Historical Events
Pelosi Visits Taiwan
Aug 2 US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the first speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, prompting condemnation from the Chinese Communist Party [1]
- Aug 3 48% of Mexico's states experiencing drought, conditions acute in Monterrey where authorities deliver nine million liters of water daily to 400 neighborhoods after taps have run dry [1]
- Aug 3 Ascent skyscraper in Milwaukee certified as the world's tallest timber building at 25 stories, 86.6 metres (284 feet) [1]
- Aug 3 Cells of recently dead pigs brought back to life by researchers at Yale University, with huge implications for organ transplants and stroke sufferers, as well as ethical questions over definition of death [1]
Film & TV History
Aug 4 Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ordered to pay $4.1 million in compensatory damages to parents of child killed in Sandy Hook massacre after Jones claimed it was a hoax [1] [2] [3]
- Aug 4 Russian court sentences WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug smuggling amid claims she is being used as a pawn between the US and Russia [1]
Event of Interest
Aug 4 US Attorney General Merrick Garland announces charges against four police officers for violating the rights of Breonna Taylor during a 2020 raid that resulted in her death [1]
Film & TV History
Aug 5 Actress Anne Heche crashes her car into a house in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, igniting a fire that puts her in a coma and destroys much of the house [1]
- Aug 5 Fire breaks out at Matanzas fuel depot, Chile, after lightning hits fuel tanks, going on to kill 16 firefighters in possibly the country's worst ever fire [1]
- Aug 5 Jury in Austin, Texas decides 'Infowars' host Alex Jones should pay $45.2 million in punitive damages to parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim due to his promotion of false conspiracy theories that the massacre was a hoax [1]
- Aug 5 Volkswagen launches a prototype of its first flying car, an automated, electric passenger vehicle nicknamed "Flying Tiger" [1]
- Aug 7 British Open Women's Golf, Muirfield GC: South Africa's Ashleigh Buhai wins her first major title; beats In Gee Chun of South Korea on 4th hole of a sudden death playoff
- Aug 7 Ceasefire comes into effect in Gaza after 43 people killed in three days of violence between Israeli military and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants [1]
- Aug 7 US Senate passes sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, an economic package designed to combat climate change, address health care costs and tax large corporations [1]
FBI Search Mar-a-Largo
Aug 8 FBI conduct a search of former US President Donald Trump's Florida home, Mar-a-Largo, over his handling of classified government documents [1]
- Aug 8 Record downpours in Seoul, South Korea, with some areas receiving their highest rainfall in 80 years (141.5 mm per hr), leaves at least eight dead [1]
Sports History
Aug 9 Tennis superstar Serena Williams announces her intention to retire in an interview with "Vogue" [1]
- Aug 10 Former US President Donald Trump invokes the fifth amendment against self-incrimination at a disposition into his organization's business by NY attorney's office [1]
- Aug 11 "Monster" wildfire south-east of Bordeaux fought by 1,000 firefighters has burnt through 7,400 hectares (18,286 acres) part of France's driest summer since 1961 [1]
- Aug 11 US Attorney General Merrick Garland says he personally approved FBI search of Trump's property, on same day Washington Post source says FBI search was for missing documents on nuclear weapons [1]
Event of Interest
Aug 12 British author Salman Rushdie attacked and repeatedly stabbed on stage prior to giving a lecture at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York
- Aug 12 Drought officially declared in eight regions of the UK amid the country's driest period since 1976 [1]
- Aug 14 Fire at Abu Sefein Church in Giza, Egypt, results in 41 deaths [1]
- Aug 14 Unsealed court papers of FBI search of Trump residence Mar-a-Lago show 11 sets of classified documents recovered, some labelled top secret [1]
