Historical Events
- Aug 1 1st microgravity research begins
- Aug 1 Tengku Abdul Rahman forms Malacca government
- Aug 1 WILL TV channel 12 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 2 USSR performs nuclear test
- Aug 3 Automobile Association of America ends support of auto racing, Le Mans disaster and Bill Vukovich death at Indianapolis contributing factors
- Aug 3 Belgian middle distance runner Roger Moens breaks Rudolph Harbig's long standing 800m world record (1:45.7) in Oslo, Norway
- Aug 3 Hurricane Connie begins pounding US for 11 days, making landfall in North Carolina, and travelling to the Great Lakes
Event of Interest
Aug 4 Eisenhower authorizes $46 million for construction of CIA headquarters
- Aug 7 Bar-Ilan University founded in Israel
- Aug 7 KSTF TV channel 10 in Scottsbluff-Gering, NB (CBS/NBC) begins
- Aug 7 Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, begins selling its first transistor radios in Japan
26th of July Movement
Aug 8 Fidel Castro forms the "26th of July Movement", a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization
- Aug 8 Geneva conference held to discuss peaceful uses of atomic energy
- Aug 11 Indonesia government of Harahap forms
- Aug 12 22nd NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 30, Cleveland 27 (75,000)
- Aug 12 Hurricane Connie makes landfall near Fort Macon, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm
- Aug 12 US President Eisenhower raises minimum wage from 75 cents to $1 an hour
- Aug 12 WPBT TV channel 2 in Miami, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
Baseball Record
Aug 13 Larry Doby's ends AL record of 167 errorless games in outfield
- Aug 15 Hurricane Connie dissipates after killing 77 in the US eastern seaboard and mid-atlantic states
- Aug 15 WXEX TV channel 8 in Richmond-Petersburg, VA (ABC) begins
- Aug 16 Fiat Motors orders 1st private atomic reactor
- Aug 17 Hurricane Diane, following hurricane Connie floods Connecticut River killing 190 & doing $1.8 billion damage
- Aug 18 -19] Hurricane Diane, kills 400 in US
- Aug 18 46.1 cm rainfall at Westfield, Massachusetts (state record)
- Aug 18 Sjukri al-Quwatli re-elected president of Syria
- Aug 19 32.4 cm precipitation at Burlington, Connecticut (state record)
- Aug 19 Hurricane Diane kills 200 people, becomes 1st billion $ damage storm (N.E. US)
- Aug 19 US raises import duty on bicycles 50%
Radio History
Aug 19 WINS radio (New York City), announces it will not play "copy" white cover versions of R&B records (DJ's play Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame," not Pat Boone's)
- Aug 20 Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus petitions UN for Cypriot right to self-determination
- Aug 20 Hundreds killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco & Algeria
Emmett Till's Fateful Trip
Aug 21 Chicago teenager Emmett Till arrives in Money, Mississippi, to visit relatives, a week before he is murdered
- Aug 25 16th Venice Film Festival: "Ordet" directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer wins Golden Lion
- Aug 25 Last Soviet forces leave Austria
- Aug 26 "Pather Panchali", Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray, starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee and Karuna Banerjee, is released
- Aug 26 1st color telecast (NBC) of a tennis match (Davis Cup)
- Aug 27 "Guinness Book of World Records" 1st published
Baseball Record
Aug 27 Sandy Koufax fans 14 Reds, both teams combine for record 23 strikeouts
- Aug 28 1st NFL preseason sudden death football, Rams beats Giants 23-17
- Aug 28 Chicago black teenager Emmett Till is kidnapped, beaten and shot dead by white men in Money, Mississippi; his killers are eventually acquitted, but the case helps ignite the US civil rights movement.
