August 8

Events

870 – Treaty of Meerssen: King Louis the German and his half-brother Charles the Bald partition the Middle Frankish Kingdom into two larger east and west divisions.

1220 – Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula.

1503 – King James IV of Scotland marries Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1509 – Krishnadeva Raya is crowned Emperor of Vijayanagara at Chittoor.

1576 – The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on the island of Hven.

1585 – John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage.

1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines: The naval engagement ends, ending the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade England.

1605 – The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.

1647 – The Irish Confederate Wars and Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Dungan's Hill: English Parliamentary forces defeat Irish forces.

1709 – Bartolomeu de Gusmão demonstrates the lifting power of hot air in an audience before the king of Portugal in Lisbon, Portugal.

1786 – Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard.

1793 – The insurrection of Lyon occurs during the French Revolution.

1794 – Joseph Whidbey leads an expedition to search for the Northwest Passage near Juneau, Alaska.

1844 – The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, headed by Brigham Young, is reaffirmed as the leading body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

1863 – American Civil War: Following his defeat in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee sends a letter of resignation to Confederate President Jefferson Davis (which is refused upon receipt).

1870 – The Republic of Ploiești, a failed Radical-Liberal rising against Domnitor Carol of Romania.

1876 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph.

1908 – Wilbur Wright makes his first flight at a racecourse at Le Mans, France. It is the Wright Brothers' first public flight.

1918 – World War I: The Battle of Amiens begins a string of almost continuous Allied victories with a push through the German front lines (Hundred Days Offensive).

1927 – The predecessor to the Philippine Stock Exchange opens.

1929 – The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight.

1940 – The "Aufbau Ost" directive is signed by Wilhelm Keitel.

1942 – Quit India Movement is launched in India against the British rule in response to Mohandas Gandhi's call for swaraj or complete independence.

1945 – The London Charter is signed by France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States, establishing the laws and procedures for the Nuremberg trials.

1946 – First flight of the Convair B-36, the world's first mass-produced nuclear weapon delivery vehicle, the heaviest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft, with the longest wingspan of any military aircraft, and the first bomber with intercontinental range.

1960 – South Kasai secedes from the Congo.

1963 – Great Train Robbery: In England, a gang of 15 train robbers steal £2.6 million in bank notes.

1963 – The Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), the current ruling party of Zimbabwe, is formed by a split from the Zimbabwe African People's Union.

1967 – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

1969 – At a zebra crossing in London, photographer Iain Macmillan takes the iconic photo that becomes the cover image of the Beatles' album Abbey Road.

1973 – Kim Dae-jung, a South Korean politician and later president of South Korea, is kidnapped.

1974 – President Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day.

1989 – Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission: Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission.

1990 – Iraq occupies Kuwait and the state is annexed to Iraq. This would lead to the Gulf War shortly afterward.

1991 – The Warsaw radio mast, at one time the tallest construction ever built, collapses.

1993 – The 7.8 Mw Guam earthquake shakes the island with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), causing around $250 million in damage and injuring up to 71 people.

1998 – Iranian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan is raided by Taliban leading to the deaths of ten Iranian diplomats and a journalist.

2000 – Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor and 30 years after its discovery by undersea explorer E. Lee Spence.

2007 – An EF2 tornado touches down in Kings County and Richmond County, New York, the most powerful tornado in New York to date and the first in Brooklyn since 1889.

2008 – A EuroCity express train en route from Kraków, Poland to Prague, Czech Republic strikes a part of a motorway bridge that had fallen onto the railroad track near Studénka railway station in the Czech Republic and derails, killing eight people and injuring 64 others.

2010 – China Floods: A mudslide in Zhugqu County, Gansu, China, kills more than 1,400 people.

2013 – A suicide bombing at a funeral in the Pakistani city of Quetta kills at least 31 people.

2015 – Eight people are killed in a shooting in Harris County, Texas.

2016 – Terrorists attack a government hospital in Quetta, Pakistan with a suicide blast and shooting, killing between 70 and 94 people, and injuring around 130 others.