- Aug 15 Deputy President William Ruto declared winner of Kenyan Presidential election won with just 50.5% of the vote, defeating former Prime Minister Raila Odinga [1]
- Aug 15 Scotland becomes the first country in the world to make period products free for all [1]
- Aug 15 Solange Knowles becomes the first black woman to compose for the New York City Ballet [1]
Appointment of Interest
Aug 16 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reveals former PM Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself to five ministerial portfolios between March 2020 and May 2021 [1]
- Aug 16 Philadelphia Phillies 11-4 win over visiting Cincinnati Reds makes them 9th MLB team with 10.000 franchise victories (and last of those founded in 19th century); they were the 1st to lose 10,000, in 2007
- Aug 16 Sections of China's Yangtze River launch weather modification programs due to severe drought conditions, including seeding clouds with silver iodide rods to encourage rain
- Aug 17 China issues its highest red alert heat warning for at least 138 cities and counties amid the country's longest heatwave since records began (64 days) [1]
- Aug 17 Possible second smaller impact crater that wiped out the dinosaurs the 'Nadir Crater' 8.5km across, identified off the coast of Guinea, west Africa [1]
- Aug 17 Suicide explosion in Afghan mosque in Kabul kills 21 worshippers and injures 33 [1]
- Aug 17 UK's inflation rate rises to a new 40-year high of 10.1 per cent, with food costs the largest contributor [1]
- Aug 18 Huge megalithic complex of more than 500 standing stones announced discovered at La Torre-La Janera, Huelva, southern Spain [1]
- Aug 18 New way to break down "forever chemicals" PFAS compounds responsible for cancers, low birth weights and lowered immunity published by scientists in journal "Science" [1]
Summit of Interest
Aug 18 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General António Guterres warn of "another Chernobyl" due to fighting by Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant at a summit in Lviv [1]
- Aug 19 30-hour siege begins on Hayat Hotel, Mogadishu, by Shabab militants leaving 21 dead and 117 injured [1]
- Aug 19 European drought uncovers river 'hunger stones' that once warned of famine, including Děčín stone (earliest inscription 1417) on Elbe river, with carving "if you see me, then weep" [1]
- Aug 19 Mexico's former attorney general Jesús Murillo Karam arrested in connection with disappearance of 43 students in 2014, one of the country's worst human rights tragedies [1]
- Aug 20 22 million now at risk of starvation in Horn of Africa, up 9 million since January, according to the UN, after worst drought in 40 years [1]
- Aug 20 Misuzulu ka Zwelithini crowned Zulu King at KwaKhangelamankengane Palace in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa [1]
- Aug 21 Masai Graham wins funniest joke at Edinburgh Fringe with "I tried to steal spaghetti from the shop, but the female guard saw me and I couldn't get pasta." [1]
House of the Dragon
Aug 22 "House of the Dragon", prequel to "Game of Thrones" premieres on HBO, starring Paddy Considine, Matt Smith and Emma D'Arcy
Fauci Steps Down
Aug 22 Dr. Anthony Fauci announces he will step down as chief medical advisor to the US President and as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [1]
- Aug 22 One of world's longest school closures ends in the Philippines as schools reopen for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic after only online learning [1]
Najib goes to Jail
Aug 23 Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak begins a 12-year prison sentence for money laundering, after the High Court rejects his final appeal [1]
- Aug 23 In US domestic terrorism case two men found guilty of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Witmer [1]
Super Freaky Girl
Aug 23 Nicki Minaj's single "Super Freaky Girl" debuts at #1; first female rapper to do so since Lauren Hill in 1998 with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" [1]
- Aug 24 British-Belgian teen Mack Rutherford (17) becomes youngest person to fly solo around the world, landing at Sofia, Bulgaria, after a five-month journey across 52 countries. [1]
