/year

August 1 in history

309 sourced entries recorded on August 1, from 30 BCE to 2024 CE. Every line is quoted from the revision it came from.

Events

  • 30 BCEOctavian Caesar captures Alexandria. This marks the official annexation of Ancient Egypt to the Roman Republic. Cleopatra evacuates her court and treasury to Berenice on the west coast of the Red Sea, but king Malchus of Nabatea attacks from the desert and burns the Egyptian ships.source
  • 69Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under the leadership of Gaius Julius Civilis.source
  • 607Empress Suiko appoints Ono no Imoko as official envoy to the Sui Court (Japanese missions to Imperial China). She sends him to pay tribute to Emperor Yángdi, and let him deliver the famous letter from prince-regent Shōtoku which begins: "The Son of Heaven where the sun rises (Japan), to the Son of Heaven where the sun sets (China), may good health be with you." (Traditional Japanese date: July 3, 607).source
  • 608The Column of Phocas at Rome is dedicated in honour of Phocas. The Corinthian column has a height of 13.6 m (44 ft).source
  • 902Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold in Sicily, is captured by the Aghlabid army. After nearly 75 years, all of Sicily is in Aghlabid hands.source
  • 939Battle of Trans-la-Forêt: Bretons defeat Viking occupiers.source
  • 1086King William the Conqueror calls for a meeting at Old Sarum, where he invites his major vassals and tenants-in-chief to swear allegiance to him. This is known as the Oath of Salisbury.source
  • 1096The People's Crusade led by Peter the Hermit arrives at Constantinople. He is received by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who gives him financial support. The crusaders commit endless thefts in the suburbs. Peter combines his forces with Walter Sans Avoir and camps outside Constantinople.source
  • 1100A Genoese fleet leaves Italy to support the Crusaders' efforts to conquer the coastal cities; the ships reach Latakia on September 25.source
  • 1177The Holy Roman Empire renounces any claims on the territory of Rome.source
  • 11771 August − Holy Roman Empire renounces any claims on the territory of Rome.source
  • 1202Battle of Mirebeau: Arthur of Brittany, supported by the Lusignans, lays siege to Mirebeau Castle trapping Eleanor of Aquitaine inside. John launches a rescue mission to free his mother, and with a mercenary army defeats the Breton-Lusignan forces. Arthur is captured by William de Braose and is handed over to John who imprisons him in the Château de Falaise in Normandy. Many other important knights are captured and shipped to England (where John treats them badly and keeps them as prisoners in dungeons).source
  • 1291Federal Charter of 1291: The "three forest cantons" (Waldstätte) of Switzerland (Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden) form a defensive alliance to protect themselves from the House of Habsburg; this is a starting point for growth of the Old Swiss Confederacy. This year is also the traditional date of the Rütli Oath (Rütlischwur), the swearing of an oath by the three cantonal representatives at Rütli meadow.source
  • 1298The "ideal city" of Marciac in southern France is founded by King Philip IV ("the Fair") and his Seneschal Guichard de Marzé (or Marciac).source
  • 1315After a 10-day siege of the stronghold at Carlisle, King Robert of Scotland withdraws on August 1. During the Scots' presence in Cumbria, Scottish forces under James the Black raid Copeland and plunder St Bees Priory.source
  • 1322Pope John XXII issues a general decree condemning the Fraticelli (Spriritual Franciscans) in the Kingdom of Naples, urging Robert, King of Naples ("the Wise") to suppress the adherents rebelling against Roman Catholic doctrine.source
  • 1402Edward of Norwich becomes the second Duke of York in England upon the death of his father, Edmund of Langley. He will serve until his death in 1415 in the Battle of Agincourt.source
  • 1425In Germany, Frederick of Wettin is enfoeffed by Sigismund, King of the Germans at Ofen as the new Elector of Saxonysource
  • 1449After getting word that the Mongols had launched a large-scale invasion at Datong, China's Emperor Yingzong decides to personally lead the Beijing garrison into war, despite the protests of his War Minister Kuang Ye.source
  • 1463The Importation Act 1463, given royal assent on April 29 by King Edward IV goes into effect, setting a minimum price for imported grain at 6 shillings, 8 pence per unit. The legislation had been passed to encourage the purpose of farmers raising grain in England.source
  • 1469The Order of Saint Michael ( Ordre de Saint-Michel) is founded by King Louis XI of France as a response to the 's Order of the Golden Fleece.source
  • 1478Following a storm that prevents the landing of other ships at the island of Gran Canaria, the Portuguese Navy withdraws and sails back to Portugal.source
  • 1482In the Anglo-Scottish Wars, Richard, Duke of Gloucester invades Scotland, and captures Edinburgh.source
