What Happened in August 1974

Historical Events

  • Aug 1 China's People's Liberation Army Navy, put into service ChangZheng 1, their first nuclear-powered submarine
  • Aug 3 "Words & Music" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 127 performances

Music History

Aug 3 Jeff Baxter, guitarist and founding member of Steely Dan quits the band and joins the Doobie Brothers

Little Night Music

Aug 3 Stephen Sondheim's musical "Little Night Music" closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 601 performances, winning 6 Tony Awards, 6 Drama Desk Awards, and a Grammy

  • Aug 4 Crawford-Butler Act allows Puerto Ricans to elect own governor
  • Aug 5 Joan Jett forms her rock group Runaways in England

Event of Interest

Aug 5 US President Richard Nixon admits he withheld information about Watergate break-in

  • Aug 6 Explosion and fire destroy Great Northern RR yard in Wenatchee, Washington
  • Aug 7 Philippe Petit walks tightrope strung between twin towers
  • Aug 8 US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12pm the next day

Richard Nixon's Resignation Letter

Aug 9 Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States and Vice President Gerald Ford swears the oath of office to take his place as the 38th US President

  • Aug 11 Coup in East-Timor under UDT
  • Aug 11 Head-on collision between two buses kills 21 (Ankara, Turkey)

PGA Championship

Aug 11 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Tanglewood Park: Lee Trevino wins the first of his 2 PGA C'ships, 1 stroke ahead of defending champion Jack Nicklaus

Baseball Record

Aug 12 Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 & walks only 2 as Angels top Red Sox, 4-2

Hall of Fame

Aug 12 Yankees Mickey Mantle & Whitey Ford become 1st teammates inducted to hall of fame on same day

  • Aug 14 Congress authorizes US citizens to own gold
  • Aug 14 Turkish army attacks Nicosia Cyprus
  • Aug 14 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Aug 14 USSR performs underground nuclear test
  • Aug 15 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
  • Aug 15 Hurricane and floods ravage Bangladesh, 4,000 killed
  • Aug 15 Longest team (6) trampoline bouncing marathon (1,248 hours or 52 days)
  • Aug 15 South Korean President Park Chung-Hee escapes assassination attempt

Music Concert

Aug 16 American punk rock band "The Ramones" concert debut at CBGB's in New York City

Pussy Cats

Aug 19 RCA records releases "Pussy Cats", the tenth album by American singer Harry Nilsson in the US; album was produced by John Lennon and Nilsson worked through a serious vocal chord injury which diminished his vaunted range

  • Aug 20 Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed is elected fifth President of India
  • Aug 20 Nolan Ryan pitch measured at record 161.6 kph (100.4 mph)

