Historical Events
- Aug 1 8 female badminton doubles players are disqualified from the 2012 Summer Olympics for attempting to manipulate the draw by throwing matches
- Aug 1 American Nathan Adrian clocks 47.52 in winning the 100m freestyle gold at the London Olympics, his first swim under 48 seconds
- Aug 1 Bradley Wiggins' win in the London Olympics cycling time trial gives him the most aggregate medals (7) of any British Olympian (4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)
- Aug 1 Great Britain collects its first ever gold medal in women's rowing with Heather Stanning and Helen Glover in the coxless pairs at the London Olympics
- Aug 1 Typhoon Saola kills 82 people and displaces over 150,000 in the Philippines, Taiwan and China
- Aug 2 23 people are killed after two blasts in a fruit market in Lahore, Pakistan
Olympic Gold
Aug 2 American swimmer Michael Phelps wins an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal in the 200m individual medley in 1:54.27 at the London Olympics
- Aug 2 American swimmer Rebecca Soni becomes first woman to win the 200m breaststroke twice with a world record 2:19.59 at the London Olympics
- Aug 3 American Missy Franklin swims a world record 2:04.06 to win the 200m backstroke gold medal at the London Olympics
- Aug 3 American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins the 100m butterfly in London to take his all-time Olympic gold medal tally to a record 17
- Aug 3 United Nations General Assembly reproaches The United Nations Security Council over its lack of action in Syria
- Aug 4 45 people are killed by a suicide bombing in Abyan, Yemen
Olympic Gold
Aug 4 Golden double for US at London Olympic tennis as Serena Williams destroys Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 in women's singles; Bob & Mike Bryan win men’s doubles beating French pair Michael Llodra & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 7-6
- Aug 4 South African Oscar Pistorius becomes first double-leg amputee to compete at the Olympics; 400m London; out in semi's
- Aug 4 Super Rugby Final, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton: Chiefs win their first SR title with a 37-6 thrashing of the Sharks (Durban, RSA) at home
- Aug 4 US takes the 4 x 100m medley relay double at the London Olympics with Michael Phelps collecting his 18th Olympic gold medal; women's team sets world record 3:52.05
- Aug 5 19 people are killed by Kurdish rebels in Hakk
- Aug 5 Gunman opens fire on Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin killing six people and committing suicide
Olympic Games
Aug 5 Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 100m at the London Olympics in 9.63, besting the record he set in 2008 Olympics
- Aug 6 "Cruise" single released by Florida Georgia Line (Billboard Song of the Year 2013)
- Aug 6 A large fire erupts at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, Ohio, injuring six employees
- Aug 6 Mount Tongariro, New Zealand, erupts for the first time in a century
- Aug 7 200,000 people are evacuated from Shanghai in anticipation of Typhoon Haikui
- Aug 7 21 people are killed by a gun attack in a church in Okene, Nigeria
- Aug 7 Heavy rain forces 20,000 people to flee their homes in Manila, Philippines
- Aug 8 16 people are killed from flooding from heavy rain in Manilla, Philippines
- Aug 8 China announces that it plans to close 23 rare earth mines and up to 50 smelting companies
- Aug 9 Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 200m at the London Olympics in 19.32 to become first to win 100/200m double in back-to-back Olympics
- Aug 9 Philip Glass' Symphony No. 10 premieres with the Orchestre Français des Jeunes conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in Aix-en-Provence, France
- Aug 9 The death toll from the Philippines' floods rise to 70
Olympic Gold
Aug 9 Women's Olympic Football Gold Medal won by the USA beating Japan 2-1 in the final
- Aug 11 13 people are killed and 15 injured by a lightning strike at a Mosque in Bangladesh
- Aug 11 153 people are killed and 1300 injured in Tabriz and Ahar, Iran after two earthquakes of up to 6.4 magnitude
PGA Championship
Aug 12 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Kiawah Island Golf Resort: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland wins by 8 strokes from Englishman David Lynn
- Aug 12 XXX Summer Olympic Games close in London, England
- Aug 13 Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus is stripped of her shot-put gold medal after failing a drugs test
- Aug 14 46 people are killed and 80 injured after a series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan
- Aug 14 Hungary falls back into recession as GDP falls by 0.2% in the second quarter of 2012 following a fall of 1.0% in the first quarter
- Aug 15 Seattle Mariners' Felix Hernandez becomes 23rd pitcher to throw a perfect game (1-0 vs Tampa Bay)
- Aug 16 113 people are killed and over 200 wounded in a series of attacks across Iraq