  • 1485Accompanied by his own troops and French mercenaries, Henry Tudor sets sail from Honfleur in France with 30 ships to begin his second attempt to invade the Kingdom of England.source
  • 1498Columbus discovers the mouth of the Orinoco at what is now Venezuela on the continent of South America, but does not enter.source
  • 1501Hans, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden is deposed from the Swedish throne after fleeing the country following the victory of Swedish rebels at Örebro during the War of Deposition against King Hans. His wife, Christina of Saxony, is left behind at Stockholm as his regent of Sweden, to command a royal garrison at Tre Kronor ("Three Crowns"), the royal castle. Returning to Denmark, King Hans then organizes Danish troops to attempt to retake Sweden in the Dano-Swedish War (1501–1512).source
  • 1514Vasili III of Russia captured Smolensk from Grand Duchy of Lithuania.source
  • 1549Kett's rebels defeat a Royal Army led by William Parr, Marquess of Northamptonsource
  • 1564Judge Francisco Ceinos becomes the new Viceroy of New Spain upon the death of Luís de Velasco.source
  • 1571The Ottoman conquest of Cyprus is concluded, by the surrender of Famagusta. Cyprus is established as an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire, and the first Turkish colony moves into the island.source
  • 1572July 29–August 2 – Battle of Molodi: A large Crimean–Ottoman army which invaded Russia is routed.source
  • 1577Göran Boije becomes the new Duke of Estonia, ruling what is, at the time, a dominion of the Swedish Empire.source
  • 1591Serdar Ferhad Pasha is appointed the new Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Murad III, replacing Koca Sinan Pasha following a revolt of the Janissaries.source
  • 1620August 1 (July 22 OS) – The ship Speedwell departs Delfshaven with English separatist Puritans from Leiden bound to rendezvous with the Mayflower; on August 5 (July 26 OS) she anchors in Southampton Water.source
  • 1626Eighty Years' War: Ernst Casimir of Nassau-Dietz retakes Oldenzaal, forcing the Army of Flanders to withdraw from Overijssel.source
  • 1633Exeter School is founded in Devon.source
  • 1658The coronation of Leopold I takes place in Frankfurt.source
  • 1664Battle of Saint Gotthard: The Ottoman Empire is defeated by a Habsburg army, led by Raimondo Montecuccoli, leading to the Peace of Vasvár.source
  • 1666Anders Bording's Den Danske Mercurius, Denmark's first newspaper, is published for the first time.source
  • 1671Prince Rupert of the Rhine heads his first commission into land settlement in Ireland.source
  • 1674The 1674 derecho causes a catastrophic impact in Western Europe. In the Netherlands, the derecho causes over 1,050 deaths and devastates cities such as Utrecht and Amsterdam.source
  • 1688Phetracha becomes king of Ayutthaya, after a coup d'état.source
  • 1689nonjuring schism in the Church of England: Archbishop of Canterbury William Sancroft, along with eight bishops and around 400 other clergymen, is suspended for refusing to swear allegiance to William and Mary. He is dismissed from office the following year.source
  • 1704August 1–3 - Capture of Gibraltarsource
  • 1710Woldemar Løvendal was appointed Steward of Norway.source
  • 1711The Dutch East India Company trading ship Zuytdorp leaves the Netherlands on an ill-fated voyage to Indonesia bearing a load of freshly minted silver coins. The wreck site remains unknown until the mid-20th century, on a remote part of the Western Australian coast between Kalbarri and Shark Bay.source
  • 1712The Stamp Act 1712 is passed in the United Kingdom, imposing a tax on publishers, particularly of newspapers.source
  • 1712The Stamp Act 1712 is passed, imposing a tax on publishers, particularly of newspapers.source
  • 1714Former Governor of Londonderry and hero of the siege of Derry, Colonel John Mitchelburne, hoists the Crimson Flag on the steeple of St Columb's Cathedral to celebrate the Relief of Derry in 1689 and forms the first club known as the Apprentice Boys of Derry.source
  • 1714George I of Great Britain becomes king, and soon replaces the Lord Lieutenant of North Wales, the Earl of Plymouth with his favoured candidate, the previous incumbent, the Earl of Cholmondeley. The first bishop he appoints is John Wynne, principal of Jesus College, Oxford, who becomes Bishop of St Asaph, but does not take up his new position until the following year, preferring the academic life.source
  • 1714Georg Ludwig von Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Elector of Hanover, becomes King George I of Great Britain and Ireland, on the death of Queen Anne. Anne's death brings an end to the reign of the House of Stuart, in that her half-brother James Francis Edward Stuart, the eldest son of James II of England, has been ineligible for the British throne based on the Act of Settlement 1701 had barred members of the Roman Catholic church from becoming monarchs. George of Hanover, as great-grandson of James I of England and a second cousin to Anne, is deemed the eldest living Protestant descendant of James I.source
  • 1714George I becomes King of Great Britain and Ireland upon the death of Anne.source
