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
Author: gil7
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
Historical Events for 6th August 2026
939 – Battle at Simancas: Spain defeats the Moors
1861 – US Congress passes First Confiscation Act
1908 – St. Louis Cardinals’ Johnny Lush pitches a second career no-hitter in a 2-0 win over the Brooklyn Superbas; a change in MLB rules makes this unofficial as the game was shortened by rain
1936 – Jack Lovelock of New Zealand runs a world record time of 3:47.8 to win the gold medal in the 1,500 m at the Berlin Olympics
1986 – Phil Katz releases archiving utility PKARC for DOS
1995 – Revival of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross’s musical comedy “Damn Yankees,” starring Jerry Lewis and Bebe Neuwirth, closes at Marquis Theatre, NYC, after 519 performances
2017 – UEFA Women’s Euro Final: Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema scores 2 as the Netherlands beat Denmark 4-2 in Enschede, the Netherlands
2018 – Saudi Arabia’s state airline suspends direct flights to Toronto and expels ambassador after Canada calls for release of detained activists for civil and women’s rights
Today in History for 6th August 2026
Historical Events
1856 – The Great Bell is cast for the Great Clock of Westminster, London (Big Ben)
1908 – St. Louis Cardinals’ Johnny Lush pitches a second career no-hitter in a 2-0 win over the Brooklyn Superbas; a change in MLB rules makes this unofficial as the game was shortened by rain
2008 – A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup in Mauritania, overthrowing President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi
2015 – American comedian Jon Stewart hosts late-night talk and satirical news program “The Daily Show” for the last time
2018 – PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi announces she will step down
Famous Birthdays
1886 – Inez Milholland, American suffragist (National Woman’s Party), labor lawyer and socialist, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1916)
1906 – Ken Strong, American College/Pro Football HOF fullback/halfback (NYU; NFL C’ship 1934 NY Giants; 4 × First-team All-Pro), born in West Haven, Connecticut (d. 1979)
1916 – E. Michael Burke, sports executive (President New York Yankees, New York Knicks, Madison Square Garden), born in Enfield, Connecticut (d. 1987)
1938 – Igor Mikhailovich Luchenok, Belarusian composer and teacher, born in Minsk, Belarus (d. 2018)
1946 – Roh Moo-hyun, South Korean politician (President of South Korea 2003-8), born in Bongha Village, South Korea (d. 2009)
Famous Deaths
1657 – Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Polish-Lithuanian military leader of Zaporozhian Cossacks (organized rebellion of Ukrainian Cossacks against the Polish), dies (b. c. 1595)
1695 – François de Harlay de Champvallon, Archbishop of Paris, dies at 69
1914 – Ellen Axson Wilson (née Ellen Louise Axson), American artist and First Lady (US, 1913-14; New Jersey, 1911-13), dies of Bright’s Disease during President Woodrow Wilson’s 1st term, at 54
1976 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist, dies at 73
1991 – Roland Michener, 20th Governor General of Canada (1967-74), dies at 91
Famous Deaths for 5th August 2026
1866 – William Burton, American politician, 39th Governor of Delaware (1859-63), dies at 76
1999 – D. W. Brooks, American farmer and businessman, dies at 97
2001 – Otema Allimadi, Prime Minister of Uganda (b. 1929)
2002 – Franco Lucentini, Italian writer (b. 1920)
2002 – Chick Hearn, American basketball broadcaster (called 3,338 LA Lakers games), dies at 85
2005 – Jim O’Hora, American football coach (b. 1915)
2005 – Polina Astakhova, Soviet-Ukrainian gymnast (5 Olympic gold 1956, 60, 64), dies at 68
2014 – Chapman Pincher, British journalist and author (about secret service), dies at 100
2018 – Stanley Glasser, South African composer (Lalela Zulu; Lamentations; Zonkizizwe), academic (Goldsmiths College, 1969-96), and broadcaster, dies at 94
2021 – Terry Davies, Welsh rugby union full back (21 Tests Wales, 2 British and Irish Lions; Swansea RFC, Llanelli RFC), dies at 88
Historical Events for 5th August 2026
1763 – Pontiac’s War: Battle of Bushy Run – British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Native American forces at Bushy Run
1861 – President Lincoln signs the first US personal income tax into law, imposing a 3% tax on incomes over $800
1942 – German troops cross the Russian Kuban River in the Western Caucasus
1953 – Operation “Big Switch”; Korean War prisoners exchanged at Panmunjom
1963 – Craig Breedlove sets a world land speed record of 407.45 mph (655.73 km/h) in the Spirit of America at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
1984 – American super-hurdler Edwin Moses wins the 400 m hurdles gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, his 105th consecutive race victory
1993 – Republican Guard kills 64 civilians at Gninguilim marketplace in Chad
2019 – Brazilian drug dealer Clauvino da Silva tries and fails to escape a Rio de Janeiro jail by dressing up as his teenage daughter in a silicone mask and wig