Historical Events
- Aug 1 The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations is founded.
- Aug 2 Danish swimmer Greta Anderson (1:06.3) touches out American Ann Curtis by 0.2 in the women's 100m freestyle at the London Olympics
- Aug 2 Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands wins the 100m in 11.9 at the London Olympics; 1st of unprecedented 3 individual track & field gold medals
- Aug 2 Italians Adolfo Consolini and Giuseppe Tosi go 1-2 in the men's discus final at the London Olympics
- Aug 3 American divers Vicki Draves, Zoe Ann Olsen and Patsy Elsener go 1-2-3 in a US clean sweep of the medals in the women's 3m springboard at the London Olympics
- Aug 3 An American 1-2 in the men's 200m at the London Olympics with Mel Patton (21.1) beating teammate Barney Ewell
- Aug 3 An American clean sweep of the medals in the men's 3m springboard diving at the London Olympics with Bruce Harlan winning gold, Miller Anderson silver and Sammy Lee bronze
- Aug 3 An American sweep of the medals in the men's shot put at the London Olympics with Wilbur Thompson taking gold ahead of teammates Jim Delaney & Jim Fuchs
- Aug 3 FDR advisor Alger Hiss accused of being a "communist"
Sports History
Aug 3 Negro League veteran pitcher Satchel Paige, age 42, debuts in Cleveland after controversial signing, goes 7 innings in 5-3 win v Washington
- Aug 3 The US 4 x 200m freestyle relay team of Wally Ris, Jimmy McLane, Wally Wolf and Bill Smith swim a world record 8:46.0 to win gold at the London Olympics
- Aug 4 5 day Southern States filibuster succeeds in maintaining America's poll tax
- Aug 4 An American sweep of the medals in the 110m hurdles at the London Olympics with William Porter taking gold, ahead of Clyde Scott and Craig Dixon
- Aug 4 Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands wins the 80m hurdles in Olympic record 11.2 at the London Olympics; 2nd of unprecedented 3 individual track & field gold medals
- Aug 4 Hungary's Olga Gyarmati wins the first ever Olympic women's long jump competition at the London Games
- Aug 4 The women's shot put introduced to track & field program at the London Olympics; inaugural gold medallist Micheline Ostermeyer of France who also won the women's discus gold
- Aug 5 A Jamaican 1-2 in the men's 400m at the London Olympics with Arthur Wint (46.2) beating teammate Herb McKenley for the gold medal
- Aug 5 A Swedish sweep of the medals in the 3000m steeplechase at the London Olympics with Tore Sjöstrand taking gold ahead of teammates Erik Elmsäter & Göte Hagström
- Aug 5 Americans Sammy Lee and Bruce Harlan go 1-2 in the 10m platform diving at the London Olympics
- Aug 5 Cleveland Indians set club record for most double plays in a game (6) in a 3-0 win v Washington
- Aug 6 17-year-old American Bob Mathias scores 7,139 points to edge out Ignace Heinrich of France by just 165 in the decathlon at the London Olympics
- Aug 6 A Swedish 1-2 in the men's 1,500m at the London Olympics with Henry Eriksson (3:49.8) beating teammate Lennart Strand by 0.6 seconds
- Aug 6 Dutch super athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen wins London Olympics 200m in 24.4s to become the first women to claim 3 individual track & field gold at a Games, having already won the 100m and 80m hurdles
- Aug 6 Vicki Draves wins her second diving gold medal at the London Olympics beating American teammate Patsy Elsener in the 10m platform
- Aug 6 Willem Drees forms Socialist government (KVP/Social Democratics/CHU/Liberal) in the Netherlands
- Aug 7 1st Dutch government of Beel resigns
- Aug 7 American Alice Coachman becomes the first black woman from any country to win an Olympic gold medal when she takes out the high jump at the London Games
- Aug 7 American swimmer Jimmy McLane wins the 1,500m for his 2nd gold medal at the London Olympics (4 x 200m freestyle relay); marks a US clean sweep of every men's swimming gold medal at the Games
- Aug 7 Delfo Cabrera of Argentina wins dramatic marathon in 2:34:51.6 at the London Olympics
