Historical Events
- Aug 1 Shortwave-radio link between Kootwijk and Netherland East-Indies
- Aug 3 Last US troops leave Nicaragua (there since 1912)
- Aug 4 1st Dutch government of Prime Minister Hendrikus Colijn forms
- Aug 4 US marines leave Nicaragua after 13-year occupation
- Aug 5 Plaid Cymru is formed with the aim of disseminating knowledge of the Welsh language, which is in danger of dying out
- Aug 7 League of Nation advises against Turk/Iraqi division of Mosoelgebied
- Aug 8 1st national march of Ku Klux Klan (between 25,000 and 40,000 marchers) in Washington, D.C.
- Aug 10 Hurricane strikes Borculo, 4 die
- Aug 12 KMA-AM in Shenandoah IA begins radio transmissions
- Aug 12 The first cast of Alpha Psi Omega, drawn from The Masquers of Fairmont College, West Virginia, is initiated.
- Aug 12 The tariff law comes into force in Germany, setting up tariffs for industry and agriculture based on pre-war rates.
- Aug 14 Mount Rushmore Monument first proposed
- Aug 14 The original Hetch Hetchy Moccasin Powerhouse is completed and goes on line.
- Aug 15 Norway annexes Spitsbergen
- Aug 15 White Sox Dickie Kerr, 1st appearance since winning 2 world series games in 1919
- Aug 18 Belgium & US sign treaty about war debts
- Aug 18 Cardinal Mercier warns Belgians against socialism/liberalism
- Aug 20 WJR-AM in Detroit MI begins radio transmissions
- Aug 21 Dutch football club FC Emmen is formed in the town of Emmen in north-eastern province of Drenthe in the Netherlands
US Open Women's Tennis
Aug 24 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Helen Wills Moody beats Kitty McKane of England 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 for her third straight US singles title
- Aug 25 Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters organizes (Harlem NY)
- Aug 25 Last Belgian troops vacate Duisburg
- Aug 28 Meteorite falls on Ellemeet, Schouwen, Devil Island
- Aug 29 After a night on the town, Babe Ruth shows up late for batting practice Miller Huggins suspends Ruth & slaps a $5,000 fine on him
- Aug 30 6th Iron pilgrim at Diksmuide Belgium
Mead Arrives in Samoa
Aug 31 Anthropologist Margaret Mead first arrives in Samoa
Famous Birthdays
Jorge Rafael Videla (1925-2013)
Aug 2 Argentine military officer and dictator (1976-81), born in Mercedes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Aug 5 Cor Witschge, Dutch actor (Pipo the Clown), born in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1991)
- Aug 6 Barbara Bates, American actress (All About Eve, It's a Great Life), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1969)
- Aug 6 Leland Smith, American composer, bassoonist and computer coder who led music publishing into the digital age (SCORE), born in Oakland, California (d. 2013)
- Aug 6 Stig-Göran Myntti, Finnish soccer midfielder (61 caps; Vasa IFK), born in Maalahti, Finland (d. 2020)
- Aug 7 Art Laboe [Egnoian], American radio disc jockey ("Oldies but Goodies"), songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner, born in Murray, Utah (d. 2022) [1]
- Aug 7 Felice Bryant, American songwriter (Bye Bye Love; Wake Up Little Susie), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2003)
- Aug 7 Julian Orbon De Soto, Cuban composer, born in Aviles, Spain (d. 1991)
- Aug 7 M. S. Swaminathan, Indian agricultural scientist, leader of the green revolution in India, born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency (d. 2023)
- Aug 8 Alija Izetbegović, Bosnian politician and 1st president of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1990-2000), born in Bosanski Šamac, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (d. 2003)
- Aug 9 David A. Huffman, American computer scientist, creator of Huffman coding, born in Ohio (d. 1999)
