The United States and the Philippines sign a Mutual Defense Treaty which is still in effect as of 2025. More
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What Happened in August?
Conquests, crusades, and victories. Explore pivotal historical events that took place in August. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Hussein was proclaimed king of Jordan succeeding to the throne three months before his 17th birthday. A three-man regency council made up of the prime minister and heads of the Senate and the House of Representatives was appointed until he became 18. He was enthroned on 2 May 1953, the same day that his cousin Faisal II assumed his constitutional powers as king of Iraq. More
A U.S. CIA and UK supported coup d'état by the Iranian military topples the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. It favored strengthening the monarchical rule of the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and all but insuring access to Iranian oil by the U.S. and the U.K.
Sixty years later, in 2013, the National Security Archive released declassified CIA documents on the United States' role in the controversial operation. Although American and British involvement, had long been public knowledge, the released documents were the CIA's first formal acknowledgement that the agency helped to plan and execute the coup and participated in smoothing over the aftermath. More
Congress passed the Communist Control Act of 1954 (CCA) as an amendment to the McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 “to outlaw the Communist Party, to prohibit members of Communist organizations from serving in certain representative capacities, and for other purposes.” Many of the CCA provisions impinged upon a number of constitutional rights and were removed over time. More
Emmett Till, a 14-year old African American from the south side of Chicago, is kidnapped and brutally murdered while visiting his relatives in Money, Mississippi, by Roy Bryant, and brother-in-law, J.W. Milam.
Till had gone to the Bryant store in with his cousins, and reportedly may have whistled at Carolyn Bryant, Roy's wife. Till's body was dumped in the Tallahatchie River. In September 1955 an all-white jury found Bryant and Milam not guilty of Till's murder. Protected against double jeopardy, the two men publicly admitted in a 1956 interview with Look magazine that they had tortured and murdered Till, selling the story of how they did it for $4,000 (equivalent to $50,000 in 2025). Till's murder became a catalyst for the next phase of the civil rights movement. Eight years later on this date, Martin Luther King Jr delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during a Civil rights march on Washington.
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Malaya, officially, The Federation of Malaya, declares its independence from British rule. The declaration was proclaimed by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of the Federation of Malaya at Kuala Lumpur.
The USS Nautilus, the first U.S. nuclear submarine, reaches the geographic North Pole traveling 1000 miles under sea from Point Barrow, Alaska and then on to Iceland, pioneering a new and shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Europe. More
The first satellite image of Earth is captured by Explorer 6. 1959. The crude picture of the earth’s surface and cloud cover was taken from a distance of 17,000 miles from earth. The photo, received in Hawaii, took nearly 40 minutes to transmit. It was a grainy, black and white photo, but a groundbreaking achievement for its time. Explorer 6 was launched on August 7, 1959. More
Hawaii is admitted to the union becoming the 50th State. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation and issued an order for an American flag featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows: five six-star rows and four five-star rows. The new flag became official July 4,1960.
Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, Independence day. Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July. Benin is a country in West Africa formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The capital is Porto-Novo, and the seat of government is in Cotonou, the most populous city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 112,622 km2 (43,484 sq mi), and its population in 2021 was approximately 13 million. It is a tropical country with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture and is an exporter of palm oil and cotton.
Independence day of Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger.- Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July. Niger is a West Africa country, bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria to the south, Benin and Burkina Faso to the southwest, Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Its population is about 25 million. The capital Niamey is located in Niger's southwest corner along the namesake Niger River.
Burkina Faso Independence Day. Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July and creation of the independent Republic of Upper Volta. On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.
Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Independence Day. It commemorates the Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 11 July. The Ivory Coast is located on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city is Yamoussoukro while its largest city and economic center is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea to the south. As of 2024, It has a population of 31.5 million inhabitants. More
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad's Independence day. Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 12 July. Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
Chad has a population of 19 million. Its capital and largest city is N'Djamenaof which has a population of 1.6 million. Chad is the fifth-largest country in Africa and the twentieth largest nation by area.
Republic of the Congo Independence Day - Effective date of the agreement with France signed on 12 July. The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo - Not to be confused with its neighbor, The Democratic Republic of the Congo - (DRC), is a country located on the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo River. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to the northwest by Cameroon, to the northeast by the Central African Republic, to the southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south by the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and to the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. It has a 2023 population of more than 2.2 Million.
Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom. The Republic of Cyprus is a sovereign state and a member of the United Nations and the European Union.
The island has been divided since 1974 following a Turkish military intervention and the Republic of Cyprus now governs the southern part of the island and is predominantly Greek Cypriot. Independence of the North part of Cyprus; Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) (TRNC), was declared in 1983 but it is only recognized by Turkey.
Gabon independence day, officially the Gabonese Republic recognizing the end of French colonial rule. This day is a national holiday marked by festivities, parades, and cultural events throughout the country.
Senegal formally withdraws from the Mali Federation and declares independence. The Republic of Senegal was formally proclaimed on September 5, 1960, with Léopold Sédar Senghor as president (head of state) and Mamadou. Senegal celebrates its Independence Day on April 4th commemorating Senegal's independence from French colonial rule, which was achieved on April 4, 1960. The 2024 population of Senegal was approximately 18.9 Million. More
East Germany begins to seal off around Berlin. First, a wire barrier was constructed and a few days later the wire was replaced by a six-foot-high, 96-mile-long wall of concrete blocks. It hoped this measure would put an end to the mass exodus to Berlin. More
Nelson Mandela, Apartheid opponent, was arrested by security police in South Africa. He was tried and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1964, he was retried for sabotage , high treason and conspiracy to overthrow the government. He was sentenced to life in prison.
A worldwide campaign to free him began in the 1980s and resulted in his release on February 11, 1990, at age 71 after 27 years in prison. In 1993, Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with South Africa's President F.W. de Klerk for their peaceful efforts to bring a nonracial democracy to South Africa. In April 1994, black South Africans voted for the first time in an election that brought Mandela the presidency of South Africa. More