Historical Events
- Aug 1 Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has a Ten Commandments monument installed in the judiciary building, leading to a lawsuit to have it removed and his own removal from office
- Aug 1 An agreement is reached on the position of the minority Albanian language in the Republic of Macedonia
- Aug 1 Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia join the European Environment Agency.
The Princess Diaries
Aug 3 "The Princess Diaries", starring Anne Hathaway in her film debut, is released nationwide
- Aug 3 8th Athletics World Championships open at Edmonton, Canada
- Aug 3 Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia becomes first athlete to achieve Olympics-World Championships marathon double; runs 2:12:42 to beat Kenya's Simon Biwott by just 0.1s in Edmonton World Championships
- Aug 3 The Real IRA detonate a car bomb in Ealing, London, injuring 7 people
Event of Interest
Aug 3 US President George W. Bush signs into law the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) Extension Act of 2001
Cricket Record
Aug 4 Australian cricket spinner Shane Warne skittles England (162) with 6/33 to guide tourists to a 7 wicket 3rd Test victory at Trent Bridge; Aussies regain Ashes with record 7th straight Test win v England
Women's British Open
Aug 5 British Open Women's Golf, Sunningdale GC: Se Ri Pak of South Korea wins by 2 strokes from Mi Hyun Kim; event gains LPGA major status for first time
- Aug 5 Cleveland Indians tie a MLB record in erasing a 12 run Seattle lead to win 15-14, also preventing the Mariners from reaching a record 117 season wins
Sports History
Aug 6 Two-time champion Marion Jones is disqualified and has her string of 42 consecutive 100m final victories snapped by Zhanna Pintusevich-Block of Ukraine at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, Canada
- Aug 9 US President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.
Event of Interest
Aug 10 US and UK reject a proposal by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to permit the Iraqi government to use $1 billion per year to fund infrastructure improvements and to increase oil production capacity
Canadian Women's Open
Aug 19 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Angus Glen GC: Annika Sörenstam wins by 2 from Kelly Robbins
F1 World Champion
Aug 19 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins the Hungarian Grand prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 Grand Prix victories
PGA Championship
Aug 19 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Atlanta Athletic Club: David Toms wins his first major title by 1 stroke from Phil Mickelson
- Aug 21 "How You Remind Me" single released by Nickelback (Billboard Song of the Year 2002)
- Aug 21 NATO decides to send a peace-keeping force to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
- Aug 21 The Red Cross announces that a famine is striking Tajikistan, and calls for international financial aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
- Aug 24 Air Transat Flight 236 runs out of fuel over the Atlantic Ocean (en route to Lisbon from Toronto) and makes an emergency landing in the Azores.
- Aug 24 Microsoft releases to manufacturing software for Windows XP
- Aug 25 Singer Aaliyah and 8 others killed in an air crash in the Bahamas
Film & TV History
Aug 27 Angelina Jolie is named a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva
- Aug 29 58th Venice Film Festival: "Monsoon Wedding" directed by Mira Nair wins Golden Lion
- Aug 29 Goodwill Games V opens in Brisbane, Australia; this is the final edition of the event
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Scottie Barnes, American basketball forward (NBA Rookie of the Year 2022; Toronto Raptors), born in West Palm Beach, Florida
- Aug 5 Anthony Edwards 'Ant-Man', American NBA player (Minnesota Timberwolves), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Aug 6 Ty Simpkins, American actor (Insidious; Jurassic World), born in New York City
- Aug 12 Dixie D'Amelio, American singer ("Be Happy") and TikTok star, born in Norwalk, Connecticut
- Aug 13 Amanda Anisimova, American tennis player, born in Freehold Township, New Jersey
- Aug 16 Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player (Australian Open 2024; Davis Cup 2023; Tour Finals 2023 runner-up), born in Innichen, Italy
- Aug 22 LaMelo Ball, American NBA player (Charlotte Hornets), born in Anaheim, California
- Aug 27 Franz Wagner, German NBA player (Orlando Magic), born in Berlin, Germany
Famous Weddings
- Aug 4 "The Young and the Restless" actor Joshua Morrow (27) weds Tobe Keeney
Pierce Brosnan
Aug 4 Irish "James Bond" actor Pierce Brosnan (49) weds TV host and journalist Keely Shaye Smith (37) at the 785-year-old Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo, Ireland
Famous Divorces
