Historical Events
- Aug 1 Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette no-hits Chicago White Sox, 1-0 at White Sox Park
Event of Interest
Aug 1 Failed assassination of President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana
- Aug 3 29th Chicago College All-Star Game: Green Bay 42, All-Stars 20, 65,000 at Soldier Field
- Aug 3 NY Met Frank Thomas hits his 6th HR in 3 games
Event of Interest
Aug 4 Nelson Mandela captured by South African police
- Aug 5 1st quasar located by radio
- Aug 5 Nelson Mandela arrested for incitement and for illegally leaving South Africa
- Aug 5 UN command forbids flights to Congo breakaway Katangese airports
- Aug 6 Jamaica becomes independent after 300 years of British rule
- Aug 7 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Aug 10 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Aug 11 Andrian G Nikolayev, becomes 3rd Russian in space aboard Vostok 3
- Aug 11 Bolotnikov runs world record 10km (28:18.2)
- Aug 11 LA Dodgers protest as San Francisco manager Alvin Dark orders Candlestick Park ground crew to water down base paths to hinder MLB All-Star Maury Wills' base-stealing attempts; Giants win 5-4
- Aug 12 1st time 2 people in space
- Aug 12 Russia launches Vostok 4, Pavel Popovich, who lands safely Aug 15
Sports History
Aug 13 Bert Campaneris of Daytona Beach (FSL) pitches ambidextrously
- Aug 14 French & Italian workers break through at Mont Blanc Vehicular Tunnel
Event of Interest
Aug 14 NASA civilian test pilot Joseph A. Walker takes X-15 to 60,000 m
- Aug 14 US mail truck in Plymouth, Mass robbed of more than $1.5 million
- Aug 15 Netherlands & Indonesia sign accord over New Guinea
- Aug 15 Shady Grove Baptist Church burned in Leesburg, Georgia
Music History
Aug 16 Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best as Beatles' drummer, first official concert two days later
- Aug 17 East German border guards shot and kill Peter Fechter, 18, attempting to cross Berlin Wall into western sector
- Aug 18 Peter, Paul & Mary release their first hit "If I Had a Hammer"
- Aug 19 Homer Blancos plays finest round in golf, shooting a 55
- Aug 20 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Aug 21 Verne Gagne beats Mister M (doctor X) in Minneapolis, to become NWA champ
Assassination Attempt
Aug 22 Failed assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle
- Aug 22 Savannah, world's 1st nuclear-powered ship, completes maiden voyage from Yorktown, Va, to Savannah, Ga
- Aug 22 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Aug 23 1st Europe-US live TV program (via Telstar)
Durocher's Allergic Reaction
Aug 24 Los Angeles Dodger coach Leo Durocher suffers a near-fatal allergic reaction to a penicillin injection while in the clubhouse at the Polo Grounds, NYC
- Aug 24 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Venice Film Festival
Aug 25 23rd Venice Film Festival: "Family Diary" directed by Valerio Zurlini and "Ivan's Childhood" directed by Andrei Tarkovsky jointly awarded Golden Lion
- Aug 25 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Aug 25 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Aug 26 Minnesota Twins Jack Kralick no-hits KC A's, 1-0
- Aug 27 Mariner 2 launched; first probe to fly by Venus
- Aug 27 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Aug 28 55.9 cm rainfall at Hackberry, Louisiana (state record)
- Aug 28 Dr Geza De Kaplany tortures his wife with acid to punish her for supposed infidelity
Ya Ya (Parts 1 + 2)
Aug 28 Tony Sheridan & Beat Brothers (The Beatles) record "Ya Ya (Parts 1 + 2)" in Hamburg, Germany
- Aug 29 Some provisions of Kuwaiti constitution are suspended
- Aug 29 US U-2 flight sees SAM launch pads in Cuba
- Aug 30 Japan conducts a test of the NAMC YS-11, its first aircraft since the war and its only successful commercial aircraft from before or after the war
- Aug 31 Trinidad & Tobago gain independence from Britain (National Day) with Eric Williams as first Prime Minister
