What Happened in August 1950

Historical Events

  • Aug 1 American Bowling Congress ends all-white-males rule
  • Aug 1 Guam Organic Act establishes Guam as an unincorporated US territory
  • Aug 1 King Leopold of Belgium abdicates, Baudouin becomes King
  • Aug 7 Police bar white players-Lou Chirban, Stan Mierko and Frank Dyle, from playing in Negro League
  • Aug 7 Tour de France: Ferdi Kübler becomes first Swiss rider to win Tour; Louison Bobet of France wins mountain classification

Chadwick Breaks Channel Record

Aug 8 Florence Chadwick swims the English Channel in a record time of 13 hours and 23 minutes [1]

  • Aug 9 Lusty Song riden by Delvin Miller wins the Hambletonian in Goshen, New York

Sunset Boulevard

Aug 10 "Sunset Boulevard", American film noir directed by Billy Wilder, and starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC

  • Aug 11 17th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 17, Philadelphia 7 (88,885)
  • Aug 11 Boston Braves pitcher Vern Bickford no-hits Brooklyn Dodgers, 7-0 at Braves Field

Event of Interest

Aug 11 Ethel Rosenberg testifies before grand jury on allegations of spying for the Soviet Union

Sports History

Aug 11 In a 4 for 38 slump, New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio is benched for first time; replacement Cliff Mapes hits a HR in 7-6 win over Philadelphia Athletics

  • Aug 11 King Boudouin I takes oath as royal prince of Belgium
  • Aug 12 First international game by an NFL team, New York Giants beat CFL's Ottawa Roughriders, 20-6 at Ottawa's Lansdowne Stadium

Catholic Encyclical

Aug 12 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Humani generis

Event of Interest

Aug 13 US President Harry Truman gives military aid to Vietnamese regime of Bảo Đại

  • Aug 15 8.6 Assam-Tibet earthquake kills several thousand

Boxing Title Fight

Aug 15 Ezzard Charles TKOs Freddie Beshore in 14 to retain heavyweight boxing title

  • Aug 15 Indians make their 1st triple play at Cleveland Stadium
  • Aug 15 Joseph Pholien becomes Belgian premier
  • Aug 15 Rotterdam dock strike begins
  • Aug 15 Srikakulam district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India

Event of Interest

Aug 15 Sukarno proclaims the unitary Republic of Indonesia and becomes its 1st President

  • Aug 16 West Indies complete historic 3-1 series win against England
  • Aug 17 Indonesia gains independence from Netherlands
  • Aug 17 Pee Wee Reese (Dodgers) & Sam Calderone (Giants) hit inside park HRs
  • Aug 18 Julien Lahaut, the chairman of the Communist Party of Belgium is assassinated by far-right elements.
  • Aug 19 ABC begins Saturday morning kid shows (Animal Clinic & Acrobat Ranch)
  • Aug 20 11th Venice Film Festival: "Justice est faite" ("Justice is Done") directed by Andre Cayatte wins the Golden Lion
  • Aug 22 Abdel Rehim swims English Channel (10:50)

Sports History

Aug 22 Althea Gibson becomes 1st black competitor in a US national tennis competition

  • Aug 22 First patent for controlling vehicle speed (cruise control) granted to American inventor Ralph Teetor [1]
  • Aug 22 Rotterdam dock strike ends
  • Aug 23 West Germany & Japan readmitted to Intl Amateur Athletic Federation
  • Aug 24 Edith Sampson named 1st African American US delegate to UN

Rashomon

Aug 25 "Rashomon", Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune and Machiko Kyō, is released (Honorary Academy Award 1952)

Boxing Title Fight

Aug 25 Sugar Ray Robinson KOs Jose Basora to win middleweight boxing title

  • Aug 25 US President Harry Truman orders army to take control of railroad to avert a strike
  • Aug 26 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Tom Brown beats Ken McGregor in 5 sets but Australia breaks US stranglehold on trophy with a dominant 4-1 victory
  • Aug 27 1st transmission of a TV programme from continental Europe shown on BBC
  • Aug 27 General Foods blacklists Jean Muir of Aldrich Family for alleged communist sympathies
  • Aug 28 Earle & Roy Mack, purchase 54% of the Philadelphia A's from Connie Mack Jr
  • Aug 29 International Olympic Committee votes to admit West Germany & Japan in 1952