  • 1714George Ludwig, Elector of Hanover, succeeds his distant relative Queen Anne as King George I of Great Britain. This event becomes the catalyst to the Jacobite risings. Jacobite supporters of James Stuart as heir to the throne began to organise after Queen Anne died, ending the blood line of House of Stuart and resulting in the succession of George of Hanover.source
  • 1714Hanoverian succession: George, elector of Hanover, becomes King George I of Great Britain on the death at Kensington Palace following a stroke of his second cousin, Queen Anne, without surviving issue and the death on 28 May of the designated first heir Electress Sophia of Hanover.source
  • 1715Nicholas Rowe is appointed as Poet Laureate, replacing the Irish-born Nahum Tate. The Whig Rowe has written works supportive of the Hanoverian Succession. He holds the post until his death in 1718.source
  • 1721The King orders a large sale of church property in Norway.source
  • 1729The Comet of 1729, possibly the largest comet based on the absolute magnitude, on record, is discovered by Fr. Nicolas Sarrabat, a professor of mathematics at Marseille.source
  • 1740The song Rule, Britannia! is first performed at Cliveden, the country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales, in England.source
  • 1740the patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!", with words by Scottish-born poet James Thomson, is first performed at Cliveden, the English country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales.source
  • 1740"Rule, Britannia!" is first performed in an open-air performance at Cliveden, the country home of Frederick, Prince of Wales as part of the masque Alfred with music by Thomas Arne to a lyric by Scottish-born poet James Thomson; the original tenor soloist is probably Thomas Salway.source
  • 17441 August (12 August New Style) – Battle of Velletri in the Kingdom of Naples: Spanish-Neapolitan forces defeat those of the Archduchy of Austria. Irish mercenaries fight on both sides.source
  • 1746The wearing of the kilt is banned in Scotland by the Dress Act, which comes into force one year later, on August 1, 1747.source
  • 1746Dress Act 1746 proscribes wearing of the tartan.source
  • 1746wearing of the kilt is banned in Scotland by the Dress Act.source
  • 1759Battle of Minden: Anglo–Hanoverian forces under Ferdinand of Brunswick defeat the French army of the Duc de Broglie, but due to the disobedience of the English cavalry commander Lord George Sackville, the French are able to withdraw unmolested.source
  • 1764The Treaty of Fort Niagara is signed between Great Britain and 44 North American Indian nations, bring an end to the ongoing war that had started in 1756 with most of the northern Indian tribes. Sir William Johnson appears on behalf of Britain, and principal chiefs appear for the Iroquois Confederacy, Wabash Confederacy, Illini Confederacy, Haudenosaunee, Seneca, Wyandot, Menominee, Algonquin, Nipissing, Ojibwa, Mississaugas, Mohawk, Abenaki, Huron, and Onondaga.source
  • 1770August 1 (July 21 O.S.) – Russo-Turkish War (1768–74) – Battle of Kagul: Russian commander Pyotr Rumyantsev routs 150,000 Turks.source
  • 1770Battle of Kagul; In the Kagul River near Cahul, in southern Moldavia, now Moldova, Russians score a land victory against Crimea and the Ottoman Empire.source
  • 1774Joseph Priestley, working independently at Bowood House, Wiltshire, isolates oxygen in the form of a gas.source
  • 1776The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata is established in southern South America.source
  • 1784the beginning of the driest twelve months in England and Wales for which reliable records exist – the England and Wales Precipitation totalled just 522.0 mm – with a second successive extended, cold and dry winter from October to Marchsource
  • 1785The fleet of French explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse leaves Paris for the circumnavigation of the globe.source
  • 1786Caroline Herschel discovers a comet (the first discovered by a woman) from England.source
  • 1786Caroline Herschel discovers a comet, the first discovered by a woman, from Datchet.source
  • 1788English Market in Cork is opened.source
  • 1793November 9 – The yellow fever epidemic of 1793 hits Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 5,000 die.source
  • 1793The yellow fever epidemic of 1793 starts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.source
  • 1794A new sumptuary law (the last sumptuary law in Sweden) introduced a number of restrictions, among them notably the ban of the use of coffee, an extremely unpopular law, as coffee had by then been an everyday habit for all classes for decades, official farewell parties are held for coffee the days before the law is enforced (the law was abolished in 1796).source
  • 1794Aristocrats in Sweden gather to mourn the demise of coffee after the beverage is forbidden by royal decree.source
  • 1797Following advice from the master of the Sydney Cove who observed currents and tides while wrecked on Preservation Island, Governor Hunter writes to Joseph Banks that it seems certain that the yet-to-be-discovered Bass Strait exists.source
