Historical Events
- Aug 1 WILL TV channel 12 in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 2 USSR performs nuclear test
- Aug 3 Automobile Association of America ends support of auto racing, Le Mans disaster & Bill Vukovich death at Indianapolis contributing factors
- Aug 3 Hurricane Connie begins pounding US for 11 days
- Aug 3 Belgian middle distance runner Roger Moens breaks Rudolph Harbig's long standing 800m world record (1:45.7) in Oslo, Norway
Event of Interest
Aug 4 Eisenhower authorizes $46 million for construction of CIA headquarters
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Event of Interest
Aug 8 Fidel Castro forms the "26th of July Movement", a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization
Fidel Castro
- Aug 8 Geneva conference held to discuss peaceful uses of atomic energy
- Aug 11 Indonesia government of Harahap forms
- Aug 12 22nd NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 30, Cleveland 27 (75,000)
- Aug 12 US President Eisenhower raises minimum wage from 75 cents to $1 an hour
- Aug 12 WPBT TV channel 2 in Miami, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Aug 13 Larry Doby's ends AL record of 167 errorless games in outfield
- Aug 15 WXEX TV channel 8 in Richmond-Petersburg, VA (ABC) begins
- Aug 15 Hurricane Connie dissipates after killing 43 in NC, SC, Virginia & Maryland
- Aug 16 Fiat Motors orders 1st private atomic reactor
- Aug 17 Hurricane Diane, following hurricane Connie floods Connecticut River killing 190 & doing $1.8 billion damage
- Aug 18 -19] Hurricane Diane, kills 400 in US
- Aug 18 46.1 cm rainfall at Westfield, Massachusetts (state record)
- Aug 18 Sjukri al-Quwatli re-elected president of Syria
- Aug 19 32.4 cm precipitation at Burlington, Connecticut (state record)
- Aug 19 Hurricane Diane kills 200 & 1st billion $ damage storm (N.E. US)
- Aug 19 US raises import duty on bicycles 50%
Event of Interest
Aug 19 WINS radio, announces it will not play "copy" white cover versions of R&B (DJs must play Fats Domino's "Ain't It A Shame," not Pat Boone's)
Fats Domino
- Aug 20 Hundreds killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco & Algeria
Event of Interest
Aug 21 Emmett Till arrives in Money, Mississippi, a week before he is murdered
Emmett Till
- Aug 25 Last Soviet forces leave Austria
- Aug 25 16th Venice Film Festival: "Ordet" directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer wins Golden Lion
- Aug 26 1st color telecast (NBC) of a tennis match (Davis Cup)
- Aug 26 "Pather Panchali", Indian film directed by Satyajit Ray, starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee and Karuna Banerjee, is released
- Aug 27 "Guinness Book of World Records" 1st published
Baseball Record
Aug 27 Sandy Koufax fans 14 Reds, both teams combine for record 23 strikeouts
Sandy Koufax
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Arun Lal, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman mid-80's), born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
- Aug 1 Trevor Berbick, Jamaican professional boxer, born in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica (d. 2006)
- Aug 2 Jimmy Lowe, American country singer (Pirates of Ms-Fred Jake), born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Aug 2 Roberta Wallach, American actress (Civil Wars), born in New York City, New York
- Aug 2 Caleb Carr, American novelist and military historian, born in Manhattan, New York
- Aug 2 Tim Dunigan, American actor, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Aug 3 Corey Burton, American voice actor, born in Granada Hills, Los Angeles
- Aug 4 Andrew M Allen, Captain USMC/astronaut (STS 46, 62, 75), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Aug 4 Billy Bob Thornton, American actor (Sling Blade), born in Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Aug 4 Charles D "Sam" Gemar, Yankton SD, army/astronaut (STS 38, 48, 62)
- Aug 4 Alberto Gonzales, American U.S. Attorney General
- Aug 5 Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, American rock guitarist and songwriter (Twisted Sister, Scarecrow), born in NYC, New York
- Aug 6 Gordon J. Brand, English golfer (British Open 1986 runner-up), born in Cambridge, England (d. 2020)
- Aug 7 Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer, born in Bykovo, Russia
- Aug 7 Greg Nickels, American politician (Mayor of Seattle, 2002–), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Aug 7 Wayne Knight, American actor, born in New York City, New York
- Aug 7 Gregoris Valtinos, Greek actor and director, born in Thessaloniki, Greece
- Aug 8 Ali Score, rock drummer (Flock Of Seagulls)
- Aug 8 Diddú, Icelandic soprano and songwriter
