August This Day in History, Historic Events
What Historic August Events Occurred on Your Birthday?
Our sizzling hot “This Day in History for August” section contains historical August events categorized by month and day. See what happened on your birthday, or any day of the year. Find out what happened on this day in August.
Major Historical August Events
August 1 Historical Events
English chemist John Priestley discovers Oxygen, isolating it in a gaseous state. (1774)
The first U.S. Census is completed. There are four million people in the U.S. (1790)
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduced Spiderman as a new Marvel Comics superhero. (1932)
The first Jeep comes off the assembly line. (1941)
The World Wide Web is conceived. (1990)
August 2 Historical Events
Samuel Briggs and his son patent a nail-making machine. (1791)
Lewis Carroll publishes Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (1865)
Wild Bill Hickock is killed during a poker game. He was holding a “Dead Man’s Hand”, two pair aces, and 8’s. (1876)
The first Lincoln head pennies are minted. (1909)
Apple becomes the first publicly listed American company to reach a value of $ 1 trillion. (2018)
August 3 Historical Events
Christopher Columbus sets sail on his first voyage to the “Indies” with three ships – the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. (1492)
Harvey Firestone. founds the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. (1900)
Adolph Hitler declares himself the Fuhrer. (1934)
Nuclear-powered submarine is the first submarine to cross the North Pole underwater. (1958)
August 4 Historical Events
Dom Perignon invents Champagne. I’ll drink to that! (1693)
The U.S. tax man collects income tax for the first time. 91862)
Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog of the Muppets announce the end of their relationship on Twitter. (2015)
August 5 Historical Events
Workers lay the cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island. (1884)
American Express issues the world’s first Traveller’s Checks. (1891)
Little Orphan Annie comic strip debuts. (1924)
American Bandstand hosted by Dick Clark premieres. (1957)
August 6 Historical Events
Murderer John Hart is the first person to be executed in an electric chair. (1890)
Baseball pitching legend Cy Young pitches his first his first game, a win. (1890)
New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Force Crater disappears in NYC amid a political scandal, never to be seen again. Nine years later, he was declared dead on June 6, 1939. (1930)
U.S. warships drop the Atom bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. (1945)
August 7 Historical Events
President George Washington creates the “Order of the Purple Heart”. (1782)
Through an Act of Congress, the Federal Government takes over the creation and maintenance of the nation’s lighthouses. (1789)
Hatfield – McCoy feud begins. (1882)
Canada and the United States dedicate the Peace Bridge over the Niagara River connecting the two countries. (1927)
August 8 Historical Events
The Daughters of the American Revolution organization is created. (1890)
The USSR finally declares war against Japan. (1945)
President Harry S. Truman signs the United Nations Charter. (1945)
The song Iitsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini hits #1. (1960)
August 9 Historical Events
Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins. It takes two centuries to be completed! It begins leaning five years later. (1173)
Rudolph Diesel receives a patent for the internal combustion engine, later known as the diesel engine. (1898)
Animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes premieres, with new star Betty Boop! (1930)
Smokey Bear debuts as the spokesperson for wildfire prevention. (1944)
President Richard M. Nixon becomes the first and only president to resign while in office. (1974)
August 10 Historical Events
The village of Chicago, Illinois is incorporated. (1833)
The U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Smithsonian Institution. (1833)
Dan Rylands patents the screw cap. (1889)
“Smile, You’re on Candid Camera”. Allen Funt’s wildly popular show debuts. (1948)
100-year-old fruit cake by Huntley & Palmers was deemed “almost eatable” after being discovered in a hut in Antarctica. (2017)
Lefty's Celebrate Lefthander's Day in August
August 11 Historical Events
The world’s first roller skating rink opens in Newport, RI. (1866)
The Beatles begin their last US concert tour. (1966)
Airbnb is founded. (2008)
August 12 Historical Events
Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine. (1850)
Self-proclaimed (United States) Emperor Joshua Abraham Norton issues an edict abolishing the Democratic and Republican parties. (Yes, he did!) (1869)
Thomas Edison invents the phonograph. 1(877)
The U.S. annexes Hawaii. (1898)
Henry Ford builds the first Model T. (1908)
Clarence Birdseye receives a patent for a method of freeze-drying food. (1930)
Minimum wage is raised to $1.00 per hour. (1955)
August 13 Historical Events
Estimated start date of the Mayan calendar. (3114 B.C.)
Spanish forces defeat the Aztec Indians and conquerors Mexico City. (1521)
William Grey patents the coin-operated telephone. (1889)
The first taxi cabs begin operation in New York. City. (1907)
The first episode of South Park airs on television. (1997)
American swimmer Michael Phelps ends his Olympic swimming career with his 23rd gold medal win at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. (2016)
August 14 Historical Events
Then President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill creating the Social Security Administration, providing unemployment benefits. (1935)
The Appalachian Trail is formally completed. It is over 2,000 miles across 14 states. (1937)
Japan surrendered, ending World War II. (1945)
Get a whiff of this…the Whiffle Ball was patented on this day. (1953)
Sonny & Cher’s song “I’ve Got You Babe” hits #1. (1965)
August 15 Historical Events
Proctor and Gamble creates Crisco shortening. (1911)
The Panama Canal is opened. (1914)
Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened. (1969)
August 16 Historical Events
The Overseers of the Office of Works of the Duomo, Florence’s cathedral church, awards Michelangelo a contract to create his statue of David. (1501)
Gold is discovered in the Klondike. (1896)
Edwin Prescott patents the first vertical loop roller coaster. See National Roller Coaster Day. (1898)
Ramon “Monchito” Marerro, a bartender in San Juan Puerto Rico, invents the Pina Colada. (1954)
Sports Illustrated is first published. (1954)
Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best as drummer for the Beatles. (1962)
Elvis Presley dies of a heart attack. (1977)
August 17 Historical Events
American Astronomer Asaph Hall discovers Mar’s moon Phobos. (1877)
Korea is separated into North and South Korea along the 38th parallel. (1945)
Construction is started on the Berlin Wall. (1961)
Woodstock music festival ends. (1969)
August 18 Historical Events
The oldest known temple to Venus is founded, and the tradition of Vinalia Rustica (grape harvest festival) is begun. (293 B.C.)
