Historical Events
- Aug 2 Australian state of Victoria announces state of disaster and imposes further lockdown measures after spike in COVID-19 cases
- Aug 2 Islamic State stages a jail break at a prison in Afghan city of Jalalabad, placing bombs at its entrance, results in 20 hr gunfight, 29 deaths and over 300 prisoners at large
- Aug 2 Mary Prince Day established in Bermuda - recognising Mary Prince first known Black woman to relate the story of her life - helped hasten the abolition of slavery in the British Empire [1]
- Aug 2 South Africa confirms over 500,000 cases of COVID-19 with 10,107 deaths, highest total on the African continent
- Aug 2 SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken splashes down in the Gulf of Mexico, 1st commercial crewed mission
- Aug 2 United Arab Emirates starts up the Arab world's first nuclear power station at the Barakah plant
- Aug 3 Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in the US as a Category 1 hurricane near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina
- Aug 3 Number of Iranian COVID-19 deaths triple that of government tally, showing 42,000 have died instead of 14,405, according to BBC Persian Service investigation [1]
- Aug 3 Spain's former King Juan Carlos announces he will go into exile abroad amid his implication in a corruption inquiry
- Aug 4 COVID-19 infection spike forces a return to lockdown in Manila and surrounding provinces in the Philippines, affecting 27 million people as cases pass 100,000
- Aug 4 Huge explosions at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, kill more than 200 and leaves over 6,000 thousand people injured
- Aug 4 UN says COVID-19 pandemic has created biggest educational disruption in history affecting nearly 1.6 million students in 190 countries, 94% worldwide [1]
Event of Interest
Aug 5 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the cornerstone for a new Hindu temple at Ayodhya Ram to replace a previous Muslim mosque
WAP
Aug 7 Cardi B releases single "WAP", featuring Megan Thee Stallion, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100
Simon Cowell's Horror Bike Accident
Aug 8 British music mogul and television personality Simon Cowell breaks his back riding an electric exercise bike
- Aug 9 Brazil passes 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world's 2nd highest, with over 3 million recorded cases
Election of Interest
Aug 9 Disputed Belarusian presidential election sees long time dictator Alexander Lukashenko officially win 80% of the votes but unofficially lose 60-70% of the votes to main opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Sparks widespread protests in Belarus and international condemnation.
- Aug 9 New Zealand marks 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19
- Aug 9 PGA Championship Men's Golf, TPC Harding Park: 23-year-old American Collin Morikawa fires final round 64 (-6) to win his first major title by 2 strokes from Paul Casey of England
- Aug 10 Global COVID-19 cases pass 20 million and is accelerating, 1st 10 million took almost 6 months, 2nd 10 million took just 43 days (Reuters)
- Aug 10 Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announces his government is resigning, less than a week after massive industrial explosions devastated Beirut
- Aug 10 Rare wind storm (derecho) hits the US Midwest flattening cornfields, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity, killing two people
Election of Interest
Aug 11 Belarus's opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya flees the country amid large-scale protests over the country's disputed election results that returned Dictator Alexander Lukashenko to power
COVID-19 Pandemic
Aug 11 President Vladimir Putin in a propaganda stunt announces Russia has become the 1st country to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine, called “Sputnik V", despite no scientific data being published or phase 3 trials having even begun
- Aug 12 Europe fights a new COVID-19 surge with Germany, France and Spain posting their largest daily infection totals for three months
- Aug 12 UK posts its worst quarterly economic slump on record, -20.4% (Apr-Jun), pushing it into the largest recession worldwide
- Aug 12 Yemen authorities say at least 172 people died in floods caused by torrential rains, which have also destroyed historic buildings in Sanaa, a Unesco World Heritage Site