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Fred Moten, American cultural theorist, poet, and scholar, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Aug 1 Gertjan Verbeek, Dutch soccer player (SC Heerenveen), born in Deventer, Netherlands
- Aug 1 Jacob Matlala, South African boxer (WBO, WBU, IBA flyweight champion; shortest world champion ever at 1.47m [4-foot-10]), born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 2013)
- Aug 1 Joetta Clark, American 800m runner (Olympic-1992), born in East Orange, New Jersey
- Aug 2 Cynthia Stevenson, American actress (Bob, Hope & Gloria), born in Oakland, California
- Aug 2 Lee Mavers, British singer and songwriter (The La's - "There She Goes"), born in Liverpool, England
- Aug 3 Lucky Dube, South African reggae musician ("Remember Me"; "It's Not Easy"), born in Ermelo, Transvaal (now Mpumalanga) (d. 2007)
- Aug 3 Tina Lehtola, Finnish women's ski jumper (world's record holder), born in Finland
- Aug 4 Joey Huffman, American rock keyboard and organ player (Soul Asylum), born in Pikeville, Kentucky
- Aug 4 Lori Lightfoot, American lawyer and politician, 1st female African American Mayor of Chicago (2019-), born in Massillon, Ohio
- Aug 4 Paul Reynolds, British rock guitarist (A Flock of Seagulls - "I Ran (So Far Away)"), born in Liverpool, England
Roger Clemens (61 years old)
Aug 4 American baseball pitcher (7 x Cy Young Awards; AL MVP 1986 Boston Red Sox; Triple Crown 1997, 98 Toronto Blue Jays; 11 x MLB All Star), born in Dayton, Ohio
- Aug 5 Eric Geboers, Belgian motocross racer (5 x world champion; 39 x career Grand Prix wins), born in Neerpelt, Belgium (d. 2018)
- Aug 5 Otis Thorpe, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1992, NBA C'ship 1994 Houston Rockets), born in Boynton Beach Florida
Patrick Ewing (61 years old)
Aug 5 Jamaican-American NBA center, 1985-2002, 11X All-Star (NY Knicks, and 2 other teams; Olympic gold 1992), and collegiate coach (Georgetown, 2017-present), born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Aug 5 Richard De Groen, New Zealand cricketer (NZ medium pacer), born in Otorohonga, New Zealand
Michelle Yeoh (61 years old)
Aug 6 Chinese-Malaysian actress (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies), born in Ipoh, Federation of Malaya
- Aug 6 Thomas Jefferson, 200m runner (Olympic bronze 1984), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Aug 7 Bruno Pelletier, Québécois-Canadian pop singer, born in Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Quebec
- Aug 7 Michael "Weiki" Weikath, German heavy metal guitarist (Helloween), born in Hamburg, West Germany
- Aug 8 Charmaine Crooks, Canadian 800m runner (Olympics 1984, 88, 92, 96), born in Mandeville, Jamaica
- Aug 8 Suzee Pai, American actress (Big Trouble in Little China), born in Toledo, Ohio
- Aug 9 Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, German politician, Leader of Christian Democratic Union (2018-), born in Völklingen, West Germany
- Aug 9 Jim Johnson, American NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals), born in New Hope, Minnesota
- Aug 9 John "Hot Rod" Williams, American NBA center/forward (Phoenix Suns), born in Sorrento, Louisiana (d. 2015)
- Aug 9 Michael "Mick" Conroy, British bassist (Stereo Lab, Modern English - "I Melt With You"), born in England
- Aug 9 Yinka Shonibare, British Nigerian artist (Nelson's Ship in a Bottle), born in London, England
- Aug 10 Dan Donovan, English rock keyboardist (Big Audio Dynamite), born in London, England
- Aug 10 Julia Fordham, British pop and jazz singer-songwriter ("Happy Ever After"), born in Portsmouth, England
- Aug 10 Suzanne Collins, American author (The Hunger Games Trilogy), born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Aug 11 Jonathan Hayes, American NFL tight end and coach (KC Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers), born in South Fayette Township, Pennsylvania