- Aug 7 Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands wins her 4th track & field gold medal of the London Olympics as part of the Dutch 4 x 100m relay team in 47.5
Olympic Gold
Aug 7 Swedish race walker John Mikaelsson wins the gold medal in the 10k event by 30.6 seconds from teammate Ingemar Johansson at the London Olympics
- Aug 8 "Hold It!" opens at National Theater NYC for 46 performances
- Aug 9 Italian rider Mario Ghella beats Reg Harris of Great Britain for the gold medal in the cycling sprint final at the London Olympics
- Aug 9 The US crew blitzes the field to win the rowing eights gold medal at the London Olympics; beat silver medallists Great Britain by 10.2 seconds
- Aug 10 ABC enters network TV at 7 PM (WJZ, NY)
- Aug 10 Allen Funt's "Candid Camera" TV debut on ABC
- Aug 11 The weightlifting competition at the London Olympics concludes with the US (4) and Egypt (2) dominant, combining to win all of the 6 gold medals
- Aug 12 Cleveland Indians get 29 hits in a 9 inning game
- Aug 12 Court of justice sentences General Friedrich Christiansen, commander of the German Wehrmacht in the Netherlands, to 12 years imprisonment
- Aug 12 Indian maestro Balbir Singh Dosanjh scores twice as India beats Great Britain 4-0 for the field hockey gold medal at the London Olympics; India's 4th consecutive Olympic hockey title
- Aug 12 The canoeing program at the London Olympics concludes with Sweden (4) and Czechoslovakia (3) dominant, combining for 7 of the 9 gold medals
- Aug 13 3 Finnish gymnasts dead heat for the gold medal in the pommel horse section at London Olympics; Paavo Aaltonen, Veikko Huhtanen & Heikki Savolainen all awarded gold
- Aug 13 Hungarian boxer László Papp wins the first of 3 consecutive Olympic gold medals; beats British middleweight Johnny Wright on points at the London Games
- Aug 13 Johan Gren scores twice as Sweden beats Yugoslavia 3-1 to win the football gold medal at the London Olympics
- Aug 13 José Beyaert of France wins the cycling road race at the London Olympics; Belgium takes gold in the teams section beating Great Britain & France
- Aug 13 Satchel Paige at 42, pitches his 1st major league complete game
- Aug 13 The United States successfully defends its Olympic basketball title with a 65-21 win over France at the London Games
- Aug 14 Australian fast bowler Ray Lindwall takes 6-20 as England dismissed for a record low 52 in 5th cricket Test at the Oval; Don Bradman out for 0 in final Test innings
- Aug 14 XIV Olympic Games close at London, Great Britain
- Aug 15 Republic of Korea (South Korea) proclaimed (National Day)
US Women's Golf Open
Aug 15 US Open Women's Golf, Atlantic City CC: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins by 8 strokes from Betty Hicks
- Aug 16 Arabs blow up Latrun pumping station in Jerusalem
- Aug 16 Israeli pound becomes legal tender
- Aug 17 Alger Hiss denies ever being a Communist agent
- Aug 17 Phillies commit 8 errors in a baseball game for the 2nd time
- Aug 17 Tom Henrich hits his then record tying 4th grand slam of season
- Aug 19 9th Venice Film Festival opens
- Aug 20 15th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Chi Cards 28, All-Stars 0 (101,220)
- Aug 20 US expels Soviet Consul General in New York, Jacob Lomakin
- Aug 21 Cleveland Indians 47-inning scoreless streak is broken as future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon yields a home run to Aaron Robinson in a 3-2 loss to Chicago White Sox
- Aug 23 Earl Bernadotte asks aid for fugitives to Palestine
- Aug 23 World Council of Churches formed by 147 churches from 44 countries
- Aug 25 Bradman scores 150 in 212 minutes in his last innings at Lord's
- Aug 27 102°F highest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in August
Golden Jubilee of Wilhelmina
Aug 31 Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands celebrates her golden jubilee
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Abdelmalek Sellal, Prime Minister of Algeria (2014 - present), born in Constantine, Algeria
