Events, Births and Deaths Happening on this Date
Saturday, August 1, 2026
Today is the 213rd day of 2026. There are 152 days left in this year.
Notable Events
1498
Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to visit what is now Venezuela.
1774
British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
1790
The first U.S. census was completed, showing a population of nearly 4 million people.
1800
The Acts of Union 1800 are passed which merge the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
1834
Slavery is abolished in the British Empire as the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 comes into force, although it remains legal in the possessions of the East India Company until the passage of the Indian Slavery Act, 1843.
1876
Colorado was admitted as the 38th state.
1893
Henry Perky patents shredded wheat.
1894
The Empire of Japan and Qing China declare war on each other after a week of fighting over Korea, formally inaugurating the First Sino-Japanese War.
1907
The start of the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island, the origin of the worldwide Scouting movement.
1911
Harriet Quimby takes her pilot's test and becomes the first U.S. woman to earn an Aero Club of America aviator's certificate.
1927
The Nanchang Uprising marks the first significant battle in the Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party. This day is commemorated as the anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army.
1936
The Olympic games opened in Berlin with a ceremony presided over by Adolf Hitler.
1943
Race-related rioting erupted in New York City's Harlem section, resulting in several deaths.
1944
An uprising broke out in Warsaw, Poland, against Nazi occupation, a revolt that lasted two months before collapsing.
1946
President Truman signed the Fulbright Program into law, establishing the scholarships named for Sen. William J. Fulbright.
1946
The Atomic Energy Commission was established.
1946
Leaders of the Russian Liberation Army, a force of Russian prisoners of war that collaborated with Nazi Germany, are executed in Moscow, Soviet Union for treason.
1950
Guam is organized as an unincorporated territory of the United States as the President Harry S. Truman signs the Guam Organic Act.
1957
The United States and Canada reached agreement to create the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
1960
Dahomey (later renamed Benin) declares independence from France.
1961
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara orders the creation of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the nation's first centralized military espionage organization.
1965
Frank Herbert's novel, <i>Dune</i> was published for the first time. It was named as the world's best-selling science fiction novel in 2003.
1966
Twenty-five-year-old Charles Joseph Whitman shot and killed 15 people at the University of Texas before he was gunned down by police. Austin, Texas, Police Chief R.A. Miles
1966
Purges of intellectuals and imperialists becomes official China policy at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
1971
The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by former Beatle George Harrison, is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1974
The United Nations Security Council authorizes the UNFICYP to create the "Green Line", dividing Cyprus into two zones.
1978
Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds went hitless in a game against the Atlanta Braves, ending his National League record-tying streak of getting a base hit in 44 consecutive games.
1981
MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
1984
Commercial peat-cutters discover the preserved bog body of a man, called Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England.
1995
Westinghouse Electric Corp. struck a deal to buy CBS for $5.4 billion.
1999
A heat wave that had gripped the nation since mid-July finally broke; authorities attributed nearly 200 deaths to the heat and humidity.
2007
The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145.
2008
Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering.
2017
A suicide attack on a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan kills 20 people.
Notable Births
1779
Francis Scott Key, American lawyer, author, and poet. Key observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812. He is best known as the author of the text of the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". (d. 1843)
1819
Herman Melville, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick written in 1851. (d. 1891)
1843
Robert Todd Lincoln, American lawyer, politician, and businessman. The eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, he was the only one of their four children to outlive his parents. (d. 1926)
1914
Jack Delano was a Ukrainian immigrant who became an accomplished photographer for the Works Progress Administration, United Fund, and most notably, the Farm Security Administration (FSA). (d. 1997)
1924
Marcia Mae Jones was an American film and television actress whose prolific career spanned 57 years. (d. 2007)
1926
George Habash, Palestinian politician, founder of the PFLP, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (d. 2008)
1931
Ramblin' Jack Elliott, American folk singer, songwriter and musician.
1932
Meir Kahane, American-Israeli rabbi and activist, co-founded the Jewish Defense League (JDL) as a far-right religious and political organization in the United States and Canada. (d. 1990)
1933
Dom DeLuise, American actor, comedian, singer, director, author, and producer. He was primarily known for comedy roles, he rose to fame in the 1970s as a frequent guest on television variety shows. (d. 2009)
1933
Teri Shields, American actress known primarily for being the parent and manager of actress Brooke Shields. (d. 2012)
1936
Yves Saint Laurent, Algerian-French fashion designer who, in 1962, co-founded his fashion label. He is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers of the twentieth century.(d. 2008)
1940
Henry Silverman, American entrepreneur and investor best known for building Cendant Corporation into a multibillion-dollar business services company that provided car rentals, travel reservation services as well as real estate brokerage services.
