Historical Events
Cricket History
Aug 1 Despite brave 112no by David Gower, New Zealand wins 2nd Test at Headingley by 5 wickets, first ever NZ Test cricket victory in England
- Aug 2 STS-8 vehicle moves to launch pad
- Aug 2 US District Court begins trying Yonkers accused of race discrimination
- Aug 3 John Sain of South Bend, Indiana, builds 3.91 m house of cards
- Aug 3 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Aug 4 16th San Diego Comic-Con International opens at Hotel San Diego
- Aug 4 Bettino Craxi is sworn in as Prime Minister of Italy, the 1st Socialist to hold the office
Thurston House
Aug 4 Danielle Steel’s romance novel “Thurston House” is published
- Aug 4 France performs nuclear test
- Aug 4 Revolution in Republic of Upper Volta brings Thomas Sankara to power
- Aug 5 American rock singer David Crosby sentenced to 5 years in Texas state prison on drug and weapons convictions
- Aug 6 Bomb planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of ANC, explodes at a synagogue in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Aug 6 First NFL exhibition game in Europe; Minnesota Vikings beat St Louis Cardinals 28-10 at London's Wembley Stadium
- Aug 6 Supertanker Castillo de Bellvar catches fire and sinks northwest of Capetown, South Africa
- Aug 7 1st Athletics World Championships open in Helsinki, Finland
Sports History
Aug 7 Grete Waitz of Norway wins inaugural women's marathon at the 1st world athletics championships in Helsinki, Finland
PGA Championship
Aug 7 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Riviera CC: Hal Sutton wins his only major title by 1 stroke from Jack Nicklaus
- Aug 7 Richard Levinson, William Link, Elmer Bernstein. and Don Black's musical "Merlin", starring magician Doug Henning and Chita Rivera, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 199 performances
- Aug 7 Some 675,000 AT&T employees strike
1st Athletics World Championship
Aug 8 1st Athletics World Championships: Carl Lewis wins gold in 100m
An Innocent Man
Aug 8 Columbia Records releases "An Innocent Man", singer-songwriter Billy Joel's ninth studio album; it featured three Billboard Top 10 hit singles: "Tell Her About It", "Uptown Girl". and the title track
- Aug 8 Jury in KC, Mo, awards TV anchorwoman Christine Craft $500,000 in sex discrimination suit against KMBC-TV (later overturned)
Coup d'état
Aug 8 Military coup in Guatemala, Dictator and former General Efraín Ríos Montt flees
- Aug 10 1st World Championships in Athletics: Carl Lewis wins gold in Men's Long Jump
Event of Interest
Aug 12 General Manuel Noriega becomes commander of Panamanian army
- Aug 14 Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone suffers a fractured skull from a kick to the head in a fight about a woman in Queens, NYC, and undergoes brain surgery
- Aug 14 Robert de Castella wins Helsinki marathon (2:10:03)
- Aug 17 -19] Hurricane Alicia, kills 17 in Texas
- Aug 18 Hurricane Alicia battered Houston & Galveston, Texas
Baseball Record
Aug 18 KC Royals defeat NY Yankees, 5-4, completing "pine-tar" game (12 minutes); Hal McRae strikes out & Dan Quisenberry retires Yankees in order
- Aug 18 Samantha Druce, age 12y 119d becomes the youngest woman to swim English Channel
- Aug 18 Survey of recently discovered Bronze Age Uluburun shipwreck (ca. 1320 B.C.) off the coast of Turkey, finds rich cargo of glass, spices, and enough tin and cooper for 5,000 swords [1]
- Aug 18 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- Aug 19 Dodgers trade Dave Stewart & Ricky Wright to Texas for Rick Honeycut
Sports History
Aug 19 LSU footballer Billy Cannon sentenced to 5 yrs for counterfeiting
- Aug 20 The South African anti-apartheid umbrella organization, United Democratic Front (UDF) is launched at Rocklands Community Centre in Cape Town, South Afrca
- Aug 21 110°F (43°C) at Fayetteville, North Carolina (state record)
- Aug 21 Jerry Herman's musical "La Cage aux Folles", based on Jean Poiret's French play of the same name, opens at Palace Theater, NYC; runs for 1761 performances, wins 6 Tony Awards
- Aug 25 Triple A baseball's Louisville Redbirds breaks 1 million fan mark
- Aug 25 US & USSR sign $10 billion grain pact
- Aug 26 Floods destroy most of the old town of Bilbao, Spain.
