Historical Events
- Aug 1 ALM (Antillian Airlines) begins operation
- Aug 1 Beatles' single "A Hard Day's Night" goes #1 & stays #1 for 2 weeks
- Aug 1 Dan 'Big Daddy' Garlits becomes first drag racer to run the 1/4 mile at over 200mph (201.34mph at Island Dragway, New Jersey)
- Aug 2 Dutch government gives Indonesia export guarantees
- Aug 2 North Vietnam fires at US Navy destroyer USS Maddox in what becomes known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident which would eventually escalate US involvement in the Vietnam War
- Aug 2 Race riot in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Aug 4 Bodies of civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James E. Chaney discovered in an earthen Mississippi dam
- Aug 4 North Vietnam purportedly engage US Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin for a second time, resulting in US Congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting authority to assist any Southeast Asian facing "communist aggression"; later investigation deemed the second attack never happened as shipboard communications were misinterpreted
- Aug 5 Beatles record a cover of Little Willie John's "Leave My Kitten Alone"; not released until 1995's "Anthology 1"
- Aug 5 Congo rebellion: Christopher Gbenye and Pierre Mulele conquer Stanleyville
- Aug 5 US begins bombing North Vietnam in response to the real and imagined attacks on US Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin
- Aug 6 Prometheus, the world's oldest tree aged at least 4,862 years old, is accidentally cut down in Nevada, USA
- Aug 7 31st NFL Chicago College All-Star Game: Chicago 28, All-Stars 17 - 65,000 at Soldier Field
- Aug 7 Turkey begins air attack on Greek Cypriots
Event of Interest
Aug 7 US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution granting US President Lyndon Johnson authority to assist any Southeast Asian facing "communist aggression"; he uses it to openly bring US into Vietnam conflict
- Aug 8 1st Rolling Stones concert in Netherlands at The Kurhaus of Scheveningen, in The Hague
- Aug 8 Dutch Opera forms in Amsterdam
- Aug 8 N. Richard Nash, Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones' musical "110 in the Shade", based on Nash's drama "The Rainmaker", closes at Broadhurst Theater, NYC after, 330 performances
- Aug 9 Bunning continues pitching perfectly to NY Mets until 2 outs in 5th, when Joe Christopher beats out a bunt. He totals 15 innings
- Aug 10 WJSP TV channel 28 in Columbus, GA (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 11 Race riot in Paterson, New Jersey
- Aug 11 US premiere of The Beatles' debut film "A Hard Day's Night" in New York City
Baseball Record
Aug 12 Mickey Mantle switch-hits HR record 10th & final time in a game with one going up 502 feet
World Record
Aug 15 American long jumper Ralph Boston sets then world record 27' 3½" (8.31m) at Kingston, Jamaica
- Aug 15 Fred Trueman takes 300th Test Cricket wicket (Neil Hawke)
Sports History
Aug 15 Mayor Richard M. Daley declares "Ernie Banks Day" in Chicago
- Aug 15 MLB Philadelphia Phillies turn triple-play in 8-1 over Mets at Shea Stadium, NYC
- Aug 15 Race riot in Dixmoor, Illinois - a suburb of Chicago
- Aug 15 WEWS-TV in Cleveland, Ohio first airs "The Big 5 Show", a teen dance and music program later syndicated as "Upbeat"
- Aug 16 Mildred Sampson of New Zealand runs female world marathon record 3:19:33 in Auckland, New Zealand
Sports History
Aug 16 St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood gets 8 straight hits in a doubleheader split against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium
- Aug 17 Boycott scores his 1st Test Cricket century, 113 v Aust at the Oval
- Aug 18 Charles Helu elected president of Lebanon
- Aug 18 South Africa banned from Olympic Games because of apartheid policies
- Aug 18 The Beatles arrive in San Francisco, California on their second US visit, and first cross-country tour, encompassing 32 shows in 25 cities over 31 days
- Aug 18 USSR launch 3 Kosmos satellites
- Aug 19 Communication satellite Syncom 3 launched
Sports History
Aug 20 New York Yankees player Phil Linz plays harmonica on bus despite manager Yogi Berra's orders
- Aug 20 Rex Sellers bowls 5-1-17-0 v India in only Test Cricket innings
- Aug 20 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Economic Opportunity Act, an anti-poverty measure totaling nearly $1 billion
Is This America?
