Historical Events
Patterson KOs Tita
Aug 2 17 year-old future world champion Floyd Patterson wins the gold medal in the middleweight division at the Helsinki Olympic Games with a 1st round KO of Romanian Vasile Tita
- Aug 2 Hungarian boxer László Papp wins his 2nd straight Olympic gold medal
F1 World Champion
Aug 3 Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinches Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring
- Aug 3 XV Summer Olympic Games close in Helsinki, Finland
Murder of Interest
Aug 4 Gambling boss Theodore Roe is murdered by the crew of Sam Giancana
Sports History
Aug 6 St. Louis Browns veteran pitcher Satchel Paige, 46, becomes oldest pitcher to win a complete shutout, 1-0 v Detroit Tigers in 12 innings
- Aug 8 Syngman Ree re-elected president of South Korea
- Aug 9 General strike against overtime conscription in Belgium
- Aug 11 Hussein Ibn Talal I, proclaimed King of Jordan
- Aug 11 Parliament of Jordan forces King Talal bin Abdullah (43) concerns about his mental health
- Aug 12 Hussein ibn Talal proclaimed King of Jordan
- Aug 13 Blues singer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton records "Hound Dog" song, written a day earlier especially for her by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, at Radio Recorders Studio in Los Angeles, California
The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis
Aug 14 Alan Turing's ground-breaking paper on mathematical biology “The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis” is published [1]
Venice Film Festival
Aug 20 13th Venice Film Festival: "Genghis Khan" directed by Manuel Conde wins the Golden Lion
Meeting of Interest
Aug 20 Soviet leader Joseph Stalin meets Chinese premier Zhou Enlai
- Aug 22 The penal colony on Devil's Island is permanently closed.
- Aug 23 Arab League security pact goes into effect
- Aug 23 Giants Bob Elliott is ejected for arguing a strike, Bobby Hoffman completes his bat, he strikes out & is also ejected for arguing
- Aug 23 Kitty Wells becomes 1st woman to reach #1 on Billboard Country chart with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"; stays at top for 15 weeks [1]
- Aug 25 Detroit Tiger Virgil Trucks 2nd no-hitter of yr, beats Yankees, 1-0
- Aug 25 Puerto Rico becomes a US commonwealth
- Aug 26 Fluoridation of San Francisco water begins
Olympic Gold
Aug 27 Having already won 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals, Czech star Emil Zátopek claims rare Olympic treble taking out Helsinki Games marathon in OR 2:23:03.2
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Brian Patrick Clarke, American actor (Eight Is Enough - "Merle"), born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- Aug 1 Yajurvindra Singh, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman late 70's), born in Rajkot, Gujarat
- Aug 1 Zoran Đinđić, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (2001-03), born in Bosanski Šamac, PR Bosnia and Herzegovina (d. 2003)
- Aug 2 Angel Herrera, Cuban FW/LW boxer (Olympic gold 1976, 80), born in Guantánamo, Cuba
- Aug 2 Les Dudek, American guitarist and singer (Steve Miller Band), born in Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island
- Aug 2 Paul David Crews, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted List), born in South Carolina (d. 2022)
- Aug 3 Frank Schaeffer, American author (Crazy for God), born in Champéry, Switzerland
- Aug 3 Jay North, American actor (Dennis the Menace, Maya), born in Hollywood, California
- Aug 3 Loles León, Spanish actress (Aquí no hay quien viva), born in Barcelona
- Aug 3 Osvaldo Ardiles, Argentine soccer midfielder (51 caps, FIFA World Cup 1978; Huracán, Tottenham Hotspur) and manager ( Swindon Town, Newcastle United, WBA, Tottenham Hotspur), born in Córdoba, Argentina
- Aug 4 Bobby Buntrock, actor (Harold Baxter-Hazel), born in Denver, Colorado
- Aug 4 Daniel Bautista, Mexican race walker (Olympic gold 20k 1976; 3 x 20k WR holder), born in El Salado, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Aug 4 Gábor Demszky, Hungarian politician (Mayor of Budapest, 1990-2010), born in Budapest, Hungary
- Aug 4 Kristoffer Tabori [Siegel], actor (Rappaccini's Daughter), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 4 Moya Brennan [Máire Ní Bhraonáin], Irish folk singer and harpist (Clannad; Máire), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Aug 5 Hun Sen, Cambodian politician, Prime Minister of Cambodia 1985-), born in Kampong Cham, Cambodia
- Aug 6 Ton Scherpenzeel, Dutch rock keyboardist (Kayak; Earth & Fire), born in Hilversum, The Netherlands
- Aug 6 Vinnie Vincent [Cusano], American rock guitarist (Kiss, 1982-84; solo - "Ashes to Ashes"), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Aug 6 Wojiech Fortuna, Polish ski jumper (Olympic gold 1972)
- Aug 7 Alexei Sayle, British comedian, born in Anfield, Liverpool,