- Aug 27 Haiti adopts constitution
- Aug 27 US performs nuclear test
- Aug 28 Greg Luzinski is 1st player to put 3 HRs onto roof at Comiskey Park
Begin Resigns
Aug 28 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin announces his resignation
- Aug 28 Joseph Kreckman sets record of 2,215 clay pigeons shot in an hour
Mame
Aug 28 Revival of Jerry Herman's musical "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury, closes at the George Gershwin Theater, NYC, after 41 performances
- Aug 30 8th NASA Space Shuttle Mission: Challenger 3 launches for a 6-day excursion
- Aug 30 Elizabeth R. Zakarian (Devon Pierce), 17 of NY, crowned 1st Miss Teen USA
- Aug 30 Guion Bluford becomes 1st African-American astronaut in space
- Aug 30 Philadelphia TV station WKBS-TV (channel 48) ends broadcasting after surrendering its license to the FCC, the first do so in at least 10 years. Parent company Field Enterprises Inc. was unable to find a buyer. [1]
Venice Film Festival
Aug 31 40th Venice Film Festival: "First Name: Carmen" directed by Jean-Luc Godard wins Golden Lion
- Aug 31 Edwin Moses of USA sets 400m hurdle record (47.02) in Koblenz
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 3 Mamie Gummer, American actress (Nancy Crozier-The Good Wife), born in New York City
Greta Gerwig (40 years old)
Aug 4 American actress and film director (Lady Bird, Little Women, Barbie), born in Sacramento, California
- Aug 5 Dawn Richard, American pop, and R&B singer (Danity Kane), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Aug 5 Kara Tointon, English actress (EastEnders), born in Basildon, England
- Aug 6 Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer
- Aug 7 Tina O'Brien, British actress, born in Manchester, England
- Aug 8 Guy Burnet, British actor (Hollyoaks), born in London, England
- Aug 9 Ashley Johnson, American actress (Chrissy-Growing Pains), born in Camarillo, California
- Aug 9 Shane O'Brien, Canadian hockey player, born in Port Hope, Ontario
- Aug 10 Alexander Perezhogin, Russian ice hockey player
- Aug 10 Mathieu Roy, Canadian ice hockey player
Chris Hemsworth (40 years old)
Aug 11 Australian actor (Thor, Avengers), born in Melbourne, Victoria
- Aug 12 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Dutch footballer
- Aug 13 Aleš Hemský, Czech ice hockey player, born in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia
- Aug 13 Ľubomír Michalík, Slovakian soccer defender (8 caps; Bolton Wanderers, Leeds United, Carlisle United, Portsmouth), born in Čadca, Slovakia
- Aug 14 Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian-British tennis player, born in Kyiv, Ukraine (d. 2014)
- Aug 14 Leo Núñez, Dominican baseball player, born in Bonao, Dominican Republic
- Aug 14 Mila Kunis, Ukrainian-American actress (Friends with Benefits; That '70s Show - "Jacki'"), born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine SSR, Soviet Union
Anita Sarkeesian (40 years old)
Aug 15 Canadian-American blogger and feminist media critic (Tropes vs. Women in Video Games), born in Canada
- Aug 16 Colin Griffiths, English TV presenter and DJ, born in Kent, England
- Aug 16 Colton James "Colt" Brennan, NFL Quarterback (Washington Redskins), born in Laguna Beach, California
- Aug 16 Nikos Zisis, Greek basketball player, born in Thessaloniki, Greece
- Aug 17 Dustin Pedroia, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox), born in Woodland, California
- Aug 18 Daniel Keith Swain (Danny!), American record producer and hip-hop artist, born in Killeen, Texas
- Aug 18 Kris Boyd, Scottish footballer, born in Irvine, Scotland
- Aug 18 Michael Montgomery, American football defensive end, born in Carthage, Texas
- Aug 18 Mika [Michael Holbrook Penniman] British-American pop singer (Grace Kelly; Dodgy Holiday), an Italian television personality, born in Beirut, Lebanon
- Aug 19 John McCargo, American football player, born in Drakes Branch, Virginia
- Aug 19 Mike Conway, British auto racer (FIA World Endurance C'ship 2019-20; British Formula 3 C'ship 2006), born in London, England
- Aug 19 Reeva Steenkamp, South African model and paralegal (killed by boyfriend Oscar Pistorius), born in Cape Town, South Africa (d. 2013)
- Aug 19 Tammin Sursok, Australian actress and singer, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Aug 19 [Melissa] Missy Higgins, Australian singer-songwriter (Scar; The Sound Of White), born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Andrew Garfield (40 years old)
Aug 20 British American actor (The Amazing Spider-Man), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 21 Brody Jenner, American actor, born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 21 Chantelle Houghton, British TV personality, born in Wickford, Essex, England
- Aug 21 Josh Harrington, American professional BMX rider, born in Greenville, North Carolina
- Aug 22 Laura Breckenridge, American actress (Rose Sorelli-Related), born in Flourtown, Pennsylvania