Births

1079 – Emperor Horikawa of Japan (d. 1107)

1170 – Saint Dominic, founder of the Dominicans (d. 1221)

1306 – Rudolf II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1353)

1518 – Conrad Lycosthenes, French-German scholar and author (d. 1561)

1605 – Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, English lawyer and politician, Governor of Newfoundland (d. 1675)

1640 – Amalia Catharina, German poet and composer (d. 1697)

1646 – Godfrey Kneller, German-English painter (d. 1723)

1673 – John Ker, Scottish spy (d. 1726)

1693 – Laurent Belissen, French composer (d. 1762)

1694 – Francis Hutcheson, Irish philosopher and academic (d. 1746)

1709 – Hermann Anton Gelinek, German-Italian monk and violinist (d. 1779)

1720 – Carl Fredrik Pechlin, Swedish general and politician (d. 1796)

1754 – Hipólito Ruiz López, Spanish botanist (d. 1816)

1758 – Friedrich Georg Weitsch, German painter (d. 1828)

1790 – Ferenc Kölcsey, Hungarian poet, critic, and politician (d. 1838)

1807 – Emilie Flygare-Carlén, Swedish author (d. 1892)

1814 – Esther Hobart Morris, American lawyer and judge (d. 1902)

1824 – Maria Alexandrovna, German-Russian wife of Alexander II of Russia (d. 1880)

1839 – Nelson A. Miles, American general (d. 1925)

1856 – Thomas Anstey Guthrie, English journalist and author (d. 1934)

1857 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (d. 1944)

1866 – Matthew Henson, American explorer (d. 1955)

1874 – Albert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, English businessman and politician, President of the Board of Trade (d. 1948)

1875 – Arthur Bernardes, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 12th President of Brazil (d. 1955)

1876 – Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly, Indian-Syrian priest, founded the Sisters of the Destitute (d. 1929)

1879 – Bob Smith, American physician and surgeon, co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (d. 1950)

1879 – Emiliano Zapata, Mexican general and politician (d. 1919)

1880 – Earle Page, Australian lawyer, academic, and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1961)

1881 – Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist, German field marshal (d. 1954)

1882 – Ladislas Starevich, Russian-French animator, screenwriter, and cinematographer (d. 1965)

1884 – Sara Teasdale, American poet and educator (d. 1933)

1889 – Hans Egede Budtz, Danish actor (d. 1968)

1889 – Jack Ryder, Australian cricketer (d. 1977)

1891 – Adolf Busch, German violinist and composer (d. 1952)

1896 – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author and academic (d. 1953)

1898 – Alexis Minotis, Greek actor and director (d. 1990)

1901 – Ernest Lawrence, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)

1902 – Paul Dirac, English-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)

1903 – Dayton Lummis, American actor (d. 1988)

1904 – Achille Varzi, Italian race car driver (d. 1948)

1905 – André Jolivet, French composer (d. 1974)

1907 – Benny Carter, American saxophonist, trumpet player, and composer (d. 2003)

1908 – Arthur Goldberg, American jurist and politician, 6th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 1990)

1909 – Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, English cricketer and politician, 9th Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1977)

1909 – Bill Voce, England cricketer and coach (d. 1984)

1910 – Jimmy Murphy, Welsh-English footballer and manager (d. 1989)

1910 – Sylvia Sidney, American actress (d. 1999)

1911 – Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (d. 2002)

1915 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (d. 1981)

1919 – Dino De Laurentiis, Italian actor and producer (d. 2010)

1919 – Ciriaco Cañete, Filipino martial artist (d. 2016)

1919 – John David Wilson, English animator and producer (d. 2013)

1920 – Leo Chiosso, Italian songwriter and producer (d. 2006)

1920 – Jimmy Witherspoon, American jump blues singer (d. 1997)

1921 – William Asher, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)

1921 – Webb Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)

1921 – Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian pathologist and academic (d. 2001)

1921 – Esther Williams, American swimmer and actress (d. 2013)

1922 – Rory Calhoun, American actor (d. 1999)

1922 – Rudi Gernreich, Austrian-American fashion designer, created the Monokini (d. 1985)

1922 – Gertrude Himmelfarb, American historian, author, and academic

1922 – Károly Reich, Hungarian illustrator (d. 1988)

1925 – Alija Izetbegović, Bosnian lawyer and politician, 1st President of Bosnia and Herzegovina (d. 2003)

1926 – Richard Anderson, American actor and producer

1927 – Johnny Temple, American baseball player and coach (d. 1994)

