- Aug 4 Mark Duggan is shot by police in London at 29, sparking widespread riots that cost an estimated £200 million worth of property damage
- Aug 5 Svalbard Polar Bear Attack - a rogue Polar Bear attacks and kills a British schoolboy
- Aug 5 NASA launches its Juno space probe from Cape Canaveral to orbit and study Jupiter
- Aug 6 A helicopter containing members of Navy SEAL 6 is shot down in Afghanistan killing 38
- Aug 14 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Atlanta Athletic Club: Keegan Bradley wins first major title by 1 stroke in 3-hole aggregate playoff with fellow American Jason Dufner
- Aug 16 World Youth Day 2011, organised by the Catholic church, begins in Madrid
- Aug 18 The "West Memphis Three" are released from prison after 18 years in imprisonment
Event of Interest
Aug 20 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, Westchester CC: Fred Couples wins first of 2 Champions Tour major titles with birdie on 3rd playoff hole against John Cook
Fred Couples
- Aug 23 5.8 earthquake occurs in Mineral, Virginia felt as far north as Ontario and as far south as Atlanta, Georgia
Event of Interest
Aug 23 Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi is overthrown after the National Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound during the 2011 Libyan Civil War.
Muammar Gaddafi
Event of Interest
Aug 24 Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple Inc., and is succeeded by Tim Cook, as a result of his illness
Tim Cook
Steve Jobs
- Aug 26 The 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's all-new composite airliner, receives certification from the EASA and the FAA
- Aug 27 13th Athletics World Championships open at Daegu, South Korea
- Aug 27 Australia claims final Tri Nations Rugby Series with 25-20 win over New Zealand in Brisbane; Argentina's Pumas join competition the following year; series rebranded The Rugby Championship
Video Music Awards
Aug 28 28th MTV Video Music Awards: Katy Perry, Lady Gaga & Justin Bieber win