- Aug 31 1st sun-powered automobile demonstrated (Chicago, Illinois)
- Aug 31 KTRE TV channel 9 begins broadcasting in Lufkin, Texas (ABC/NBC affiliate)
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Arun Lal, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman mid-80's), born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
- Aug 1 Pierre Robert, American rock and roll radio DJ (same station in Philadelphia since 1981), and Deadhead, born in Truckee, California
- Aug 2 (Bryan) "Butch" Vig, American record producer (Nirvana -Nevermind; Smashing Pumpkins; Foo Fighters), songwriter, and drummer (Garbage), born in Viroqua, Wisconsin
- Aug 2 Anne Lacaton, French architect (Lacaton & Vassal, Pritzker Prize - 2021), born in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, France
- Aug 2 Caleb Carr, American novelist and military historian, born in Manhattan, New York
- Aug 2 Jimmy Lowe, American country singer (Pirates of Mississippi - "Feed Jake"), born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Aug 2 Roberta Wallach, American actress (Civil Wars), born in New York City
- Aug 2 Tim Dunigan, American actor, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Aug 3 Corey Burton [Weinberg], American voice actor (Adventures in Odyssey; Dismey themeparks and films), born in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California
- Aug 4 Alberto Gonzales, American U.S. Attorney General
- Aug 4 Andrew M Allen, Captain USMC/astronaut (STS 46, 62, 75), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Billy Bob Thornton (68 years old)
Aug 4 American actor (Sling Blade), born in Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Aug 4 Charles D "Sam" Gemar, Yankton SD, army/astronaut (STS 38, 48, 62)
- Aug 5 Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, American rock guitarist and songwriter (Twisted Sister; Scarecrow), born in New York City
- Aug 6 Gordon J. Brand, English golfer (British Open 1986 runner-up), born in Cambridge, England (d. 2020)
- Aug 7 Greg Nickels, American politician (Mayor of Seattle, 2002–), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 7 Gregoris Valtinos, Greek actor and director, born in Thessaloniki, Greece
- Aug 7 Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer, born in Bykovo, Russia
- Aug 7 Wayne Knight, American actor, born in New York City
- Aug 8 Ali Score, British new wave-pop drummer (Flock Of Seagulls, 1979-86 - "I Ran So Far Away"), born in Beverley, England
- Aug 8 Branscombe Richmond, American actor (Renegade, Commando), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 8 Diddú, Icelandic soprano and songwriter
- Aug 8 Herbert Prohaska, Austrian footballer
- Aug 9 Doug Williams, American NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins), born in Zachary, Louisiana
- Aug 9 John E. Sweeney, American politician (Rep-R-NY 1999-2007), born in Troy, New York
- Aug 11 Marc Bureau, French Canadian politician
- Aug 11 Norio Honaga, wrestler (NJPW)
- Aug 11 Sylvia Hermon, British politician
- Aug 12 Ann M. Martin, American author
- Aug 12 Heintje [Hendrik Simons], Dutch schlager singer ("Mama"), born in Heerlen, Netherlands
Betsy King (68 years old)
Aug 13 American golfer (6-time major winner; US Open 1989-90), born in Reading, Pennsylvania
- Aug 13 Charles Williams, American jazz pianist (Kansas City Jazz Orchestra), born in Kansas City, Kansas
- Aug 13 Hideo Fukuyama, Japanese racing driver (first Japanese to compete in NASCAR's top series), born in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan
- Aug 13 Keith Ahlers, British racing driver, born in Cambridge, England
- Aug 13 Mulgrew Miller, American jazz pianist, (Duke Ellington; Betty Carter; Artie Shaw; Art Blakey),composer, and educator (William Patterson University), born in Greenwood, Mississippi (d. 2013)
- Aug 13 Paul Greengrass, English film director (Bloody Sunday), born in Cheam, Surrey, England
- Aug 14 Gillian Taylforth, British actress (EastEnders, 1985-2000, 2015-present - "Kathy Beale"; Footballers' Wives (2002–2006), born in Islington, London, England
- Aug 15 Kenneth Carr, American basketball forward (Olympic gold 1976; LA Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Portland TBs), born in Clearwater, Florida
- Aug 15 Larry Mathews [Mazzeo], American child actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Ritchie"), born in Burbank, California
- Aug 17 Colin Moulding, English pop bassist, and songwriter (XTC - "Generals And Majors"), born in Swindon, England
- Aug 17 Kevin Welch, American country songwriter ("True Love Never Dies"), born in Long Beach, California