1927 – Maia Wojciechowska, Polish-American author (d. 2002)

1928 – Don Burrows, Australian saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player

1929 – Larisa Bogoraz, Russian linguist and activist (d. 2004)

1930 – Terry Nation, Welsh-American author and screenwriter (d. 1997)

1930 – Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball player and coach (d. 2015)

1931 – Roger Penrose, English physicist, mathematician, and philosopher

1932 – Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian general and politician, 68th President of Bolivia

1932 – Mel Tillis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1933 – Joe Tex, American singer-songwriter (d. 1982)

1933 – Serena Wilson, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)

1934 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)

1935 – Donald P. Bellisario, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1935 – John Laws, Papua New Guinean-Australian singer and radio host

1936 – Frank Howard, American baseball player and manager

1936 – Jan Pieńkowski, Polish-English author and illustrator

1937 – Dustin Hoffman, American actor and director

1937 – Cornelis Vreeswijk, Dutch-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1987)

1938 – Jack Baldwin, English chemist and academic

1938 – Jacques Hétu, Canadian composer and educator (d. 2010)

1938 – Connie Stevens, American actress and businesswoman

1939 – Jana Andrsová, Czech actress and ballerina

1939 – Phil Balsley, American singer-songwriter

1939 – Viorica Viscopoleanu, Romanian long jumper

1939 – Alexander Watson, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Peru

1940 – Dilip Sardesai, Indian cricketer (d. 2007)

1940 – Dennis Tito, American engineer and businessman, founded Wilshire Associates

1941 – George Tiller, American physician (d. 2009)

1942 – Dennis Canavan, Scottish educator and politician

1942 – John Gustafson, English singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2014)

1942 – Vardo Rumessen, Estonian pianist and musicologist (d. 2015)

1944 – Michael Johnson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1944 – John Renbourn, English-Scottish guitarist and songwriter (d. 2015)

1944 – Simon Taylor, English journalist and author

1946 – Joe Bethancourt, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014)

1947 – Ken Dryden, Canadian ice hockey player, lawyer, and politician

1947 – Larry Wilcox, American actor, director, and producer

1948 – Susan Himmelweit, English economist and academic

1948 – Svetlana Savitskaya, Russian engineer and astronaut

1948 – Margaret Urban Walker, American philosopher

1949 – Keith Carradine, American actor

1949 – Ricardo Londoño, Colombian race car driver (d. 2009)

1950 – Willie Hall, American drummer and producer

1950 – Ken Kutaragi, Japanese businessman, created PlayStation

1950 – Lucjan Lis, Polish-German cyclist (d. 2015)

1951 – Martin Brest, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1951 – Phil Carlson, Australian cricketer

1951 – Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian engineer, academic, and politician, 5th President of Egypt

1951 – Mamoru Oshii, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter

1951 – Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (d. 1994)

1951 – Louis van Gaal, Dutch footballer and manager

1952 – Anton Fig, South African-American drummer

1952 – Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian author

1952 – Doug Melvin, Canadian baseball player and manager

1952 – Robin Quivers, American nurse, radio host/personality, and author

1952 – Sudhakar Rao, Indian cricketer

1953 – Mark Lazarowicz, English politician

1953 – Nigel Mansell, English race car driver

1954 – Nick Holtam, English bishop

1955 – Diddú, Icelandic singer-songwriter

1955 – Herbert Prohaska, Austrian footballer and manager

1955 – Michael Roe, Irish race car driver

1956 – Chris Foreman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1956 – David Grant, English singer

1956 – Cecilia Roth, Argentinian actress

1957 – Dennis Drew, American keyboard player

1958 – Deborah Norville, American journalist

1959 – Caroline Ansink, Dutch flute player, composer, and educator

1960 – Mustafa Balbay, Turkish journalist and politician

1960 – Ulrich Maly, German politician, 16th Mayor of Nuremberg

1961 – The Edge, British-born Irish musician, singer and songwriter

1961 – Daniel House, American bass player and producer

1961 – Ron Klain, American lawyer and politician, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States