- Aug 16 South African police open fire on striking mine workers and kill at least 34 people
Event of Interest
Aug 16 Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador
- Aug 17 Gay pride events are banned for a century in Moscow
- Aug 17 Three members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot are jailed for two years
- Aug 18 Al-Qaeda militants kill 14 people in an attack in Aden, Yemen
- Aug 18 NATO air strikes kill at least 13 militants in Afghanistan
- Aug 19 Plane crash in mountainous region of Talodi, Sudan kills 32, including several government officials and staff, enroute to Eid al-Fitr festival marking end Muslim holy month of Ramadan; crash blamed on bad weather conditions
- Aug 20 20 people are killed in a riot in Caracas, Venezuela
- Aug 20 South Africa become the top-ranked test cricket nation after defeating England
- Aug 21 20 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo die from the Ebola virus
- Aug 22 47 people are killed in the Syrian civil war
- Aug 22 48 people are killed in Kenyan tribal wars between the Pokomo and Orma
- Aug 22 Russia and Vanuatu become members of the World Trade Organization
- Aug 23 At least 30 are killed as a result of monsoon rain in Rajasthan, India
- Aug 23 Four people are killed and 28 injured in a hot air ballooning accident in Slovenia
- Aug 24 A US jury in California finds that Samsung is guilty of patent infringement and awards over US$1 billion in damages to Apple meanwhile in a South Korea court both are found guilty of patent infringement
- Aug 24 Monsoon rains and floods kill 26 people in Pakistan
- Aug 24 Yangmingtan Bridge collapses in China killing three people
- Aug 25 330 people are killed as a result of conflict in the Syrian civil war
- Aug 25 39 people are killed and 80 are injured after a gas leak in North Venezuelan refinery
- Aug 25 85,000 people are displaced by severe floods in Myanmar
- Aug 25 Voyager 1 spacecraft, becomes the 1st spacecraft to enter interstellar space (launched in 1977)
Canadian Women's Open
Aug 26 15 year-old New Zealand golfer, Lydia Ko, becomes the youngest LPGA Tour event winner and the 1st amateur winner since 1969 by winning the Canadian Women's Open by 3 strokes from Inbee Park
- Aug 26 17 villagers in Afghanistan's Kajaki district are beheaded by an unknown organization
- Aug 26 36 people are killed in a bus crash in Yan'an, China
- Aug 26 Legionella outbreak in Quebec City, Canada, kills 8 and infects 104
Thrift Shop
Aug 27 "Thrift Shop" single is released by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Billboard Song of the Year 2013, Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song 2014)
- Aug 27 First interplanetary human voice recording is broadcast from the Mars Rover Curiosity
Mitt Romney Nominated
Aug 28 Mitt Romney is officially nominated as the United States Republican Party's candidate
- Aug 29 69th Venice Film Festival: "Pieta" directed by Kim Ki-duk wins Golden Lion
- Aug 29 Banana Spider venom is found to be effective in relieving erectile dysfunction
- Aug 29 Georgian hostage crisis results in 3 police officers and 10 militants being killed
- Aug 29 Operation Eagle, undertaken by the Egyptian Army, results in the deaths of 11 suspected terrorists and the arrest of another 23
Tour de France
Aug 29 The USADA claims to have stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles
- Aug 30 A blast in the Xiaojiawan coal mine, China, kills 26 miners with 21 missing
Sports History
Aug 30 Andy Roddick announces he will retire following the U.S. Open
- Aug 30 Cholera outbreak kills 229 people in Sierra Leone
Argo
Aug 31 "Argo" directed by Ben Affleck and starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman premieres at the Telluride Film Festival (Best Picture 2013)
- Aug 31 Apple loses its patent dispute with Samsung in Tokyo, Japan
Famous Weddings
Natalie Portman
Aug 4 Actress Natalie Portman (31) weds ballet dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied (35) in Big Sur, California
- Aug 9 "Martin" and "Everybody Hates Chris" actress Tichina Arnold (43) weds St. John's University's basketball assistant coach Rico Hines at Oasis Oceanfront Estate in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Aug 11 "The Hangover" actor-comedian Zach Galifianakis (42) weds co-founder of the Growing Voices charity Quinn Lundberg at the UBC Farm in Vancouver, Canada
- Aug 18 "Melrose Place" actor Grant Show (50) weds "The Campaign" actress and former ballet dancer Katherine LaNasa (45) at The Oak Grove at Ribbit Tree & Plant Nursery in Topanga, California
- Aug 18 Former "Martin and Everybody Hates Chris" actress Tichina Arnold (43) weds Rico Hines in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Aug 26 "Bridesmaids" actor Chris O'Dowd (32) weds British TV presenter Dawn Porter (33) at an intimate ceremony with family and friends in London
- Aug 26 "The Campaign" actress Kate Lang Johnson (28) weds musician Justin Miner at La Venta Inn in Palos Verdes, California