- Aug 13 Israel strikes historic deal with the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations, Israel suspends plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank
- Aug 13 New details about enormous "Terror Crocodile" (Deinosuchus), the size of a bus, with teeth as big as bananas, that lived during late Cretaceous period (75-84 million years ago) in North America published [1]
World Record
Aug 14 Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda breaks Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele’s 16-year-old 5,000m world record with a run of 12:35.36 at the Diamond League meet in Monaco
- Aug 16 At least 17 people killed in attack on beach resort in Mogadishu, Somalia, by al-Shabab group
- Aug 16 Biggest protests in Thailand in six years as 10,000 people demonstrate in Bangkok for reforms of the government and the monarchy
- Aug 16 Japan's economy, the world's third largest, posts its worst-ever decline, falling 7.8% (April-June quarter)
- Aug 16 Largest-ever demonstration in Belarus as 100,000 people gather in Minsk to protest against controversial election results and regime of Alexander Lukashenko
Sports History
Aug 16 World Snooker Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield: Englishman Ronnie O'Sullivan wins his 6th world title with an 18-8 win over countryman Kyren Wilson
- Aug 17 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the 1st US college to send students home and convert to online classes after 135 COVID-19 cases detected
Event of Interest
Aug 18 California Governor Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency as 27 fires burn across the state amid a continuing heat wave
- Aug 18 Joe Biden is formally nominated as the Democratic party's presidential candidate during the second night of their 1st ever virtual convention
- Aug 18 Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta resigns amid a military coup condemned by the UN Security Council
- Aug 19 Apple becomes the 1st US company to be valued at $2 trillion, just 2 years after it reached $1 trillion valuation
- Aug 19 Golfing dinner termed #GolfGatet appearing to flout COVID-19 restrictions, attended by Irish political figures, prompts two politicians to later resign
- Aug 19 Largest floods in 70 years wet the toes of giant 71m Leshan Buddha carved by a river just outside Chengdu, China with 100,000 people evacuated
- Aug 19 US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says he will suspend controversial plan to cut costs until after the election
Event of Interest
Aug 20 Former adviser to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon arrested and charged with fraud over a fundraising campaign to build a wall on the Mexican border
Presidential Convention
Aug 20 Kamala Harris accepts her nomination for vice-president, becoming the 1st US woman of color on a major-party ticket saying "there is no vaccine for racism"
Event of Interest
Aug 20 Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny falls into a coma after a suspected poisoning (later confirmed to be Novichok poisoning)
- Aug 21 American actress Lori Loughlin sentenced to two months in prison along with her husband for her role in US college admissions bribery scandal
Golf Record
Aug 21 American golfer Scottie Scheffler makes birdie on 4 of final 5 holes to become 12th player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59 in 2nd round of the Northern Trust at TPC Boston
- Aug 22 13 people die in a stampede at an illegal disco in Lima, Peru, during a police raid to shut it down
- Aug 22 Fires burning in Northern California declared Major Disaster with LNU Lightning Complex Fire (341,243 acres) and SCU Lightning Complex Fire (339,968) among the 3 largest wildfires in state history
- Aug 22 Mexican COVID-19 death toll passes 60,000, world's third highest
- Aug 23 British Open Women's Golf, Royal Troon GC: Sophia Popov of Germany claims her first Tour title by 2 strokes from Thailand's Jasmine Suwannapura; at #304, lowest ranked player to win a major
- Aug 23 Indianapolis 500: 2017 champion Takuma Sato of Japan wins his 2nd title under yellow caution flag after a crash with 3 laps remaining
- Aug 23 President Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway announces she is stepping away from the White House for family reasons
