1738 – Pierre Drevet, French engraver, dies at 75
1848 – Frederick Marryat, English captain and author (Mr Midshipman Easy), dies
1898 – Gardner Quincy Colton, American lecturer who was the first to use nitrous oxide as an anesthetic in dentistry, dies at 84
1985 – (Bo) “Fred” Åkerström, Swedish folk singer, social activist, and stage actor, dies at 48
1994 – Mien van ‘t Sant, Dutch author (Mieke serial), dies at 93
2006 – Philip E. High, English sci-fi author, dies at 92
2013 – Johnny Logan, American baseball shortstop (World Series 1957 Boston / Milwaukee Braves; MLB All Star 1955, 57, 58, 59²), dies of a kidney infection at 86
2019 – Altair, Brazilian soccer defender (18 caps; Fluminense 551 games), dies at 91
2023 – Brice Marden, American painter (Grove Group, Moss Sutra With the Seasons), dies of cancer at 84
2025 – John Cruickshank, Scottish WWII war hero (Victoria Cross) and banker, dies at 105
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 9th August 2026
1726 – Netherlands accedes to the Covenant of Hanover, creating an alliance of Great Britain, the Electorate of Hanover, France, and the Kingdom of Prussia united against the Austro-Spanish powers
1936 – Hungarian swimmer Ferenc Csik wins the 100 m freestyle gold medal in 57.6 seconds at the Berlin Olympics, beating Japanese pair Masanori Yusa and Shigeo Arai
1941 – Winston Churchill reaches Newfoundland for talks with Franklin D. Roosevelt
1946 – First time all Major League Baseball games (8) are played at night
1965 – Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy, Arkansas, kills 53 people
1984 – STS 41-D vehicle moves out to the launch pad
1988 – Just one day after 8/8/88, the number 888 pops up as the winning lottery combination in New York
2016 – Chinese weightlifter Deng Wei sets a world record of 147 kg in the clean and jerk and another for a total score of 262 kg to win the women’s 63 kg gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics
Today in History for 9th August 2026
Historical Events
1915 – British naval officer David Beatty is confirmed in the rank of vice-admiral
1944 – WWII: US Army 79th and 90th divisions enter Le Mans, France
1978 – USSR performs an underground nuclear test
1987 – LA Rams beat Dallas Cowboys 28-27 in London (NFL expo)
2020 – Brazil surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths, the world’s second highest, with over 3 million recorded cases
Famous Birthdays
1847 – Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen consort of Spain (1870-73), born in Paris (d. 1876)
1888 – Hans Oster, German major general, spy and “July 20th” plotter, born in Dresden, German Empire (d. 1945)
1935 – George Leotsakos, Greek composer and musicologist, born in Athens, Greece (d. 2024)
1938 – Dick Anthony Williams, American actor (Our Family Honor), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2012)
1972 – Robert Peal, American dance skater (with Margot Contois), born in Chicago, Illinois
Famous Deaths
1613 – Giovanni Righi, Italian composer, dies at 36
1890 – Eduard von Bauernfeld, Austrian comedic playwright, dies at 88
1969 – George Preston Marshall, American Pro Football HOF team owner (Washington Redskins 1933-69), dies at 72
1982 – Alexandre Alexeieff, Russian-French filmmaker (pinscreen animation) and artist, dies at 81
2023 – (Jaime Royal) “Robbie” Robertson, Canadian-Mohawk singer-songwriter and rock guitarist (The Band – “The Weight”; “Up On Cripple Creek”), and soundtrack composer (Martin Scorsese films), dies of prostate cancer at 80
Famous Deaths for 8th August 2026
1553 – Girolamo Fracastoro, Italian physician (b. 1478)
1824 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist (Prolegomena), dies at 65
1879 – Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher, dies at 83
1897 – Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss cultural historian, dies at 79
1934 – Wilbert Robinson, American Baseball HOF catcher (Philadelphia A’s, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (Baltimore Orioles, Brooklyn Robins), dies at 71
1984 – Ellen Raskin, American author (b.1928)
1988 – Alan Napier, British actor (The Sword in the Stone, Batman), dies at 85