Baseball History

Aug 31 Dodger Gil Hodges hits 4 HRs & a single in a game vs Braves


1950 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Aug 1 Doug Tracht, American radio DJ (Greaseman), born in The Bronx, New York
  • Aug 2 (David) "Ted" Turner, British rock guitarist and vocalist (Wishbone Ash - Argus), born in Birmingham, England
  • Aug 2 Kathryn Harrold, American actress (MacGruder & Loud), born in Tazewell, Virginia
  • Aug 2 Ken Kutaragi, Japanese engineering technologist and businessman known as "The Father of the PlayStation" for overseeing Sony's development of the console, born in Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan
  • Aug 2 Lance Ito, American judge (O.J. Simpson trial), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 2 Mathieu Carriere, German actor (Bay Boy, Woman in Flames), born in Hanover, Germany
  • Aug 2 Sue Rodriguez, Canadian assisted suicide advocate, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba (d. 1994)
  • Aug 3 Jo Marie Payton, American actress (Harriette-Family Matters), born in Albany, Georgia
  • Aug 3 John Landis, American director (Animal House; The Blues Brothers; Michael Jackson's Thriller video), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Aug 3 Waldemar Cierpinski, East German runner (Olympic marathon gold 1976, 80), born in Neugattersleben, Germany
  • Aug 5 Holly Palance, American actress (Thorn Birds, Ripley's Believe It), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 5 Rosi Mittermaier, German alpine skier (Olympic gold downhill/slalom 1976), born in Munich, Germany (d. 2023)
  • Aug 6 Dorian Harewood, American actor (Earl-Glitter, Trauma Center), born in Dayton, Ohio
  • Aug 6 Nathan Purdee, actor (Nathan-Young & Restless, Hank-1 Life to Live)
  • Aug 6 Winston E Scott, USN Commander/astronaut (STS 72, 87), born in Miami, Florida
  • Aug 7 Dave Wottle, American athlete (Olympic gold 800m 1972), born in Canton, Ohio
  • Aug 7 Rodney Crowell, American country singer-songwriter (Above and Beyond; She's Crazy for Leavin'), and record producer, born in Houston, Texas
  • Aug 8 Liberatori "Liberty" DeVitto, American rock drummer (Billy Joel, 1976-2006), born in New York City
  • Aug 8 Willie Hall, American drummer (Blues Brothers Band), born in Memphis, Tennessee

Chris Haney (1950-2010)

Aug 9 Canadian journalist who created the board game "Trivial Pursuit", born in Welland, Ontario

  • Aug 9 Roelof S "Roel" Bakker, Dutch actor and director (Love Potion)
  • Aug 10 Patti Austin, American soul, pop, and jazz singer (with James Ingram - "Come To Me"), born in Harlem, New York
  • Aug 10 Rémy Girard, Canadian actor (Les Invasions barbares), born in Jonquière, Quebec
  • Aug 11 Erik Brann [Braunn], American violin prodigy and rock guitarist (Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"), born in Pekin, Illinois (d. 2003)
  • Aug 11 Gennidy Nikonov, Russian weapons inventor
  • Aug 11 Glenn Jarrett, American auto racer (67 x NASCAR starts) and broadcaster (TNN, Speed Channel. MRN), born in Conover, North Carolina

Steve Wozniak (73 years old)

Aug 11 American pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and co-founder of Apple Computer, born in San Jose, California [1]

  • Aug 12 George McGinnis, American Basketball HOF power forward (ABA MVP 1975; 3 x ABA All-Star Indiana Pacers; 3 x NBA All-Star Philadelphia 76ers), born in Harpersville, Alabama (d. 2023)
  • Aug 12 Jim Beaver, American actor (Supernatural; Deadwood), writer, and film historian, born in Laramie, Wyoming
  • Aug 12 Kid Creole [August Darnell], American musician and actor (Obsession A Taste of Fear), born in The Bronx, New York
  • Aug 12 Simon Groom, British television presenter (Blue Peter, 1978-86), and producer (Angels & Devils; The Flying Scotsman), born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England

Gary Larson (73 years old)

