August 7 is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 146 days remaining until the end of the year. The Northern Hemisphere is considered to be halfway through its summer and the Southern Hemisphere half way through its winter on this day. [edit] Events - 322 BC – Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great.
- 626 – The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Constantinople.
- 936 – Coronation of King Otto I of Germany.
- 1420 – Construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore begins in Florence.
- 1427 – The Visconti of Milan's fleet is destroyed by the Venetians on the Po River.
- 1461 – The Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.
- 1606 – The first documented performance of Macbeth, at the Great Hall at Hampton Court.
- 1679 – The brigantine Le Griffon, commissioned by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, is towed to the south-eastern end of the Niagara River, to become the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes of North America.
- 1714 – The Battle of Gangut: the first important victory of the Russian Navy.
- 1782 – George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart.
- 1789 – The United States War Department is established.
- 1791 – United States troops destroy the Miami town of Kenapacomaqua near the site of present-day Logansport, Indiana in the Northwest Indian War.
- 1794 – The Whiskey Rebellion begins: farmers in the Monongahela Valley of Pennsylvania rebel against the federal tax on liquor and distilled drinks.
- 1819 – Simón Bolívar triumphs over Spain in the Battle of Boyacá.
- 1879 – The opening of the Poor Man's Palace in Manchester.
- 1890 – Anna Månsdotter becomes the last woman in Sweden to be executed, for the 1889 Yngsjö murder.
- 1927 – The Peace Bridge opens between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York.
- 1930 – The last lynching in the Northern United States occurs in Marion, Indiana. Two men, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, are killed.
- 1933 – The Simele massacre: The Iraqi Government slaughters over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Sumail. The day becomes known as Assyrian Martyrs Day.
- 1940 – World War II: Alsace Lorraine is annexed by the Third Reich.
- 1942 – World War II: the Battle of Guadalcanal begins – United States Marines initiate the first American offensive of the war with landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.
- 1944 – IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
- 1947 – Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) journey across the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to prove that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America.
- 1947 – The Bombay Municipal Corporation formally takes over the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST).
- 1955 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, sells its first transistor radios in Japan.
- 1959 – The Lincoln Memorial design on the U.S. penny goes into circulation. It replaces the "sheaves of wheat" design and is still in use.
- 1959 – Explorer program: Explorer 6 launches from the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 1960 – Côte d'Ivoire becomes independent.
- 1964 – Vietnam War: the U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving US President Lyndon B. Johnson broad war powers to deal with North Vietnamese attacks on American forces.
- 1965 – The infamous first party between Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters and motorcycle gang the Hell's Angels takes place at Kesey's estate in La Honda, California introducing psychedelics to the gang world and forever linking the hippie movement to the Hell's Angels.
- 1966 – Race riots occur in Lansing, Michigan.
- 1967 – Vietnam War: the People's Republic of China agrees to give North Vietnam an undisclosed amount of aid in the form of a grant.
- 1970 – California judge Harold Haley is taken hostage in his courtroom and killed during in an effort to free George Jackson from police custody.
- 1974 – Philippe Petit performs a high wire act between the twin towers of the World Trade Center 1,368 feet (417 m) in the air.
- 1976 – Viking program: Viking 2 enters orbit around Mars.
- 1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter declares a federal emergency at Love Canal.
- 1979 – Several tornadoes struck the city of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and the surrounding communities.
- 1981 – The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication.
- 1985 – Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts.
- 1988 – Rioting in New York City's Tompkins Square Park.
- 1989 – U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland (D-TX) and 15 others die in a plane crash in Ethiopia.
- 1998 – The United States Embassy bombing in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya killing approximately 212 people.
- 2007 – Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks baseball great Hank Aaron's record by hitting his 756th home run.
- 2008 – Georgia launches a military offensive against South Ossetia to counter the alleged Russian invasion, starting the South Ossetia War.