Music History

Aug 23 John Lennon reports seeing a UFO in NYC

  • Aug 23 Zaheer Abbas scores 240 Pakistan v England at The Cricket Oval
  • Aug 25 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
  • Aug 25 LA Aztecs defeat Miami Toros to win NASL cup
  • Aug 26 Soyuz 15 carries 2 cosmonauts to space station Salyut 3
  • Aug 27 NY Met Benny Ayala hits a HR in his 1st at bat
  • Aug 28 Soyuz 15 returns to Earth
  • Aug 29 USSR performs underground nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
  • Aug 30 Express train runs at full speed into Zagreb, Yugoslavia, rail yard killing 153
  • Aug 30 Launching of 1st Dutch satellite, ANS, from Vandenberg
  • Aug 30 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Aug 31 Pirate Radio Veronica moves into Scheveningen, Neteherlands harbor
1974 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Aug 1 Beckie Scott, Canadian cross-country skiing athlete, born in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada
  • Aug 1 Chris Shinn, American singer and songwriter (Live, 2012-16; Unified Theory, 1998-2001), born in Hartford, Connecticut
  • Aug 2 Angie Cepeda, Colombian actress, born in Magangué, Colombia
  • Aug 2 Jeremy Castle, Oklahoma country singer and songwriter, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Aug 2 Paul Grasmanis, American defensive tackle (Chicago Bears), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • Aug 3 Blaine Wilson, American gymnast (Olympic 5th 1996), born in Columbus, Ohio
  • Aug 3 Jenny Beck, American actress (Claire Carroll-Guns & Paradise), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 4 Canute Curtis, linebacker (Cincinnati Bengals)
  • Aug 4 Keenan Milton, Professional Skater
  • Aug 4 Kily González, Argentine footballer
  • Aug 4 Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraqi politician and militia leader (Sadrist Movement), born in Najaf, Ba'athist Iraq
  • Aug 5 Antoine Sibierski, French footballer (Newcastle United), born in Lille, France
  • Aug 5 Frankie Hejduk, American soccer defender (Olympic gold 1996), born in La Mesa, California
  • Aug 5 Kajol Mukherjee, Indian actress (Fanaa, My Name Is Khan), born in Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Aug 6 Adrian Voinea, Focsani Romania, tennis star (1995 Malta)
  • Aug 6 Bobby Petta, soccer player (Feyenoord, RKC)
  • Aug 6 Ever Carradine, American actress
  • Aug 6 Nelson Vargas, Holoyoke Mass, soccer forward (Olympic gold 1996)
  • Aug 7 Michael Shannon, American actor (Nocturnal Animals, Boardwalk Empire), born in Lexington, Kentucky
  • Aug 7 Philippe De Rouville, Canadian NHL goalie (Pitts Penguins), born in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
  • Aug 8 Andrei Mezin, Belarusian NHL goaltender (Team Belarus, Olympics 1998), born in Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
  • Aug 8 Andy Priaulx, British race car driver
  • Aug 8 Brian Harvey, British pop singer (East 17 - "Stay Another Day"), born in Walthamstow, England
  • Aug 8 Scott D'Amore, Canadian professional wrestler and manager
  • Aug 9 Derek Fisher, American NBA guard (LA Lakers) and manager (LS Sparks), born in Little Rock Arkansas
  • Aug 9 Nicola Stapleton, English actress (Eastenders), born in London, England
  • Aug 10 Dave Fiore, American NFL player (San Francisco 49ers), born in Waldwick, New Jersey
  • Aug 10 David Sommeil, Guadeloupean footballer, born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe
  • Aug 10 Luis Marín, Costa Rican footballer, born in San José, Costa Rica
  • Aug 10 Walt Harris, American NFL cornerback (Chicago Bears), born in LaGrange, Georgia
  • Aug 11 Anju Jain, Indian cricketer(women's team)
  • Aug 11 Audrey Mestre, French diver
  • Aug 11 Hadiqa Kiyani, Pakistani pop star
  • Aug 12 Wendy Palmer, American basketball player, WNBA forward (Utah Starzz), born in Timberlake, North Carolina
  • Aug 13 Jarrod Washburn, American baseball player (Los Angeles Angels), born in La Crosse, Wisconsin
  • Aug 14 Ana Matronic [Lynch], American alt-pop singer (Scissor Sisters), born in Portland, Oregon
  • Aug 14 Christopher Gorham, American actor, born in Fresno, California
  • Aug 14 Martin Bulloch, Scottish rock drummer (Mogwai), born in Bellshill, Scotland
  • Aug 15 Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress (Species), born in Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Aug 15 Ramon Morel, Dominican pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic
  • Aug 16 Bryan Chiu, CFL defensive tackle (Montreal Alouettes), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
  • Aug 16 Iván Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer, born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador
  • Aug 16 Killah Priest [Walter Reed], American rapper, born in Brooklyn, New York
  • Aug 16 Krizstina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer (5 x Olympic gold backstroke/medley 1988, 92, 96), born in Budapest, Hungary
  • Aug 16 Roger Cedeno, Venezuelan outfielder (LA Dodgers), born in Valencia, Venezuela
  • Aug 16 Ryan Longwell, NFL kicker (Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl 31), born in Seattle, Washington
  • Aug 17 Nicola Kraus, American novelist, born in New York City
  • Aug 17 Tony Hajjar, Lebanese-American drummer (At the Drive-In; Sparta), born in Beirut, Lebanon
  • Aug 18 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer (WI left-handed batsman 1994-), born in Unity Village, Guyana
  • Aug 19 David Patten, American football wide receiver (Super Bowl 2001, 04, 05; New England Patriots), born in Hopkins, South Carolina (d. 2021)