- Aug 24 South Korea again records the world's lowest fertility rate at 0.81 (advanced economics average 1.6, population replacement needs 2.1) [1]
- Aug 24 US President Biden announces plan to cancel student loan debts by $10,000 (for those earning less than $125,000) and $20,000 for those who had received Pell grants [1]
- Aug 25 California votes to ban the sale of all new gasoline-powered cars by 2035 [1]
Most Expensive Sports Memorabilia
Aug 28 A 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card sells for $12.6 million at auction, becoming the world's most expensive piece of sporting memorabilia [1]
- Aug 28 Pakistan appeals for international aid as the death toll from monsoon rain and floods rises to over 1,000 people
Tour Championship
Aug 28 Tour Championship, Men's Golf, East Lake GC: Irishman Rory McIlroy wins $18m with 1 stroke win over Scottie Scheffler & Im Sung-jae; becomes first 3-time winner of the FedEx Cup
Pujols Hits a Record
Aug 29 St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols hits career home run 694 off of major league record 450th different pitcher in 13-4 win over Reds in Cincinnati
- Aug 29 Worst violence in Iraqi capital Baghdad in years with 30 killed and 700 injured after Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr announces he is withdrawing from politics [1]
- Aug 30 In Jackson, Mississippi', the city's largest water treatment plant fails, leaving 150,000 people without safe running water, closing schools and businesses [1]
- Aug 30 Ukraine begins a counterattack against Russia in the southern Kherson region [1]
- Aug 31 Mary Peltola is the first Alaskan Native to be elected to US Congress, defeating Sarah Palin in a special election [1]
- Aug 31 UN releases report accusing China of serious human rights abuses against Uyghurs in its western Xinjiang region, “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity” [1]
- Aug 31 UN weather agency predicts a rare "triple dip" La Nina pattern to last till the end of 2022, the first this century, likely to extend droughts in Horn of Africa, South America [1]
- Aug 31 US life expectancy falls to its lowest level since 1996 (76.1 yrs vs. 79 yrs in 2019), with COVID-19 the main contributing factor according to the CDC [1]
Famous Weddings
- Aug 20 Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland (31) marries reality star Wells Adams (38) at Sunstone Winery near Santa Barbara, California
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Hans Weilbächer, German soccer midfielder (1 cap West Germany; Eintracht Frankfurt e.V 241 games), dies at 88
- Aug 1 John Hughes, Scottish soccer striker (8 caps; Celtic 255 games), dies from cancer at 79
- Aug 2 Buddy Arrington, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series 103 x top 10 finishes), dies at 84
- Aug 2 Hans Bangerter, Swiss football administrator (General Secretary UEFA 1960-89), dies at 98
- Aug 2 Ray Majors, British rock guitarist (Mott the Hoople, 1975-76; British Lions, 1977-78), dies at 73
Vin Scully (1927-2022)
Aug 2 American sportscaster (Brooklyn / LA Dodgers, 1950-2016; Ford Frick Award, 1982; Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award, 1995), dies from motor neuron disease at 94
- Aug 3 Andrejs Rubins, Latvian soccer midfielder (117 caps; FC Skonto, Crystal Palace, Spartak Moscow, Inter Baku FC), dies at 43
- Aug 3 Jackie Walorski, American politician (Rep-R-Indiana 2013-22), dies in a car accident at 58 [1]
- Aug 3 Raymond Damadian, American physician and inventor of the MRI scanning machine, dies at 86 [1]
- Aug 4 Johnny Famechon, Australian boxer (WBC featherweight champion 1969-70), dies at 77
- Aug 4 Neil Castles, American auto racer (NASCAR Grand National East Series Champion 1972; NASCAR Cup Series 51 x top 5, 178 x top 10 finishes), dies at 87
- Aug 4 Sam Gooden, American soul vocalist (The Impressions - "People Get Ready"; "It's All Right"), dies at 87
- Aug 5 (William) "Clu" Gulager, American actor (Virginian; The Tall Man; The Last Picture Show), dies at 93
- Aug 5 Jô Soares, Brazilian comedian, late night television talk show host, author (O Xangô de Baker Street - A Samba for Sherlock), and jazz musician, dies at 84
- Aug 5 Judith Durham, Australian folk-pop singer (The Seekers - "Georgy Girl"; "A World of Our Own"), dies of lung disease at 79
