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
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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.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
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August 26 - 29
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.
The event was among the most tense and confrontational political conventions in American history, and became notorious for the televised heavy-handed police tactics. Dissatisfaction with the convention led to major changes in the rules governing delegate selection, helping bring about the modern primary election system. More
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.
This era began with the Monterey Pops Concert, at Monterey, California, on June 16-18, 1967, and ended tragically, with the Altamont Racetrack Concert, at Altamont, California, which was marked by violence.
James M Shelley, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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
President Richard Nixon announces in a Television address on August 15, 1971, that he was unilaterally suspending the dollar's direct convertibility to gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system and moving the U.S. toward a fiat currency system. The official confirmation of devaluation came later with the December 1971 Smithsonian Agreement.
French high-wire artist Philippe Petit walks between the Twin Towers at 1,350 feet above ground with no net. More
Richard M Nixon announces in a national television address delivered from the Oval Office on the evening of August 8, 1974, that he he will resign the presidency the following day, August 9, 1974, due to the Watergate scandal.
The following morning, August 9, Nixon submitted a signed letter of resignation to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, becoming the only U.S. President ever to resign. Gerald Ford became president on August 9, 1974, after Richard Nixon resigned from office and taking the oath of office in the East Room of the White House. becoming the 38th U.S. President. More
The Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOC) is signed by President Richard Nixon and becomes a US federal law. The EEOC Act of 1974 prohibits discrimination against faculty, staff, and students, including racial segregation of students, and requires school districts to take action to overcome barriers to students' equal participation.
It is one of a number of laws affecting educational institutions including the Rehabilitation Act (1973), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
A 707 passenger flight chartered by the national airline of Morocco, Royal Air Maroc, flying in heavy fog crashed into a mountain on approach to Agadir Inezgane, Airport in Morocco. All 188 passengers and crew on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error. More
The term "Global Warming" is used for the first time in a science publication. The article by geochemist Wallace Broecker of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory: "Climatic Change: Are We on the Brink of a Pronounced Global Warming?" More
By Bruce Gilbert - , CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...
Viking 1 launches on its way to Mars. it became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface. More
1980, August 14-15
The Solidarity movement in Poland, led by Lech Walesa, signs the Gdansk Agreement with the communist government, marking a significant milestone in the fight for workers' rights. Solidarity opposed Communist rule and was outlawed the following year.
Seven years later, the re-legalization of Solidarity occurred and the government agreed to hold partially free parliamentary elections. Solidarity candidates scored stunning victories, paving the way for the downfall of Communism there. More
The Solidarity movement in Poland is officially recognized by the government after a wave of strikes and protests, marking a significant step in the fight for workers' rights and democracy, leading to its participation in negotiations that eventually ended Communist rule in Poland in 1989. More
Image Source European Solidarity Centre, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL , via Wikimedia Commons
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President Reagan signs the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (ERTA), the 185-page that fulfilled his campaign promise to cut taxes. The act helped accelerate economic growth but it is blamed for being a major contributor to the growth of Income inequality in the U.S. which is now at heights not seen for a century. More
Filipino opposition leader Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr., was assassinated at the Manila airport while leaving his plane. Public outcry ultimately led to the collapse of the government of Ferdinand E. Marcos and the inauguration as president of Corazon C. Aquino, widow of the slain man.
Delta Air Lines Flight 191, Lockheed L-1011 TriStar airplane, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport during a landing approach. on August 2, 1985. The cause of the accident was determined to be an intense, localized downburst (microburst), a weather phenomenon not well understood at the time.
Of the 163 persons aboard, 136 were killed in addition to one person hit on the ground. Two passengers died more than 30 days after the accident as a result of their injuries. More
Japan Air Lines Flight 123 flight from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan crashes in the area of Mount Takamagahara, 62 miles from Tokyo. The Boeing 747 suffered a severe structural failure and decompression 12 minutes into the flight and crashed 32 minutes later after flying under minimal control for that time. 520 people died in the accident. All four survivors were seriously injured. The root cause of the explosive decompression was attributed to an improperly executed repair to the airplane's aft pressure bulkhead that was completed several years prior to the accident. The crash of Flight 123 is the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history. More
A volcanic eruption under Lake Nyos in Cameroon caused deadly fumes which killed more than 1,500 persons. More
A DC-9 Super 82 on Northwest Flight 255 crashes minutes aftertakeoff at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan. The flight was headed to California with a Phoenix stopover. A four-year-old girl was the sole survivor of the accident,156 people died. The crash was caused by pilot error. More