  • 1798Battle of the Nile (near Abu Qir): Lord Nelson defeats the French navy under Admiral Brueys. 11 of the 13 French battleships are captured or destroyed, including the flagship Orient whose magazine explodes; Nelson himself is wounded in the head.source
  • 1798French Revolutionary Wars: Admiral Nelson's fleet destroys the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile.source
  • 1800King George III gives royal assent to the second Act of Union to unite the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland (both ruled by him) into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, effective on January 1, 1801.source
  • 1800The Naval Temple on The Kymin at Monmouth is dedicated.source
  • 1801First Barbary War: Action of 1 August 1801 – United States Navy schooner USS Enterprise captures the 14-gun Tripolitan corsair polacca Tripoli off the north African coast, in a single-ship action.source
  • 1801Action of 1 August 1801 (First Barbary War): United States Navy schooner USS Enterprise captures the 14-gun Tripolitan corsair polacca Tripoli off the north African coast in a single-ship action.source
  • 1812The Ann arrives at Port Jackson with Ruatara. During his subsequent stay with Reverend Marsden at Parramatta Ruatara asks that someone be sent to the Bay of Islands to teach reading and writing.source
  • 1814The Grand Jubilee of 1814 is held in Britain, celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the Hanoverian Successionsource
  • 1815William Smith publishes the first national geological map of the UK, A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland.source
  • 1818A separate Topographical Bureau of the United States Department of War is established.source
  • 1820The Regent's Canal through to the London Docks is opened.source
  • 1820Completion and opening of the Regent's Canal through to the London Docks.source
  • 1821The Nobility of Norway is abolished.source
  • 1823William Pitt Amherst arrives in Calcutta with Lady Amherst to become the new Governor-General of India.source
  • 1829Prince Ferdinand marries at Frederiksberg Palace his first cousin once removed, Princess Caroline of Denmark (1793–1881), the eldest daughter of the above-mentioned sonless Crown Prince Frederick, now King Frederick VI of Denmark.source
  • 1831the Roman Catholic St Thomas's Church, Keith, is opened for worship.source
  • 1833King William's College opens on the Isle of Man.source
  • 1834Slavery is abolished in the British Empire, by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.source
  • 1834Construction work begins on the Wilberforce Monument in Kingston upon Hull, England.source
  • 1836Abolition Riot of 1836 in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Two fugitive slave women are freed from the courtroom by spectators.source
  • 1838Most former slaves in the British Empire are released from apprenticeships, giving them full emancipation under terms of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.source
  • 1840Remaining former slaves in the British Empire are released from apprenticeships under terms of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.source
  • 1843Brazil becomes the second country, after Great Britain, to issue nationally valid postage stamps, with the release of its Bull's Eye series.source
  • 1846Opening of the Aberdare railway.source
  • 1846Fatal Accidents Act 1846 ("Lord Campbell's Act") provides for a wrongful death claim in civil law.source
  • 1848Opening of an isolated section of the Chester and Holyhead Railway across Anglesey from Llanfair to Holyhead.source
  • 1849Great Indian Peninsula Railway was incorporated by an act of the British Parliamentsource
  • 1849July 31–August 1 – Joven Daniel wrecks at the coast of Araucanía, Chile, leading to allegations that local Mapuche tribes murdered survivors and kidnapped Elisa Bravo.source
  • 1851Virginia closes its Reform Constitutional Convention, deciding that all white men have the right to vote.source
  • 1853Under terms of the Vaccination Act 1853, all children born after this date are to receive compulsory vaccination against smallpox during their first 3 months of life, with defaulting parents subject to a fine.source
  • 1855Monte Rosa, the second-highest summit in the Alps, is first ascended.source
  • 1861The first public weather forecast: measured and predicted correctly by Admiral Robert FitzRoy in Britain.source
  • 1863At the suggestion of Senator J. V. Snellman and the order of Emperor Alexander II, full rights are promised to the Finnish language by a language regulation in the Grand Duchy of Finland.source
  • 1863Clipper Marnix van Sinte-Aldegonde the first ship to sail toll-free from Antwerp to the mouth of the Scheldt.source
  • 1863The pharmaceutical brand Bayer is founded by Friedrich Bayer in Germany.source
  • 1863Friedrich Bayer founds the chemical manufacturing company of Bayer at Barmen for the manufacture of dyestuffs.source