1961 – Bruce Matthews, American football player and coach

1961 – Rikki Rockett, American drummer

1963 – Hur Jin-ho, South Korean director and screenwriter

1963 – Ron Karkovice, American baseball player and manager

1963 – Emi Shinohara, Japanese voice actress and singer

1963 – Jon Turteltaub, American director and producer

1963 – Stephen Walkom, Canadian ice hockey player, referee, and manager

1964 – Anastasia M. Ashman, American blogger and author

1964 – Scott Sandelin, American ice hockey player and coach

1964 – Paul Taylor, English cricketer

1964 – Eddie Trunk, American radio host and author

1965 – Angus Fraser, English cricketer, manager, and journalist

1965 – El Hefe, American guitarist and trumpet player

1965 – Kate Langbroek, Australian talk show host

1966 – Chris Eubank, English boxer

1966 – John Hudek, American baseball player and coach

1967 – Marcelo Balboa, American soccer player, coach, and sportscaster

1968 – Yvie Burnett, Scottish soprano

1968 – Aldo Calderón van Dyke, Honduran journalist (d. 2013)

1968 – Abey Kuruvilla, Indian cricketer and coach

1968 – Huey Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1969 – Song Sung-il, South Korean wrestler (d. 1995)

1969 – Monika Tsõganova, Estonian chess player

1969 – Faye Wong, Chinese singer-songwriter and actress

1970 – Trev Alberts, American football player and journalist

1970 – Ben G. Davis, English chemist and academic

1970 – Sophia Latjuba, Indonesian actress

1970 – Chester Williams, South African rugby player and coach

1971 – Johnny Balentina, Dutch baseball player

1972 – Joely Collins, Canadian actress and producer

1972 – Andrea de Rossi, Italian rugby player and coach

1972 – Axel Merckx, Belgian cyclist

1972 – Steven Tweed, Scottish footballer and manager

1973 – Shane Lee, Australian cricketer and guitarist

1973 – Gert Olesk, Estonian footballer and manager

1973 – Scott Stapp, American singer-songwriter and producer

1973 – Ilka Agricola, German mathematician

1974 – Manjul Bhargava, Canadian-American mathematician and academic

1974 – Scott D'Amore, Canadian wrestler and manager

1974 – Brian Harvey, English singer-songwriter

1974 – Andy Priaulx, Guernseyan race car driver

1975 – Mick Moss, English singer-songwriter

1976 – JC Chasez, American singer and dancer

1976 – Drew Lachey, American singer and actor

1977 – Darren Manzella, American sergeant (d. 2013)

1977 – Szilárd Németh, Slovak footballer and manager

1977 – Rocky Thompson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1977 – Nicolas Vogondy, French cyclist

1977 – Mohammad Wasim, Pakistani cricketer

1978 – Alan Maybury, Irish footballer and coach

1978 – Louis Saha, French footballer

1978 – Miho Shiraishi, Japanese actress

1978 – Natsuko Kuwatani, Japanese voice actress

1979 – Richard Harwood, English cellist

1979 – Rashard Lewis, American basketball player

1979 – Richard Lyons, Northern Irish racing driver

1979 – Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson, Icelandic handball player

1980 – Shayna Baszler, American mixed martial artist

1980 – Craig Breslow, American baseball player

1980 – Jack Cassel, American baseball player

1980 – Denisse Guerrero, Mexican singer-songwriter

1980 – Mike Hindert, American singer and bass player

1980 – Sabine Klaschka, German tennis player

1980 – Diego Markwell, Dutch baseball player

1980 – Pat Noonan, American soccer player

1980 – Michael Urie, American actor, director, and producer

1981 – Vanessa Amorosi, Australian singer-songwriter

1981 – Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player

1981 – Meagan Good, American actress and producer

1981 – Kaori Iida, Japanese singer and actress

1981 – Harel Skaat, Israeli singer-songwriter

1982 – David Florence, Scottish canoe racer

1982 – Ross Ohlendorf, American baseball player

1983 – Guy Burnet, English actor and producer

1983 – Willie Tonga, Australian rugby league player

1984 – Kirk Broadfoot, Scottish footballer

1984 – Brenda Gandini, Argentinian model, actress, and singer

1984 – Devon McTavish, American soccer player

1984 – Norbert Michelisz, Hungarian race car driver

1984 – Martrez Milner, American football player

1985 – Toby Flood, English rugby player

1985 – Ryan Koolwijk, Dutch footballer

1985 – James Morgan, Welsh actor and producer

1985 – Brett Ratliff, American football player

1985 – Anita Włodarczyk, Polish track and field athlete

1986 – Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukrainian tennis player