- Aug 11 Uvais Karnain, cricketer (Sri Lankan ODI bowler in mid 1980's)
- Aug 12 Miss Cleo [Youree Dell Harris], American psychic (Psychic Readers Network), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2016)
- Aug 13 Bob Stringer, English executive (CEO Sony Music Entertainment), born in Aylesbury, England
- Aug 13 John Slattery, American actor (Mad Men, The Adjustment Bureau), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Aug 13 Lady Bunny [Jon Ingle], American drag queen, promoter and founder of the annual Wigstock event, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Aug 14 Jerry Foltz, American golfer and commentator (Golf Channel), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Aug 14 Mark Gubicza, American baseball pitcher (KC Royals), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Aug 14 Mark Robert Isfeld, Canadian soldier and United Nations peacekeeper, born in Zweibrücken, Germany
- Aug 14 Rameez Raja, Pakistani cricketer (prolific Pakistani batsman), born in Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Aug 15 Bubby Brister, NFL quarterback (NY Jets, Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32)
- Aug 15 Tom Colicchio, American chef (Gramercy Tavern), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Aug 16 (Vendela) Astrid Young, Canadian session vocalist, singer-songwriter, and best-selling author (Being Young), born in Toronto, Ontario
Steve Carell (61 years old)
Aug 16 American actor and comedian (The Office), born in Concord, Massachusetts
- Aug 17 Buddy Landel 'Nature Boy', American professional wrestler, born in Knoxville, Tennessee (d. 2015)
- Aug 17 Gilby Clarke, American rock guitarist (Guns N' Roses, 1991-94; Rock Star Supernova), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Aug 18 Felipe Calderón, Mexican politician (President of Mexico, 2006–12), born in Morelia, Mexico
- Aug 18 Sandra Farmer-Patrick, Jamaican-born American 400m hurdler, born in Kingston, Jamaica
- Aug 19 Angelo Debarre, French gypsy jazz guitarist (Mémoires: Memories of Django), born in Saint-Denis, France
- Aug 19 Eric Lutes, American actor (Del-Caroline in the City), born in Charlestown, Rhode Island
- Aug 19 Michael Massimino, American astronaut (STS-109 Columbia, STS-125 Atlantis), born in Oceanside, New York
- Aug 19 Tammy Bruce, American political commentator (Fox), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 19 Valerie Kaprisky, French actress (Breathless, Public Woman), born in Paris, France
- Aug 20 Dong-Wook Song, South Korean tennis player, born in Seoul, South Korea
- Aug 20 Duffy Waldorf Jr, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 20 James Marsters, American actor (Spike-Buffy the Vampire Slayer), born in Greenville, California
- Aug 20 Pedro Gomez, American sports journalist (ESPN 2003-21), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2021)
- Aug 20 Steve Daines, American politician (Senator-R-Montana 2015-), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 21 Jeff Stryker, American adult film actor, born in Carmi, Illinois
- Aug 22 Gene Sauers, American golfer (US Senior Open 2016; PGA C'ship 1992 runner-up), born in Savannah, Georgia
- Aug 22 James DeBarge, American rock vocalist and keyboardist (Debarge - "Rhythm Of The Night"), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Aug 22 Marie Laurie Mahabir, North American Bodybuilding Champ (1985-87), born in Le Moule, Guadeloupe
- Aug 23 Glenn Healy, Canadian NHL goalie (NY Rangers), born in Pickering, Ontario, Canada
- Aug 23 Kyle Clifton, American NFL linebacker (NY Jets), born in Olney, Texas
- Aug 23 Martin Cauchon, Canadian politician (Minister of Justice 2002-03), born in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada
- Aug 24 Craig Kilborn, American television host (ESPN's SportsCenter, 1993-96; The Daily Show, 1996-98; The Late Late Show, 1999-2004), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Aug 24 David Koechner, American actor, born in Tipton, Missouri