Aug 14 American cartoonist (The Far Side), born in Tacoma, Washington

  • Aug 15 Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Windsor, second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, born in Clarence House, London
  • Aug 15 Billy Griffin, American singer (Miracles - "Love Machine"), born in Baltimore, Maryland
  • Aug 15 Steve Smoger, American boxing referee (200+ title bouts; International Boxing HOF), born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 2022)
  • Aug 15 Tess Harper, American actress (Amityville 3D, Tender Mercies), born in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas
  • Aug 15 Tom Kelly, American baseball manager (Minnesota Twins), born in Graceville, Minnesota
  • Aug 15 Tommy Aldridge, American heavy metal and hard rock drummer (Black Oak Arkansas; Ozzy Osbourne; Whitesnake), born in Pearl, Mississippi
  • Aug 16 Hasely Crawford, Trinidad, 100m runner (Olympic gold 1976)
  • Aug 16 Jeff[rey R] Thomson, cricketer (great Aussie fast bowler 1972-85)
  • Aug 16 Marshall Manesh, Iranian-born American actor
  • Aug 16 Stockwell Day, Canadian politician
  • Aug 18 Candice Earley, American actress (Donna Tyler-All My Children), born in Fort Hood, Texas
  • Aug 18 Dennis Elliott, English rock drummer (Foreigner), born in London, England
  • Aug 19 Dan Yochum, American football offensive lineman (CFL All-Star 1975, 76, 77, 78; Grey Cup 1974, 77; Montreal Alouettes; CFHOF), born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (d. 2020)
  • Aug 19 Graeme Beard, Australian cricket all-rounder (3 Tests; 2 ODIs; NSW CA), born in Sydney, Australia
  • Aug 19 Jennie Bond, British journalist (BBC Royal Correspondent), born in Hitchin, England
  • Aug 19 Margie Joseph, American soul and gospel singer of ("What's Come Over Me"), born in Gautier, Mississippi
  • Aug 21 Arthur Bremer, American criminal who shot George Wallace in May 1972 leaving him paralyzed, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Aug 21 Patrick Juvet, Swiss pop singer, born in Montreux, Switzerland
  • Aug 22 I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney and convicted felon, born in New Haven, Connecticut
  • Aug 22 Ray Burris, American baseball player, born in Idabel, Oklahoma
  • Aug 24 Frank Murray, Australian field hockey national coach (Olympic silver 1992, 96)
  • Aug 24 Tim White, American paleoanthropologist best known for leading the team which discovered Ardi, the type specimen of Ardipithecus ramidus, a 4.4 million-year-old likely human ancestor, born in Los Angeles County, California
  • Aug 25 Charles Fambrough, American jazz bassist (Jazz Messengers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
  • Aug 25 Willy Deville [William Paul Borsey Jr.], American rock vocalist and guitarist (Mink DeVille; The Princess Bride - "Storybook Love"), born in Stamford, Connecticut (d. 2009)
  • Aug 26 Arnold McCuller, American session and touring vocalist (James Taylor; Lyle Lovett; Phil Collins; Ry Cooder; Bonnie Raitt), songwriter, and record producer, born in Cleveland, Ohio
  • Aug 26 Benjamin Hendrickson, American stage and screen actor (As The World Turns, 1985-2006 - "Hal Munson"), born in Huntington, New York (d. 2006)
  • Aug 27 Charles Fleischer, comedian (Roger Rabbit), born in Washington, D.C.
  • Aug 27 Cynthia Potter, American diver (Olympic bronze 3m springboard 1976) and broadcaster (NBC Sports), born in Houston, Texas
  • Aug 27 Edmund Weiner, British lexicographer (Oxford English Dictionary), philologist, and co-author (The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary), born in Oxford, England

Ron Guidry (73 years old)

Aug 28 American baseball pitcher (4 x MLB All Star; Cy Young 1978; World Series 1977, 78; NY Yankees), born in Lafayette, Louisiana

  • Aug 29 Dave Reichert, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington) and sheriff, born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
  • Aug 30 Antony Gormley, British sculptor (Angel of the North), born in London, England
  • Aug 30 Micky Moody, English guitarist (Whitesnake, Juicy Lucy), born in Middleborough, England
Born in 1950

Famous Weddings

Dorothy Parker

Aug 17 Short story writer Dorothy Parker (57) weds screenwriter Alan Campbell (46)

Famous Deaths

  • Aug 5 Emil Abderhalden, Swiss physiologist and biochemist, dies at 73
  • Aug 8 Ernest Douwes Dekker, Indo-Dutch nationalist and founder of National-India Party, dies at 70
  • Aug 8 Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman and aviation pioneer (Qantas), dies at 71
  • Aug 8 Nikolai Myaskovsky, Russian composer (Kirov is With Us), dies at 69
  • Aug 18 Julien Lahaut, chairman Belgian Communist Party, murdered
  • Aug 19 Giovanni Giorgi, Italian physicist and electrical engineer (Giorgi system of measurement), dies at 78
  • Aug 22 Kirk Bryan, American geologist (b. 1888)
  • Aug 24 Ernst Wiechert, German writer (The Jeromin children), dies at 63
  • Aug 25 Earl Caddock, professional wrestler (b. 1888)
  • Aug 26 Ransom Eli Olds, American auto (Oldsmobile) & truck (REO) manufacturer, dies at 86
  • Aug 27 Cesare Pavese, Italian writer (Fuoco Grande), commits suicide at 41
  • Aug 30 Ralph Hancock, Welsh garden designer (Rockefeller Center), dies at 57