Nicole Kidman
Aug 8 Actor Tom Cruise and actress Nicole Kidman divorce after 10 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Korey Stringer, American NFL football tackle, 1995-2000 (Minnesota Vikings), dies of complications from heat stroke at 27
- Aug 2 Edward Gardner, British barrister and Conservative Party politician (British Nationality Act 1981), dies at 89
- Aug 2 Ron Townson, American singer (The 5th Dimension - "Up, Up and Away"), dies of kidney failure at 68
- Aug 3 Christopher Hewett, British actor (Mr. Belvedere; The Producers) and theater director, dies of complications from diabetes at 80
- Aug 3 Lars Johan Werle, Swedish avant-garde composer (Pentagram; Resan - The Journey), singer, and jazz musician, dies at 75
- Aug 4 Lorenzo Music, American writer, actor and voice actor (Rhoda - "Carlton, the doorman"; Garfield), dies at 64
- Aug 5 Otema Allimadi, Prime Minister of Uganda (b. 1929)
- Aug 6 Dorothy Tutin, British actress (Importance of Being Ernest, Cromwell), dies at 71
- Aug 6 Jorge Amado de Faria, Brazilian writer (O Pais do Carnaval), dies at 88
- Aug 6 Larry Adler, American pop and classical harmonica player, and composer, dies of cancer at 87
- Aug 6 Wilhelm Mohnke, one of the original 120 members of the Nazi SS-Staff Guard (b. 1911)
- Aug 10 Lou Boudreau, American Baseball HOF shortstop (8 × MLB All-Star; World Series & AL MVP 1948; AL batting champion 1944; Cleveland Indians) and manager (Cleveland, Boston RS, KC A's, Chicago Cubs), dies at 84
- Aug 13 Jimmy Knapp, British trade unionist (National Union of Railwaymen), dies at 60
- Aug 13 Otto Stuppacher, Austrian racing driver, dies at 54
Earl Anthony (1938-2001)
Aug 14 American professional bowler (PBA money champ 1974-6, 1981-3), dies at 63
- Aug 15 Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (b. 1972)
- Aug 16 Floyd Spence, American attorney and politician (Rep-R-SC, 1971-2001), dies at 73
- Aug 17 Flip Phillips [Joseph Filippelli], American jazz and swing tenor saxophonist and clarinet player (Jazz at the Philharmonic; Woody Herman), dies at 86
- Aug 18 David Peakall, British scientist (b. 1931)
- Aug 19 Betty Everett, American southern soul singer and pianist ("Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)"), dies at 61
- Aug 19 Donald Woods, South African journalist, anti-apartheid activist and author (Biko, Asking for Trouble), dies at 67
- Aug 20 Fred Hoyle, English astronomer (Steady State Theory, coined phrase 'Big Bang') and sci-fi writer, dies at 86
- Aug 20 Kim Stanley [Patricia Reid], American actress (Séance on a Wet Afternoon, The Chase, Right Stuff), dies at 76
- Aug 21 Calum MacKay, Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 1947-55 (Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens), dies at 74
- Aug 22 Tatyana Averina, Russian speed skater 1K, 3K (Olympic gold 1976), dies at 61
- Aug 23 Eric Allandale [Dubuisson], West Indian-British rock and soul trombonist, and songwriter (The Foundations - "Baby Now That I've Found You"), dies at 65
- Aug 23 Kathleen Freeman, American actress (Beverly Hillbillies, 3 Ring Circus), dies of lung cancer at 82
- Aug 23 Peter Maas, American novelist (b. 1929)
- Aug 24 Bettejane "Jane" Greer, American actress (Out of the Past, Prisoner of Zenda, Clown), dies at 76
- Aug 24 Hank Sauer, American baseball left fielder (NL MVP, HR leader, RBI leader 1952; MLB All Star 1950, 52; Chicago Cubs), dies from a heart attack at 84
- Aug 24 Raymond Wilding-White, American composer, dies at 78
- Aug 25 Aaliyah [Haughton], American singer and actress, dies in a plane crash in the Bahamas at 22
- Aug 25 Carl Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)
- Aug 25 Ken Tyrrell, English race driver and founder of Tyrrell Racing, dies at 77
- Aug 25 Madge Adam, English solar astronomer (1st solar physicist at Oxford university's observatory), dies at 89
- Aug 25 Philippe Léotard, French actor and singer (b. 1940)
- Aug 26 Louis Muhlstock, Canadian painter, dies at 97
- Aug 27 Abu Ali Mustafa, leader of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (assassinated) (b. 1938)
- Aug 27 Michael Dertouzos, Greek internet pioneer, Director of the M.I.T. Laboratory for Computer Science (b. 1936)
- Aug 29 (Graeme) "Shirley" Strachan, Australian singer (Skyhooks - "Ego Is Not A Dirty Word"; "Jukebox in Siberia"), TV host (Shirl's Neighbourhood), and carpenter (Our House), dies as pilot in a helicopter crash at 49
- Aug 29 Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor (Holy Innocents, Camorra), dies at 76
- Aug 30 Govan Mbeki, South African leader (Head of the ANC, imprisoned with Mandela, father of Thabo Mbeki), dies at 91
- Aug 30 Ivor Spencer-Thomas, English farmer, entrepreneur and inventor, dies at 94
- Aug 30 Julie Bishop [Jacqueline Wells], American actress (My Hero, Northern Pursuit, Threat), dies of pneumonia at 87