1997 – Duncan Swift, English jazz pianist, dies at 74
2008 – Joseph Gelineau, French Catholic Jesuit priest and composer, dies at 87
2025 – Peter Lester, New Zealand sailor (Admiral’s Cup 1987 helmsman ‘Propaganda’; OK Dinghy World C’ship 1977) and broadcaster, dies after a heart attack at 70
Historical Events for 8th August 2026
1863 – American Civil War: Tennessee’s “military” Governor Andrew Johnson frees his personal slaves, celebrated as a holiday by Tennessee African Americans in the early 20th century
1870 – The Republic of Ploiești, a failed Radical-Liberal uprising against Domnitor Carol I of Romania
1943 – Common Chiefs of Staff meet in Quebec
1960 – Brian Hyland’s recording of “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini”, a novelty pop song written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
1975 – As a result of rainfall from Typhoon Nina, the Banqiao Dam in China fails, causing the collapse of almost 6 million buildings and 229,000 deaths
1984 – Future five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand wins the Finn Class sailing gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics
1988 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Medinah CC: Gary Player of South Africa wins by two strokes over New Zealander Bob Charles in an 18-hole playoff, claiming his second consecutive US Senior title
2017 – The Walt Disney Company announces plans to create its own streaming service, cancelling ties with Netflix
Today in History for 8th August 2026
Historical Events
1914 – Montenegro declares war on Germany
1930 – MLB St. Louis Cardinals are 12 games back in the NL and go on to win the pennant
1938 – Great Trek Centenary Celebrations commence; the Great Trek was a migration involving Boers leaving the Cape Colony and settling in the interior of South Africa
1992 – Germany goes through the field hockey competition undefeated to win gold with a 2-1 victory over Australia in the men’s final at the Barcelona Olympics
2004 – John Elway is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Famous Birthdays
1899 – Victor Young, American violinist, arranger, orchestra leader, and composer (“Street of Dreams”; “Love Letters”; “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You”), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1956)
1908 – Chivu Stoica, Romanian politician (Premier of Romania 1955-61), born in Smeeni, Romania (d. 1975)
1928 – Ken Scowcroft, English insurance magnate and founder of Swinton Insurance (1957), born in England (d. 2018)
1977 – Szilárd Németh, Slovak soccer striker (58 caps; Slovan Bratislava, Middlesborough, Alemannia Aachen), born in Komárno, Slovakia
1979 – Richard Harwood, British cellist, born in Portsmouth, England
Famous Deaths
1863 – Angus MacAskill known as ‘Giant MacAskill’, circus performer (b.1825)
1969 – Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, German human biologist and Nazi physician, dies at 73
1988 – Félix Leclerc, French Canadian singer and composer (Moi, mes souliers), dies at 74
1992 – Alison L. Gertz, American aids-activist, Esquire women of year, dies of aids at 26
2018 – Richard Searby, Australian right-hand man of Rupert Murdoch and Chairman of News Corporation, dies at 87
Famous Deaths for 7th August 2026
1821 – Caroline of Brunswick, Queen Consort of King George IV (1820-21), dies at 53
1913 – David Popper, Bohemian composer and cellist, dies at 70
1942 – Richard Gott, British general (commandant of 8th Army), dies in battle at 43
1969 – Joseph Kosma [József Kozma], Hungarian-French film composer (Les Enfants du Paradis; The Grand Illusion), dies at 63
1970 – James McClain, American prison inmate on trial for stabbing death of a guard, shot dead during miltant assault of San Rafael, California courthouse
1984 – Esther Phillips, American singer (What a Difference a Day Makes), dies at 48
1990 – Eva Sully Block, American vaudeville actress (Kid Millions), dies of heart failure at 88
1998 – Wallace Coulter, American inventor and entrepreneur (Coulter Principle – made complete blood counts possible), dies at 85
