- 317 Constantius II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (337-61), born in Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior (d. 361)
- 1282 Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, youngest daughter of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile, born in Rhuddlan Castle, Denbighshire (d. 1316)
- 1533 Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga, Basque soldier and poet, born in Madrid (d. 1595)
Elizabeth Báthory
1560 Elizabeth Báthory, Hungarian countess and serial killer, born in Nyírbátor, Hungary (d. 1614)
Elizabeth Báthory
- 1574 Robert Dudley, English explorer and writer (Arcano del Mare), born in Richmond Palace, Surrey (d. 1649)
- 1598 Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish scholar and poet often known as "father of Swedish poetry" (Hercules), born in Vika, Sweden (d. 1672)
- 1726 James Bowdoin, American Revolutionary leader and politician, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1790)
Nathanael Greene
1742 Nathanael Greene, American military leader (major general during the American Revolutionary War), born in Potowomut, Rhode Island (d. 1786)
Nathanael Greene
- 1746 Daniel Albert Wyttenbach, German-Swiss classical scholar and historian, born in Bern, Switzerland (d. 1820)
- 1751 Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange (1767-1806), born in Berlin (d. 1820)
- 1779 Carl Ritter, German geographer and co-founder of modern science of geography, born in Quedlinburg, Prussia (d. 1859)
- 1779 Louis de Freycinet, French explorer and navigator (published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia in 1811), born in Montélimar, Drôme (d. 1842)
- 1783 John Heathcoat, English inventor of lace-making machinery, born in Duffield, Derbyshire (d. 1861)
- 1783 Princess Amelia, youngest child of King George III of United Kingdom, born in Royal Lodge, Windsor (d. 1810)
- 1826 August Ahlqvist, Finnish poet (Suomalainen Runousoppi), born in Kuopio, Finland (d. 1889)
- 1829 Thomas Ewing Jr, American attorney, 1st chief justice of Kansas, congressman, and Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Lancaster, Ohio (d. 1896)
- 1833 Powell Clayton, American politician, diplomat, and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (d. 1914)
- 1836 Evander M. Law, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Darlington, South Carolina (d. 1920)
- 1844 Auguste Michel-Lévy, French geologist and petrologist, born in Paris (d. 1911)
- 1860 Alan Leo, British astrologer, born in Westminster, London (d. 1917)
- 1862 Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden, born in Karlsruhe, Baden (d. 1931)
- 1865 Micha Josef Berdyczewski, Jewish writer, born in Medzhybizh, Russian Empire (d. 1921)
- 1867 Emil Nolde [Hansen], German painter and graphic artist, born in Nolde, Kingdom of Prussia (d. 1956)
- 1868 Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian mathematician (Poisson distribution) and economist, born in Saint Petersburg, Imperial Russia (d. 1931)
- 1870 19 kittens, born to Tarawood Antigone (4 still born)
- 1870 Josef Brems, Flemish apostole (vicar of Denmark), born in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium (d. 1958)
- 1872 Andries C D de Graeff, governor-general of Neth Indies (1926-31)
- 1880 Ernst Laqueur, chemist/pharmacology/psychology (sexual hormones)
- 1883 Joachim Ringelnatz [Hans Bötticher], German writer and artist, born in Wurzen, Saxony (d. 1934)
- 1886 Louis Hazeltine, inventor (neutrodyne circuit, making radio possible)
- 1887 Jan HA Eman, Aruban politician
- 1897 Franz J Weinrich, [Heinrich Lerse], German writer (Himmlisches)
Louis Leakey
1903 Louis Leakey, British paleoanthropologist and archaeologist (1964 Richard Hooper Medal), born in Kabete, Kenya (d. 1972)
Louis Leakey
Ralph Bunche
1904 Ralph Bunche, American diplomat to the UN (Nobel Peace Prize1950), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1971)
Ralph Bunche
- 1907 Albert Kotin, American abstract painter (d. 1980)
- 1911 R Nicholas Ray, Galesville WI, director (Rebel Without a Cause)
- 1918 C. Buddingh', Dutch poet, born in Dordrecht, Netherlands (d. 1985)
- 1919 John Hogan, American chemist (discovered methods of producing polypropylene), born in Lowes, Kentucky (d. 2012)