1986 – Pierre Garçon, American football player

1986 – Chris Pressley, American football player

1987 – Pierre Boulanger, French actor

1987 – Tatjana Malek, German tennis player

1988 – Princess Beatrice of York

1988 – Danilo Gallinari, Italian basketball player

1988 – Rinku Singh, Indian baseball player

1988 – Laura Slade Wiggins, American actress and singer

1989 – Ken Baumann, American actor and author

1989 – Anthony Rizzo, American baseball player

1989 – Hannah Miley, English-Scottish swimmer

1990 – Vladimír Darida, Czech footballer

1990 – Parker Kligerman, American race car driver

1990 – Aleksandra Szwed, Polish actress and singer

1991 – Nélson Oliveira, Portuguese footballer

1991 – Tyrone Peachey, Australian rugby league player

1992 – Josip Drmić, Swiss footballer

1998 – Shawn Mendes, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist

1998 – Ronan Parke, English singer-songwriter

2000 – Félix Auger-Aliassime, Canadian tennis player

Deaths

117 – Trajan, Roman emperor (b. 53)

753 – Hildegar, bishop of Cologne

869 – Lothair II, Frankish king (b. 835)

1002 – Almanzor, chief minister of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, Spain

1171 – Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester (b. 1111)

1303 – Henry of Castile the Senator (b. 1230)

1555 – Oronce Finé, French mathematician and cartographer (b. 1494)

1588 – Alonso Sánchez Coello, Spanish painter (b. 1532)

1604 – Horio Tadauji, Japanese daimyo (b. 1578)

1631 – Konstantinas Sirvydas, Lithuanian priest, lexicographer, and academic (b. 1579)

1684 – George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer, English politician (b. 1622)

1719 – Christoph Ludwig Agricola, German painter (b. 1667)

1747 – Madeleine de Verchères, Canadian raid leader (b. 1678)

1759 – Carl Heinrich Graun, German tenor and composer (b. 1704)

1827 – George Canning, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1770)

1828 – Carl Peter Thunberg, Swedish botanist and psychologist (b. 1743)

1863 – Angus MacAskill, Scottish-Canadian giant (b. 1825)

1879 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher and academic (b. 1797)

1887 – Alexander William Doniphan, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1808)

1897 – Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss historian and academic (b. 1818)

1898 – Eugène Boudin, French painter (b. 1824)

1902 – James Tissot, French painter and illustrator (b. 1836)

1902 – John Henry Twachtman, American painter and academic (b. 1853)

1909 – Mary MacKillop, Australian nun and saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (b. 1842)

1911 – William P. Frye, American lawyer and politician (b. 1830)

1921 – Juhani Aho, Finnish journalist and author (b. 1861)

1928 – Stjepan Radić, Croatian politician (b. 1871)

1930 – Launceston Elliot, Scottish wrestler and weightlifter (b. 1874)

1934 – Wilbert Robinson, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1863)

1937 – Jimmie Guthrie, Scottish motor cycle racer (b. 1897)

1940 – Johnny Dodds, American clarinet player and saxophonist (b. 1892)

1944 – Erwin von Witzleben, German field marshal (b. 1881)

1944 – Michael Wittmann, German commander (b. 1914)

1947 – Anton Denikin, Russian general (b. 1872)

1950 – Fergus McMaster, Australian businessman, founded Qantas (b. 1879)

1959 – Albert Namatjira, Australian painter (b. 1902)

1964 – Cengiz Topel, Turkish lieutenant and pilot (d. 1934)

1965 – Shirley Jackson, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1916)

1969 – Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German biologist and eugenicist (b. 1896)

1971 – Freddie Spencer Chapman, English lieutenant (b. 1907)

1973 – Vilhelm Moberg, Swedish historian and author (b. 1898)

1974 – Alexander Nelke, Estonian-American painter and carpenter (b. 1894)

1974 – Baldur von Schirach, German soldier and youth leader (b. 1907)

1975 – Cannonball Adderley, American saxophonist (b. 1928)