- Aug 8 Herbert Prohaska, Austrian footballer
- Aug 8 Branscombe Richmond, American actor (Renegade, Commando), born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 9 Doug Williams, American NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins), born in Zachary, Louisiana
- Aug 9 John E. Sweeney, American politician
- Aug 9 Peter Schmuck, American sportswriter
- Aug 11 Norio Honaga, wrestler (NJPW)
- Aug 11 Sylvia Hermon, British politician
- Aug 11 Marc Bureau, French Canadian politician
- Aug 12 Heintje [Hendrik Simons], Dutch singer (Mama)
- Aug 12 Ann M. Martin, American author
Betsy King
Aug 13 Betsy King, American golfer (6-time major winner; US Open 1989-90), born in Reading, Pennsylvania
Betsy King
- Aug 13 Keith Ahlers, British racing driver, born in Cambridge, England
- Aug 13 Hideo Fukuyama, Japanese racing driver (first Japanese to compete in NASCAR's top series), born in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan
- Aug 13 Paul Greengrass, English film director (Bloody Sunday), born in Cheam, Surrey, England
- Aug 15 Kenneth Carr, basketball player (Olympic gold 1976), born in Clearwater, Florida
- Aug 15 Larry Mathews, actor (Ritchie-Dick Van Dyke Show), born in Burbank, California
- Aug 17 Colin Moulding, English pop guitarist (XTC), born in Swindon, England
- Aug 17 Kevin Welch, American country songwriter/actor (Thing Called Love), born in Long Beach, California
- Aug 17 Richard Hilton, American heir, father of Paris and Nicky Hilton, born in Los Angeles, California
- Aug 18 Taher Elgamal, Egyptian scientist, born in Cairo, Egypt
- Aug 19 Peter Gallagher, American actor (Player, Summer Lovers, Dreamchild, born in Armonk, New York)
- Aug 19 Ned Yost, American baseball player and manager
- Aug 20 Jay Acovone, American actor (Det Rado-Hollywood Beat), born in NYC, New York
- Aug 20 Ned Overend, Taipei Taiwan, cyclist (Olympics 1996)
- Aug 20 Rob Wiedijk, Dutch rock vocalist (Bob Color)
- Aug 22 Will Shetterly, American writer (Dogland), born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Aug 22 Chiranjeevi [Konidela Siva Sankara Vara Prasad], Telugu film actor, dancer and producer, born in Mogalthur, India
- Aug 24 Mike Huckabee, American politician (Governor of Arkansas (R) 1996-2007), Presidential candidate, born in Hope, Arkansas
- Aug 25 Vijayakanth, Tamil actor and politician, born in Thirumangalam, India
- Aug 27 Diana Scarwid, actress (Extermites, Psycho 3, Heat), born in Savannah, Georgia
- Aug 27 Roderick Hopkins Davis, yachting Star class (Olympics 1996), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- Aug 27 Laura Fygi, Dutch jazz-pop singer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Aug 27 Robert Richardson, American cinematographer
- Aug 29 Diamanda Galás, Greek-American pianist, singer and composer (Masque of the Red Death), born in San Diego, California
- Aug 29 Frank Hoste, Belgian cyclist, born in Ghent, Belgium
- Aug 30 Martin Jackson, British rocker (Swing Out Sister-Swing Out), born in Manchester, England
- Aug 30 Butch [Richard Andrew] Johnson, American archer (Olympic gold 1992, 96), born in Worcester, Massachusetts
- Aug 31 Edwin Corley Moses, Dayton, 400m hurdler (Olympic 2 gold/br-76, 84, 88)
Famous Weddings
Wedding of Interest
Aug 25 "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi (72) weds Hope Lininger (36)
Bela Lugosi
- Aug 29 "Untamed Youth" actress Mamie Van Doren (24) weds trumpeter and actor Ray Anthony (33)
Famous Divorces
Divorce of Interest
Aug 9 Actress Elizabeth Montgomery (22) divorces socialite Frederick Gallatin Cammann after more than a year of marriage
Elizabeth Montgomery
Famous Deaths
- Aug 2 Ruprecht, crown prince of Bayern/general-fieldmarshal, dies
- Aug 2 Wallace Stevens, American poet (The Auroras of Autumn), dies at 75
- Aug 2 Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach, dies at
- Aug 5 Carmen Miranda, Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer and actress (Down Argentine Way), dies of a heart attack at 46
- Aug 5 Suzan (Susan) Ball, American actress, dies of cancer at 21
- Aug 9 Marion Eugene Bauer, American composer, dies at 57
Thomas Mann
Aug 12 Thomas Mann, German writer (Dr Faustus, Nobel 1929), dies at 80
Thomas Mann
- Aug 12 James B. Sumner, American chemist (Nobel 1946 - discovered that enzymes can be crystallized), dies at 67
- Aug 14 Fiske Kimball, American architect and art historian, dies at 66
- Aug 14 Herbert Putnam, American Librarian of Congress, dies at 93
- Aug 23 Reginald Tate, British actor (b. 1896)
- Aug 27 Joachim Wach, philosopher/sociologist (Sociology of Religion), dies
Emmett Till
Aug 28 Emmett Till, African American kidnapped & lynched at 14, in Money, Mississippi
Emmett Till