- Aug 1 Bob Spink, British politician (MP for Castle Point in Essex), born in Haworth, Worth Valley, Yorkshire
- Aug 1 Cliff Branch, American Pro Football HOF wide receiver (Super Bowl 1976, 80, 84 Oakland/LA Raiders; 3 × First-team All-Pro; 4 × Pro Bowl), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2019)
- Aug 2 Andy Fairweather Low, Welsh session and touring guitarist (Amen Corner; Roger Waters; Eric Clapton; George Harrison), born in Ystrad Mynach, Wales
- Aug 2 Chris Bennett, American musician (The Theme from Midnight Express), born in Marshall, Illinois
- Aug 2 Robert Holdstock, English sci-fi author (Ghost Dance, Labyrinth), born in Hythe, England (d. 2009)
- Aug 3 Péter Juhász, Hungarian soccer left-back who played 26 internationals; Újpesti Dózsa FC, Tatabanyai Banyasz SC, Borsodi Volán SC, born in Lučenec, Czech Republic (d. 2024)
- Aug 3 Pierre Lacroix, Canadian NHL executive (Quebec Nordiques; Stanley Cup 1996, 2001 Colorado Avalanche), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2020)
- Aug 4 Giorgio Parisi, Italian theoretical physicist (2021 Nobel Prize for Physics for pioneering work on climate change), born in Rome, Italy
- Aug 4 Jim Slattery, American politician (Rep-D-Kansas, 1983-95), born in Good Intent, Kansas
- Aug 5 Ray Clemence MBE, English soccer goalkeeper (England 61 caps, Liverpool, Tottenham), born in Skegness, Lincolnshire (d. 2020)
- Aug 5 Tony DiCicco, American soccer coach (US women 1994-99; FIFA Women's World Cup gold 1999; FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup gold 2008), born in Wethersfield, Connecticut (d. 2017)
- Aug 6 Michael Peters, choreographer (What's Love Got to Do with It)
Greg Chappell (75 years old)
Aug 7 Australian cricket batsman and captain (87 Tests; 7,110 runs @ 53.86, TS 247, 24 x 100s, 47 wickets; South Australia, Somerset CCC, Queensland)), born in Adelaide, Australia
- Aug 7 James Allison, American immunologist (Noble Prize for Medicine 2018), born in Alice, Texas
- Aug 7 Marty Appel, American public relations executive and author, born in Brooklyn, New York
- Aug 8 Floyd Reese, American football administrator (GM Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans 1994-2006) and analyst (ESPN's NFL Live, ESPN.com), born in Springfield, Missouri (d. 2021)
- Aug 8 Svetlana Y Savitskaya, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-7, T-12, T-15A)
- Aug 9 Bill Campbell, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star, AL saves leader 1977; AL Rolaids Relief Man Award 1976, 77; Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox), born in Highland Park, Michigan (d. 2023)
- Aug 10 Pal Gerevich, Hungarian fencer (Olympic bronze 1972, 80)
- Aug 11 Don Boyd, Scottish director and producer (Goldeneye, 21, East of Elephant Rock), born in Nairn
- Aug 11 Jan Palach, Czech student protester (d. 1969)
- Aug 11 Rustam Akramov, Uzbek soccer coach (Uzbekistan 1992-94; India 1995-97), born in Yangibozor, Uzbekistan (d. 2022)
- Aug 12 Graham J. Zellick, British vice-chancellor of the University of London
- Aug 13 Kathleen Battle, American Grammy, Emmy, and Olivier Award-winning operatic soprano (Wagner's Tannhäuser - "the Shephard"), born in Portsmouth, Ohio
- Aug 13 Mosiuoa Lekota, South African UDF/ANC leader, born in Kroonstad, South Africa
- Aug 13 Tony Santini [Scott Powell], American rock singer (Sha Na Na, 1969-81), and orthopedic surgeon, born in Dallas, Texas
- Aug 14 Joseph Marcell, British actor (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), born in Castries, Saint Lucia
- Aug 14 Terry Adams, American piano player and composer (NRBQ - "Me And The Boys"), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Aug 15 George Ryton, British engineer, born in Singapore
- Aug 15 Patsy Gallant, Canadian pop singer ("It'll All Come Around"), born in Campbellton, New Brunswick
- Aug 15 Tom Johnston, American guitarist and vocalist (The Doobie Brothers, 1970-77 & 1987-present - "Listen To The Music"; "China Grove"), born in Visalia, California