- Aug 9 Len Sutton, American auto racer and broadcaster (Indianapolis 500, 1962 runner-up), born in Portland, Oregon (d. 2006)
- Aug 9 Robert Heppener, Dutch composer (Hymns & Conversations for 28 Harps; Memento), born in Amsterdam (d. 2009)
- Aug 10 Alastair Mackie, Scottish poet and teacher, born in Aberdeen, Scotland (d. 1995)
- Aug 11 Carl Rowan, American syndicated journalist (Chicago Sun-Times, Washington bureau), and diplomat, born in Ravenscroft, Tennessee (d. 2000)
- Aug 11 Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Stanley Cup 1953, 56-58; Montreal Canadiens), born in Chapleau, Ontario (d. 2006)
- Aug 11 Robert Linn, American classical composer and educator, born in San Francisco (d. 1999)
- Aug 12 Dale Bumpers, American politician (Sen-D Arkansas, 1975-99), born in Charleston, Arkansas (d. 2016)
- Aug 12 Earl Coleman, American jazz singer, born in Port Huron, Michigan (d. 1995)
- Aug 12 George Wetherill, American scientist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2006)
- Aug 12 Norris McWhirter, English author (founded Guinness Book of World Records), born in Winchmore Hill, England (d. 2004)
- Aug 12 Ross McWhirter, English author (founded Guinness Book of World Records), born in Winchmore Hill, England (d. 1975)
- Aug 12 Sybil Michelow, South-African contralto and composer, born in Johannesburg (d. 2013)
- Aug 13 Benny Bailey, American jazz trumpeter, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2005)
- Aug 14 Paul Beaver, American experimental, electronic, and psychedelic rock Moog synthesizer player (Beaver & Krause), born in Columbiana, Ohio (d. 1975)
- Aug 14 Russell Baker, American columnist, author and humorist (NY Times), born in Loudoun County, Virginia (d. 2019)
- Aug 15 Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French concert pianist, born in Naples, Italy (d. 2015)
- Aug 15 Billy Pinkney, American bass vocalist (Drifters - "Ruby Baby"), born in Dalzell, South Carolina (d. 2007)
- Aug 15 George Morrow, American jazz double-bassist (Max Roach and Clifford Brown; Sonny Rollins), born in Pasadena, California (d. 1992)
- Aug 15 Gertrude Shope, South African leader of the ANC Women’s League, born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Aug 15 Mike Connors [Krekor Ohanian], American actor (Mannix), born in Fresno, California (d. 2017)
Oscar Peterson (1925-2007)
Aug 15 Canadian jazz pianist and composer (Downbeat Magazine's Pianist of the Year, 1950-62), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Aug 15 Rose Maddox, American country and bluegrass singer-songwriter, and fiddle player (Sing a Little Song of Heartache), born in Boaz, Alabama (d. 1998)
- Aug 16 Fess Parker, American actor (Davy Crockett, Old Yeller), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2010)
- Aug 16 Willie Jones, American baseball third baseman (MLB All Star 1950, 51; Philadelphia Phillies), born in Dillon, South Carolina (d. 1983)
- Aug 17 John Hawkes, American writer (2nd Skin), born in Stamford, Connecticut (d. 1998)
- Aug 17 John Howard Purnell, Welsh chemist (Royal Society of Chemistry), born in Rhondda, South Wales (d. 1996)
- Aug 18 Brian Aldiss, British sci-fi author (Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, Helliconia trilogy), born in East Dereham, Norfolk (d. 2017)
- Aug 18 Pierre Grondin, French Canadian cardiac surgeon (d. 2006)
- Aug 18 Sonny Til [Earlington Carl Tilghman], American doo-wop singer (The Orioles), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 1981)
- Aug 19 Claude Gauvreau, Canadian playwright (d. 1971)
- Aug 21 Judy Grable [Nellya Baughman], American professional wrestler, born in Bremerton, Washington (d. 2008)
