. Lewis, American convicted extortionist
- Aug 8 Robin Tallon, American politician (Rep-D-SC, 1983-93), born in Hemingway, South Carolina
- Aug 9 Jim Kiick, American football running back (Super Bowl 1972, 73; AFL All-Star 1968, 69; Miami Dolphins), born in Lincoln Park, New Jersey (d. 2020)
- Aug 9 Marinus "Rinus" Gerritsen, Dutch rock bassist, and keyboardist (Golden Earring - "Radar Love"), born in The Hague, South Holland, Netherlands
- Aug 10 James Reynolds, American actor (Days of our Lives), born in Oskaloosa, Kansas
- Aug 10 Jimmy Conway, Irish soccer midfielder (20 caps Republic of Ireland; Fulham), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2020)
- Aug 11 John Conlee, American country singer ("Common Man"), born in Versailles, Kentucky
- Aug 11 Marilyn Vos Savant, writer/world's highest IQ (228), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Aug 11 Michael Fonfara, Canadian rock and blues keyboard player (The Electric Flag; Lou Reed), born in Stevensville, Ontario
Janet Yellen (77 years old)
Aug 13 American economist and Chair of the US Federal Reserve (2014-18), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Aug 14 Alexander Curly [Harm Breemer], Dutch artist, born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 2012)
- Aug 14 Antonio Fargas, American actor (Huggy Bear-Starsky & Hutch), born in The Bronx, New York
- Aug 14 Larry Graham Jr., American bass guitar player (Graham Central Station, Sly and the Family Stone), born in Beaumont, Texas
- Aug 14 Marga van Praag, Dutch radio hostess, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Aug 14 Susan Saint James, American actress (Kate & Allie), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 15 Jean-Claude Arnault, French Swedish photographer involved in Nobel Prize scandal, born in Marseille, France
- Aug 15 Jimmy Webb, American singer and songwriter ("MacArthur Park"; "Up Up & Away"), born in Elk City, Oklahoma
- Aug 15 Kathryn Whitmire, American accountant and politician (4 time Mayor-Houston), born in Houston, Texas
- Aug 15 Tony Robinson, English actor, comedian and author, born in Homerton, London
- Aug 16 Attila Abonyi, Australian soccer winger (61 caps; Melbourne Hungaria SC, Sydney Croatia 58 FC, St. George Budapest SC), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2023)
- Aug 16 Dick Murdoch, American professional wrestler (d. 1996)
- Aug 16 Lesley Ann Warren, American actress (Cinderella, Mission Impossible), born in New York City
- Aug 16 Massoud Barzani, Iraqi Kurdish politician
- Aug 17 Hans Vandenburg, Dutch rock singer and guitarist (Gruppo Sportivo), born in the Hague, Netherlands
- Aug 17 Patrick Manning, Trinidad and Tobago politician, Prime Minister (1991-95, 2001-10), born in San Fernando (d. 2016)
- Aug 18 Derryl Cousins, American baseball umpire (World Series 1988, 99, 2005; MLB All-Star Game 1987, 98, 2008), born in Fresno, California (d. 2020)
- Aug 19 Beat Raaflaub, Swiss conductor and choral director (Basel Boys Choir), born in Winterthur, Switzerland
Bill Clinton (77 years old)
Aug 19 American politician (42nd US President Democrat, 1993-2001), born in Hope, Arkansas
- Aug 19 Charles F. Bolden Jr, American astronaut (STS 61C, 31, 45, 60), born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Aug 19 Dawn Steel, American filmmaker, 1st woman to head Hollywood studio, born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1997)
- Aug 20 Connie Chung [Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich], American news anchor (NBC, CBS), born in Washington, D.C.