Aug 22 Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer speaks at the US Democratic National Convention about her terrifying experiences with voter registration as a Black woman in Mississippi [1]
- Aug 22 Guinee, Liberia & Ivory Coast form joint market
- Aug 22 Supreme's "Where Did Our Love Go" reaches #1
- Aug 23 St Louis Cardinals are 11 games back in NL; go on win Baseball World Series, 4-3 v New York Yankees
- Aug 25 Singapore limits imports from Netherlands due to Indonesian aggression
- Aug 26 Italian Communist Party selects Luigi Longo as chairman
- Aug 26 LBJ nominated at Democratic convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Aug 27 25th Venice Film Festival: "Red Desert" directed by Michelangelo Antonioni wins Golden Lion
Mary Poppins
Aug 27 Walt Disney's musical film "Mary Poppins" directed by Robert Stevenson, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, with songs by Richard and Robert Sherman, premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California; wins 5 Academy Awards
- Aug 28 Race riot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania sparked by police reaction to domestic dispute fueled traffic tie-up; riot and looting continues for 3 days, with 2 killed, hundreds injured and $4M of damage in the city's North Philadelphia neighborhood
- Aug 28 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Aug 28 US weather satellite Nimbus 1 launched
Blues for Mister Charlie
Aug 29 James Baldwin's stage drama "Blues for Mister Charlie", directed by Burgess Meredith, closes at the ANTA Playhouse, NYC, after 148 performances
- Aug 29 On Elston Howard Night, NY Yankees Mickey Mantle ties Babe Ruth's career strikeout record (1,330)
A Funny Thing
Aug 29 Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", starring Zero Mostel, and Jack Gilford, closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 965 performances and 6 Tony Awards
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Adam Duritz, American rock singer-songwriter, and keyboardist (Counting Crows - "Mr. Jones"; "Accidentally in Love"), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Aug 1 Andrew Wilson, Australian canoeist (Olympics-16-92, 96), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- Aug 1 Nick Christian Sayer, British rock guitarist (Transvision Vamp - "Velveteen"; "Baby I Don't Care"), born in England
- Aug 1 Rob Camilletti, American actor ("Born on the Fourth of July"), born in Queens, New York
- Aug 2 John Cullen, Canadian NHL center (Tampa Bay Lightning), born in Puslinch, Canada
Mary-Louise Parker (59 years old)
Aug 2 American actress (Fried Green Tomatoes, Weeds), born in Fort Jackson, South Carolina
- Aug 3 Joan E Higginbotham, American engineer and NASA astronaut, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 3 Johnny Thomas, American NFL cornerback (Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers), born in Houston, Texas
- Aug 3 Kevin Elster, American baseball infielder (Texas Rangers), born in San Pedro, California
- Aug 3 Nate McMillan, American NBA guard and head coach (Indiana Pacers 2016-19; Portland, Seattle; NBA steals leader 1994), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Aug 4 B J Surhoff, infielder (Baltimore Orioles), born in The Bronx, New York
- Aug 4 Clyde Simmons, NFL defensive end (Az Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Aug 4 Gary King, British radio presenter
Adam Yauch (1964-2012)
Aug 5 American rap-rock vocalist (Beastie Boys -"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)"), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Aug 6 (Gary) "Moosie" Drier, American actor (Laugh-in; The Bob Newhart Show; American Hot Wax), and theatre director, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 6 John Mooney, American kayaker (World C'ship gold K-2 200m 1995), born in Seattle, Washington
- Aug 6 Lisa Boyle, actress (Showgirls), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 6 Robert Mimbs, CFL running back (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