[edit] Births - 317 – Constantius II, Roman emperor (d. 361)
- 1282 – Princess Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (d. 1316)
- 1533 – Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga, Basque soldier and poet (d. 1595)
- 1560 – Elizabeth Báthory, Hungarian countess and serial killer (d. 1614)
- 1574 – Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick, English writer (d. 1649)
- 1598 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet (d. 1672)
- 1726 – James Bowdoin, American Revolutionary leader and politician (d. 1790)
- 1742 – Nathanael Greene, American Revolutionary general (d. 1786)
- 1751 – Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange (d. 1820)
- 1779 – Louis de Freycinet, French explorer (d. 1842)
- 1779 – Carl Ritter, German geographer (d. 1859)
- 1783 – Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom (d. 1810)
- 1844 – Auguste Michel-Lévy, French geologist (d. 1911)
- 1860 – Alan Leo, British astrologer (d. 1917)
- 1862 – Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden (d. 1931)
- 1867 – Emil Nolde, German painter (d. 1956)
- 1868 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian mathematician (d. 1931)
- 1876 – Mata Hari, Dutch spy (d. 1917)
- 1877 – Ulrich Salchow, Swedish figure skater (d. 1949)
- 1879 – Johannes Kotze, South African cricketer (d. 1931)
- 1885 – Billie Burke, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1901 – Ann Harding, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1903 – Louis Leakey, British archaeologist (d. 1972)
- 1904 – Ralph Bunche, American diplomat, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1971)
- 1907 – Albert Kotin, American abstract painter (d. 1980)
- 1911 – Nicholas Ray, American director and scenarist (d. 1979)
- 1918 – Gordon Zahn, American sociologist and pacifist (d. 2007)
- 1913 – George Van Eps, American guitarist (d. 1998)
- 1921 – Manitas de Plata, Gypsy guitarist
- 1925 – M. S. Swaminathan, Indian scientist
- 1925 – Felice Bryant, American country songwriter and singer (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Stan Freberg, American voice comedian
- 1927 – Edwin W. Edwards, American politician
- 1927 – Art Houtteman, American baseball player (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Carl Switzer, American child actor (d. 1959)
- 1928 – Romeo Muller, American screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1928 – James Randi, Canadian magician
- 1929 – Don Larsen, American baseball player
- 1931 – Charles E. Rice, American legal scholar and author
- 1932 – Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian athlete (d. 1973)
- 1932 – Edward Hardwicke, British actor
- 1932 – Maurice Rabb, Jr., American ophthalmologist
- 1933 – Eddie Firmani, South African football player and coach
- 1936 – Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American saxophonist (d. 1977)
- 1937 – Don Wilson, England cricketer
- 1939 – Anjanette Comer, American actress
- 1940 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, Belgian politician
- 1942 – Tobin Bell, American actor
- 1942 – Garrison Keillor, American writer and radio host
- 1942 – Carlos Monzón, Argentine boxer
- 1942 – B.J. Thomas, American singer
- 1942 – Caetano Veloso, Brazilian musician
- 1943 – Alain Corneau, French film director
- 1943 – Dino Valente, American musician (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (d. 1994)
- 1944 – John Glover, American actor
- 1944 – Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
- 1944 – David Rasche, American actor
- 1945 – Alan Page, American football player and Minnesota Supreme Court justice
- 1946 – Ed Seykota, American commodities and futures trader
- 1947 – Franciscus Henri, Dutch-born Australian entertainer
- 1948 – Marty Appel, American public relations executive and author
- 1948 – Greg Chappell, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1949 – Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese political leader
- 1950 – Alan Keyes, American diplomat and political activist
- 1952 – Alexei Sayle, British comedian
- 1953 – Anne Fadiman, American writer; daughter of Clifton Fadiman
- 1954 – Jonathan Pollard, Israeli spy
- 1955 – Wayne Knight, American actor
- 1955 – Greg Nickels, American politician
- 1955 – Vladimir Sorokin, Russian writer
- 1955 – Gregoris Valtinos, Greek actor and director
- 1957 – Alexander Dityatin, Soviet gymnast
- 1958 – Bruce Dickinson, English singer (Iron Maiden)
- 1958 – Alberto Salazar, American distance runner
- 1959 – Ali Shah, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1960 – David Duchovny, American actor
- 1960 – Jacquie O'Sullivan, British singer (Bananarama)
- 1961 – Yelena Davydova, Soviet gymnast
- 1962 – Bruno Pelletier, Québécois singer
- 1963 – Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, son of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (d. 9 August 1963)
- 1963 – Harold Perrineau Jr., American actor
- 1964 – John Birmingham, Australian author
- 1964 – Michael Weishan, American TV host
- 1966 – Kristin Hersh, American singer and guitarist (Throwing Muses)
- 1966 – Jimmy Wales, American internet entrepreneur