  • 1864The Elgin Watch Company is founded in Elgin, Illinois.source
  • 1870Burgh Customs (Scotland) Act enables burghs to abolish petty customs (local duties and tolls) and substitute local rates for them.source
  • 1876Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.source
  • 1876Senate votes to acquit former Secretary of War William W. Belknap of all impeached charges relating to the trader post scandal.source
  • 1876The United States Senate votes to acquit former Secretary of War William W. Belknap of all impeachment charges relating to the trader post scandal.source
  • 1879Tokio Marine (insurer) is founded in Japan, as Tokio Marine Holdings.source
  • 1880Rufus W. Cobb is reelected the 25th governor of Alabama defeating James Madison Pickens.source
  • 1885The New Zealand Industrial Exhibition opens in Wellingtonsource
  • 1888Carl Benz is issued with the world's first driving licence by the Grand Duchy of Baden.source
  • 1894War is declared between the Qing Empire of China and the Empire of Japan over their rival claims of influence on their common ally, the Joseon dynasty of Korea. The event marks the start of the First Sino-Japanese War.source
  • 1896The Park Seung-jik shop, predecessor of South Korean conglomerate Doosan Group, is founded in Joseon (the kingdom of Korea).source
  • 1897July 26–August 2 – Siege of Malakand: British troops are besieged by Pashtun tribesmen in Malakand, on the Northwest frontier of British India (modern-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan).source
  • 1902New Idea magazine is first published.source
  • 1902The conviction of the former Deputy from Palermo, Raffaele Palizzolo, for the murder in 1893 of Emanuele Notarbartolo, former mayor of Palermo and former director general of the Banco di Sicilia, is hailed as a big blow against the Sicilian Mafia. The Assize Court in Bologna convicted Palizzolo and two others to 30 years of imprisonment.source
  • 1902100 miners die in a pit explosion in Wollongong, Australia.source
  • 1903Boavista F.C. is founded as 'The Boavista Footballers' by British expatriates in Porto.source
  • 1906The Catholic Hierarchy ruled out any scheme for mixed religious education at Trinity College Dublin.source
  • 1909July 25–August 2 – "Tragic Week" (La Semana Trágica/la Setmana Tràgica): The city of Barcelona experiences a workers' uprising.source
  • 1909Tour de France ends, won by François Faber of Luxembourg.source
  • 1912Jens Jonas Jansen, priest (born 1844)source
  • 1912The Jungfrau Railway is inaugurated with the opening of the subterranean Jungfraujoch railway station in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, Europe's highest at 3,450 m above sea level.source
  • 1914The German Empire declares war on the Russian Empire, following Russia's military mobilisation in support of Serbia; Germany also begins mobilisation.source
  • 1914The New York Stock Exchange is closed because of the outbreak of the war in Europe, where nearly all stock exchanges are already closed.source
  • 1914Swiss National Park established.source
  • 1914Marcus Garvey founds the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Jamaica.source
  • 1915Cape – Prieska to South West Border, 231 mi 59 ch.source
  • 1915Cape – Walvisbaai to Swakop River (at Swakopmund), 22 mi 42 ch.source
  • 1916Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is established in Hawaiisource
  • 1919Romanians capture Füzesabony, Miskolc is cut off from Budapestsource
  • 1919Béla Kun's Hungarian Soviet Republic collapses.source
  • 1920July 30–August 8 – The 1st World Scout Jamboree is held at Olympia, London.source
  • 1922Two trains carrying pilgrims from Moulins to Lourdes collide at Miélan killing at least 33.source
  • 1925The Palestinian Citizenship Order goes into effect granting Palestinian citizenship to previously Ottoman subjects "Habitually resident in the territory of Palestine"source
  • 1925The New Cape Central Railway between Worcester and Voorbaai is incorporated into the South African Railways.source
  • 1926In Mexico, the entry into force of anticlerical measures stipulated in the Constitution of 1917 causes the Cristero War from August 3.source
  • 1927The Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army is formed, during the Nanchang Uprising.source
  • 1932Forrest Mars produces the first Mars bar in his Slough factory in the UK.source
  • 1932The second International Polar Year, an international scientific collaboration, begins.source
  • 1932Keriman Halis Ece won the title Miss Universe.source
  • 1933Modern Istanbul University replaced Ottoman Darülfünunsource
  • 1936The 1936 Summer Olympics open in Berlin, Germany, and mark the first live television coverage of an international sports event in world history (John Logie Baird had broadcast the Derby horse race in Britain in 1931).source
  • 1936August 16 – Japan competes at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Japan wins six gold medals, four silvers, and eight Bronze.source
  • 1936August 1-16 – The Philippines competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. 28 competitors, all men, take part in 20 events in 6 sports.source
