Historical Events
- Aug 4 Hurricane hits Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Christopher; thousands die
- Aug 4 St James' Day naval battle is an English victory against the Dutch during Second Anglo-Dutch War off the Kent coast
- Aug 5 Second day of the St. James' Day Battle (Two Day Battle) English fleet defeat Dutch under Michiel de Ruyter
- Aug 9 Rear Admiral Robert Holmes leads a raid on the Dutch island of Terschelling, destroying 150 merchant ships in the Vlie estuary, and pillaging the town of West-Terschelling, an act later known as "Holmes's Bonfire".
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 6 Maria Sophia of Neuburg, Queen of Portugal as the wife of King Peter II from 1687-99), born in Schloss Benrath, Düsseldorf (d. 1699)
- Aug 13 William Wotton, English theologian and scholar, born in Wrentham, Suffolk (d. 1727)
- Aug 16 Princess Henriëtte Amalia of Anhalt-Dessau, monarch of Nassau-Dietz, born in Kleve, Lower Rhine (d. 1726)
- Aug 20 Alphonse d'Ève, Flemish Baroque composer, born in Brussels (d. 1727)
- Aug 27 Ivan V, co-tsar of Russia (1682-89), born in Moscow, Russia (d. 1696)
Famous Deaths
- Aug 4 Johan Evertsen, ltalian admiral of Zeeland, lynched in Brielle
- Aug 6 Tsjerk Hiddes de Vries, Dutch admiral, dies in battle at 43
- Aug 15 Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary in China and astronomer, dies at 75
- Aug 24 Francisco Manuel de Melo, Portuguese author (Obras Morales), dies at 57
- Aug 26 Frans Hals, Dutch painter known for his portraiture (Laughing Cavalier) (b. circa 1580)
- Aug 30 Benedictus Carpzovius [Benedikt Carpzov], German lawyer, dies at 71
