Historical Events
Event of Interest
Aug 12 Dedication of Frederick Douglass' home in Washington, D.C. as national shrine
Frederick Douglass
- Aug 14 1st "old time" musicians broadcasted on radio (Jenkins-WSB Atlanta)
- Aug 16 AT&T radio station WBAY becomes WEAF (NYC)
- Aug 18 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Oakmont CC: 20-year old US Open champion Gene Sarazen defeats Emmet French, 4 & 3 in the final
US Open Women's Tennis
Aug 19 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Germantown CC, PA: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Helen Wills Moody 6-3, 6-1 for her 7th US singles crown
Helen Wills Moody
- Aug 20 1st Women's World Games (first track & field competition for women) is conducted over 1-day at the Pershing Stadium in Paris
- Aug 24 1st Phillie to hit for cycle (Cy Williams)
- Aug 25 Cubs beat Phillies 26-23 in highest scoring major-league game
- Aug 26 Japanese cruiser Niitaka driven onto rocks in storm at Kamchatka, 284 killed
World Record
Aug 27 Paavo Nurmi runs world record 3000m (8:28.6)
Paavo Nurmi
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Maria Cole [née Hawkins], American jazz singer and wife of Nat King Cole, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2012)
- Aug 1 Arthur Hill, Canadian actor (Owen Marshall, Glitter), born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2006)
- Aug 1 Frank Hauser, British theatrical director (Oxford Playhouse), born in Cardiff (d. 2007)
- Aug 1 Paul Lambert, American character actor (Executive Suite, Spartacus), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 1997)
- Aug 2 Lord Murray of Epping Forest [Lionel], British labour politician and union leader (General Secretary TUC), born in Hadley, Telford (d. 1984)
- Aug 2 Paul Laxalt, American politician (22nd Governor of Nevada), born in Reno, Nevada
- Aug 3 Robert Sumner, American evangelist and author, born in Norwich, New York (d. 2016)
- Aug 4 Charley Harper, American modernist artist, born in Frenchton, West Virginia (d. 2007)
- Aug 5 L. Tom Perry, American religious leader (LDS apostle), born in Logan, Utah (d. 2015)
- Aug 6 Freddie Laker, CEO (Laker airlines)
- Aug 6 Doug Ford, American golfer (PGA Championship 1955, US Masters 1957), born in West Haven, Connecticut (d. 2018)
- Aug 8 Michael Parkin, journalist
- Aug 8 Rory Calhoun [Francis Timothy McCown], American actor (Blue & Gray, How to Marry a Millionaire), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1999)
- Aug 8 Rudi Gernreich, designer (1st women's topless swimsuit, miniskirt)
- Aug 8 Gertrude Himmelfarb, American historian
- Aug 9 Philip Larkin, English poet and writer (North Ship, Jill), born in Radford, Coventry, Warwickshire, England (d. 1985)
- Aug 12 Fulton Mackay, Scottish actor and playwright (Porridge), born in Paisley (d. 1987)
- Aug 12 Andre Kloos, Dutch trade union leader (NVV/VARA)
- Aug 12 Lord Colinbrook, British government minister
- Aug 15 Lukas Foss [Fuchs], German-American pianist, conductor and composer (Prairie), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2009)
- Aug 16 Ernie Freeman, American musician (Raunchy), pianist and arranger, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1981)
- Aug 16 Louis Lomax, African-American author and journalist, born in Valdosta, Georgia (d. 1970)
- Aug 17 Paul Wiens, German writer, born in Königsberg, East Prussia (d. 1982)
- Aug 17 Roy Tattersall, English cricketer (brilliant England off-spinner early 50's), born in Bolton, England (d. 2011)
- Aug 18 Alain Robbe-Grillet, French novelist (Voyeur)
- Aug 18 Eric William Hunter Christie, barrister
- Aug 19 Douglas MacKenzie Davey, psychometrist
- Aug 20 Tetsuzo Akutsu, Japanese surgeon who built the first artificial heart, born in Japan (d. 2007)
- Aug 22 Micheline Presle [Chassagne], French actress (Nea, Donkey Skin), born in Paris, France
- Aug 23 Brian Young, Chairman (Christian Aid), born in Sri Lanka (d. 2016)
- Aug 23 Jack Boddy, British trade union leader, born in Norwich (d. 2004)
- Aug 23 George Kell, American MLB 10x All-Star, 1949 AL batting champ, infielder, 1943-57 (Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, and 3 other teams), born in Swifton, Arkansas (d. 2009)
- Aug 23 Jean Darling, American child actress (Our Gang), born in Santa Monica, California (d. 2015)
- Aug 23 Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter, television writer and producer, born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2011)
- Aug 23 Eevi Huttunen, Finnish speed skater (8 World C'ship gold 1951-59), born in Karttula, Finland (d. 2015)
- Aug 24 René Lévesque, Premier of Quebec, born in Campbellton, Canada (d. 1987)
Howard Zinn
Aug 24 Howard Zinn, American historian and activist (A People's History of the United States), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2010)
Howard Zinn
- Aug 25 Ronnie Potsdammer, Dutch singer, songwriter and programmer, born in Hoogeveen, Netherlands (d. 1994)
- Aug 25 Ivry Gitlis, Israeli classical violin virtuoso, born in Haifa, Palestine Mandate (d. 2020)
- Aug 26 Lazar Nikolov, composer
- Aug 26 Irving R. Levine, American journalist (NBC News), born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (d. 2009)
- Aug 29 Emile Habibi, Palestinian Israeli writer (The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist), born in Haifa (d. 1996)
- Aug 29 Yorgos Sicilianos, Greek composer, born in Athens (d. 2005)
- Aug 29 Mr. Blackwell, American fashion critic, born in Brooklyn Heights, New York (d. 2008)
- Aug 30 Regina Resnik, American mezzo-soprano (Sieglinde-Bayreuth), born in NYC, New York (d. 2013)
- Aug 30 Lionel Murphy, Australian politician, born in Kensington, New South Wales, Australia (d. 1986)
Famous Divorces
Divorce of Interest
Aug 9 Actress Gloria Swanson (23) divorces businessman Herbert K. Somborn after almost 3 years of marriage
Gloria Swanson
Famous Deaths
- Aug 1 Vaclav Juda Novotny, composer, dies at 72
Alexander Graham Bell
Aug 2 Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-born British American inventor (telephone), dies of diabetes complications at 75
Alexander Graham Bell
- Aug 2 Mina Kruseman, Dutch author and feminist, dies at 82
Enver Pasha
Aug 4 Enver Pasha, Turkish general and politician, dies in battle at 40
Enver Pasha
Arthur Griffith
Aug 12 Arthur Griffith, Irish writer and politician who founded Sinn Féin (President of Ireland 1922), dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 51
Arthur Griffith
Michael Collins
Aug 22 Michael Collins, Irish nationalist leader, killed in ambush by anti-treaty forces during the Irish Civil War at 31
Michael Collins