Amy Adams (49 years old)

Aug 20 American actress (Junebug; Enchanted: Julie & Julia; American Hustle; Big Eyes), born in Vicenza, Veneto, Italy

  • Aug 20 Andy Strachan, Australian musician (The Living End), born in Adelaide, Australia
  • Aug 20 Big Moe [Kenneth Doniell Moore], American rapper (Screwed Up Click), born in Houston, Texas (d. 2007)
  • Aug 20 Maxim Vengerov, Russian-Israeli violinist, born in Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
  • Aug 20 Misha Collins, American actor (Supernatural), born in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Aug 20 Szabolcs Sáfár, Hungarian football goalkeeper, born in Budapest, Hungary

Amy Fisher (49 years old)

Aug 21 American woman who when aged 17 shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco while having an affair with her husband, born in Long Island, New York

  • Aug 22 Agustín Pichot, Argentine rugby player, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Aug 22 Brimstone, American professional wrestler, born in Mineola, New York
  • Aug 22 Stefano Verderi, Italian guitarist (Le Vibrazioni), born in Milan, Italy
  • Aug 23 Benjamin Limo, Kenyan runner, born in Eldoret, Kenya
  • Aug 23 Christian Beranek, American graphic novelist and actor, born in Council Bluffs, Iowa
  • Aug 23 Konstantin Novoselov, Russian physicist (2010 Nobel Prize for isolation of Graphene), born in Nizhny Tagil, Russia [1]
  • Aug 23 Ray Park, Scottish actor (G.I. Joes movies; Slayer), born in Glasgow, United Kingdom
  • Aug 23 Shifty Shellshock [Seth Binzer], American musician (Crazy Town), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 24 Archie Amerson, CFL running back (Hamilton Tiger Cats)
  • Aug 24 Órla Fallon, Irish traditional singer, Celtic harpist, and songwriter (Celtic Woman, 2004-2009; Anúna, 1996), born in Knockananna, County Wicklow, Ireland
  • Aug 24 Tony McCombs, American football linebacker (Arizona Cardinals), born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
  • Aug 25 Darren Benson, NFL defensive tackle (Dallas Cowboys)
  • Aug 25 Dave Luza, Dutch comedian
  • Aug 25 Eric Millegan, American actor
  • Aug 26 Eric D. Snider, American humor columnist / movie reviewer, born in Lake Elsinore, California
  • Aug 26 Huang Bo, Chinese actor (Cow) and singer, born in Qingdao, China
  • Aug 26 Kelvin Cato, American NBA center (Portland Trailblazers), born in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Aug 27 José Vidro, Puerto Rican baseball player
  • Aug 27 Michael Mason, New Zealand cricketer
  • Aug 28 Carsten Jancker, German footballer and coach, born in Grevesmühlen, East Germany
  • Aug 28 Johan Andersson, Swedish game programmer, born in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Aug 28 Takahito Eguchi, Japanese video game composer, born in Nagasaki, Japan

Jay Onrait (49 years old)

Aug 29 Canadian sports broadcaster (TSN, Fox Sports 1), born in Athabasca, Alberta

  • Aug 29 Kumi Tanioka, Japanese video game composer (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles), born in Hiroshima, Japan
  • Aug 30 Aaron Barrett, American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (Reel Big Fish), born in San Bernadino, California
  • Aug 30 Javier Otxoa, Spanish cyclist
  • Aug 30 Rich Cronin, American singer songwriter (Lyte Funkie Ones), born in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Aug 31 Andrei Medvedev, Ukrainian tennis player (won four Masters), born in Kyiv, Ukraine
  • Aug 31 Jeremy O'Day, American CFL offensive linebacker (Toronto Argonauts) and manager, born in Buffalo, New York

Marc Webb (49 years old)

Aug 31 American music video, TV, and film director (500 Days of Summer; The Amazing Spider-Man (2012-14 reboot)), born in Bloomington, Indiana