- Aug 24 Mary Ellen Weber, American NASA astronaut (STS 70), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Aug 25 David Packer, American actor (Almost Heroes), born in Passaic, New Jersey
- Aug 25 Mazzi Rawd, [Clifford Lewis], American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), and physicist, born in the USA
- Aug 25 Shahid Mahboob, Pakistani cricketer (batted in one Test for Pakistan 1989), born in Karachi, Pakistan
- Aug 25 Vivian Campbell, Irish heavy metal singer (Def Leppard), born in Belfast, Ireland
- Aug 25 Yuri Korolyov, Russian artistic gymnast (World All-Around Champion 1981, 85; World Cup All-Around Co-Champion 1986), born in Vladimir, Russia (d. 2023)
- Aug 26 Bob Mionske, American cyclist and attorney, born in Evanston and Illinois
- Aug 26 Tariq Ramadan, Islamic scholar, born in Geneva, Switzerland
- Aug 27 Scott Davis, American tennis player (Australian Open doubles 1991 [David Pate]), born in Irvine, California
- Aug 27 Vic Mignogna, American voice actor
David Fincher (61 years old)
Aug 28 American film director and producer (The Social Network; Gone Girl; Fight Club), born in Denver, Colorado
- Aug 28 Paul Allen, English footballer, born in Aveley, England
- Aug 28 Rick Fehr, American golfer (2 PGA Tour titles), born in Seattle, Washington
- Aug 29 Carl Banks, American NFL linebacker (Cleveland Browns, NY Giants), born in Flint, Michigan
- Aug 29 Hiroki Kikuta, Japanese video game composer, born in Aichi Prefecture, Japan
- Aug 30 Alexander Litvinenko, Russian KGB officer, born in Voronezh, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (d. 2006)
- Aug 31 Dee Bradley Baker, American voice actor, born in Bloomington, Indiana
Famous Weddings
Marlon Brando
Aug 10 American actor Marlon Brando (38) weds third wife, French-Tahitian actress Tarita Teriipaia (20); divorce in 1972
Jack Lemmon
Aug 17 Actor Jack Lemmon (37) weds actress and model Felicia Farr (29) in Paris, France
John Lennon
Aug 23 British "Beatles" musician John Lennon (21) weds British art school girlfriend Cynthia Powell (22); divorce in 1968
Colin Powell
Aug 25 Future US Army General and Secretary of State Colin Powell (25) weds American audiologist Alma Johnson (24) at the First Congregational Church in Birmingham, Alabama, until his death in 2021
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Leon Kruczkowski, Polish author (Niemcy), dies at 62
Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
Aug 4 American actress (Some Like It Hot; The Seven Year Itch), found dead of an apparent self-inflicted drug overdose at 36
Hermann Hesse (1877-1962)
Aug 9 German-Swiss novelist and poet (Steppenwolf, Nobel Prize for Literature 1946), dies at 85
- Aug 9 Lowell Stockman, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon, dies at 61
- Aug 10 Ted Husing, American sportscaster (Monday Night Fights CBS), dies at 60
- Aug 14 June Richmond, American jazz singer (Jimmy Dorsey; Cab Calloway; Andy Kirk - "Hey Lawdy Mama"), dies of a heart attack at 47 [1]
- Aug 15 Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (became a propaganda icon after his death), dies in an accident at 21
- Aug 17 Peter Fechter, East German bricklayer who was shot trying to cross the Berlin Wall at 18
- Aug 18 Cleo Ridgely, silent screen actress (I Remember Mama), dies at 68
- Aug 19 Kerstin Hesselgren, Swedish politician, 1st woman in Swedish parliament, dies at 90
- Aug 23 Edmund "Hoot" Gibson, American rodeo champion, western actor, director, and producer (Horse Soldier, Last Outlaw), dies from cancer at 70
- Aug 23 Irving Fine, American composer (Toccata), dies of heart disease at 47
- Aug 23 Walter Anderson, German folklorist, dies at 76
- Aug 24 Henry George Ley, British organist, and choral composer, dies at 74
- Aug 27 Carlos Lavín, Chilean composer (Lamentaciones Huiliches), and ethnomusicologist, dies at 79