UEFA Champions League Final
Aug 23 UEFA Champions League Final, Lisbon: Kingsley Coman heads German giants Bayern Munich to the club's 6th crown in a 1-0 win over Paris St-Germain
Event of Interest
Aug 23 US black man Jacob Blake shot and injured by police in front of his children in Kenosha, Wisconsin, prompting violent protests
- Aug 23 US Republican party convention begins by formally renominating Donald Trump for a second presidential term
- Aug 24 First documented case of a person being re-infected with COVID-19 a second time, a Hong Kong man four months after first infection
- Aug 25 Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito no-hits the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-0 at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago
- Aug 25 England's James Anderson becomes first fast bowler to reach 600 wickets in Test cricket; Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali caught at first slip on 5th day of 3rd Test at Southampton
Polio Eradicated in Africa
Aug 25 WHO announces that Africa has eradicated polio (defined as four years since last case)
- Aug 26 At least 100 people killed in flash floods in the city of Charikar, Afghanistan, with 500 houses destroyed
- Aug 26 Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (29) is the youngest to win the International Booker prize for their debut novel "The Discomfort of Evening"
- Aug 26 Milwaukee Bucks forfeit their NBA playoff game after the shooting of Jacob Blake, leading to the NBA postponing more games
- Aug 27 Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant sentenced to life without parole, for the killing of 51 mosque worshippers in Christchurch, New Zealand, 1st time the country imposes the sentence [1]
- Aug 27 Hurricane Laura makes landfall in Louisiana near the Texas border as a category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, killing at least 16
Mike Pence Nominated
Aug 27 Mike Pence accepts nomination for vice president at the Republican convention, calling for "law and order" after the shooting of Jacob Blake
- Aug 28 Japanese tech company SkyDrive says it has completed the first manned test flight of a flying car
- Aug 29 Elon Musk unveils pig named Gertrude with coin-sized computer in her brain, part of his Nuralink start-up creating a brain-to-machine interface
- Aug 30 Global cases of COVID-19 pass 25 million with death toll at 843,000
- Aug 30 India reports world's highest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases at 78,761
- Aug 31 US cases of COVID-19 pass 6 million with 183,300 deaths with California (699.000), Florida (619,000) recording the most (Johns Hopkins)
Famous Weddings
Famous Divorces
Ewan McGregor
Aug 13 Actor Ewan McGregor and production designer Eve Mavrakis divorce after 25 years
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Rickey Dixon, American College Football Hall of Fame cornerback (Jim Thorpe Award 1987; Oklahoma Sooners; Cincinnati Bengals, LA Raiders), dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 53
- Aug 1 Rodney H. Pardey, American poker player (2 x World Series of Poker C'ships; World Series of Poker Bracelets 1991, 94), dies of stroke complications at 75
- Aug 1 Stan Mellor MBE, British National Hunt jockey and trainer (first jumps jockey to ride 1,000 winners; Champion Jockey 1960-62), dies at 83
- Aug 1 Vitold Kreyer, Russian athlete (Olympic bronze, triple jump 1956, 60) and coach (Soviet athletics team 1967–80; head Russian team 2000 Olympics), dies at 87
- Aug 1 Wilford Brimley, American character actor (Our House; Cocoon; Quaker Oats commercials), dies at 85 [1]
- Aug 2 Bob Ryland, American tennis player (first African-American to play professionally) and coach (Harold Solomon, Arthur Ashe, Venus & Serena Williams), dies of aspiration pneumonia at 100
- Aug 2 Leon Fleisher, American pianist and conductor (Annapolis Symphony 1970-82), dies of cancer at 92 [1]
- Aug 2 Saïd Amara, Algerian soccer midfielder (5 caps; Strasbourg, Béziers, Bordeaux) and manager (Algeria), dies at 87
- Aug 2 Suzanne Perlman, Hungarian-Dutch artist, dies at 97
- Aug 2 Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold, light-flyweight 1980; World C'ship gold 1981), dies at 69
- Aug 3 John Hume, Northern Irish politician (jointly awarded Nobel Peace Prize for Good Friday Agreement), dies at 83 [1]