- Aug 22 Theo Bos, Dutch cyclist, five time world champion, born in Hierden, Netherlands
- Aug 23 Sun Mingming, Chinese basketball player, World's tallest player at 7ft 9in, born in Bayan County, China
- Aug 24 Christopher Parker, British actor (Eastenders), born in London
- Aug 24 Marcel Goc, German ice hockey player, born in Calw, Germany
- Aug 24 Martha Higareda, Mexican actress and filmmaker (Altered Carbon), born in Villahermosa, Mexico
- Aug 25 James Righton, British rock musician (Klaxons), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England
- Aug 25 James Rossiter, British racing driver (Formula One), born in Oxford, England
- Aug 25 Janet Chow, Canadian/Chinese beauty pageant contestant
- Aug 26 Félix Porteiro, Spanish racing driver, born in Castellón, Spain
- Aug 27 Wilson Chen, Taiwanese actor
- Aug 28 Alfonso Herrera, Mexican actor, and pop singer (RBD), born in Mexico City
- Aug 28 Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan cricket fast bowler (4 wickets in 4 balls x 2; 4 x ODI, T20 hat tricks; 30 Tests), born in Galle, Sri Lanka
- Aug 29 Jennifer Landon, American actress (As the World Turns), born in Malibu, California
- Aug 29 Timothy Bradley, American boxer (WBC light welterweight title 2008, 2011, WBO light welterweight 2009-12), born in Palm Springs, California
- Aug 30 Gustavo Eberto, Argentine footballer, born in Paso de los Libres, Argentina (d. 2007)
- Aug 30 Jonne Aaron [Liimatainen], Finnish rock vocalist, and songwriter (Negative), born in Tampere, Finland
- Aug 30 Jun Matsumoto, Japanese singer and actor, born in Toshima, Tokyo
- Aug 31 Larry Fitzgerald, American NFL player Arizona Cardinals), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Famous Weddings
Philippe de Broca
Aug 6 Film director Philippe de Broca (50) weds actress Margot Kidder (34) in France
Carrie Fisher & Paul Simon
Aug 16 American singer-songwriter Paul Simon (41) weds American actress and writer Carrie Fisher (26) in New York City; divorce in 1984
Dan Aykroyd
Aug 29 Canadian-American actor Dan Aykroyd (31) weds American actress Donna Dixon (26); separate in 2022
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 "Wild Bill" Moore, American R&B and jazz tenor saxophone player ("We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll": Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me"), dies at 65
- Aug 1 Peter Arne, actor (Straw Dogs), bludgeoned to death in London at 62
- Aug 2 Charles Eyck, Dutch painter and sculptor (Limburg School), dies at 85
- Aug 2 James Jamerson, American session bass guitarist (Motown Records' "Funk Brothers"), dies of alcohol-related complications at 47
Carolyn Jones (1930-1983)
Aug 3 American actress (Morticia-Addams Family), dies of colon cancer at 53
- Aug 5 Bart [Bartholomeus Jan] Bok, Dutch-American astronomer (Milky Way), dies at 77
- Aug 5 Judy Canova, American comedian and actress (Cannonball), dies of cancer at 66
- Aug 6 Klaus Nomi [Sperber], German new wave singer, and performance artist, dies of AIDS at 39
- Aug 12 (Henry) Giff Vivian, New Zealand cricket batsman (7 Tests @ 42.1, top score 100), dies at 70
- Aug 14 Alceu Amoroso Lima, Brazilian essayist, activist and founder of the Brazilian Christian Democracy, dies at 89
- Aug 15 Anthony Costello, American actor (Will Penny, The Outer Limits), dies of HIV/AIDS at 45
- Aug 15 Benjamin V Cohen, American author of New Deal legislation, dies at 88
- Aug 15 Carol Ryrie Brink, American Newberry Medal-winning novelist (Caddie Woodlawn), dies of heart failure at 85
- Aug 16 Earl Averill, American Baseball HOF outfielder (6 × MLB All-Star 1933–1938; Cleveland Indians), dies at 81
Ira Gershwin (1896-1983)
Aug 17 American lyricist ("Embraceable You"; "I Got Rhythm"; "They Can't Take That Away From Me"), dies in Beverly Hills at 86
- Aug 18 Nikolaus Pevsner, German-born art historian (b. 1902)
- Aug 19 Aleksandar Ranković, Yugoslavic partisan and 1st Vice President of Yugoslavia (1963-66), dies at 73
- Aug 20 Kerwin Duinmeijer, Dutch of Antillean descent, murdered by in a racially motivated attack at 15
- Aug 21 Benigno S Aquino Jr, Philippines opposition leader, killed at 50
- Aug 24 Jack Somack, American actor (Ball Four, The Frisco Kid, Stockard Channing Show), dies of a heart attack at 64
- Aug 24 Scott Nearing, American sociologist, pacifist and author (The Good Life), dies at 100
- Aug 24 Shawn Stephens Lewis, 5th wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, dies of methadone OD, after 77 days of marriage at 25
- Aug 26 Mike Kellin [Myron Kellin], American actor (Pipe Dream, American Buffalo), dies of cancer at 61
- Aug 27 William Hitzig, Austrian Maxwell physician, dies at 78
- Aug 28 Jan Clayton, American actress (Ellen Miller-Lassie), dies at 66
- Aug 29 Simon Oakland [Weiss], American stage and screen character actor (Toma; Kolchak), dies of colon cancer at 68
- Aug 29 William Goyen, American writer, dies at 68