- Aug 7 Ian Hobson, British pianist, opera conductor and music professor, born in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England
- Aug 8 Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author
- Aug 8 Robin Quivers, American radio/TV personality (Howard Stern's sidekick), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Aug 8 Sudhakar Rao, Indian cricketer
- Aug 9 John Cappelletti, American College Football Hall of Fame running back (Heisman Trophy 1973, Penn State; NFL: LA Rams, SD Chargers), born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
- Aug 9 Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Thai politician and activist, born in Bangkok, Thailand
- Aug 9 Vicki Morgan, American mistress (Beautiful Bad Girl), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado (d. 1983)
- Aug 10 Ashley Putnam, American soprano (NY City Opera 1978), born in New York City
- Aug 10 Cara Hayden, American librarian (1st African American and female Librarian of Congress 2016-), born in Tallahassee, Florida
- Aug 10 Daniel Hugh Kelly, American actor (Hardcastle and McCormick), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Aug 10 Diane Venora, American actress (Bird), born in East Hartford, Connecticut
- Aug 11 Ann Michelle, England, actress (Virigin Witch, Mistress Pamela)
- Aug 11 Bob Mothersbaugh, (aka Bob 2), American new wave rock musician (Devo - "Whip It!"), born in Akron, Ohio
- Aug 12 Charles Whiting, English Formula 1 Race Director (Safety Delegate, Starter, head F1 Technical Dep't), born in Sevenoaks, Kent (d. 2019)
- Aug 12 Chen Kaige, Chinese film director (Farewell My Concubine), born in Beijing, China
- Aug 13 Danny Bruno, American stage and screen actor (Grimm - "Bud"), born in The Bronx, NYC
- Aug 13 Herb Ritts, American fashion photographer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2002)
- Aug 13 Hughie Thomasson, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter (Outlaws - "Green Grass and High Tides"; Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1996-2005), born in Buchanan, Virginia (d. 2007)
- Aug 13 Lee Hyla, American contemporary classical composer (Mythic Birds of Saugerties; Pre-Pulse Suspended), and music professor (New England Conservatory; Northwestern University), born in Niagara Falls, New York (d. 2014)
- Aug 13 Marie Helvin, American model and actress (Children), born in Tokyo
- Aug 13 Tom Marino, American politician (Rep-R-Pennsylvania 2011-2019), born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
- Aug 14 Debbie Meyer, American 200m/400m/800m swimmer (Olympic 3 gold-68), born in Annapolis, Maryland
- Aug 14 Mark C. Lee, American NASA astronaut (STS 30, 47, 64, 82, sk: 98), born in Viroqua, Wisconsin
- Aug 15 Ger Hoeymakers, Dutch rock guitarist (Franc Boeijen Group), born in Sevenum, Netherlands
- Aug 16 (Terry) "Topper" Price, American blues, jazz and rock vocalist and harmonica player (The Upsetters), born in Plateau, Alabama (d. 2007)
- Aug 16 Gianna Rolandi, American soprano (Der Rosenkavalier), born in New York City
- Aug 16 Mahes Goonatillake, cricketer (Sri Lankan keeper in their 1st 5 Tests)
- Aug 16 Reginald Veljohnson, actor (Carl Winslow-Family Matters, Die Hard)
Guillermo Vilas (71 years old)
Aug 17 Argentine tennis player (4-time Grand Slam winner), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Aug 17 Kathryn C. Thornton, American astronaut (STS 33, 49, 61, 73), born in Montgomery, Alabama
- Aug 17 Mario Theissen, German F1 team principal (BMW Sauber)
Nelson Piquet (71 years old)
Aug 17 Brazilian auto racer, 3-time Formula One champ (1981, '83, '87), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Aug 17 Thomas J. Hennen, American astronaut (STS 44), born in Albany, Georgia
- Aug 18 Elayne Boosler, American comedienne (Broadway Baby, Party of One), born in Brooklyn, New York
Patrick Swayze (1952-2009)
Aug 18 American actor and dancer (Dirty Dancing; Ghost), and singer-songwriter (She's Like The Wind), born in Houston, Texas
- Aug 18 Ricky Villa, Argentine former footballer, born in Roque Pérez, Argentina
- Aug 19 Jimmy Watson, Canadian NHL hockey defenseman, 1973-82 (2 x Stanley Cup Champion - Philadelphia Flyers, and 2 other teams), and youth hockey coach, born in Smithers, British Columbia
- Aug 19 Jonathan Frakes, American actor (Commander William T Riker-Star Trek Next Gen), born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
- Aug 20 Doug Fieger, American singer–songwriter (The Knack - "My Sharona"), born in Oak Park, Michigan (d. 2010)
- Aug 20 John Clayton, American session and jazz bassist, arranger, composer (Clayton Brothers; Diana Krall), and classical double bassist (Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra), born in Venice, California
- Aug 20 John Emburey, English cricket off-spinner (1978-95, captain 1988), born in Peckham, London
- Aug 20 John Hiatt, American singer and songwriter ("Have a Little Faith in Me"), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Aug 20 Rudy Gatlin, American country singer (Gatlin Brothers - "Broken Lady"), born in Olney, Texas