- Aug 5 Luciano Macías, Ecuadorian soccer defender (21 caps; Barcelona de Ecuador), dies at 87
- Aug 5 Mark Paterson, New Zealand sailor (World C'ship gold Cherub 1978), dies at 74
- Aug 5 Michael Howard, 21st Earl of Suffolk and 14th Earl of Berkshire (House of Lords, 1956-99), dies at 87
- Aug 6 Gene Visscher, American college basketball coach (Weber State University 1971-74; Northern Arizona University 1981-83), dies at 81
- Aug 7 Anatoli Vassilyevich Filipchenko, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz 7; Soyuz, 16), dies at 94
- Aug 7 David McCullough, American author (Truman; John Adams), popular historian, TV documentary host and narrator (Seabiscuit; The Civil War), dies at 89 [1]
- Aug 7 Roger E. Mosley, American actor (Magnum, P.I. -"TC"; Leadbelly), dies due to injuries sustained in a car accident at 83
- Aug 8 Lamont Dozier, American songwriter and producer (Holland–Dozier–Holland - "Heat Wave"; "Where Did Our Love Go"; "You Keep Me Hanging On"), dies at 81 [1] [2]
Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)
Aug 8 British-Australian Grammy Award-winning pop singer ("Hopelessly Devoted to You"; "Physical"), and actress (Grease), dies of breast cancer at 73 [1]
- Aug 9 Alberto Orzan, Italian soccer defender (4 caps; Udinese, Fiorentina), dies at 91
- Aug 9 Darryl Hunt, British celtic-rock bassist (The Pogues - "Fairytale of New York", "I Love You Till the End"), dies at 72
- Aug 9 Ingemar Erlandsson, Swedish soccer defender (69 caps; Malmö FF 258 games), dies at 64
- Aug 9 Issey Miyake, Japanese avant-garde fashion designer, dies at 84 [1]
- Aug 9 Raymond Briggs, British children's book author and illustrator (The Snowman; Fungus the Bogeyman), dies at 88
- Aug 9 Rudi Koertzen, South African cricket umpire who officiated in 108 Tests 1992-2010; ODIs 209; T20Is 14, dies in a car accident at 73
- Aug 10 Abdul Wadud [Ronald DeVaughn], American jazz, avant-garde, and classical cellist (Camille; By Myself), dies at 75
- Aug 10 Fernando Chalana, Portuguese soccer winger (27 caps; Benfica, Bordeaux), dies from degenerative disease at 63
- Aug 11 Bill Pitman, American touring and session jazz and rock guitarist (Peggy Lee; The Wrecking Crew, "Be My Baby"), and ukulele player ("Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"), dies from complications after a fall at 102
- Aug 11 Darius Danesh, Scottish pop, opera, and swing singer-songwriter (Colourblind; Live Twice) and stage actor, dies of respiratory arrest at 41
- Aug 11 Jean-Jacques Sempé, French cartoonist (Le Petit Nicolas), dies at 89 [1]
- Aug 11 József Tóth, Hungarian soccer left-back (56 caps; Újpesti FC 268 games), dies at 70
- Aug 11 Paul Green, Australian rugby league coach (North Queensland Cowboys NRL premiership 2015; Queensland) and halfback (Australia SL 2 games, Queensland 7 games), dies by suicide at 49
Anne Heche (1969-2022)
Aug 12 American actress (Donnie Brasco; Juror; Volcano), dies from injuries one week after a fiery single vehicle car crash at 53
- Aug 12 José Luis Pérez-Payá, Spanish soccer forward (2 caps; Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid), dies at 94
- Aug 12 Ricardo Perdomo, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (6 caps; Club Nacional de Football, Rayo Vallecano, Unión Española) and coach (Miramar Misiones, Plaza Colonia), dies at 62
- Aug 12 Viacheslav Semenov, Ukrainian soccer midfielder (11 caps USSR; FC Zorya Luhansk, FC Dynamo Kyiv), dies at 74
- Aug 12 Wolfgang Petersen, German director, screenwriter and producer (Das Boot; Air Force One; The Perfect Storm), dies of pancreatic cancer at 81
- Aug 13 Piero Angela, Italian science journalist and television host (Quark), dies at 93
- Aug 14 Arne Legernes, Norwegian soccer midfielder (41 caps; Molde FC, Larvik Turn), dies at 91
- Aug 15 Frederick Buechner, American minister and author (Godric), dies at 96
- Aug 15 Pete Carril, American basketball coach (13 × Ivy League champion, Princeton University), dies at 92
- Aug 16 Aydın Yelken, Turkish soccer forward (9 caps; Karagümrük, Fenerbahçe, Altay, İzmirspor), dies at 83
- Aug 17 Josephine Tewson, British actress (Keeping Up Appearances; Last Of The Summer Wine, 2003-10), dies at 91
