On This Day

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What Happened in August 1976

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Historical Events

  • Aug 1 Flash flood in Big Thompson Canyon Colo on Route 34, kills 139

Sports History

Aug 1 Reigning world F1 champion Niki Lauda of Austria suffers a near fatal crash during the German Grand Prix at The Nürburgring motorsports complex, Nürburg, Germany

Auto Racer Niki Lauda
  • Aug 1 Seattle Seahawks take the field for the first time in pre-season game v SF 49ers at the newly constructed Kingdome in Seattle
  • Aug 1 XXI Summer Olympic Games, Montreal, Canada: Officially close
  • Aug 4 England beats Australia by 8 wickets in the limited overs cricket international at Lord's; first time women are permitted to play on the main square at 'the home of cricket'
  • Aug 4 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
  • Aug 6 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto lays the foundation stone of Port Qasim, Karachi
  • Aug 7 Scientists in Pasadena, California, announce Viking I found strongest indications to date of possible life on Mars
  • Aug 7 US Viking 2 goes into Martian orbit after 11-month flight from Earth
  • Aug 8 Chicago White Sox suit up in shorts
  • Aug 9 Clive Lloyd scores double-ton in 120 mins, WI v Glamorgan
  • Aug 9 Pitt Pirate John Candelaria no-hits LA Dodgers, 2-0
  • Aug 9 USSR launches Luna 24, last Lunar flight to date from Earth
  • Aug 10 Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteer shot dead by the British Army as he drove in Belfast; his car out of control and kills 3 children, sparking "peace rallies" throughout the month by the 'Peace People'

Music History

Aug 11 "The Who" drummer Keith Moon collapses and is hospitalized in Miami, Florida

Rock Drummer Keith Moon
  • Aug 11 Race riot in Cape Town, South Africa; 17 die
  • Aug 12 1st approach & lands test (ALT) of orbiter Enterprise
  • Aug 12 Christian militia conquer Palestinian camp Tell al-Za'tar, 2000 killed
  • Aug 13 South Africa pledges support for a negotiated settlement in Rhodesia
  • Aug 14 10,000 Northern Ireland women demonstrate for peace in Belfast

PGA Championship

Aug 16 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Congressional CC: Dave Stockton wins 2nd PGA C'ship in a Monday bad weather finish; by 1 stroke from Ray Floyd & Don January

Golfer and Two-Time PGA Champion Dave Stockton
Golfer and Four-Time Major Championship Winner Ray Floyd
  • Aug 16 St. Louis Cardinals beat San Diego Chargers, 20-10 in Tokyo, Japan (NFL Expo)
  • Aug 17 An earthquake & tsunami in the Philippines kills up to 8,000
  • Aug 17 Big win for WI at The Oval Michael Holding 14-149 for match

Murder of Interest

Aug 18 Korean axe murder incident: 2 US soldiers tasked with cutting down a poplar tree blocking the view of UN observers are killed by North Koreans claiming it was planted by Kim Il-Sung in the Korean Demilitarized Zone

North Korean Founder and Dictator Kim Il-sung
  • Aug 18 USSR's Luna 24 soft-lands on Moon

Presidential Convention

Aug 19 President Gerald Ford wins Republican presidential nomination at KC convention

38th US President Gerald Ford
  • Aug 21 "Operation Paul Bunyan" begins in retaliation for the "Korean axe murder incident" 3 days prior. 110 troops, 27 helicopters, 3 B-52 bombers are deployed to the Korean Demilitarized Zone to cut down a poplar blocking the view of UN observers
  • Aug 21 Al Bumbry hits 17th inside-the-park HR in Oriole history
  • Aug 21 Battle, East Sussex: Mary Langdon becomes 1st British firewoman
  • Aug 23 Heavy earthquake strikes China, 1,000s die
  • Aug 24 Soyuz 21 returns to Earth
  • Aug 25 Harm Wiersma becomes world checker champion
  • Aug 25 Yanks beat Twins 5-4 in 19 innings
  • Aug 27 Transsexual Renee Richards barred from competing in US Tennis Open
  • Aug 28 Toronto Metros-Croatia beat the Minnesota Kicks to the win the 1976 North American Soccer League championship
  • Aug 28 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan

Film & TV History

Aug 30 Tom Brokaw starts as news anchor of NBC's "The Today Show"

News Anchor, Journalist and Author Tom Brokaw
  • Aug 30 Turks & Caicos Islands adopts constitution
  • Aug 31 Mexican peso devalued
  • Aug 31 Trinidad & Tobago adopts constitution
Events in 1976

Famous Birthdays

  • Aug 1 David Nemirovsky, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • Aug 1 Hasan Şaş, Turkish footballer and manager (Galatasaray), born in Karataş, Turkey
  • Aug 1 Ivan Duque Márquez, Colombian politician, President of Colombia (2018-), born in Bogotá, Colombia
  • Aug 1 Kevin Joseph, American baseball player, born in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
  • Aug 1 Nwankwo Kanu, Nigerian soccer player (Ajax), born in Owerri, Imo, Nigeria
  • Aug 1 Søren Jochumsen, Danish footballer, born in Horsens, Denmark
  • Aug 2 Reyes Estévez, Spanish athlete, born in Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain

Sam Worthington (47 years old)

Aug 2 Australian actor (Avatar), born in Godalming, United Kingdom

Sam Worthington
  • Aug 3 Troy Glaus, American baseball infielder (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Tarzana, Los Angeles
  • Aug 4 Andrew McLeod, Australian footballer
  • Aug 4 Jock Zonfrillo, Scottish chef (Masterchef Australia judge), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2023) [1]
  • Aug 5 Kwon Sang-woo, South Korean actor (Stairway to Heaven), born in Daejeon, South Korea
  • Aug 5 Marians Pahars, Latvian footballer, born in Chornobai, Ukraine
  • Aug 6 Soleil Moon Frye, American actress (Punky Brewster; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch - "Roxie"), and documentary film maker, born in Glendora, California
  • Aug 6 Travis Kalanick, American entrepreneur (Red Swoosh, Uber), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 7 Cathy Park Hong, American Korean poet (Dance Dance Revolution), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 7 Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, Greek footballer, born in Piraeus, Greece
  • Aug 7 Shane Lechler, American football player, born in East Bernard, Texas
  • Aug 8 (Joshua) "JC" Chasez, American pop singer (*NSYNC ' Bye Bye Bye"), born in Bowie, Maryland
  • Aug 8 Drew Lachey, American pop singer (98 Degrees), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Aug 8 Jeff Simmons, American race car driver
  • Aug 8 Seung-Yeop Lee, Korean baseball player
  • Aug 8 Tawny Cypress, American stage and screen actress (Unforgettable), born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
  • Aug 9 Aled Haydn Jones, Welsh radio producer (head of BBC Radio One), born in Aberystwyth, Wales
  • Aug 9 Audrey Tautou, French actress (Venus Beauty Institute, Amélie), born in Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme, France
  • Aug 9 Jessica Capshaw, American actress (Grey's Anatomy), born in Columbia, Missouri
  • Aug 9 Leigh Kakaty, Canadian-American rock singer (Pop Evil), born in Kingston, Ontario
  • Aug 9 Rhona Mitra, English actress, born in London, England
  • Aug 10 Michael Depoli, American wrestler
  • Aug 11 Ben Gibbard, American singer-songwriter (Death Cab for Cutie; The Postal Service), born in Bremerton, Washington
  • Aug 11 Brendan Bayliss, American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Umphrey's McGee), born in Annapolis, Maryland
  • Aug 11 Erick Lindgren, American poker player (WSOP Player of the Year 2008), born in Burney, California
  • Aug 11 Ľubomír Višňovský, Slovak ice hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers), born in Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia
  • Aug 11 Will Friedle, American actor (Eric-Boy Meets World, Gift of Love), born in Hartford, Connecticut
  • Aug 12 Antoine Walker, American NBA forward (Boston Celtics), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Aug 12 Henry Tuilagi, Samoan rugby player
  • Aug 12 Mikko Viljami "Linde" Lindström, Finnish guitarist
  • Aug 12 Pedro Collins, West Indian cricket fast bowler (29 Tests, 106 wickets; 30 ODIs, 39 wickets; Barbados, Middlesex), born in St. Peter, Barbados
  • Aug 12 Richard McCourt, English children's television presenter
  • Aug 12 Wednesday 13 [Joseph Poole], American punk rock musician (Wednesday 13, Murderdolls), born in Lexington, North Carolina
  • Aug 14 Alex Albrecht, American actor, born in Vienna, Virginia
  • Aug 14 Jericho Brown, American poet and writer (The Tradition - 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
  • Aug 14 Maya Nasri [Asmar], Lebanese actress and singer, born in Minyara, Lebanon
  • Aug 14 Steve Braun, Canadian actor, born in Winnipeg, Canada