- Aug 17 Richard Hilton, American heir, father of Paris and Nicky Hilton, born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 18 Taher Elgamal, Egyptian scientist, born in Cairo, Egypt
- Aug 19 (Edgar) "Ned" Yost, American MLB baseball catcher, 1980-85 and manager, 2003-2019 (Minnesota Twins; Kansas City Royals - World Series win, 2015), born in Eureka, California
- Aug 19 Patricia Scotland, British diplomat, politician and barrister (1st female Commonwealth secretary-general), born in Dominica, British Leeward Islands
- Aug 19 Peter Gallagher, American actor (Summer Lovers; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; The Player; The O.C. - "Sandy"), and singer, born in New York City
- Aug 20 Jay Acovone, American actor (Det Rado-Hollywood Beat), born in New York City
- Aug 20 Ned Overend, American mountain bike racer (World C'ship gold cross-country 1990, bronze 1991), born in Taipei, Taiwan
- Aug 20 Rob Wiedijk, Dutch rock vocalist (Bob Color)
- Aug 22 Chiranjeevi [Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad], Telugu film actor, dancer and producer, born in Mogalthur, India
- Aug 22 Will Shetterly, American writer (Dogland), born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Aug 24 Mike Huckabee, American politician (Governor of Arkansas (R) 1996-2007), Presidential candidate, born in Hope, Arkansas
- Aug 25 John McGeoch, Scottish rock guitarist (Magazine: Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Spellbound"; Visage; Public Image Ltd.), born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 2004)
- Aug 25 Vijayakanth, Tamil actor and politician, born in Thirumangalam, India
- Aug 27 Diana Scarwid, actress (Extermites, Psycho 3, Heat), born in Savannah, Georgia
- Aug 27 Laura Fygi, Dutch jazz-pop singer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Aug 27 Robert Richardson, American cinematographer
- Aug 27 Rod Davis, New Zealand sailor (Olympic gold USA soling class 1994; silver NZ star class 1992), born in Key West, Florida
- Aug 29 Diamanda Galás, Greek-American pianist, singer and composer (Masque of the Red Death), born in San Diego, California
- Aug 29 Frank Hoste, Belgian cyclist (Tour de France, 1984), born in Ghent, Belgium
- Aug 30 Butch [Richard] Johnson, American archer (Olympic gold 1992, 96), born in Worcester, Massachusetts
- Aug 30 Martin Jackson, British rocker (Swing Out Sister - "Swing Out"), born in Manchester, England
- Aug 30 Marvin Powell Jr., American College Football HOF offensive tackle (USC; First-team All-Pro 1979, 82; 5 x Pro Bowl; NY Jets, TB Buccaneers), born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina (d. 2022)
- Aug 31 Edwin Moses, American 400m hurdler (2 Olympic golds), born in Dayton, Ohio
Famous Weddings
Bela Lugosi
Aug 25 Hungarian–American "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi (72) weds fifth and final wife Hope Lininger (36), until his death in 1956
- Aug 29 American "Untamed Youth" actress Mamie Van Doren (24) weds American trumpeter and actor Ray Anthony (33); divorce 1961
Famous Divorces
Elizabeth Montgomery
Aug 9 Actress Elizabeth Montgomery (22) divorces socialite Frederick Gallatin Cammann after more than a year of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Aug 2 Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach, dies at 54
- Aug 2 Rupprecht, last crown prince of Bavaria and German fieldmarshall during WWI, dies at 86
- Aug 2 Wallace Stevens, American poet (The Auroras of Autumn), dies at 75
- Aug 3 Lida Durdikova, Czech children's author (Children with extinguished eyes) and publisher (Père Castor), dies at 56
- Aug 5 Carmen Miranda, Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer and actress (Down Argentine Way), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Aug 5 Suzan (Susan) Ball, American actress, dies of cancer at 21
- Aug 9 Marion Eugene Bauer, American composer, dies at 57
- Aug 12 James B. Sumner, American chemist (Nobel 1946 - discovered that enzymes can be crystallized), dies at 67
Thomas Mann (1875-1955)
Aug 12 German novelist (Magic Mountain-Nobel 1929), dies at 80
- Aug 14 Fiske Kimball, American architect and art historian, dies at 66
- Aug 14 Herbert Putnam, American Librarian of Congress, dies at 93
- Aug 23 Reginald Tate, British actor (b. 1896)
- Aug 26 Sol White, American Baseball HOF executive (Philadelphia Giants 4 x consecutive black C'ships 1904–1907), dies at 87
- Aug 27 Joachim Wach, philosopher/sociologist (Sociology of Religion), dies
- Aug 28 Bob Gordon, American cool jazz baritone saxophonist, dies in a car accident at 27
Emmett Till (1941-1955)
Aug 28 American lynching victim, kidnapped in Money, Mississippi and lynched at 14