- Aug 21 Maurice Pialat, French actor and director (The Naked Childhood), born in Cunlhat, Puy-de-Dôme, France (d. 2003)
- Aug 22 Honor Blackman, English actress (Goldfinger, The Avengers), born in Plaistow, London (d. 2020)
- Aug 23 Sulkhan Tsintsadze, Georgian composer, born in Gori, Transcaucasian SSR, Soviet Union (now Georgia) (d. 1991)
- Aug 23 Włodzimierz Kotoński, Polish composer, born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 2014)
- Aug 25 Thea Astley, Australian novelist and short-story writer, born in Queensland, Australia (d. 2004)
- Aug 26 Alain Peyrefitte, French politician (Minister of Justice, 1977-81; Minister of Information, 1962-66) and writer (The Immobile Empire), born in Najac, France (d. 1999)
- Aug 26 Jack Hirshleifer, American economist, educator, and author, born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 2005)
- Aug 26 Sangharakshita [Dennis Lingwood], Buddhist Philosopher, Founder of the Western Buddhist Order, born in London, England (d. 2018)
- Aug 27 Darry Cowl, French musician and actor, born in Vittel, France (d. 2006)
- Aug 27 Ken Grieves, Australian cricketer (NSW leg-spin all-rounder), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1992)
- Aug 27 Richard Rutt, English bishop of Leicester, born in Lengford, England (d. 2011)
- Aug 27 Tony Crombie, English jazz drummer and bandleader, born in Bishopsgate, London (d. 1999)
- Aug 28 Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky, Soviet-Russian sci-fi author (Tale of the Troika), born in Batumi, Georgia (d. 1991)
- Aug 28 Billy Grammer, American country music singer and guitarist, born in Benton, Illinois (d. 2011)
- Aug 28 Donald O'Connor, American dancer and actor (Singin' in the Rain), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2003)
- Aug 28 John Gillett, British film critic and researcher, born in London (d. 1995)
- Aug 28 Marvin Davis, CEO (Davis Oil Company), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2004)
- Aug 29 Loyd Gentry, American thoroughbred trainer (Kentucky Derby 1967 Proud Clarion), born in Covington, Kentucky (d. 2012)
- Aug 30 Julien Schoenaerts, Flemish actor (Daens/Medea), born in Eigenbilzen, Belgium (d. 2006)
- Aug 30 Laurent de Brunhoff, French-American writer and illustrator (Babar the Elephant), born in Paris, France (d. 2024)
Famous Weddings
John Maynard Keynes
Aug 4 British economist John Maynard Keynes (42) weds Russian ballerina Lydia Lopokova (33)
Zhou Enlai
Aug 8 China's Premier Zhou Enlai (27) weds Deng Yingchao (21) in Guangzhou
James Chadwick
Aug 11 British physicist James Chadwick (33) weds Aileen Stewart-Brown in Liverpool, England
Lester B. Pearson
Aug 22 Future Prime Minister of Canada Lester B. Pearson (28) weds Canadian teacher Maryon Elspeth Moody (23), until his death in 1972
Kate Sheppard
Aug 25 Suffragette Kate Sheppard (78) weds printer and author William Sidney Lovell-Smith (72) in Christchurch, New Zealand
Famous Divorces
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Aug 5 Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (44) divorces wife Latife Hanim after 2 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 John Pieter Veth, painter/lithographer/etcher/writer, dies at 61
- Aug 3 William Bruce, Australian cricketer (drowns 14 Tests for Australia 1885-95), commits suicide by drowning at 61
- Aug 5 Jennie Lee, American actress (The Birth of a Nation), dies at 76
- Aug 6 Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (tensor analysis), dies at 72
- Aug 15 Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter, dies at 46
- Aug 17 Ioan Slavici, Transylvanian writer of Romanian origin (b. 1848)
- Aug 25 Franz Graf Conrad von Hötzendorf, Austro-Hungarian field marshal, dies at 72