- Aug 20 N.R. Narayana Murthy, Indian industrialist and co-founder (Infosys), born in Shidlaghatta, Kolar district, India
- Aug 20 Ralf Hütter, German musician (Kraftwerk), born in Krefeld, Germany
- Aug 21 Lev Alburt, International Chess Master (1976), born in Orenburg, Russia
- Aug 22 Felix Meurders, Dutch radio host, born in Maastricht, Netherlands
Keith Moon (1946-1978)
Aug 23 British rock drummer (The Who - "Bell Boy"), born in London, England
- Aug 24 Richard N. Richards, American naval officer and astronaut (STS 28, 41, 50, 64), born in Key West, Florida
- Aug 25 Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), American poet and children's books author (Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose), born in Bayside, New York
- Aug 25 Charlie Sanders, American football player (Detroit Lions), born in Richlands, North Carolina (d. 2015)
- Aug 25 Larry LaRocco, American politician (Rep-D-Idaho), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 25 Rollie Fingers, American Baseball HOF relief pitcher (7 x MLB All Star; World Series 1972, 73, 74 [MVP]; AL MVP & Cy Young Award 1981; Oakland A's, SD Padres, Milwaukee Brewers), born in Steubenville, Ohio
- Aug 26 Alison Steadman, English actress (Life is Sweet), born in Liverpool, England
- Aug 26 Chantal Renaud, Québécoise yé-yé singer, songwriter, actress and writer, born in Quebec, Canada
- Aug 26 Ladislav Kubík, Czech-American composer (Aulos; Subterranean River) and educator (Florida State University, 1990-2017), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 2017)
- Aug 26 Mark Snow [Martin Fulterman], American television and film composer (The X-Files theme), born in New York City
- Aug 26 Valerie Simpson, American singer, songwriter and producer (Ashford & Simpson - "Solid"), born in The Bronx, New York
- Aug 27 Tony Howard, cricketer (WI off-spinner one Test v NZ 1972)
- Aug 29 Bob Beamon, American track and field long jumper (Olympic gold 1968, 29' 2½" 8.9m), born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York
- Aug 30 Anne-Marie of Greece, Danish princess and daughter of Frederik IX, born in Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Kingdom of Denmark
Peggy Lipton (77 years old)
Aug 30 American actress (The Mod Squad, Twin Peaks), born in New York City
- Aug 31 Jerome Corsi, American writer and conspiracy theorist, born in East Cleveland, Ohio
- Aug 31 Vladimir Shmelyov, Russian modern pentathlete (Olympic gold USSR, team [with Boris Onishchenko & Pavel Lednyov] 1972), born in Magadan, Russia (d. 2023)
Famous Weddings
- Aug 10 American science-fiction writer and future founder of Scientology L. Ron Hubbard (35) weds second wife Sara Northrup Hollister (22) in Florida, while still married to his first wife; divorce in 1951
George Balanchine & Maria Tallchief
Aug 16 Georgian-American ballet choreographer George Balanchine (42) weds Native American (Osage) ballerina Maria Tallchief (21); annulled in 1952
Olivia de Havilland
Aug 26 "Gone With The Wind" actress Olivia de Havilland (30) weds screenwriter and novelist Marcus Goodrich; divorce in 1953
Famous Divorces
Bugsy Siegel
Aug 8 Esta Krakower divorces mobster Bugsy Siegel (40) after 17 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Andrey Vlasov, Russian-Soviet army general and Nazi collaborator, executed for high treason, by hanging at 45
- Aug 5 Wilhelm Marx, German politician, Chancellor of Germany (1923-25, 1926-28), dies at 83
- Aug 6 Benny Lynch, Scottish boxer (World flyweight title 1937-38), dies of malnutrition-induced respiratory failure at 33
Blanche Bingley (1863-1946)
Aug 6 British tennis player (Wimbledon 1886, 89, 94, 97, 99-1900), dies at 82
Tony Lazzeri (1903-1946)
Aug 6 American Baseball HOF second baseman (World Series x 5; only player to complete natural cycle with grand slam; NY Yankees), dies from a fall caused by a heart attack at 42
- Aug 9 Bert Vogler, South African cricket all-rounder (15 Tests, 64 wickets, BB 7/94, 2 x 50; Natal, Transvaal; MCC), dies from lobar pneumonia at 69
H. G. Wells (1866-1946)
Aug 13 English sci-fi author (The War of the Worlds, Time Machine), dies at 79
- Aug 13 Valery Zhelobinsky, Russian composer, dies at 33
- Aug 15 Edward R. Bradley, American businessman and horse owner (1st to own 4 Kentucky Derby winners), dies at 86
- Aug 16 Herman Harrell Horne, American philosopher (idealism), dies at 71
- Aug 18 Georg Åberg, Swedish athlete (Olympic silver triple jump; bronze long jump 1912), dies at 53
- Aug 20 (John) "Rags" Ragland, American burlesque comedian, and stage and screen character actor (Whistling In The Dark), dies of liver and kidney failure at 40
- Aug 26 Jeanie MacPherson, American actress and screenwriter (b. 1887)
- Aug 29 J E Feenstra, Nazi military police commandant, executed
- Aug 29 John Steuart Curry, American painter and lithographer (Baptism in Kansas), dies of a heart attack at 48
- Aug 29 Milan Harašta, Czech composer, dies at 26
- Aug 30 Grigory Semyonov, Russian counter-revolutionary (executed) (b. 1890)
- Aug 31 Harley Granville-Barker, English dramatist, producer (The Voysey Inheritance) and critic, dies at 68
- Aug 31 Paul August von Klenau, Danish opera composer, and conductor, dies at 63
