Historical Events
- Aug 1 France becomes 1st country to use the metric system
- Aug 8 The insurrection of Lyon occurs during the French Revolution.
- Aug 10 Louvre palace officially opens in Paris as The Museum Central des Arts
- Aug 12 The Rhône départment is created when the former département of Rhône-et-Loire was split into two: Rhône and Loire (Lêre).
- Aug 19 Yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, then the US capital has its 1st fatality. Lasts till November killing around 5,000 people
French Revolution
Aug 23 French Revolution: The National Convention adopts the levée en masse, conscripting all able-bodied men between 18 and 25 for military service during the French Revolutionary Wars
- Aug 29 Slaves in French colony of St Domingue (Haiti) freed
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 10 Heinrich August Neithardt, composer
