39 Quick-Fire Historical Moments From the Month of August

Our history is everything. It contains all the difficult part of our existence, our achievements, our highlights. It's our story. Here are 39 quick moments from history, that had different impacts on the future.

August 1, 1774 - The discovery of oxygen

The English chemist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen, which he called "dephlogisticated air", by isolating it in its gaseous state.

August 1, 1834 - The British Empire abolished slavery

The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 came into effect on this day, making it illegal to purchase or own slaves within the British Empire.

August 1, 1944 - Anne Frank's last diary entry

"[I] keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would like to be, and what I could be, if...there weren't any other people living in the world."

August 1, 2018 - Apple's value reaches $1 trillion

On this day Apple became the first American public listed company to reach the value of $1 trillion.

August 3, 1914 - World War I broke out

Following the Austrian attack on Serbia, Russia's mobilisation and Germany declaring war on them, they invaded Belgium and declared war on France, beginning World War I.

August 3, 1934 - The German referendum

Adolf Hitler merged the offices of German Chancellor and President, declaring himself president, chancellor and head of the army, ie. the absolute ruler of Germany.

August 4, 1961 - Barack Obama was born

Barack Obama made history by becoming the first ever African-American president of the United States of America.

August 4, 1993 - Hutus and Tutsis peace treaty

Following years of genocides, Rwandian Hutus and Tutsis signed a peace treaty in Arusha, Tanzania. Only a year after, the biggest genocide between them followed, where it's estimated 800 000 people were killed.

August 5, 1583 - Beginning of the British Empire

Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for the British crown. It became the first English colony in North America, and marked the start of the British Empire.

August 6, 1945 - Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

At 8:15 a.m., Hiroshima was struck by the first atomic bomb. As it destroyed the city it killed over 105 000 people. Around 100 000 people later died from radiation effects.

August 6, 1991 - The World Wide Web

The English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, making it a publicly available service on the Internet.

August 7, 1461 - The Rebellion of Cao Qin

The Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin staged a coup against the Tianshun Emperor, fearing he was planning to have him killed. The rebellion was unsuccessful, and Cao Qin committed suicide to avoid being arrested and executed.

August 9, 2014 - The Ferguson Uprising

Following 18-year-old Michael Brown being murdered by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, an uprising broke out and lasted over 300 days, inspiring nationwide protests.

August 10, 610 - Muhammad began to receive the Quran

This is the traditional date of the Laylat al-Qadr, when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet Muhammed.

August 12, 1521 - End of the Aztec Empire

The Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc was captured and later executed by Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés. Their victory marked the end of the Aztec Empire.

August 12, 1908 - Henry Ford's first Model T car

The company finished production of the first Model T Ford. It was the longes production run of any automobile model in history, until surpassed by the Volkswagen Beetle in 1972.

August 12, 1969 - Woodstock began

Around 400 000 people gathered for the three-day concert in Bethel, New York. The event featured 24 bands, and was called «Three Days of Peace, Music and Love».

August 12, 2019 - Hong Kong cancelled flights

Hong Kong International Airport had to cancel all their departures as thousands of anti-government protester occupied the terminals for several days.

August 15, 1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte was born

Napoleon rose from an officer in King Louis' Army to become Emperor amid the political chaos following the French Revolution. He built a strong army to acquire an empire for France, but was defeated and exiled.

August 15, 1998 - Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland

The Real Irish Republican Army carried out a car bombing in Omagh, Northern Ireland. It killed 29 people and injured around 22o, making it the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles.

August 16, 1896 - Gold discovered in Klondike

Gold was discovered in Klondike in Alaska, resulting in the Great Klondike Gold Rush, where around 100 000 prospectors migrated there.

August 16, 1946 - Direct Action Day

A day of widespread riots in Calcutta between Muslims and Hindus, over whether Pakistan should be a separate state. Over 4000 were killed, and 100 000 were left homeless.

August 17, 1978 - Transatlantic balloon trip

The three Americans Max Anderson, Ben Abruzzo, and Larry Newman landed in France after departing from Maine a week earlier, completing the first transatlantic balloon trip.

August 17, 1998 - The Monica Lewinsky scandal

US President Bill Clinton admitted that he had had an "improper physical relationship" with Monica Lewinsky, who worked as an intern at the White House.

August 18, 1920 - The 19th Amendment

On this day the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified. This granted all American women the right to vote.

August 19, 1991 - Soviet coup d'état attempt

Communist leaders of the Soviet Union attempted to depose Mikhail Gorbachev in a coup d'état. The coup collapsed in two days and Mikhail returned to power.

August 20, 1597 - Far East expedition

The first Dutch East India Company fleet returned from the Far East. The fleet had reached Bantam, and returned to the Netherlands with a small cargo of pepper.

August 20, 1619 - First African Americans arrive in English North America

The first known African Americans arrived at Point Comfort, Virginia. They were then sold or traded into servitude.

August 20, 1993 - Oslo Peace Accords

After secret negotiations in Norway, the Oslo Peace Accords were signed, in an attempt to resolve the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

August 22, 565 - The Loch Ness monster

One of the world's most famous mythical beasts was "spotted" for the first time.

23 August, 1305 - William Wallace's execution

The day of William Wallace's infamous, cruel execution. He was a Scottish knight one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.

23 August, 1850 - Women's Right Convention

The first ever US National Women's Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts.

25 August, 1609 - Galileo's telescope

Galileo demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, which in turn supported Copernicus' theory that the planets revolve around the sun.

27 August, 1910 - Mother Teresa was born

Mother Teresa was born in Skopje, Yugoslavia (now North Macedonia). She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, and spent her life working to help the poor and sick.

August 28, 1833 - Slavery abolished in the UK

Slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom. More than 800 000 enslaved Africans were freed in the Caribbean, South Africa and Canada.

August 28, 1963 - The March on Washington

Over 250 000 people attended a Civil Rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Martin Luther Kind, Jr. made his famous speech "I have a Dream".

August 29, 1958 - Michael Jackson was born

With his 17 Grammys, there's no denying that Michael Jackson was one of the biggest musicians the world has seen.

August 29, 1842 - Treaty of Nanking

Great Britain and China signed the Treaty of Nanking, ending the first Opium war. It's considered by Chinese as the first of the unequal treaties forced upon them during their time as a colony.

August 31, 1997 - The Death of Princess Diana

Britain's Princess Diana died after the injuries she sustained in a high-speed car crash in Paris.

Those were 39 historical moments from August, representing different areas of our society. I hope you all learned something new!

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