  • 1940Erling Falk, businessman and politician (born 1887)source
  • 1941The Willys MB U.S. Army Jeep is first produced.source
  • 1943Operation Tidal Wave: 177 B-24 Liberator bombers from the U.S. Army Air Force bomb oil refineries at Ploiești, Romania.source
  • 1943The United States Army Air Forces unsuccessfully attempt to destroyer the refineries at Ploiești in Operation Tidal Wave, losing 53 bombers to Romanian defences.source
  • 1944Sergio Osmena assumes the Office of the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines after the death of Manuel Quezon.source
  • 1944Fourth Assembly of Jewish Representatives elections held.source
  • 1946The Scandinavian Airlines System is founded as a consortium of the flag carriers of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.source
  • 1947Indonesian airline Garuda Indonesia is established.source
  • 1948General Operations Force was founded as Jungle Squad.source
  • 1950Royal question: King Leopold III of Belgium publicly announces that he will abdicate in favor of his son, Baudouin.source
  • 19501 August–14 August – In protest against the rationing policy of the Austerity program, shopkeepers begin a two-week strike.source
  • 1953Haxhi Lleshi takes office as the de jure Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly.source
  • 1953Cheil Jedang (now CJ CheilJedang), a food manufacturer, was founded.source
  • 1954The First Indochina War ends with the Vietnam People's Army in North Vietnam, the Vietnamese National Army in South Vietnam, the Kingdom of Cambodia in Cambodia, and the Kingdom of Laos in Laos, emerging victorious against the French Army.source
  • 1954The First Indochina War ends with the Vietnam People's Army in North Vietnam, the Vietnamese National Army in South Vietnam, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in Cambodia, and the Royal Lao Army in Laos, emerging victorious against the French Army.source
  • 1955July 25-August 4: Bishops from all over Latin America meet in Rio de Janeiro for the first Episcopal Conference of Latin America.source
  • 1955The prototype Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft first flies, in Nevada.source
  • 1956The establishment of Fuxing Broadcasting Station.source
  • 1957The Deutsche Bundesbank was established.source
  • 1960The Internal Security Act 1960 was enacted. This act was repealed in 2012.source
  • 1961The Six Flags Over Texas theme park officially opens to the public.source
  • 1963An explosion kills 8 people, including 5 children, in the town of Hanmer near Sudbury, Ontariosource
  • 1963July 31 – August 2 – A Summit Conference on the proposed Confederation of Malaysia, involving leaders of the Philippines, Malaya and Indonesia, is held.source
  • 1965The inaugural issue of English-language weekly newspaper Holiday is published in Dacca.source
  • 1966Sniper Charles Whitman kills 15 people and wounds 31 from roof of the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower in the United States, after earlier killing his wife and mother.source
  • 1966Sniper Charles Whitman kills 13 people and wounds 31 from atop the University of Texas at Austin Main Building tower, after earlier killing his wife and mother.source
  • 1967The UAC TurboTrain makes its first journey.source
  • 1968The Municipal University of São Caetano do Sul is established in São Caetano do Sul, São Paulo.source
  • 1971In New York City, 40,000 attend The Concert for Bangladesh.source
  • 1973Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) is inaugurated.source
  • 1973The 25th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) was celebrated.source
  • 1974Endalkachew was arrested by the Derg.source
  • 1975The Helsinki Accords, which officially recognize Europe's national borders and respect for human rights, are signed in Finland.source
  • 1976Defending F1 World Champion Niki Lauda suffers serious burns in the German Grand Prix after a huge accident that nearly cost him his life.source
  • 1976The 1976 Summer Olympics ends in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.source
  • 1977The opening of Magong Airport in Penghu County.source
  • 1980Vigdís Finnbogadóttir becomes the 4th President of Iceland, the world's first democratically directly elected female president.source
  • 1980July 31–August 11: Hurricane Allen.source
  • 1981The first 24-hour video music channel MTV (Music Television) is launched in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.source
  • 1981Launch of the MK2 Volkswagen Polo, which makes use of a larger estate-like bodyshell, although it is still marketed as a hatchback.source
  • 1982Attempted coup against the government of Daniel Arap Moi in Kenya.source
  • 19821982 Kenyan coup d'état attempt. The attempt took place during the political administration of Daniel arap Moi.source
  • 1983The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation launches SBCtext on SBC 5 and SBC 8.source
  • 1984Australian banks are deregulated.source
  • 1987The establishment of Council of Labor Affairs.source