- 1967 – Jason Grimsley, American baseball player
- 1968 – Lynn Strait, American singer (Snot)
- 1971 – Dominic Cork, England cricketer
- 1971 – Sydney Penny, American actress
- 1971 – Rachel York, American actress and singer
- 1972 – Greg Serano, American actor
- 1973 – Danny Graves, American baseball player
- 1973 – Kevin Muscat, Australian footballer
- 1974 – Chico Benymon, American actor
- 1974 – Sek Loso, Thai Singer
- 1974 – Michael Shannon, American actor
- 1975 – Koray Candemir, Turkish singer
- 1975 – David Hicks, Australian alleged terrorist
- 1975 – Charlize Theron, South African actress
- 1975 – Edgar Rentería, Colombian baseball player
- 1975 – Gaahl (Kristian Eivind Espedal), Norwegian musician
- 1976 – Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Shane Lechler, American football player
- 1977 – Charlotte Ronson, British fashion designer
- 1977 – Samantha Ronson, British DJ
- 1978 – Alexandre Aja, French director
- 1978 – Jamey Jasta, American singer (Hatebreed)
- 1978 – Cirroc Lofton, American actor
- 1978 – Vanness Wu, Taiwanese singer
- 1978 – Shirley Yeung, Hong Kong actress
- 1979 – Eric Johnson, American actor
- 1980 – Anomie Belle, American musician
- 1980 – Aurélie Claudel, French model
- 1982 – Yana Klochkova, Ukrainian swimmer
- 1982 – Marco Melandri, Italian motorcycle racer
- 1982 – Vasileios Spanoulis, Greek basketball player
- 1983 – Christian Chavez, Mexican singer and actor (RBD)
- 1983 – Tina O'Brien, British actress
- 1986 – Paul Biedermann, German swimmer
- 1987 – Sidney Crosby, Canadian hockey player
- 1988 – Melody Oliveria, American internet blogger
- 1996 – Tessa Allen, American actress
[edit] Deaths - 461 – Majorian, Roman Emperor (assassinated) (b. 420)
- 479 – Emperor Yūryaku of Japan
- 1106 – Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1050)
- 1485 – Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, Scottish prince
- 1613 – Thomas Fleming, English judge (b. 1544)
- 1616 – Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (b. 1548)
- 1635 – Friedrich von Spee, German writer (b. 1591)
- 1639 – Martin van den Hove, Dutch scientist (b. 1605)
- 1661 – Jin Shengtan, Chinese editor, writer and critic (b. 1608)
- 1817 – Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, French industrialist (b. 1739)
- 1834 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, French weaver and inventor (b. 1752)
- 1848 – Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (b. 1779)
- 1855 – Mariano Arista, President of Mexico (b. 1802)
- 1864 – Li Xiucheng, late Taiping‘s Field Marshal and soul person.(b. 1823)
- 1893 – Alfredo Catalani, Italian musician (b. 1854)
- 1912 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (b. 1841)
- 1917 – Squadron Commander E.H. Dunning, first pilot to land his aircraft on a moving ship. (b. 1891)
- 1938 – Constantin Stanislavski, Russian/Soviet theatre practitioner (b. 1863)
- 1941 – Rabindranath Tagore, Indian author, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1861)
- 1953 – Abner Powell, American baseball player (b. 1860)
- 1957 – Oliver Hardy, American comedian and actor (b. 1892)
- 1960 – Luis Ángel Firpo, Argentine Boxer (b. 1894)
- 1969 – Joseph Kosma, French composer (Autumn Leaves) (b. 1905)
- 1970 – Jonathan Jackson, Brother of George Jackson, Black Panther (b. 1953)
- 1972 – Joi Lansing, American model and actress (b. 1929)
- 1973 – Jack Gregory, Former Australian cricketer (b. 1895)
- 1974 – Rosario Castellanos, Mexican poet (b. 1925)
- 1974 – Sylvio Mantha, professional ice hockey player (b. 1902)
- 1984 – Esther Phillips, American singer (b. 1935)
- 1985 – Grayson Hall, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1987 – Camille Chamoun, Lebanese President (b. 1900)
- 1989 – Mickey Leland, American politician, United States Congressman from Texas (b. 1944)
- 1991 – Billy T. James, New Zealand comedian, (b. 1944)
- 1992 – John Anderson, American actor (b. 1922)
- 1994 – Larry Martyn, comedy actor (b. 1934)
- 1995 – Brigid Brophy, British author (b. 1929)
- 1999 – Brion James, American actor (b. 1945)
- 2003 – Mickey McDermott, baseball player (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Red Adair, American oil field firefighter (b. 1915)
- 2004 – Colin Bibby, English ornithologist (b. 1948)
- 2005 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-born news anchor (b. 1938)
- 2006 – Mary Anderson Bain, American New Deal politician (b. 1911)
- 2007 – Hal Fishman, Los Angeles based local news anchor. (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director and producer. (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Angus Tait, New Zealand electronics innovator and businessman (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Bernie Brillstein, American talent agent/manager and producer (b. 1931)
- 2008 – Andrea Pininfarina, CEO of Pininfarina S.p.A. (b. 1957)
- 2009 – Louis E. Saavedra, American Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico (b. 1933)
- 2009 – Mike Seeger, American folk musician (b. 1933)
[edit] Holidays and observances [edit] External links
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