What Happened in August?

Jamaica achieves independence after centuries of British and Spanish rule. Jamaica is the third-largest island in the Caribbean, after Cuba and the island of Hispaniola (Home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Jamaica is located about 145 km (78 mi) south of Cuba, 191 km (103 mi) west of Hispaniola and 215 km (116 mi) southeast of the Cayman Islands. Jamaica 2024 population was reported to be over 2.8 million people; Its capital and largest city is Kingston. 

Charles de Gaulle survives an assassination attempt in Paris when he and his wife narrowly escaped from an organized machine gun ambush while traveling in their Citroën DS limousine. The attack was arranged by Colonel Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry of the Organisation armée secrète (OAS) who had targeted him in retaliation for his Algerian initiatives. Reportedly, there had been at least  30 assassination attempts against de Gaulle throughout his lifetime. 

Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, gains its independence from Great Britain. At midnight on 30th August, 1962, the British flag was lowered and the Trinidad and Tobago flag was raised for the first time. Trinidad and Tobago is a dual-island Caribbean nation near Venezuela. Its capital city is Port of Spain.  Expand +

The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. After Senate approval, the treaty that went into effect on October 10, 1963, banned nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, in outer space, and under water. More

Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Over 250,000 persons attended the Civil Rights rally in Washington, D.C. More

The hotline between Washington and Moscow came into operation 10 months after the Cuban Missile Crisis. The first implementation used Teletype equipment. It changed to fax machines in 1986 and in 2008 to a secure computer link over which secured messages are exchanged. More

The Gulf of Tonkin incident begins as the USS Maddox engages North Vietnamese torpedo boats leading to increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. On August 7,The U.S. Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Lyndon B. Johnson authority "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."

The bodies of three lynched civil rights workers (James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman) were found in Neshoba County, Mississippi. They had been tortured and murdered by the KKK with help from the deputy sheriff near Philadelphia. M in .after disappearing more than a month before. More

The U.S. Congress approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, granting President Lyndon B. Johnson authority "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."  Expand +

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act suspended literacy, knowledge and character tests which were designed to keep African Americans from voting in the South. It also authorized the appointment of Federal voting examiners and barred discriminatory poll taxes. Congress renewed the in 1975, 1984 and 1991.

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, gains its independence from Malaysia following a period of political and racial tensions within the short-lived Malaysia federation . The separation was formalized through the Independence of Singapore Agreement, declaring Singapore an independent and sovereign nation. Expand +

Six days of riots began in the Watts area of Los Angeles, triggered by an incident between a white member of the California Highway Patrol and an African American motorist. Thirty-four deaths were reported and more than 3,000 people arrested. Damage to property was estimated at $40 million.

The U.S. Senate confirms the appointment of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall became the first African American to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. More

The Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia to crack down on reformist trends in Prague. Although the Soviet Union's action successfully halted the pace of reform in Czechoslovakia, it had unintended consequences for the unity of the communist bloc. More

Major protests take place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The protests .in part fueled by opposition to the Vietnam War and the assassination of Robert Kennedy, culminated in the so-called Battle of Michigan Avenue, a violent confrontation between demonstrators and police. Expand +

Hurricane Camille made landfall late in the evening along the Mississippi Gulf Coast near Waveland, MS. Camille is one of only four Category 5 hurricanes ever to make landfall in the continental United States. The combination of winds, surges, and rainfalls caused 256 deaths (143 on the Gulf Coast and 113 in the Virginia floods) and $1.421 billion in damage. Three deaths were reported in Cuba. More

The Woodstock three day outdoor music festival celebrates its final night. The audience was estimated at more than 450,000 and it was the largest and most memorable of dozens of outdoor music festivals that took place between 1967 and 1969. Expand +

North Vietnam's president, Ho Chi Minh response to President Nixon's letter is received at the White House three days before Ho Chi Minh death in Hanoi from a heart attack on September 2, 1969 at the age of 79. More

In a television address, President Richard Nixon announces the end of the convertibility of the United States dollar into gold.

French high-wire artist Philippe Petit walks between the Twin Towers at 1,350 feet above ground with no net. More