  • 1989The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is created through Republic Act No. 6734 also known as the Organic Act.source
  • 1990RELCOM is created in the Soviet Union by combining several computer networks. Later in August, the Soviet Union got its first connection to the Internet.source
  • 1990The second leg of the 1989 Copa Interamericana is held at Olímpico Universitario Stadium in Mexico City, México. Colombia's Atlético Nacional beats México's UNAM 4 to 1.source
  • 1991The Lot 10 Kuala Lumpur shopping complex officially opened.source
  • 1996A pro-democracy demonstration supporting Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia is broken up by riot police.source
  • 1996Sarah Balabagan returns to the Philippines.source
  • 1996Mabuhay, moves to its new orbital slot. Mabuhay satellite, previously named Palapa B-2P, was acquired by Mabuhay Philippines Satellite Corporation on an earlier date this year. Mabuhay became one to be owned by a Filipino entity.source
  • 1998Puntland State leaders in Somalia declare the territory an autonomous state; the capital is the city of Garoowe in the Nugal region.source
  • 1998The establishment of Fisheries Agency of the Council of Agriculture.source
  • 2002July 25–August 4 – The 2002 Commonwealth Games are held in Manchester, England.source
  • 2007Russia's gas exports monopoly Gazprom will almost halve supplies to Belarus from August 3 after failing to reach a deal with Minsk over a $456 million energy debt.source
  • 2008India and United States sign the historic Civil Nuclear deal.source
  • 2008Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions die on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth, in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering.source
  • 2008China opens its first high speed rail line.source
  • 2008A total solar eclipse is visible from Greenland.source
  • 2012Microsoft finishes development of Windows 8, with general availability announced for October 26.source
  • 2014July 23–August 3 – The 2014 Commonwealth Games takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.source
  • 2015161 exclaves of Bangladesh within India or vice versa are ceded to the country that contained them.source
  • 2018The 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It becomes the second-deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus on November 29, surpassed only by the 2013 West African Ebola virus epidemic.source
  • 2019Danish polar research institution Polar Portal reports a large spike in Greenland ice loss, with 11 billion tons melted in one day and 197 gigatonnes during the month of July.source
  • 2020The Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE becomes operational following delays since 2017. It is the first commercial nuclear power station in the Arab world.source
  • 2022July 28–August 8 – The 2022 Commonwealth Games is held in Birmingham, England.source
  • 2022July 29 – August 8: Guyana at the 2022 Commonwealth Gamessource
  • 2023Global warming: The world's oceans reach a new record high temperature of 20.96 °C, exceeding the previous record in 2016. July is also the hottest month on record for globally averaged surface air temperatures by a considerable margin (0.3 °C).source
  • 20242024 American–Russian prisoner exchange: 26 individuals are released from Ankara Esenboğa Airport in the largest prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia since the Cold War.source

Births

  • 10 BCEClaudius, Roman emperor (died AD 54)source
  • 126Pertinax, Roman emperor (died 193)source
  • 845Sugawara no Michizane, Japanese politician (died 903)source
  • 992Hyeonjong, king of Goryeo (Korea) (died 1031)source
  • 1068Taizu (Aguda), emperor of the Jin Dynasty (died 1123)source
  • 1084Heonjong, Korean king of Goryeo (died 1097)source
  • 1313Kōgon, emperor of Japan (Northern Court) (died 1364)source
  • 1377Emperor Go-Komatsu of Japan (died 1433)source
  • 1385John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel, English noble (died 1421)source
  • 1410John IV, Count of Nassau-Siegen (1442–1475) (died 1475)source
  • 1421Thomas Dutton, English knight (died 1459)source
  • 1495Jan van Scorel, Dutch painter (died 1562)source
  • 1520King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland (died 1572)source
  • 1545Andrew Melville, Scottish theologian and religious reformer (died 1622)source
  • 1555Edward Kelley, English spirit medium (died 1597)source
  • 1626Sabbatai Zevi, Sephardic Rabbi (died 1676)source
  • 1659Sebastiano Ricci, Italian painter (died 1734)source
  • 1713Richard Wilson, painter (died 1782)source
  • 1730Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, English Anglican prelate (died 1803)source
  • 1744Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, French naturalist (died 1829)source
  • 1761Pierre-Louis Panet, notary and politiciansource
  • 1770William Clark, American explorer, Governor of Missouri Territory, and Superintendent of Indian Affairs (died 1838)source
  • 1779Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, lyricist (died 1843)source