Famous Divorces
Stevie Wonder
Aug 3 Music legend Stevie Wonder (63) divorces fashion designer Kai Millard Morris due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
- Aug 14 "Basketball Wives" TV personality Evelyn Lozada divorces NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson (34) due to irretrievably broken marriage only 41 days after getting married
- Aug 20 The man known primarily for gatecrashing the White House, Tareq Salahi (42) divorces socialite Michaele Salahi (46) due to adultery, desertion and construction desertion
- Aug 22 "General Hospital" actress Vanessa Marcil (39) divorces actor Carmine Giovinazzo (44) due to irreconcilable differences after 2 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Douglas Townsend, American composer, dies at 90
- Aug 1 Joan Bernard, English educator (Principal Trevelyan College, Durham) and army officer (WWII Auxiliary Territorial Service), dies at 94
- Aug 2 Jimmy Jones, American singer-songwriter ("Handy Man"), dies at 75
- Aug 2 Marguerite Piazza, American operatic soprano (Young Broadway), dies at 86
- Aug 4 Arnie Risen, Basketball Hall of Fame center (NBA All-Star 1952-55; NBA C'ship 1951, 57; Rochester Royals, Boston Celtics), dies at 87
- Aug 6 Dan Roundfield, American basketball forward (3-time NBA All Star), dies from drowning at 59
- Aug 6 Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (The Sting; A Chorus Line), dies of respiratory arrest at 68
- Aug 6 Robert Hughes, Australian art critic and writer (Barcelona), dies at 74
- Aug 6 Ruggiero Ricci, American composer and violinist (Paganini), dies from heart failure at 94
- Aug 6 Sir Bernard Lovell, English radio astronomer, dies at 98
- Aug 7 Judith Crist, American film critic (TV Guide, Today), dies at 90
- Aug 8 Ruth Etchells, English poet and educator (Principal of St John's College Durham, 1979-88), dies at 81
- Aug 10 Al Freeman Jr, American actor, dies at 78
- Aug 10 Carlo Rambaldi, Italian Special effects artist, dies at 86
- Aug 11 Carlo Curley, American classical concert organist dies at 59
- Aug 11 Sid Waddell, English darts commentator (the 'Voice of Darts'; Granada, BBC, Sky Sports), dies from bowel cancer at 72
- Aug 12 Mendelis Bašs, Latvian composer, conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 93
- Aug 13 Helen Gurley Brown, American author and publisher, dies at 90
- Aug 13 Johnny Pesky [Paveskovich], American MLB baseball infielder, 1942 & 1946-54 (Boston Red Sox, and 2 other teams), coach, manager, and broadcaster, dies at 92
- Aug 14 Phyllis Thaxter, American actress (Nora, Fort Worth), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 92
- Aug 14 Ron Palillo, American actor (Arnold Horshack-Welcome Back Kotter), dies from a heart attack at 63
- Aug 15 Bob Birch, American session and touring bassist (Elton John), commits suicide at 56
- Aug 15 Harry [Maxwell] Harrison, American author, dies at 87
- Aug 16 William Windom, American actor, dies from heart failure at 88
- Aug 17 Patrick Ricard, French businessman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, dies from cardiac arrest at 67
- Aug 18 Scott McKenzie, American singer, dies at 73
- Aug 19 Tony Scott, British film director and producer (Top Gun; Revenge; Days of Thunder), commits suicide at 68
- Aug 20 Dom Mintoff, Maltese Prime Minister (1955-58, 1971-84), dies at 96
- Aug 20 Meles Zenawi, Ethiopian politician (President, 1991-95; Prime Minister, 1995-2012), dies from liver cancer at 57
Phyllis Diller (1917-2012)
Aug 20 American comedienne and actress, dies from natural causes at 95
- Aug 21 Georg Leber, German politician, dies at 91
- Aug 21 William Thurston, American mathematician, dies from melanoma at 65
- Aug 22 Nina Bawden, English author, dies at 87
- Aug 23 Jerry Nelson, American puppeteer, dies from prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 78
- Aug 23 Steve Van Buren, American Hall of Fame NFL halfback, dies from pneumonia at 91
- Aug 24 Pauli Ellefsen, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (1981-85), dies at 76
- Aug 24 Richard Evans, British diplomat, ambassador to the People's Republic of China (1984-88), dies at 84
Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Aug 25 American X-15 pilot and astronaut - 1st man on the Moon (Gemini 8, Apollo 11), dies from heart surgery complications at 82
- Aug 26 A K Hangal, Indian freedom fighter and Bollywood character actor (Aaina, Sholay), dies of respiratory disease at 98
- Aug 28 Rhodes Boyson, British politician and author (Black Papers), dies at 87
- Aug 30 Chris Lighty, American music executive and manager (Violator), dies of a gunshot wound at 44
- Aug 31 Max Bygraves [Walter William Bygraves], British actor (Charley Moon, Spare the Rod, Tom Brown's School Days), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 89
- Aug 31 Sergey Sokolov, Russian-Soviet marshal and Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union (1984-87), dies at 101