- Aug 7 John Birmingham, Australian author, born in Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Aug 7 Michael Weishan, American TV host, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Aug 8 Anastasia Ashman, American writer and digital strategist (GlobalNiche), born in Berkeley, California
Giuseppe Conte (59 years old)
Aug 8 Italian jurist and politician, Prime Minister of Italy (2018-2021), born in Volturara Appula, Italy
- Aug 8 Paul Taylor, English cricketer (England left-arm pace bowler in one Test 1993)
Brett Hull (59 years old)
Aug 9 Canadian-American NHL right wing (8-time All Star, 2-time Stanley Cup winner), born in Belleville, Ontario
- Aug 9 Hoda Kotb, American television news anchor (Dateline NBC), born in Norman, Oklahoma
- Aug 9 Yuri Khmylev, Russian NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres), born in Moscow, Russia
- Aug 10 Aaron Hall, Caribbean-American singer and songwriter (Guy), born in The Bronx, NYC
- Aug 10 Andy Stankiewicz, American MLB player and coach (NY Yankees, Montreal Expos), born in Inglewood, California
- Aug 11 Hamish Seelochan, British R&B and pop vocalist (The Pasedenas - "Riding on the Train"), born in England [some source cite birthday as May 19]
- Aug 11 Jim Lee, Korean-born comic book artist
- Aug 11 Miguel A. Núñez Jr., American actor
- Aug 13 Debi Mazar, American actress (Civil Wars, Little Man Tate, LA Law), born in Queens, New York
- Aug 13 Hank Cheyne, American actor (Sunset Beach), born in Santa Maria, California
- Aug 13 Ian Haugland, Norwegian heavy metal drummer (Europe - "The Final Countdown"), born in Storslett, Nordreisa, Norway
- Aug 13 Jay Buhner, American MLB outfielder (Seattle Mariners, NY Yankees), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Aug 13 Tom Prince, American MLB catcher (LA Dodgers), born in Kankakee, Illinois
- Aug 14 Brannon Braga, American scriptwriter, born in Bozeman, Montana
Melinda Gates (59 years old)
Aug 15 American philanthropist and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, born in Dallas, Texas
- Aug 16 Jimmy Arias, American tennis player (French Open mixed doubles 1981 [Andrea Jaeger]) and broadcaster (ESPN, Tennis Channel, NBC, Rogers Sportsnet, CBC), born in Buffalo, New York
- Aug 16 Nigel Redman, English rugby union lock (20 caps; Bath), born in Cardiff, Wales
- Aug 17 Colin James, Canadian singer-songwriter, born in Regina, Saskatchewan
- Aug 18 Andi Deris, German heavy metal vocalist (Helloween, 1994-present), born in Karlsruhe, West Germany
- Aug 18 Craig Bierko, American actor, born in Rye Brook, New York
- Aug 18 Edith Frost, American singer and songwriter, born in San Antonio, Texas
- Aug 18 Kenny Walker, American basketball player, born in Roberta, Georgia
- Aug 19 Pete Ricketts, American businessman (TD Ameritrade) and politician, Governor of Nebraska (2015-), born in Nebraska City
- Aug 19 Tom Rust, British jazz vocalist, born in Manchester, England
- Aug 20 Giuseppe Giannini, Italian soccer player (Rome A Team), born in Rome, Italy
- Aug 20 Miljenko "Dino" Dvornik, Croatian singer known as "the Croatian King of Funk", born in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (d. 2008)
- Aug 21 Trinity Loren, American adult film actress and model, born in La Jolla, California (d. 1998)
- Aug 22 Dean Evason, Canadian NHL player (Calgary Flames), born in Thompson, Manitoba
Mats Wilander (59 years old)
Aug 22 Swedish tennis player (7-time Grand Slam winner), born in Växjö, Sweden
- Aug 23 Johan Bruyneel, Belgian road racing cyclist, born in Izegem, Belgium
- Aug 23 Kong Hee, Singaporean founder and Senior Pastor of the City Harvest movement in Asia
- Aug 23 Ray Ferraro, Canadian ice hockey center (Hartford Whalers, New York Islanders) and broadcaster (TSN Radio, TSN, NBCSN), born in Trail, British Columbia
- Aug 24 Dana Gould, American comedian, actor, and writer (The Simpsons, 2001-07), born in Hopedale, Massachusetts
- Aug 24 Oteil Burbridge, American bassist (Allman Brothers Band, 1997-2014; Dead & Company, 2015-23), born in Washington, D.C.