- Aug 18 Hadraawi [Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame], Somali poet who helped preserve the Somali language, dies at 79 [1]
- Aug 19 Egon Pajenk, Austrian soccer defender (3 caps; SK Rapid Wien 266 games), dies at 72
- Aug 19 Warren Bernhardt, American pianist in jazz, pop and classical pianist (L'Image; Steps Ahead; Steely Dan, 1993-94) and composer, dies at 83 [1]
- Aug 20 Tom Weiskopf, American golfer (British Open 1973; US Senior Open 1995), dies from pancreatic cancer at 79
- Aug 21 David Armstrong, English soccer midfielder (3 caps; Middlesbrough 359 games, Southampton 222 games), dies at 67
- Aug 21 Monnette Sudler, American jazz guitarist (Sounds of Liberation), dies at 70
- Aug 22 Bill Haller, American baseball umpire (AL 1961, 63-82; 15 x AL C'ship Series games; 27 x World Series games; 4 x MLB All-Star games), dies at 87
- Aug 22 Creed Taylor, American Grammy Award-winning jazz and bossa nova record producer (Stan Getz; Wes Montgomery), and label founder (Impluse!; CTI Records), dies at 93
- Aug 22 György Pásztor, Hungarian ice hockey forward (6 x Hungarian C'hip; Budapest SC, Red Meteor SC; Hungarian IHHOF) and administrator (est. Hungarian IH Federation), dies at 99
- Aug 22 Jaimie Branch, American avant-garde trumpet player and composer (Fly Or Die), dies at 39
- Aug 22 Jerry Allison, American rock drummer and songwriter (Buddy Holly & Crickets - "That'll Be The Day"; "Peggy Sue"), dies at 82 [1]
- Aug 23 Carlos Duarte, Portuguese soccer forward (7 caps; FC Porto, Leixões SC), dies at 89
- Aug 24 Kazuo Inamori, Japanese business executive (Kyocera Ceramics Co), dies at 90
- Aug 24 Ken Jones, Welsh rugby union centre (14 caps Wales, 6 British Lions; Cardiff RFC, London Welsh RFC, Barbarian FC), dies at 81
- Aug 24 Len Dawson, American Pro Football HOF quarterback (Super Bowl MVP 1970 KC Chiefs; AFL Championship MVP 1966; AFL MVP 1962; First-team All-AFL 1962, 66) and broadcaster (HBO, NBC), dies at 87
- Aug 24 Orlando de la Torre, Peruvian soccer defender (39 caps; Sporting Cristal SA), dies at 78
- Aug 25 Herman Van Springel, Belgian road cyclist (Tour de France, 5 career stage wins; Tour de France 1968 & Giro d'Italia 1971 runner-up; Vuelta a España 1970 3rd), dies at 79
- Aug 25 Joey DeFrancesco, American jazz Hammond organist, 9-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll (All Of Me; Reboppin'), dies at 51 [1]
- Aug 25 Orval Tessier, Canadian ice hockey coach (Chicago Blackhawks 1982-85) and center (Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins), dies at 89
- Aug 26 Mable John, American blues, R&B, and gospel vocalist (Tamla-Motown; Ray Charles; "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"), and minister, dies at 91
- Aug 27 Milutin Šoškić, Serbian soccer goalkeeper (50 caps Yugoslavia; FK Partizan, 1. FC Köln), dies at 84
- Aug 27 Mogens Palle, Danish boxing promoter (International Boxing Hall of Fame 2008) and manager (European manager Sonny Liston), dies at 88
- Aug 28 Manzoor Hussain, Pakistani field hockey striker (Olympic gold 1986; World Cup gold 1978, 82; 175 caps, 86 goals), dies at 63
- Aug 29 Charlbi Dean [Kriek], South African actress (Spud films), dies of bacterial sepsis at 32
- Aug 29 Ernie Zampese, American football coach (San Diego State University 1967–75; SD Chargers asst. head coach 1983-85), dies at 86
- Aug 29 Rigoberto Riasco, Panamanian boxer (Lineal & WBC Super bantamweight champion 1976), dies at 69
- Aug 30 Gheorghe Berceanu, Romanian Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold light-flyweight 1972, silver 1976; World C'ship gold 1969, 72), dies at 72
Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022)
Aug 30 General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1985-91), dies after an unspecified long and grave illness at 91 [1]
- Aug 31 Bill Turnbull, British television and radio presenter and journalist (Radio Clyde; BBC), dies of prostate cancer at 66
- Aug 31 Lee Thomas, American baseball utility (MLB All Star 1962, 62²; LA Angels, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs) and executive (GM Philadelphia Phillies 1988-93), dies at 86
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