- 1925 M. S. Swaminathan, Indian scientist, born in Kumbakonam, India
- 1926 Amo Houghton, American politician (Rep-R-New York), born in Corning, New York
- 1927 Edwin Edwards, American politician (Gov-La), born in Marksville, Louisiana
- 1928 James Randi, Canadian skeptic magician (Nova), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1928 Herbert H. Bateman, American politician (Rep-R-Virginia), born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina (d. 2000)
- 1929 James Pilditch, British designer, born in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom (d. 1995)
- 1929 Richard T. Schulze, American politician (Rep-R-PA, 1975- ), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1929 Ruth Carter-Stapleton, American evangelist, born in Plains, Georgia (d. 1983)
- 1929 Jo Baer [Josephine Kleinberg], American painter and minimalist artist, born in Seattle, Washington
- 1931 Charles E. Rice, American legal scholar and author, born in New York (d. 2015)
- 1932 Maurice Rabb Jr., American ophthalmologist, born in Shelbyville, Kentucky (d. 2005)
- 1933 Jerry Pournelle, American polymath and sci-fi author (Mercenary, Red Dragon), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2017)
- 1936 Richard L. Tierney, American sci-fi author (Winds of Zarr), born in Spencer, Iowa
- 1938 Helen Caldicott, Australian physician and anti-war activist, born in Melbourne, Victoria
- 1940 Tom Barlow, American politician (Rep-D-Kentucky), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2017)
- 1940 Jean-Luc Dehaene, Belgian Prime Minister (1992-99), born in Montpellier, France (d. 2014)
- 1941 Thomas F Hartnett, American politician (Rep-R-SC, 1981-86), born in Charleston, South Carolina
- 1943 Alain Corneau, French director (Choice of Arms), born in Meung-sur-Loire, France (d. 2010)
- 1944 Robert Mueller, American lawyer, FBI Director (2001-13) Special Counsel Russian Investigation (2017-), born in New York City, New York
- 1946 Ed Seykota, American commodities and futures trader
- 1947 Ann Beattie, American novelist and short story writer (Chilly Scenes of Winter), born in Washington D.C.
- 1947 Mosibudi Mangena, South African black leader (On Your Own), born in Tzaneen, South Africa
- 1948 James Allison, American immunologist (Noble Prize for Medicine 2018), born in Alice, Texas
- 1948 Marty Appel, American public relations executive and author, born in Brooklyn, New York
- 1949 Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese political leader, born in Moukhtara, Lebanon
- 1953 Anne Fadiman, American writer, born in New York City, New York
- 1955 Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer, born in Bykovo, Russia
- 1955 Greg Nickels, American politician (Mayor of Seattle, 2002–), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1956 Kent Rominger, American astronaut (STS 73, 80, 85), born in Del Norte, California
- 1963 Patrick Kennedy, son of US President JFK (lives only 3 days)
- 1964 John Birmingham, Australian author, born in Liverpool, United Kingdom
- 1966 Jimmy Wales, American internet entrepreneur and cofounder of Wikipedia, born in Huntsville, Alabama
- 1977 Samantha Ronson, British DJ, born in Camden, London
- 1978 Alexandre Aja, French director, born in Paris, France
- 1988 Melody Oliveria, American internet blogger (bowiechick)
August in History
The Strange, Mysterious Story of the Balloon Expedition to the North Pole
The discovery of Swedish engineer S. A. Andrée's tragic, long-lost polar expedition in 1930 led to more questions than answers.
August 5, 1930A Pill to Cure All Ills
Not well? Take a Beecham’s Pill was often the advice. So popular was it that nobody doubted it’s extravagant claim in the world’s first advertising slogan.
August 6, 1859Why Mata Hari Was Not the Spy You Thought She Was
The controversial life and death of Mata Hari, the glamorous WWI double agent, executed in 1917, has recently been reassessed in the light of new evidence.
August 7, 1876Ship Of Gold Sails Into Oblivion
A frigate with more than 150 souls on board, as well as nearly three tons of gold, sailed out of Melbourne on this day – never to be seen again.
August 12, 1853