- Aug 16 Barry Hay, Dutch singer, guitarist, flute and saxophone player (Golden Earring - "Radar Love"), born in Faizabad, India
- Aug 16 Mike Jorgensen, American baseball player
- Aug 16 Pierre Reid, Canadian politician and teacher
- Aug 17 Alexander Ivashkin, Russian cellist, conductor, and sitar player, born in Blagoveshchensk, Russia (d. 2014)
- Aug 17 Bo Rucker, American actor (Superman, Soup for One, Lock Up), born in Tampa, Florida
- Aug 17 Rod MacDonald, American singer-songwriter, born in Southington, Connecticut
- Aug 18 Rudy Hartono Kurniawan, Indonesian badminton star (All-England tennis champ), born in Surabaya, Indonesia
- Aug 19 Susan Jacks [Pesklevits], Canadian singer and songwriter, born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Aug 19 Tipper Gore, American wife of US Vice President Al Gore (1993-01), born in Washington D.C.
- Aug 19 Toshio Suzuki, Japanese film producer (anime, co-founder Studio Ghibli), born in Nagoya, Japan
- Aug 20 John Noble, Australian actor (Dr. Walter Bishop-Fringe) and theatre director, born in Port Pirie, Australia
Robert Plant (75 years old)
Aug 20 British rock vocalist (Led Zeppelin - "Stairway To Heaven"), born in West Bromwich, England
- Aug 21 Robert Hazard [Rimato], American singer-songwriter ("Girls Just Want to Have Fun"; "Escalator of Life"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2008)
- Aug 22 Eleonora Brown, Italian actress (The Sailor from Gibraltar), born in Naples, Italy
- Aug 22 Rob Buckman, British broadcaster and actor (Pink Medicine Show), born in London
- Aug 23 Andrei Pleşu, Romanian writer and essayist, born in Bucharest, Romania
- Aug 23 Daniel Ruettiger "Rudy", University of Notre Dame football legend, born in Joliet, Illinois
- Aug 23 Ron Blomberg, American 1st baseman (NY Yankees) and 1st designated hitter, born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Aug 24 Jean-Michel Jarre, French ambient-electronic musician (Oxygène; Équinoxe), born in Lyon, France
- Aug 24 Kim Sung-Il, Chief of Staff of Republic of Korea Air Force, born in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang
- Aug 24 Sauli Niinistö, Finnish politician (President of Finland 2012-), born in Salo, Finland
- Aug 27 Paul Justman, American documentarian (Standing in the Shadows of Motown), music video director and lyricist (J. Geils Band), born in Washington D.C. (d. 2023)
- Aug 27 Sgt. Slaughter, American professional wrestler, born in Meeker County, Minnesota
- Aug 28 Danny Seraphine, American rock drummer (Chicago, 1969-90 - "25 or 6 to 4"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 28 Fred Cole, American rock artist (The Lollipop Shoppe, Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows), born in Tacoma, Washington (d. 2017)
- Aug 28 Murray Parker, New Zealand cricketer (brother of John Three Tests for NZ 1976), born in Dannevirke, Manawatu, New Zealand
- Aug 28 Shaharuddin Abdullah, Malaysian soccer striker (70 caps, 39 goals; Penang FC, Penjara FC), born in Penang, Malaysia (d. 2023)
- Aug 28 Vonda N. McIntyre, American sci-fi author (Star Trek II, III, IV), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Aug 29 Annisette [Koppel] (neé Hansen), Danish avant-pop singer (Savage Rose), and activist, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
- Aug 29 Charles David Walker, American engineer and astronaut (STS 12 STS 16 STS 23), born in Bedford, Indiana
- Aug 29 David W. Potter, Scottish sports writer (published 60+ books, primarily Scottish football & cricket), born in Forfar, Scotland (d. 2023)
- Aug 30 Donnacha O'Dea, Irish poker player and swimmer
- Aug 30 Fred Hampton, American activist (Black Panther Party leader; Rainbow Coalition co-founder), born in Summit, Illinois (d. 1969)
- Aug 30 Jean-Louis Georgelin, French Army General (Chief of the Defence Staff, 2006-10), and overseer of Notre-Dame-de-Paris reconstruction (2019-23), born in Aspet, France (d. 2023)
- Aug 30 Lewis Black, American stand-up comedian (Lewis Black's Root of All Evil), born in Washington, D.C.
