Historical Events in August 1974

  • Aug 1 China's People's Liberation Army Navy, put into service ChangZheng 1, their first nuclear-powered submarine
  • Aug 3 "Little Night Music" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 601 performances
  • Aug 3 "Words & Music" closes at John Golden Theater NYC after 127 performances

Music History

Aug 3 Jeff Baxter, guitarist and founding member of Steely Dan quits the band and joins the Doobie Brothers

  • Aug 4 Crawford-Butler Act allows Puerto Ricans to elect own governor
  • Aug 5 Joan Jett forms her rock group Runaways in England

Event of Interest

Aug 5 US President Richard Nixon admits he withheld information about Watergate break-in

  • Aug 6 Explosion and fire destroy Great Northern RR yard in Wenatchee, Washington
  • Aug 7 Philippe Petit walks tightrope strung between twin towers
  • Aug 8 US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12pm the next day

Richard Nixon's Resignation Letter

Aug 9 Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States and Vice President Gerald Ford swears the oath of office to take his place as the 38th US President

  • Aug 11 Coup in East-Timor under UDT
  • Aug 11 Head-on collision between two buses kills 21 (Ankara, Turkey)

PGA Championship

Aug 11 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Tanglewood Park: Lee Trevino wins the first of his 2 PGA C'ships, 1 stroke ahead of defending champion Jack Nicklaus

Baseball Record

Aug 12 Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 & walks only 2 as Angels top Red Sox, 4-2

Hall of Fame

Aug 12 Yankees Mickey Mantle & Whitey Ford become 1st teammates inducted to hall of fame on same day

  • Aug 14 Congress authorizes US citizens to own gold
  • Aug 14 Turkish army attacks Nicosia Cyprus
  • Aug 14 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Aug 14 USSR performs underground nuclear test
  • Aug 15 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
  • Aug 15 Hurricane and floods ravage Bangladesh, 4,000 killed
  • Aug 15 Longest team (6) trampoline bouncing marathon (1,248 hours or 52 days)
  • Aug 15 South Korean President Park Chung-Hee escapes assassination attempt

Music Concert

Aug 16 American punk rock band "The Ramones" concert debut at CBGB's in New York City

  • Aug 20 Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed is elected fifth President of India
  • Aug 20 Nolan Ryan pitch measured at record 161.6 kph (100.4 mph)

Music History

Aug 23 John Lennon reports seeing a UFO in NYC

  • Aug 23 Zaheer Abbas scores 240 Pakistan v England at The Cricket Oval
  • Aug 25 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
  • Aug 25 LA Aztecs defeat Miami Toros to win NASL cup
  • Aug 26 Guinee-Bissau becomes independent of Portugal
  • Aug 26 Soyuz 15 carries 2 cosmonauts to space station Salyut 3
  • Aug 27 NY Met Benny Ayala hits a HR in his 1st at bat
  • Aug 28 Soyuz 15 returns to Earth
  • Aug 29 USSR performs underground nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
  • Aug 30 Express train runs at full speed into Zagreb, Yugoslavia, rail yard killing 153
  • Aug 30 Launching of 1st Dutch satellite, ANS, from Vandenberg
  • Aug 30 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • Aug 31 Pirate Radio Veronica moves into Scheveningen, Neteherlands harbor