1942
Jerry Garcia, American musician who was the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence during the counterculture of the 1960s. (d. 1995)
1946
Raymond "Boz" Burrell, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and guitarist. Best known for being the vocalist and bassist of King Crimson from 1971 to 1972 and the original bassist of Bad Company. (d. 2006)
1946
Richard Covey, retired United States Air Force officer, former NASA astronaut, and a member of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame.
1946
Rick Coonce, drummer for American rock band The Grass Roots from 1966 to 1972. (d. 2011)
1949
Jim Carroll, American author, poet, and musician. Best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, and his 1980 song "People Who Died" with the Jim Carroll Band. (d. 2009)
1951
Tommy Bolin, American guitarist and singer-songwriter who played with Zephyr, the James Gang, and Deep Purple, in addition to maintaining a career as a solo artist and session musician. (d. 1976)
1951
Tim Bachman, Canadian guitarist and vocalist best known for his work with rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO). Bachman was one of the four founding members of BTO together with his brothers Randy and Robbie, and Fred Turner. (d. 2023)
1953
Robert Cray, American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards.
1953
Howard Kurtz, American journalist and author and host of Media Buzz on Fox News.
1958
Rob Buck, American guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Some of his compositions with Natalie Merchant are among the most popular songs recorded by 10,000 Maniacs (d. 2000)
1958
Michael Penn, American musician, singer and composer. His 1989 single "No Myth" was a top 20 hit in the US and successful in several other countries.
1959
Joe Elliott, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer, best known as the lead singer and one of the founding members of the hard rock band Def Leppard.
1960
Chuck D, American rapper and songwriter, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav.
1963
Coolio, American rapper, producer, and actor. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the course of hip hop by bringing it to a wider audience. (d. 2022)
1963
John Carroll Lynch is an American character actor and film director. He first gained notice for his role as Norm Gunderson in Fargo (1996).
1964
Adam Duritz, American singer-songwriter and producer best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, for which he serves as a founding member and principal composer.
1965
Sam Mendes, British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Years Honours List.
1968
Dan Donegan American heavy metal guitarist, songwriter, and keyboardist. He is one of the founding members of heavy metal band Disturbed.
1972
Nicke Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band The Hellacopters and drummer for the death metal band Entombed.
1977
Damien Saez, French singer-songwriter and guitarist.
1979
Dhani Harrison, British-American musician, composer and singer-songwriter. He is the only child of George and Olivia Harrison. Dhani debuted as a professional musician assisting in recording his father's final album, Brainwashed.
1979
Jason Momoa, American actor, director, and producer. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series Baywatch: Hawaii. He followed with Stargate Atlantis, Game of Thrones, Aquaman, Dune, and Fast X.
1982
Montserrat Lombard is an English actress best known for playing WPC Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in the BBC drama series Ashes to Ashes.
1989
Tiffany Hwang, Korean American singer, songwriter, and actress.
1992
Mrunal Thakur is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi, Telugu and Marathi films.
1993
Leon Thomas III is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor.
1994
Ayaka Wada is a Japanese singer and idol signed to YU-M Entertainment. She was a first generation member and the leader of Angerme as well as the leader of Hello! Project.
1995
Madison Cawthorn, American politician who served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Cawthorn describes himself as a Christian and a constitutional conservative.
Notable Deaths
1866
John Ross was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1828 to 1866. Ross influenced the nation through such tumultuous events as the relocation to Indian Territory and the Civil War. (b. 1790)
1903
Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Late in her life, she appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. (b. 1853)
1966
Charles Whitman, American mass murderer and Marine veteran who became known as the "Texas Tower Sniper". (b. 1941)
1970
Frances Farmer was an American actress and television host. She appeared in over a dozen feature films over the course of her career, though she garnered notoriety for sensationalized accounts of her life. (b. 1913)
1977
Francis Gary Powers was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Lockheed U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident. (b. 1929)
1980
Strother Martin was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. (b. 1919)
1981
Sidney Aaron "Paddy" Chayefsky was an American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. He is the only person to have won three solo Academy Awards for writing both adapted and original screenplays. (b. 1923)
2005
Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 13 June 1982 until his death in 2005. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982. (b. 1923)
2006
Robert Thaves was the creator of the comic strip Frank and Ernest, which began in 1972. (b. 1924)
2007
Thomas Makem was an Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. (b. 1932)
2020
Wilford Brimley, American actor and singer (b. 1934)