Abiy Ahmed (47 years old)

Aug 15 Prime Minister of Ethiopia (2018-) and winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, born in Beshasha, Ethiopia

Abiy Ahmed
  • Aug 15 Boudewijn Send, Dutch soccer player (PSV), born in Maastricht, Netherlands
  • Aug 15 Robert Macfarlane, English nature writer, born in Halam, England
  • Aug 16 Dave Ockun, American concert producer, born in Syosset, New York
  • Aug 16 Jonatan Johansson, Finnish soccer striker, manager (106 caps; Rangers, Charlton), born in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Aug 18 Bryan Volpenhein, American rower, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Aug 18 Tom Malchow, American 200m swimmer (Olympic silver 1996), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Aug 19 Pablo Larraín, Chilean filmmaker (El Conde), born in Santiago, Chile
  • Aug 20 Chris Drury, American ice hockey player (NY Rangers), born in Trumbull, Connecticut
  • Aug 21 Jeff Cunningham, American soccer forward (14 caps; Columbus Crew SC, FC Dallas), born in Montego Bay, Jamaica
  • Aug 22 Jim Weaver, American baseball pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996)
  • Aug 23 Kate Sobrero, American soccer defender (201 caps; Olympic gold 2004, 08; FIFA Women's World Cup gold 1999; Boston Breakers, Michigan Hawks), born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
  • Aug 23 Scott Caan, American actor, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Aug 24 Bjorn van der Doelen, Dutch soccer player (PSV), born in Goirle, Netherlands
  • Aug 24 Nordin Wooter, Dutch soccer player (Ajax), born in Breda, Netherlands
  • Aug 25 Alexander Skarsgård, Swedish actor (True Blood, Big Little Lies), born in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Aug 26 Amaia Montero, Spanish singer (La Oreja de Van Gogh - Guapa), born in Irun, Spain
  • Aug 26 Carey Tally, American soccer midfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Memphis, Tennessee
  • Aug 26 Mike Colter, American actor (Luke Cage in Marvel Universe), born in Columbia, South Carolina
  • Aug 26 Zemfira [Ramazanova], Russian rock singer (Forgive Me My Love), born in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia, Soviet Union
  • Aug 27 Carlos Moyá, Spanish professional tennis player, 1995-2010 (French Open, 1998; Davis Cup, 2006), born in Palma, Spain
  • Aug 27 Milano Collection AT [Akihito Terui], Japanese professional wrestler, born in Morioka, Japan
  • Aug 28 Federico Magallanes, Uruguayan footballer, born in Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Aug 29 Jon Dahl Tomasson, Danish footballer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Aug 29 Kasia Kulesza, Canadian synchronized swimmer (Olympic silver 1996), born in Warsaw, Poland
  • Aug 29 Kevin Kaesviharn, American football player, born in Paramount, California
  • Aug 29 Pablo Mastroeni, American soccer player, born in Mendoza, Argentina
  • Aug 30 Mike Koplove, American baseball player (Team USA 2008), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Aug 30 Sarah-Jane Potts, English actress, born in Bradford, England
  • Aug 31 Roque Júnior, Brazilian footballer (World Cup 2002), born in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Brazil
  • Aug 31 Vincent Delerm, French singer-songwriter, pianist and composer, born in Évreux, France
Born in 1976

Famous Weddings

Harry Nilsson

Aug 12 American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson (35) weds (for third, and final time) Ireland's Una O'Keeffe (22) at the Airport Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles, California; Ringo Starr serves as best man

Harry Nilsson

Larry Flynt

Aug 21 Magazine publisher Larry Flynt (33) weds Althea Leasure (23) (his fourth time)