- Aug 24 Pebbles [Perri Reid (née McKissack)], American pop singer ("Girlfriend"), minister, and gospel singer, born in Oakland, California
- Aug 24 Salizhan Sharipov, Kyrgyzstani cosmonaut (STS-89), born in Uzgen, Kyrgyzstan
- Aug 25 Blair Underwood, American actor (L.A. Law - "Jonathan"; High Incident), born in Tacoma, Washington
- Aug 25 Marti Noxon, American television writer and producer, born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 25 Maxim Kontsevich, Russian mathematician, born in Khimki, Russia
- Aug 25 Morgan Englund, actor (Dylan Lewis-Guiding Light)
- Aug 25 Vassilios Kotronias, Greek chess grandmaster, born in Athens, Greece
- Aug 26 Bobby Jurasin, American CFL defensive end (Saskatchewan Roughriders), born in Wakefield, Michigan
- Aug 26 Chad Kreuter, American MLB catcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Marin County, California
- Aug 26 Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maltese journalist (Panama Papers), born in Sliema, Malta (d. 2017)
- Aug 27 Frankie Thorn, American actress
- Aug 28 Lee Janzen, American golfer (US Open 1993, 1998), born in Austin, Minnesota
- Aug 29 Jordi Arrese, Spanish tennis player, born in Barcelona, Spain
- Aug 30 Gavin Fisher, British engineer (Williams Formula One)
- Aug 30 Stephen Baker, American NFL receiver (NY Giants), born in San Antonio, Texas
- Aug 31 Raymond P. Hammond, American poet and editor
Famous Weddings
John Coltrane
Aug 4 Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane (35) weds jazz harpist and pianist Alice Macleod
Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft
Aug 5 American screenwriter and future film maker Mel Brooks (38) weds American actress Anne Bancroft (32) at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau; second marriage for both, until her death in 2005
Muhammad Ali
Aug 14 World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali (22) weds cocktail waitress Sonja Roi
Dick Cheney
Aug 29 46th US Vice President Dick Cheney (23) weds Lynne Ann Vincent (23) at the First Presbyterian Church of Casper in Wyoming
Famous Divorces
Jayne Mansfield
Aug 26 American actress Jayne Mansfield and Hungarian-American bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay's Mexican divorce is recognized by the state of California
Famous Deaths
- Aug 2 Jack Kirkwood, Scottish actor (Fibber McGee & Molly), dies at 69
- Aug 2 José María Castro, Argentine composer, dies at 71
- Aug 3 Flannery O'Connor, American writer (Good Man is Hard to Find), dies pf lupus at 39
- Aug 5 Art Ross, Canadian-American hockey player (Montreal Wanderers), coach (Boston Bruins, 1924-45), and namesake of NHL's scoring champion trophy, dies at 79
- Aug 5 Moa Martinson, Swedish writer (My Mother Gets Married), dies at 73
- Aug 6 Cedric Hardwicke, British stage actor (Rope; Suspicion; Peter Pan; Richard III), dies at 71
- Aug 12 Ian Fleming, English author (James Bond novels), dies at 56
- Aug 13 Peter Anthony Allen is the last person executed (for murder) in England and the United Kingdom at Walton Prison, Liverpool
- Aug 14 Johnny Burnette, American rockabilly singer-songwriter and guitarist ('Train Kept A-Rollin'"; "You're Sixteen"), drowns in nighttime boating mishap at 30
- Aug 16 Jack Pennick, American actor (Lady From Louisiana), dies at 68
- Aug 21 J. L. Wilkinson, American Baseball HOF executive (founder All Nations Baseball club 1912 & NgL Kansas City Monarchs 1920), dies at 86
Palmiro Togliatti (1893-1964)
Aug 21 Italian politician and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Italy (1926-34, 1938-64), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 71