2008 – Andrea Pininfarina, Italian engineer (CEO of Pininfarina S.p.A.), dies in a road accident at 51
2021 – Douglas Applegate, American politician (US Representative from Ohio, 1977-95), dies at 93
Historical Events for 7th August 2026
1760 – Fort Loudoun, Tennessee, surrenders to Cherokee Indians
1864 – Battle of Moorefield, West Virginia: Surprise Union raid kills 400 Confederates and captures 400 horses, badly damaging Confederate cavalry in the Shenandoah Valley
1942 – First American offensive in Pacific in WW2, Guadalcanal, Solomon Island
1954 – Jerome Moross and John Treville Latouche’s “Golden Apple,” adapted from parts of Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” closes at Alvin Theatre, NYC, after 125 performances
1970 – British keyboard playing singer-songwriter Christine McVie (née Perfect) joins rock band Fleetwood Mac
1974 – French Philippe Petit walks a tightrope strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City at a height of 1,350 feet (411.5 meters)
1977 – Gary Geld and Peter Udell’s musical “Shenandoah,” based on the film of the same name, closes at the Alvin Theatre, NYC, after 1,050 performances and winning two Tony Awards
1984 – Japan beats US, 6-3 in the final of the Los Angeles Olympic baseball demonstration event
Today in History for 7th August 2026
Historical Events
1620 – Astronomer Johannes Kepler’s mother is arrested for witchcraft
1900 – Diamond workers in Amsterdam strike
1903 – Tommy Corcoran sets an MLB record for shortstops by recording 14 assists in Cincinnati’s 4-2 win against the St. Louis Cardinals
1991 – Courts rules Manuel Noriega may access some secret US documents
1993 – Revival of Lerner and Loewe’s musical “Camelot,” with Robert Goulet as King Arthur, closes at Gershwin Theater, NYC, after 56 performances
Famous Birthdays
1282 – Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, youngest daughter of King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile, born in Rhuddlan Castle, Denbighshire, Wales (d. 1316)
1930 – Veljo Tormis, Estonian composer, specializing in choral music (Curse Upon Iron (Raua needmine)), born in Kuusalu, Estonia (d. 2017)
1961 – Yelena Davydova, Russian gymnast (Olympic gold USSR All-round, Team 1980), coach (Canadian Women’s Artistic Team 2012) and international judge (Rio Olympics 2016), born in Voronezh, Russia
1979 – Abigail Spanberger, American politician, intelligence officer, and first female governor of Virginia (D-2026), born in Red Bank, New Jersey
1998 – Jalen Hurts, American football quarterback (NCAA C’ship 2018 University of Alabama; Super Bowl LIX MVP 2025 Philadelphia Eagles), born in Houston, Texas
Famous Deaths
1799 – John Bacon, English sculptor – most successful public sculptor of his time, dies at 58
1885 – Anthony Modderman, Dutch politician (Minister of Justice, 1879-83), dies at 46
1917 – Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning, first pilot to land his aircraft on a moving ship. (b. 1891)
1944 – Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Paraguayan classical guitarist and composer (La Catedral), dies at 59
2022 – Anatoli Vassilyevich Filipchenko, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz 7; Soyuz, 16), dies at 94
Famous Deaths for 6th August 2026
1820 – Antonin Vranicky, Czech composer and violinist, dies at 59
1866 – John Mason Neale, English divine, scholar and hymnwriter (b. 1818)
1928 – W. H. Grattan Flood, Irish author and composer, dies at 68
1946 – Benny Lynch, Scottish boxer (World flyweight title 1937-38), dies of malnutrition-induced respiratory failure at 33
1970 – Ingolf Dahl [Marcus], German-American pianist and composer (Allegro and Arioso), dies at 56
1979 – Kurt Kaszner [Serwicher], Austrian actor (Kiss Me Kate, Lili, Casino Royale), dies of cancer at 65
1991 – Harry Reasoner, American newscaster (60 Minutes, ABC, CBS), dies at 68
1995 – André Fleury, French organist and composer, dies at 92
2012 – Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (The Sting; A Chorus Line), dies of respiratory arrest at 68
2020 – Wilbert McClure, American boxer (Olympic gold light middleweight 1960), dies at 81