  • 1819Herman Melville, American novelist (died 1891)source
  • 1837(bapt.) Mary Harris Jones ("Mother Jones"), Irish-American labor leader (died 1930)source
  • 1843Robert Todd Lincoln, American politician, businessman, first son of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (died 1926)source
  • 1863Gaston Doumergue, President of France during the Third Republic (died 1937)source
  • 1877George Hackenschmidt, Estonian strongman, professional wrestler (died 1968)source
  • 1877Mohammad Ali Foroughi, Iranian writer and politician.source
  • 1924King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (official birth date) (died 2015)source
  • 1932Meena Kumari, Indian actress (died 1972)source
  • 1936Yves Saint Laurent, Algerian-born French fashion designer (died 2008)source

Deaths

  • 30 BCEMark Antony, Roman consul and general (suicide) (born 83 BC)source
  • 223Cao Zhang, Chinese prince and warlordsource
  • 366Leo of Montefeltro, Christian bishop and saintsource
  • 371Eusebius of Vercelli, Christian bishop (born 283)source
  • 527Justin I, age 77, dies at Constantinople and is succeeded by Justinian I, who becomes sole emperor.source
  • 527Justin I, Byzantine Emperor (born 450)source
  • 873Thachulf, duke of Thuringiasource
  • 946Ali ibn Isa al-Jarrah, Abbasid vizier (born 859)source
  • 946Lady Xu Xinyue, wife of Qian Yuanguan (born 902)source
  • 953Yingtian, Chinese Khitan empress (born 879)source
  • 984Æthelwold, bishop of Winchestersource
  • 1098Adhemar of Le Puy, French bishop (born 1045)source
  • 1098Adhemar of Le Puy (or Aimar), French bishop and nominal leader of the First Crusade, dies during an epidemic (probably typhus). With this, Rome's direct control over the Crusade effectively ends.source
  • 1137Louis VI (the Fat), king of France (born 1081)source
  • 1137Louis VI dies of dysentery at Paris after a 29-year reign. He is succeeded by Louis Capet (known as Louis VII) as King of France. During his accession the burgesses of Orléans and Poitiers revolt – who wish to organise communes (creating independent city-states).source
  • 1146Vsevolod II, Grand Prince of Kiev (Rurik Dynasty)source
  • 1152Albrecht I, German bishop of Meissensource
  • 1182Pietro da Pavia, Italian cardinal-bishopsource
  • 1190Floris III, Dutch nobleman and knight (born 1141)source
  • 1191Philip of Alsace, Flemish nobleman (born 1143)source
  • 1215Eisai, Japanese Buddhist priest (born 1141)source
  • 1252Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, Italian chronicler of the Mongol Empiresource
  • 1264John I ("the Theologian"), German noblemansource
  • 1295Pietro Peregrosso, Italian scholar and cardinalsource
  • 1298Mordechai ben Hillel, German Jewish rabbi (born 1250)source
  • 1299Wolfert I van Borselen, Dutch nobleman and regentsource
  • 1391Gaston III of Foix, co-prince of Andorrasource
  • 1402Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, English nobleman, last surviving son of King Edward III (born 1341)source
  • 1457Lorenzo Valla, Italian humanistsource
  • 1464Cosimo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (born 1389)source
  • 1494Giovanni Santi, Italian artist and father of Raphael (born c. 1435)source
  • 1543Magnus I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, German noble (born 1470)source
  • 1546Peter Faber, French Jesuit theologian (born 1506)source
  • 1557Olaus Magnus, writer and ecclesiastic (born 1490)source
  • 1589King Henry III of France is assassinated by a fanatical Dominican friar Jacques Clément, who approaches the King on the pretext of delivering a secret message. Henry tells his guards to stand aside, and Clément approaches and fatally stabs the King. Clément is subsequently killed by the guards. King Henry dies the next day.source
  • 1589Henry III was stabbed with a knife, and died the next day. Henry IV of France's succession was followed by a four-year long war.source
  • 1694John Michael Wright, portrait painter (born 1617)source
  • 1714Anne, Queen of Great Britain (born 1665)source
  • 1714Queen Anne (born 1665)source
  • 1769Jean-Baptiste Chappe d'Auteroche, French astronomer (born 1722)source
  • 1787Alphonsus Liguori, Italian founder of the Redemptorist Order (born 1696)source
  • 1834Robert Morrison, British Protestant missionary to China (born 1782)source
  • 1838John Rodgers, American naval officer (born 1772)source
  • 1866John Ross, long-serving principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, of natural causes, in Washington D. C. (born 1790 in Cherokee Nation East).source
  • 1917Enric Prat de la Riba, Catalan nationalist, lawyer and writer (born 1870).source
  • 1990Leo Des Vignes, Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central.source
  • 2009Former President of the Philippines Corazon Aquino dies at the age of 76 of cardiopulmonary arrest after complications of colon cancer. A memorial service and funeral is scheduled for August 5. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)source
  • 2009Corazon Aquino, 76, Filipino politician, first female President (1986–1992), colon cancer.source