- Aug 31 Harald Ertl, Austrian racing driver (d. 1982)
- Aug 31 Holger Osieck, German footballer and coach
- Aug 31 Lowell Ganz, American screenwriter (Happy Days, Splash), born in New York City
- Aug 31 Ricky Gardiner, Scottish rock guitarist (David Bowie - Low; Iggy Pop - Lust for Life), and composer, born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 2022)
- Aug 31 Rudolf Schenker, German rock guitarist (Scorpions - "Virgin Killer"), born in Hildesheim, Germany
Famous Deaths
- Aug 3 Albert Pollard, British historian (Evolution of parliament), dies at 78
- Aug 3 Tommy Ryan, American boxer (World Welterweight, Middleweight champion), dies at 78
- Aug 6 Cyril Walker, English golfer (US Open 1924), dies of pleural pneumonia at 55
- Aug 9 Hugo Boss, German fashion designer (Hugo Boss), dies at 63
- Aug 10 Andrew Brown, Scottish football coach (b. 1870)
- Aug 10 Emmy Hennings-Ball [Emma Cordsen], German poet and performer dies at 63
- Aug 10 Kan'ichi Asakawa, Japanese historian, writer, and peace activist, dies at 74
- Aug 10 Lucille Bogan, American blues singer and songwriter ("Sweet Petunia"; "Black Angel Blues"), dies from coronary sclerosis at 51
- Aug 10 Montague Summers, English clergyman and writer (Malleus Maleficarum), dies at 68
- Aug 12 Harry Brearley, English inventor (b. 1871)
- Aug 13 Edwin Maxwell, Irish actor (Taming of the Shrew), dies at 62
- Aug 13 Elaine Hammerstein, American stage and silent film actress, dies in a Tijuana car crash at 51
Babe Ruth (1895-1948)
Aug 16 American Baseball Hall of Fame slugger (MLB All-Star 1933, 34; 7 x World Series champion; 12 × AL home run leader 1918–21, 23-24, 1926–31; Boston RS, NY Yankees), dies of Nasopharynx cancer at 53
- Aug 17 Nico J. Polak, Dutch economist, dies at 60
- Aug 20 David John de Lloyd, Welsh musician composer, dies at 65
- Aug 26 Oscar L. Fernandez, Brazilian conductor and composer (Imbapara), dies at 50
- Aug 27 Charles Evans Hughes, American statesman, Republican politician and 11th Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1930-41), dies at 86
- Aug 27 Oley Speaks, American composer (On the Road to Mandalay), dies at 74
- Aug 27 Oscar Lorenzo Fernández, Brazilian conductor and composer (Imbapara), dies at 50
- Aug 28 Eleni Gatzoyiannis, Greek heroine (subject of "Eleni" by son Nicholas Gage about how she saved her children), shot and killed by communists at 41
- Aug 31 Andrei Zjdanov, Russian politician (against kosmopolitism), dies at 52
- Aug 31 Billy Laughlin, American child actor (Froggy- Our Gang), dies in a car accident at 16