- Aug 21 Jiří Paroubek, former Czech prime minister, born in Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Aug 21 Joe Strummer [Mellor], British punk rock lead singer and songwriter (The Clash - "Rock the Casbah";"Lost in the Supermarket"; "London Calling"), born in Ankara, Turkey (d. 2002)
- Aug 21 Keith Hart, Canadian professional wrestler, born in Great Falls, Montana
- Aug 22 Peter Laughner, American singer, songwriter and guitarist (Rocket From the Tombs, Pere Ubu), born in Bay Village, Ohio (d. 1977)
- Aug 23 Dalton Reed, American soul singer, born in Lafayette, Louisiana (d. 1994)
- Aug 23 Vicky Leandros, Greek singer and politician, born in Palaiokastritsa, Corfu, Greece
- Aug 24 Bob Corker, American politician (Senator from Tennessee), born in Orangeburg, South Carolina
- Aug 24 Carlo Curley, American classical concert organist, born in Monroe, North Carolina (d. 2012)
- Aug 24 Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jamaican-British poet (Mi Revalueshanary Fren) and activist, born in Chapelton, Jamaica
Mike Shanahan (71 years old)
Aug 24 American football coach (Denver Broncos), born in Oak Park, Illinois
- Aug 24 Vaneese Thomas, American R&B, jazz and soul blues singer ("Let's Talk It Over"), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Aug 25 Duleep Mendis, Sri Lankan cricketer (big-hitting Sri Lankan batsman of 80's), born in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
- Aug 25 Geoff Downes, British progressive rock keyboardist (Buggles; Yes; Asia), born in Stockport, Cheshire, England
- Aug 26 Billy Rush, American guitarist (Asbury Jukes; Serge Gainesbourg), born in Deal, New Jersey
- Aug 26 John Kinsella, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1972), born in Oak Park, Illinois
- Aug 26 Michael Jeter, American Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor (The Fisher King; Evening Shade; Assassins), born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee (d. 2003)
- Aug 26 Will Shortz, American crossword editor (New York Times), born in Crawfordsville, Indiana
- Aug 27 Don Miguel Ruiz, Mexican spiritual teacher and author (The Four Agreements), born in Guadalajara, Mexico
Paul Reubens (1952-2023)
Aug 27 American comic actor and screenwriter, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman (Pee-wee's Big Adventure; Pee-wee's Playhouse), born in Peekskill, New York [1]
- Aug 27 Roger Stone, American political lobbyist, born in Norwalk, Connecticut
- Aug 28 Guy Nadon, Canadian actor (L'ange gardien), born in Montréal, Québec
- Aug 28 Jacques Chagnon, Canadian politician (45th President of the National Assembly), born in Montréal, Québec
- Aug 28 Rita Dove, African-American poet (Thomas and Beulah), born in Akron, Ohio
- Aug 28 Wendelin Wiedeking, German businessman (CEO - Porsche AG), born in Ahlen, Germany
- Aug 29 Karen Hesse, American children's book writer (Out of the Dust), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Aug 30 Wojtek Fibak, Polish tennis star, born in Poznan, Poland
- Aug 31 Bruce Soboroff, American rock keyboard player (Buckinghams, 1986-present), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 31 Herbert Reul, German politician, born in Langenfeld, West Germany
Famous Weddings
Anthony Eden
Aug 14 UK Prime Minister Anthony Eden (55) weds UK prime minister's niece Clarissa Spencer-Churchill (32) in a civil ceremony at Caxton Hall, London
Leontyne Price
Aug 31 American operatic soprano Leontyne Price (25) weds American concert bass-baritone singer William Warfield (32); divorce in 1973
Famous Deaths
- Aug 5 Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (b. 1917)
- Aug 11 Riccardo Martin, American tenor and composer, dies at 77
- Aug 12 David Bergelson, Yiddish language writer (b. 1884)
- Aug 14 C. Howard Crane, American architect (Fox Theatres; Detroit Olympia Stadium; Detroit Opera House; LeVeque Tower (Columbus, Ohio); Earls Court Exhibition Centre (London, England)), dies at 67
- Aug 16 Lydia Field Emmet, American painter (b. 1866)
- Aug 18 Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Chilean Jesuit saint (b. 1901)
- Aug 18 Ralph Byrd, American actor (Dick Tracy TV Show, SOS Coast Guard), dies from a heart attack at 43
- Aug 20 Kurt Schumacher, German politician (Social Democrat Party (SPD) chairman,1946-52). opposition leader, and political prisoner during WWII, dies at 56
- Aug 21 Isaac Sadeh, Polish-born leader of Jewish commando force (Palmach), dies at 62
- Aug 22 Hiranuma Kiichirō, 24th Prime Minister of Japan, dies at 84
- Aug 30 (Joseph) "Arky" Vaughan, American Baseball HOF shortstop (9 × MLB All-Star; NL batting champion 1935; NL stolen base leader 1943; Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers), dies in a boating accident at 40
- Aug 31 Henri Bourassa, French Canadian political leader (b. 1868)