- Aug 3 Ralph Barbieri, American sports radio personality (KNBR San Francisco; 'The Razor and Mr. T' 1996-2012), dies of Parkinson's disease at 74
- Aug 3 Shirley Ann Grau, American Pulitzer winning author (Keepers of the House), dies at 91
- Aug 4 Willie Hunter, Scottish soccer forward (3 caps; Motherwell) and manager (Queen of the South, Inverness Caledonian), dies at 80
- Aug 5 Aritana Yawalapiti, Brazilian indigenous cacique (leader) of Yawalapiti people, who sought to preserve the Amazon, dies of COVID-19 at 71
- Aug 5 Eric Bentley, British-American critic and writer (In Search of Theater), dies at 103
- Aug 6 Brent Scowcroft, American Air Force officer and National Security advisor, dies at 95
- Aug 6 Wayne Fontana [Glyn Geoffrey Ellis], British rocker (The Mindbenders - "The Game Of Love"), dies at 74
- Aug 6 Wilbert McClure, American boxer (Olympic gold light middleweight 1960), dies at 81
- Aug 7 Constance Weldon, American symphonic tuba player (Boston Pops; Concertgebouw) and educator, dies at 88
- Aug 7 Gennadi Touretski, Russian swimming coach (Soviet Union, Australia national teams; Alexander Popov, Michael Klim, Ian Thorpe), dies at 71
- Aug 7 Lê Khả Phiêu, Vietnamese leader, General Secretary (1997-2001), dies at 88 [1]
- Aug 7 Mark Wirtz, French pop music record producer, and composer ("Excerpt From A Teenage Opera"), dies from Pick's disease at 76
- Aug 7 Tony Charmoli, American dancer, choreographer, and director (Dinah Shore, Danny Kaye), dies at 99
- Aug 8 Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, Colombian soccer manager (record 14 x league titles; Millonarios [6], Santa Fe [1], América de Cali [7]; Columbia), dies at 90
- Aug 9 Martin Birch, British sound engineer (Fleetwood Mac; Deep Purple) and record producer (Whitesnake; Iron Maiden), dies at 71 [1]
- Aug 10 Lorna Beal (née Larter), Australian cricket wicket-keeper (7 Tests; 16 dismissals), dies at 96
- Aug 10 Vladimir Popović, Serbian soccer midfielder (20 caps, Yugoslavia; Red Star Belgrade) and manager (Intercontinental Cup, Red Star Belgrade 1991), dies at 85
- Aug 11 Gordon J. Brand, English golfer (British Open 1986 runner-up), dies at 65
- Aug 11 Patrick Fairley, Scottish pop rock guitarist (Marmalade, 1961-72 - "Ob La Di, Ob La Da"), and music publisher, dies of throat cancer at 77
- Aug 11 Sumner Redstone, American media mogul (ViacomCBS), dies at 97
- Aug 11 Trinidad "Trini" Lopez, American singer and guitarist ("If I Had A Hammer"; "Lemon Tree"), and actor (The Dirty Dozen), dies of COVID-19 at 83 [1]
- Aug 12 Bill Yeoman, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (University of Houston 1962-86; record 160–108–8), dies from kidney failure and pneumonia at 92
- Aug 12 Don Edmunds, American auto racer and car builder (National Sprint Car HOF; built Evel Knievel's Snake River Canyon Sky cycle), dies at 89
- Aug 12 Howard Mudd, American football OL (Pro Bowl 1966–68; All-Pro 1967-68; SF 49ers, Chicago Bears) and coach (Super Bowl 2006; OL Indianapolis Colts), dies after a motorcycle accident at 78
- Aug 12 Marvin Creamer, American mariner, 1st recorded person to sail around the world without navigational instruments, dies at 104
- Aug 12 Melvin F. Stute, American thoroughbred racehorse trainer (Preakness Stakes 1986, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies 1986, Breeders' Cup Sprint 1987), dies at 93
- Aug 12 Pavol Biroš, Slovak soccer defender (9 caps, Czechoslovakia; Slavia Prague), dies from heart disease at 67
- Aug 13 Eric Hughes, English rugby league utility back (10 Tests England, 8 Great Britain; Widnes 481 games), dies from cancer at 73
- Aug 14 Angela Buxton, English tennis player (French C'ships, Wimbledon women's doubles 1956 [with Althea Gibson]), dies at 85
- Aug 14 Herb Orvis, American College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (University of Colorado; NFL: Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts), dies at 73
- Aug 14 James R. Thompson, American politician, (longest serving Governor of Illinois, 1977-91), dies at 84
- Aug 14 Julian Bream, English classical guitarist and lutenist, dies at 87
- Aug 14 Thomas Forsyth, Scottish soccer defender (22 caps; Motherwell, Rangers), dies at 71