Born in 1974

Famous Weddings

Faye Dunaway

Aug 7 American actress Faye Dunaway (33) weds American rock singer Peter Wolf (28) of J. Geils Band; divorce in 1979

Tim Rice

Aug 19 British EGOT (Emmy; Grammy; Oscar; and Tony Awards winner) lyricist Tim Rice (29) weds British actress Jane McIntosh


Famous Deaths

  • Aug 1 Ildebrando Antoniutti, Italian Catholic cardinal (b. 1898)
  • Aug 2 W. Douglas Hawkes, British auto racer and designer, dies at 80
  • Aug 3 Almira Sessions, American character actress (Oklahoma Annie), dies at 85
  • Aug 6 Gene Ammons, American jazz saxophonist ("The Happy Blues"), dies of bone cancer at 49
  • Aug 7 Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet (Balún Canán), dies in an electrical accident at 49
  • Aug 7 Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 72
  • Aug 8 Baldur von Schirach, German writer, Nazi official and convicted war criminal (Head of Hitler Youth 1931-40), dies at 67
  • Aug 9 Bill Chase, American jazz-rock trumpet player and bandleader (Chase), dies in a plane crash at 39
  • Aug 10 Ivor Dean, British stage and screen actor (Treasure Island; The Saint - "Inspector Teal"), dies at 56
  • Aug 10 Pedro Regas, Greek stage actor (Only Angels Have Wings, Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour), dies at 77
  • Aug 11 Jack Hill, Australian cricketer (3 Tests for Australia 1953-55, 8 wickets), dies at 51
  • Aug 11 Vicente Emilio Sojo, Venezuelan composer, dies at 86
  • Aug 13 (Harold) "Tina" Brooks, American hard-bop jazz saxophonist, and composer ("True Blue"), dies of liver failure at 42
  • Aug 13 Hugo Yarnold, English cricketer (Umpire in 3 Tests for England), dies at 57
  • Aug 13 Kate O'Brien, Irish writer (Pray for the Wanderer), dies at 76
  • Aug 14 Raymond Budd, South African trade unionist
  • Aug 15 Edmund Cobb, American silent and sound screen actor, specializing in western film (A Final Reckoning; Motorcycle Gang; Comanche Territory), dies of a heart attack at 82
  • Aug 15 Yuk Young-So, wife of South Korean president Park Chung-Hee, murdered in an assassination attempt on her husband at 48
  • Aug 16 Karl E Mundt, (Rep/Sen), dies
  • Aug 17 Aldo Palazzeschi [Giurlani], Italian writer (I cavalli bianchi), dies at 89
  • Aug 17 Edgar Dearing, American actor (Pollyanna, Abraham Lincoln, Free & Easy), dies at 81
  • Aug 19 Rodger Davies, United States ambassador to Cyprus, murdered at 53 by Greek Cypriot gunmen during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia
  • Aug 20 Ilona Massey [Hajmássy], Hungarian-American film, stage, and radio actress and singer (Ilona Massey Show), dies of cancer at 64
  • Aug 21 Buford Pusser, American sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, dies in a single vehicle car crash at 36
  • Aug 22 Jacob Bronowski, Polish-born British mathematician and science writer best known as the presenter of the BBC television series, The Ascent of Man, dies of a heart attack at 66
  • Aug 23 Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist and writer (Psychosynthesis,), dies at 86
  • Aug 24 Alexander de Seversky, Russian-American aviation pioneer (b. 1894)
  • Aug 25 Gus Viseur, Belgian-French jazz button accordionist, dies at 59

Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974)

Aug 26 American aviator who was 1st to fly solo across the Atlantic, dies of lymphoma at 72

  • Aug 30 Abraham Schierbeek, Dutch biologist (Leeuwenhoek), dies at 87
  • Aug 31 Gianna Manzini, Italian writer (Ritratto in piedi), dies at 78
  • Aug 31 Norman Kirk, New Zealand politician (Prime Minister of New Zealand 1971-74), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 51
  • Aug 31 William Pershing Benedict, American World War II fighter pilot in both the RCAF and U.S. Army Air Forces, killed in a plane crash while firefighting in California at 56