1979 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English lieutenant and author (b. 1910)

1980 – Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1910)

1981 – Thomas McElwee, PIRA volunteer (b. 1957)

1982 – Eric Brandon, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1920)

1984 – Richard Deacon, American actor (b. 1921)

1984 – Ellen Raskin, American author and illustrator (b. 1928)

1985 – Louise Brooks, American actress (b. 1906)

1987 – Danilo Blanuša, Croatian mathematician and physicist (b. 1903)

1988 – Félix Leclerc, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1914)

1988 – Alan Napier, English actor (b. 1903)

1991 – James Irwin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)

1992 – Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei, Iranian religious leader and scholar (b. 1899)

1996 – Nevill Francis Mott, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)

1996 – Jüri Randviir, Estonian chess player and journalist (b. 1927)

1998 – Mahmoud Saremi, Iranian journalist (b. 1968)

2003 – Dirk Hoogendam, Dutch-German SS officer (b. 1922)

2003 – Falaba Issa Traoré, Malian director and playwright (b. 1930)

2004 – Leon Golub, American painter and academic (b. 1922)

2004 – Dimitris Papamichael, Greek actor and director (b. 1934)

2004 – Fay Wray, Canadian-American actress (b. 1907)

2005 – Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress (b. 1922)

2005 – Ahmed Deedat, South African missionary and author (b. 1918)

2005 – John H. Johnson, American publisher, founded the Johnson Publishing Company (b. 1918)

2005 – Gene Mauch, American baseball player and manager (b. 1925)

2005 – Dean Rockwell, American commander, wrestler, and coach (b. 1912)

2005 – Monica Sjöö, Swedish-English painter (b. 1938)

2007 – Ma Lik, Chinese journalist and politician (b. 1952)

2007 – Melville Shavelson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1917)

2008 – Orville Moody, American golfer (b. 1933)

2009 – Daniel Jarque, Spanish footballer (b. 1983)

2010 – Patricia Neal, American actress (b. 1926)

2012 – Fay Ajzenberg-Selove, German-American physicist and academic (b. 1926)

2012 – Ruth Etchells, English poet and academic (b. 1931)

2012 – Surya Lesmana, Indonesian footballer and manager (b. 1944)

2012 – Kurt Maetzig, German director and screenwriter (b. 1911)

2013 – Karen Black, American actress (b. 1939)

2013 – Johannes Bluyssen, Dutch bishop (b. 1926)

2013 – Fernando Castro Pacheco, Mexican painter, engraver, and illustrator (b. 1918)

2013 – Jack Clement, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1931)

2013 – Igor Kurnosov, Russian chess player (b. 1985)

2013 – Regina Resnik, American soprano and actress (b. 1922)

2014 – Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (b. 1929)

2014 – Charles Keating, English-American actor (b. 1941)

2014 – Leonardo Legaspi, Filipino archbishop (b. 1935)

2014 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer and conductor (b. 1929)

2014 – Red Wilson, American football and baseball player (b. 1929)

2015 – Christopher Marshall, English physician and biologist (b. 1948)

2015 – Gus Mortson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1925)

2015 – Sean Price, American rapper and producer (b. 1972)

2015 – Sam S. Walker, American general (b. 1925)

Holidays and observances

Ceasefire Day (Iraqi Kurdistan)

Christian Feast Day:

Cyriacus

Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Dominican Order.

Four Crowned Martyrs

Hormisdas

Largus

Mary MacKillop

Smaragdus (and companions)

August 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest day on which Children's Day (Argentina) can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday in August.

Earliest day on which Defence Forces Day can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Tuesday in August. (Zimbabwe)

Earliest day on which Father's Day can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday in August. (Brazil, Samoa)

Earliest day on which Heroes' Day (Zimbabwe) can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in August.

Earliest day on which Melon Day can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Sunday in August. (Turkmenistan)

Earliest day on which Sports Day (Russia) can fall, while August 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Saturday in August.

Father's Day or Bā bā Day (爸爸節), Bā Bā is Mandarin for "father" and "8-8", or August 8. (Mongolia, Taiwan)

Happiness Happens Day (International observance)

International Cat Day

Namesday of the Queen (Sweden)

Nane Nane Day (Tanzania)

Signal Troops Day (Ukraine)