Larry Flynt

Famous Divorces

Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton

Aug 1 English-American actress Elizabeth Taylor's 6th divorce from Welsh actor Richard Burton; their 2nd divorce from each other

Elizabeth Taylor
Richard Burton

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Aug 24 Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (59) divorces her sixth husband, toy inventor Jack Ryan (49) after 1 year of marriage

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Famous Deaths

  • Aug 2 Fritz Lang, Austrian-German-American director (M, Metropolis, Fury, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse), dies from a stroke at 85
  • Aug 4 Enrique Angelelli, Argentine bishop
  • Aug 4 Roy Herbert Thomson, Canadian publisher (b. 1894)
  • Aug 5 Adrian Roland Holst, Dutch poet (Past the Roads), dies at 88
  • Aug 5 Betty Clooney, American singer (Jack Paar Show), dies at 45
  • Aug 6 Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist, dies at 73
  • Aug 7 Cecil Weston, South African-born actress (Dude Ranch, Huckleberry Finn), dies at 86
  • Aug 8 John Roselli, hired by CIA to kill Castro, found murdered
  • Aug 9 Jose Lezama Lima, Cuban poet and novelist, dies at 65
  • Aug 9 Max Vredenburg, Dutch composer and music critic, dies at 72 [1]
  • Aug 10 Bert Oldfield, Australian cricket wicketkeeper (54 Tests, 130 dismissals, 4 x 50; NSW CA), dies at 81
  • Aug 10 Ray "Crash" Corrigan, American actor (Crash Corrigan's Ranch), dies at 74
  • Aug 11 Robert L. May, American advertising copy writer and creator of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, dies at 71
  • Aug 12 Tom Driberg, English journalist, politician and possible spy, dies at 71
  • Aug 15 Jean Haesaert, Flemish lawyer and sociologist, dies at 84
  • Aug 17 Murvyn Vye [Marvin], American actor (Road to Bali, Bob Cummings Show), dies of natural causes at 63
  • Aug 17 William Redfield, American actor (Jimmy Hughes Rookie Cop, Marriage), dies of leukemia at 49
  • Aug 19 Alastair Sim, Scottish actor (Christmas Carol, Green for Danger), dies at 75
  • Aug 19 Jenö Kenessey, Hungarian conductor and composer, dies at 70
  • Aug 19 Ken Wadsworth, New Zealand cricket wicket-keeper/batsman (33 Tests, 96 dismissals, 5 x 50s; Central Districts CA), dies from cancer at 29
  • Aug 20 Phyllis Konstam, British actress (Murder, Skin Game), dies at 69
  • Aug 21 Ken James, New Zealand cricket wicket-keeper (11 Tests, 16 dismissals; Wellington, Northamptonshire CCC), dies at 72
  • Aug 22 Gina Bachauer, Greek classical pianist of Austrian heritage, dies at 63
  • Aug 22 Juscelino Kubitschek, President of Brazil (1955-60), dies at 73
  • Aug 22 Oskar Brusewitz, East German vicar, sets himself on fire in protest of repression of religion at 47
  • Aug 24 Michael Head, British organist, pianist, and composer, dies at 76
  • Aug 25 Eyvind Johnson, Swedish novelist (Return to Ithaca; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1974), dies at 76
  • Aug 25 Perc Hornibrook, Australian cricket slow-medium bowler (6 Tests; 17 wickets; best 7-92 1930), dies at 77
  • Aug 26 Lotte Lehmann, German soprano (Der Rosenkavalier, More than singing), dies at 88
  • Aug 26 Warner Anderson, American actor (The Bubble, Destination Moon, Peyton Place), dies at 65
  • Aug 27 Mukesh [Mathur], Indian "playback singer" for Bollywood films, dies of a heart attack at 53
  • Aug 28 Anissa Jones, American child actress (Family Affair - "Buffy"), dies of multiple drug intoxication at 18
  • Aug 29 Jimmy Reed, American blues singer ("Soulin'"; "Big Boss Man"), dies of epileptic seizure at 50
  • Aug 29 Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bengali poet, musician, revolutionary and philosopher, dies at 77
  • Aug 31 Kornelis Heiko Miskotte, Dutch theologist (If the Gods Keep Silent), dies at 81

Famous People by Generation

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