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, making landfall in North Carolina, and travelling to the Great Lakes
- Aug 3 Belgian middle distance runner Roger Moens breaks Rudolph Harbig's long standing 800m world record (1:45.7) in Oslo, Norway
Historic Event
Aug 4 Eisenhower authorizes $46 million for construction of CIA headquarters
Historic Event
Aug 8 Fidel Castro forms the "26th of July Movement", a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization
- 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 12 Hurricane Connie makes landfall near Fort Macon, North Carolina as a Category 3 storm
- 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 77 in the US eastern seaboard and mid-atlantic states
- 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 people, becomes 1st billion $ damage storm (N.E. US)
- Aug 19 US raises import duty on bicycles 50%
Radio History
Aug 19 WINS radio (New York City), announces it will not play "copy" white cover versions of R&B records (DJ's play Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame," not Pat Boone's)
- Aug 20 Hundreds killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco & Algeria
Historic Event
Aug 21 Emmett Till arrives in Money, Mississippi, a week before he is murdered
- 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
- Aug 28 1st NFL preseason sudden death football, Rams beats Giants 23-17
- Aug 28 Chicago black teenager Emmett Till is kidnapped, beaten and shot dead by white men in Money, Mississippi. His killers are eventually acquitted, but the case helps ignite the US civil rights movement.
- Aug 31 1st sun-powered automobile demonstrated (Chicago, Illinois)
- Aug 31 KTRE TV channel 9 begins broadcasting in Lufkin, Texas (ABC/NBC affiliate)
Famous Birthdays
- Aug 1 Arun Lal, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman mid-80's), born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
- Aug 2 Jimmy Lowe, American country singer (Pirates of Mississippi - "Feed 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 2 Anne Lacaton, French architect (Lacaton & Vassal, Pritzker Prize 2021), born in Saint-Pardoux-la-Rivière, France
- Aug 2 (Bryan) "Butch" Vig, American record producer (Nirvana -Nevermind; Smashing Pumpkins; Foo Fighters), songwriter, and drummer (Garbage), born in Viroqua, Wisconsin
- Aug 3 Corey Burton [Weinberg], American voice actor (Adventures in Odyssey; Dismey themeparks and films), born in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, California
- 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, British new wave-pop drummer (Flock Of Seagulls, 1979-86 - "I Ran So Far Away"), born in Beverley, England
- 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 (Rep-R-NY 1999-2007), born in Troy, New York
- 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
- 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 13 Charles Williams, American jazz pianist (Kansas City Jazz Orchestra), born in Kansas City, Kansas
- Aug 13 Mulgrew Miller, American jazz pianist, (Duke Ellington; Betty Carter; Artie Shaw; Art Blakely),composer, and educator (William Patterson University), born in Greenwood, Mississippi (d. 2013)
- Aug 14 Gillian Taylforth, British actress (EastEnders, 1985-2000, 2015-present - "Kathy Beale"; Footballers' Wives (2002–2006), born in Islington, London, 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 bassist, and songwriter (XTC - "Generals And Majors" ), born in Swindon, England
- Aug 17 Kevin Welch, American country songwriter ("True Love Never Dies"), 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 (Summer Lovers; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; The Player; The O.C. - "Sandy"), and singer, born in New York City
- Aug 19 (Edgar) "Ned" Yost, American MLB baseball catcher, 1980-85 and manager, 2003-2019 (Minnesota Twins; Kansas City Royals - World Series win, 2015), born in Eureka, California
- 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 25 John McGeoch, Scottish rock guitarist (Magazine: Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Spellbound"; Visage; Public Image Ltd.), born in Greenock, Scotland (d. 2004)
- 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] 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
Bela Lugosi
Aug 25 "Dracula" actor Bela Lugosi (72) weds Hope Lininger (36)
- Aug 29 American "Untamed Youth" actress Mamie Van Doren (24) weds American trumpeter and actor Ray Anthony (33); divorce 1961
Famous Divorces
Elizabeth Montgomery
Aug 9 Actress Elizabeth Montgomery (22) divorces socialite Frederick Gallatin Cammann after more than a year of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Aug 2 Rupprecht, last crown prince of Bavaria and German fieldmarshall during WWI, dies at 86
- 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 54
- 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
- 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, American lynching victim, kidnapped and lynched at 14, in Money, Mississippi
- Aug 28 Bob Gordon, American cool jazz baritone saxophonist, dies in a car accident at 27
