Browse Historical Events by Month:
Conquests, crusades, and victories. Explore pivotal historical events that took place in August. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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In one of the worst maritime disasters, 900 men drowned on the British battleship Royal George. A gust of wind allowed water to flood into open gun ports as the ship was being repaired whilst anchored at Spithead off Portsmouth. The ship sank within minutes.
Russians led by Grigorii Shelikhov established the first permanent Russian outpost in Alaska on Kodiak Island at Three Saints Bay. More
The Shays' Rebellion starts. It was an armed insurrection by Massachusetts farmers, including Continental Army veterans who hadn't been paid for their service and were struggling with debt, high taxes and economic hardship after the American Revolution. They were led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays and lasted from 1786–1787.
The rebels closed courthouses and threatened government facilities, but the Massachusetts militia eventually crushed the uprising. The rebellion revealed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, ultimately leading to calls for a stronger federal government and the Constitutional Convention. More
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is adopted in France, laying the groundwork for the French Revolution, becoming the basis for a nation of free individuals protected equally by the law. It is included at the beginning of the constitutions of both the French Fourth Republic (1946) and French Fifth Republic (1958) and is considered valid as constitutional law. More
The United States conducts its first national census, showing a population of 3.9M people (3,929,214). The official count started on August 2 1790 and was finished within 9 months,
The census was conducted by U.S. Marshals visiting households to collect information. The results were used to determine congressional representation and apportion taxes. The census was published in 1791 and it cost $44,377. Some of the results highlights were:
1. Fewer than 5% of Americans lived in urban areas
2. Virginia was the most populous state with 747,610 people.
3. Delaware was the least populous with 59,094.
4. The enslaved population was counted as approximately 700,000
5. Most Native Americans were not counted because they were considered "Indian not taxed".
More
Benjamin Banneker, the son of a free Black American woman and a formerly enslaved African man from Guinea, writes a letter to Thomas Jefferson, then-Secretary of State. On the letter, Banneker criticizes Jefferson’s hypocritical stance on slavery in respectful but unambiguous terms, using Jefferson’s own words to make his case for the abolition of slavery.
Jefferson brief response thanked him for the letter, expressed his ambivalence about slavery ("…no body [sic] wishes more sincerely than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit in your letter, that nature has given to our black brethren, talents equal to those of the other colours of men") and endorsed Banneker’s accomplishments. More
Louis XVI of France and his wife, Marie-Antoinette are imprisoned, making the French monarchy effectively overthrown, as the French Revolution continued (1789–1799). They were both executed by guillotine in 1793.
The Siege of Toulon begins. It was a French Revolutionary War engagement where young artillery officer Napoleon Bonaparte helped French forces drive out British and royalist forces from the key naval base of Toulon, a port on the south coast of France.
Following Napoleon's strategic capture of key forts overlooking the harbor, the British fleet was bombarded and forced to evacuate, leading to the French retaking the city on December 19, 1793. This victory was a critical turning point, marking the beginning of Napoleon's rise to military prominence and a significant defeat for the British who were force to evacuate.
President George Washington leads a militia force of 12,950 men towards Western Pennsylvania to subdue the Whiskey Rebellion, warning locals "not to abet, aid, or comfort the Insurgents aforesaid, as they will answer the contrary at their peril." More
President George Washington signs the Jay’s Treaty on August 14, 1795,- The treaty was formally named the "Treaty of Amity Commerce and Navigation between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America,"
The treaty had been initially negotiated and signed on November 19, 1794 by John Jay, an important Federalist and close political ally of George Washington and pprovisionally ratified by Congress on June 24 1995. The treaty proved unpopular with the American public but did accomplish the goal of maintaining peace between the two nations and preserving U.S. neutrality. More
The British fleet under Admiral Horatio Nelson defeats the French fleet on August 1, 1798, off the Egyptian coast at the Battle of the Nile during the French Revolutionary Wars.
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The battle of Vimeiro, part of the Peninsular Wars takes place near the village of Vimeiro near Lisbon, between Britain and France. British General Arthur Wellesley defeated French General Andoche Junot's forces. General Wellesley later became the Duke of Wellington. More
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, Independence Day - Celebration of the first Ecuadorian patriot uprising against Spanish rule and original proclamation of independence. The movement failed and the leaders of the movement were executed. On 1822 Ecuador won independence from Spain as part of the confederation of Gran Colombia on the decisive Battle of Pichincha.
The confederation of Gran Colombia was comprised of what is now the countries of Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. On May 13, 1830, Ecuador seceded and became a separate independent republic. Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contains the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific ocean about 1,000 kilometers (621 mi) west of the mainland. The country's capital is Quito and its largest city is Guayaquil. Ecuador population in 2023 was 17.5 Million.
The Creek War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Fort Jackson, on August 9, 1814 with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation ceding over 22 million acres of their land in present-day Alabama and Georgia to the United States.
During the War of 1812, British forces capture Washington, D.C. and burn down the White House, the Capitol, and other public buildings along with a number of private homes. The burning was in retaliation for the earlier American burning of York (Toronto).
Shortly before the arrival of the British forces, an iconic portrait of George Washington is removed from the White House walls, to prevent it being looted by British troops. First lady, Dolley Madison is credited for saving the portrait. The portrait was actually a copy of Gilbert Stuart's original. President Madison served the rest of his term residing at the city’s Octagon House. It was not until 1817 that the newly elected president James Monroe moved back into the reconstructed building.
Missouri is admitted into the Union becoming the 24th State
Spain recognizes Mexico independence with the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba. Mexico, officially the United Mexican States is located in North America. It borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Mexico has a population exceeding 130 million. Its capital and largest city is Mexico City which ranks among the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. More
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, declares its Independence from Spain. Located in central South America, Bolivia has diverse geography, and climates, including large Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, warm valleys and high-altitude Andean plateaus. The constitutional capital and the seat of the judiciary is Sucre and the seat of the executive and legislative government is La Paz. Bolivia is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. The largest city and principal industrial center is Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Its 2024 census reported a population of over 11 Million.
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, declares its Independence from the Empire of Brazil and union with the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The independence was recognized on August 27, 1828.
Uruguay is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay covers an area of approximately 176,215 square kilometers (68,037 sq mi). It has a population of almost 3.5 million people, of whom nearly 2 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo.
Nat Turner's slave rebellion begins in Southampton County, Virginia on the night of August 21, 1831, in Southampton County, Virginia. Nat Turner was a black Baptist preacher who believed he was divinely chosen to lead his people to freedom.
The rebellion targeted white slaveholding families and resulted in the deaths of about 55 white people. The uprising was eventually suppressed by armed white men,. Many enslaved people were killed or arrested afterwards and Virginia went on to enact stricter laws to control the enslaved population.
