- 875 Louis II, king of Italy/emperor of France, dies at about 50
- 1158 Anselmus van Havelberg, Brandenburg bshp of Havelberg (1129-55), dies
- 1295 Charles Martel of Anjou, Son of Charles II of Naples, dies at 23
- 1424 Yongle, Emperor of the Ming Empire (1402-24), dies at 64
- 1484 Sixtus IV, [Francesco della Rovere], Pope (1471-84), dies
- 1484 George of Trebizond, Greek philosopher (b. 1395)
- 1546 Francisco de Vitoria, Spanish theology/lawyer, dies
- 1577 Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (b. 1513)
- 1638 Johannes Althusius, [Althaut], German lawyer, dies at about 81
- 1648 Ibrahim I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1615)
- 1654 Cornelis Haga, ambassador to Constantinople (1611-39), dies at 76
- 1660 Gilbertus van Zinnik, Flemish architect, dies at about 33
- 1674 Philippe de Champaigne, French painter, dies at 72
- 1675 Karl Rabenhaupt, German/Neth baron of Sucha/army leader, dies at 73
- 1676 King Philip, [Metacomet], leader Wampanoag-indians, shot to death
- 1689 Innocent XI, [Benedetto Odescalchi], Italian, Pope (1676-89), dies at 78
- 1715 Nahum Tate, English poet/playwright/poet laureate, dies
- 1728 Henricus Zwaardecroon, gov-gen of Neth-Indies, dies at 61
- 1750 Rachel Ruysch, royal painter of soverign Johan von de Pfalz, dies
- 1778 Peregrine Bertie, 3rd Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven, British general and politician (b. 1714)
- 1809 Mikhail Kamensky, Russian field marshal, dies at 71
- 1810 Etienne Louis Geoffroy, French pharmacist and entomologist, dies at 84
- 1811 John FE Acton, cruel premier of Naples, dies at 77
- 1822 Robert Stewart, 2nd marguess of Londonderry, commits suicide, dies
William Blake
1827 William Blake, English poet and artist (Songs of Innocence & Experience), dies at 69
William Blake
George Stephenson
1848 George Stephenson, English engineer known as the "Father of Railways" (Locomotion No. 1, Standard Guage), dies of pleurisy at 67
George Stephenson
- 1849 Abraham AA "Albert" Gallatin, Min of Finance (1801-14), dies at 88
- 1857 William Daniel Conybeare, geologist, dies
- 1861 Eliphalet Remington, American inventor, designer of the Remington rifle (b. 1793)
- 1864 Sakuma Shōzan, Japanese reformer (b. 1811)
- 1865 William Jackson Hooker, botanist, dies
- 1877 James Drummond, Scottish historical painter, (b. 1816)
- 1883 Last Quagga, (zebra with less slashes), dies in Amsterdam zoo
- 1885 Georg Curtius, German classical linguist, dies at 65
- 1885 Helen Hunt Jackson, American author (Ramona), dies at 54
- 1891 James Russell Lowell, poet/critic/diplomat, dies
- 1896 Thomas Chamberlain, officer of the 20th Maine at the Battle of Gettysburg
- 1900 James E Keeler, US astronomer (rings of Saturn), dies at 42
- 1901 Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Finnish-Swedish explorer (b. 1832)
- 1911 Jozef Israels, painter, dies
- 1911 Petrus H Hugenholtz, Dutch reformist vicar (Levenslicht), dies at 79
John Philip Holland
1914 John Philip Holland, submarine designer, dies at 74
John Philip Holland
- 1922 Arthur Griffith, Irish nationalist/president (Sinn Fein), dies
- 1934 Hendrik P Berlage, architect (Stock exchange Amsterdam), dies at 78
- 1935 Friedrich Schottky, German mathematician (Schottky's theorem), dies at 84
- 1938 Ludwig Borchardt, German Egyptologist, dies at 74
- 1944 Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., brother of President John F. Kennedy (b. 1915)
- 1948 Harry Brearley, English inventor (b. 1871)
- 1952 David Bergelson, Yiddish language writer (b. 1884)
Thomas Mann
1955 Thomas Mann, German writer (Dr Faustus, Nobel 1929), dies at 80
Thomas Mann
- 1955 James B. Sumner, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1887)
- 1968 Pieter J Auld, mayor of Rotterdam (1945-52), dies at 81
- 1968 Pieter Oud, Dutch lawyer and politician (Mayor of Rotterdam (1945-52)), dies at 81
- 1968 Esther Forbes, American novelist (Johnny Tremain), dies at 76
- 1973 Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1881)
Karl Ziegler
1973 Karl Ziegler, German chemist and Nobel Laureate (polymers), dies at 74
Karl Ziegler
William Shockley
1989 William Shockley, American physicist who helped invent the transistor (1956 Nobel), who was also known for his racist eugenics views, dies of prostate cancer at 79
William Shockley
- 1990 B. Kliban, American cartoonist known for his drawings of cats, usually with horrible puns (Love to Eat Them Mousies), dies at 55
- 1992 Mazoon al-Mashani, 2nd wife of Sultan Said bin Taimur and Queen Mother of Oman, dies at about 72
- 1994 Manfred Salzgeber, German film distributor/publicist, dies at about 51
- 1996 Anthony Derrick Parsons, diplomat, dies at 73
- 1996 Victor Ambartsumian, Russian astronomer (Stalin Prize 1946, 50), dies at 87
- 1999 Jean Drapeau, Quebec politician, mayor of Montreal (b. 1916)
- 1999 John Rigby Hale, British linguist and historian, dies at 75
- 2004 Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, English electrical engineer and inventor, Nobel laureate (b. 1919)
- 2005 John Loder, co-founder of the anarcho-punk band CRASS (b. 1946)
- 2005 Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka), dies at 73
- 2007 Mike Wieringo, American comic book artist (b. 1963)
- 2009 Lord John Gregson, British Labour politician and Baron, dies from injuries following a fall at 85
- 2010 Isaac Bonewits, founder of U.S. Druid organization Ar Ndraiocht Fein (b. 1949)
- 2010 Guido de Marco, 6th president of Malta, 45th President of the United Nations General Assembly (b. 1931)
August in History
Ship 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
America's Last Public Hanging
The last man to be publicly hanged in the United States met his fate on this day in history. It was a squalid affair watched by about 10,000 people.
August 14, 1936
First Faltering Steps of Jane Eyre
With hope, pride – and some subterfuge – Charlotte Brontë sent her hefty manuscript of Jane Eyre to publishers in London on this day, then crossed her fingers.
August 15, 1847
A Kiss For Adolf Hitler
A woman spectator leaned over and kissed Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympic Games on this day. Hitler pretended to be amused, but his guards were to suffer.
August 15, 1936