Montgomery Ward issues its first mail-order catalog. (1872)
President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the 1,000 Islands bridge, connecting the US and Canada. (1938)
The first commercially produced oral contraceptives were marketed by Searle Company. (1960)
August 19 Historical Events
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre invents the photographic Daguerreotype. See World Photography Day. (1839)
Frank J. Wisner invents the Root Beer Float. (1893)
Indianapolis Speedway holds its first auto race. (1909)
Production of Packard automobile ends. (1958)
August 20 Historical Events
The Civil War is formally declared to be over by President Andrew Johnson. (1866)
The Dial telephone is patented. (1896)
British doctor Sir Ronald Ross. discovers the link between mosquitos and the transmission of malaria. See World Mosquito Day. (1897)
August Historical Events - Champagne was Invented
August 21 Historical Events
Venetian blinds are patented. (1841)
American Bar Association was founded. (1878)
The Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre in Paris, France by Vincenzo Peruggia. It was recovered in 1913. (1911)
Hawaii becomes the 50th state. (1959)
A “Message in a bottle” put into the sea by the UK Marine Biological Association washes ashore on a beach in Amrom, Germany 108 years later. (2015)
August 22 Historical Events
Cadillac automobile begins production. (1902)
Nolan Ryan strikes out his 5,000th batter. (1989)
August 23 Historical Events
Mount Vesuvius begins to stir on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. It erupts the next day. (79 D.D.)
“Gasoline Alley” comic strip premieres. (1919)
Lunar Orbiter 1 takes the first picture of Earth from the moon. (1966)
August 24 Historical Events
Infamous Mount Vesuvius eruption buries the city of Pompeii. (79)
The “Panic of 57” begins, setting off one of the worst economic crises in United States history. (1857)
Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York patents the Waffle Iron. (1869)
Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera. (1891)
The Communist political party is banned in the United States. (1954)
Pete Rose is suspended from major league baseball for life for gambling on games. (1989)
To the dismay of millions of star gazers, Pluto was demoted from a “Planet” to a “Dwarf Planet”. (2006)
August 25 Historical Events
Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar of Russia is born. (1530)
David Strickler invents the Banana Split at a soda fountain in Latrobe, Pa. (1904)
The National Park Service was founded. (1916)
Amelia Earhart completes her trans-continental flight. (1932)
The movie classic Wizard of Oz premieres at movie theaters. (1939)
Naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor discover the world’s tallest tree, a Redwood named Hyperion. It towers 379.1 feet tall in the Redwood National Park in California. (2006)
August 26 Historical Events
B.C.- Julius Caesar’s Roman army invades Britain. (55B.C.)
English astronomer Edmond Halley first observes a comet. It is later named after him. (1682)
Toilet paper is first sold in the U.S. I wonder what they did before its invention. (1871)
U.S. Congress passes the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. (1920)
International Hockey Hall of Fame opens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (1961)
August 27 Historical Events
The first successful oil well was drilled near Titusville, PA. (1859)
Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia erupts with a force of over 1,300 megatons. One of the biggest natural disasters ever recorded. It was heard over 3,000 miles away, creating an over 120-foot tsunami. (1883)
The Guinness World Book of Records is first published. (1955)
Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in over 60,000 years at just 34,646,418 miles apart. (2003)
August 28 Historical Events
Industrialist Peter Cooper’s steam engine, called the “Tom Thumb”, lost a race with a horse-drawn train. (1830)
Pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins manufacture Worcestershire Sauce. (1837)
Senator Thurmond begins a 24-hour filibuster against the Civil Rights Bill. (1957)
Martin Luther King Jr. makes his “I Have a Dream” speech. (1963)
August 29 Historical Events
Gottlieb Daimler receives a German patent for a motorcycle. (1885)
First baby born in the White House to a sitting president. President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland. The little girl is named Esther. (1893)
Walt Disney releases Mary Poppins. (1964)
The Beatles hold their last public concert in Candlestick Park, San Francisco. (1966)
August 30 Historical Events
President Benjamin Harrison signs the first bill to require inspection of meat. (1890)
Lake Ponchartrain Causeway opens in Louisiana. It is the longest continuous bridge in the world. (1956)
The first recorded occurrence of a comet hitting the surface of the sun. It releases energy the equivalent of one million hydrogen bombs. (1979)
The Late Show with David Letterman premieres on CBS. (1993)
August 31 Historical Events
Jack the Ripper kills his first victim. (1888)
Warner Bros. cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn debuts in the cartoon “Walky Talky Hawky”. (1946)
Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano dies in a plane crash near Newton, Iowa. (1964)
A Pentium computer beats world chess champion Garry Kasparov. (1994)
Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car accident. (1997)
President Barack Obama officially renames Mt. McKinley in Alaska back to Denali, its Native American name. (2015)
Additional Resources
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