- Aug 15 Henk Wullems, Dutch soccer manager (NAC Breda, SBV Vitesse, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ; Indonesia 1996-98), dies from a Cerebral infarction at 84
- Aug 16 Chetan Chauhan, Indian cricket batsman (40 Tests @ 31.57, 16 x 50; Maharashtra, Delhi), dies of COVID-19 at 73
- Aug 16 Georg Volkert, German soccer striker (12 caps, FRG; 1. FC Nürnberg, Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart), dies from heart attack complications at 74
- Aug 16 Tommy Carroll, Irish soccer defender (17 caps, Republic of Ireland; Ipswich Town), dies at 77
- Aug 17 Boyd Grant, American college basketball coach (PCAA Coach of the Year 1978, 81, 82; Fresno State, Colorado State), dies from a stroke at 87
- Aug 17 Savvas Theodoridis, Greek soccer goalkeeper (12 caps; Olympiacos), dies at 85
- Aug 18 Ben Cross, English actor (Chariots of Fire, Star Trek), dies at 72
- Aug 18 Dale Hawerchuk, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (#1 pick NHL Draft 1981; Calder Trophy 1982; Canada Cup 1987, 91; Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres), dies from stomach cancer at 57
- Aug 18 Glenn Bassett, American tennis coach (UCLA 1967-93; 7 x NCAA C'ships), dies at 93
- Aug 18 Hal Singer, American jazz and R&B saxophonist ("Corn Bread"), dies at 100 [1]
- Aug 19 Slade Gorton, American politician (Sen-R-WA, 1981-87, 1989-2001), dies at 92
- Aug 20 Frankie Banali, American heavy metal drummer (Quiet Riot - "Cum on Feel the Noize"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 68
- Aug 21 Mohamed Ben Rehaiem, Tunisian soccer midfielder (35 caps; CS Sfaxien), dies at 69
- Aug 21 Pedro Nájera, Mexican soccer midfielder (27 caps; Club América), dies at 91
- Aug 22 Alessandro Mazzinghi, Italian boxer (WBA and WBC light-middleweight champion 1963–65, 68), dies from a stroke at 81
- Aug 22 Peder Holm, Danish composer, dies at 93
- Aug 23 Charlie Persip, American jazz drummer (Dizzy Gillespie; The Jazz Statesmen; Billy Eckstine), dies at 91
- Aug 23 Greg Montgomery, American NFL punter (Baltimore Ravens), dies at 55
- Aug 23 Lori Nelson, American actress (Greta-How to Marry a Millionaire), dies at 87
- Aug 24 Paul Wolfisberg, Swiss soccer forward (FC Luzern) and coach (Switzerland 1981-85), dies at 87
- Aug 24 Tony Colton [Chalk], British singer-songwriter, and record producer (Head, Hands, and Feet), dies of kidney failure at 68
- Aug 25 Cora de Man-Canne Meyer, Dutch mezzo-soprano (Figaro, Carmen), dies at 91
- Aug 25 Tim Renton, British politician (Conservative Minister under Thatcher and Major - came up with National Lottery), dies at 88
- Aug 26 Dan Yochum, American football offensive lineman (CFL All-Star 1975, 76, 77, 78; Grey Cup 1974, 77; Montreal Alouettes; CFHOF), dies at 70
- Aug 26 Joe Ruby, American animator (co-creator of Scooby-Doo), dies at 87
- Aug 27 'Bullet' Bob Armstrong, American pro wrestler (WWE Hall of Fame), dies from bone cancer at 80
- Aug 27 David Bryant, English lawn bowler (World Outdoor C'ship singles 1966, 80, 88; 4 x C'wealth Games gold singles), dies at 88
- Aug 27 David Mercer, Welsh television sports presenter (BBC tennis; Eurosports) and tennis umpire (Wimbledon men's final 1984), dies at 70
- Aug 27 Dick Ritger, American ten-pin bowler (Tournament of Champions 1970, 79 runner-up; 20 career PBA Tour titles), dies at 81
- Aug 27 Lute Olson, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Uni of Iowa 1974-83; NCAA Division I Tournament 1997, Uni of Arizona 1983-2008), dies from stroke complications at 85
Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020)
Aug 28 American actor (Black Panther), dies of colon cancer at 42
- Aug 29 Clifford Robinson, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1994; 6th Man of Year Award 1993; Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers), dies from lymphoma at 53
- Aug 29 Jürgen Schadeberg, German-born South African photographer who photographed apartheid struggle, dies at 89
- Aug 30 John Thompson Jr., American Basketball HOF coach (Georgetown Uni 1972–99, NCAA Division I tournament 1984) and center (NBA C'ship 1965, 66 Boston Celtics), dies at 78
- Aug 31 Nina Bocharova, Soviet-Ukrainian gymnast (Olympic gold balance beam, team 1952), dies at 95
- Aug 31 Pranab Mukherjee, Indian politician, 13th President of India (2012-17), dies at 84
Greatest Generation
Silent Generation
Baby Boomer
Generation X
Millennial
Generation Z