August 1 facts for kids

August 1 is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 152 days remain until the end of the year. August 1st is a special day in history, filled with many important events, famous birthdays, and interesting holidays from around the world! From ancient times to today, this date has seen big changes, new discoveries, and the start of many traditions. Let's explore some of the most exciting things that happened on August 1st.

Events

Big Moments in History

Ancient Times

• 30 BC – Octavian, who later became the Roman Emperor Augustus, entered Alexandria, Egypt. This brought Egypt under the control of the Roman Republic.
• AD 69 – The Batavians in what is now the Netherlands started a rebellion led by Gaius Julius Civilis. This was known as the Revolt of the Batavi.
• 527 – Justinian I became the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire, a powerful empire in Eastern Europe.
• 902 – Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold in Sicily, was captured by the Aghlabid army. This completed the Muslim conquest of Sicily.
• 1291 – The Old Swiss Confederacy was formed when the Federal Charter was signed. This was a big step in creating modern Switzerland.
• 1498 – Christopher Columbus became the first European to visit the land that is now Venezuela.

Later History

• 1620 – The ship Speedwell left Delfshaven to take pilgrims to America.
• 1714 – George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain. This marked the start of the Georgian era in British history.
• 1759 – During the Seven Years' War, the Battle of Minden took place. An army of British and German soldiers won against the French.
• 1774 – British scientist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen gas. This was a very important discovery for understanding air and life.
• 1798 – The Battle of the Nile began. A British fleet fought the French Revolutionary Navy at night.
• 1800 – The Acts of Union 1800 were passed. These laws joined the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1834 – Slavery was abolished across the British Empire. This happened when the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 came into effect.
• 1876 – Colorado became the 38th U.S. state.
• 1893 – Henry Perky received a patent for shredded wheat, a popular breakfast cereal.
• 1894 – Japan and China declared war on each other. This officially started the First Sino-Japanese War over Korea.

Modern Era

• 1907 – The very first Scout camp began on Brownsea Island. This was the start of the worldwide Scouting movement.
• 1914 – World War I began. The German Empire declared war on the Russian Empire.
• 1927 – The Nanchang Uprising took place. This was the first major battle in the Chinese Civil War. It is celebrated as the founding day of the People's Liberation Army.
• 1936 – The Olympic Games opened in Berlin. The ceremony was led by Adolf Hitler.
• 1944 – During World War II, the Warsaw Uprising started in Warsaw, Poland. People fought against the Nazi German occupation.
• 1950 – Guam became an unincorporated territory of the United States. President Harry S. Truman signed the Guam Organic Act.
• 1957 – The United States and Canada created the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). This group helps protect the skies over North America.
• 1960 – Dahomey (now called Benin) declared its independence from France.
• 1961 – The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was created in the U.S. It was the first central military intelligence group.
• 1964 – The former Belgian Congo was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• 1965 – Frank Herbert's famous science fiction novel, Dune, was published for the first time.
• 1971 – The Concert for Bangladesh was held in New York City. It was organized by former Beatle George Harrison to raise money for a good cause.
• 1980 – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was elected President of Iceland. She became the world's first democratically elected female head of state.
• 1981 – MTV began broadcasting in the United States. Its first music video was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.
• 1984 – The preserved body of a man, known as Lindow Man, was discovered in a bog in England.
• 2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapsed during rush hour.
• 2008 – The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway started operating. It was the fastest commuter rail system in the world at the time.

Births

Famous People Born on August 1st

Historical Figures

• 10 BC – Claudius, a Roman emperor.
• 126 – Pertinax, another Roman emperor.
• 1744 – Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a French biologist who studied how living things change over time.
• 1770 – William Clark, an American soldier and explorer. He was part of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition.
• 1779 – Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer and poet. He wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner," the U.S. national anthem.
• 1818 – Maria Mitchell, an American astronomer and academic. She was the first woman to be a professional astronomer in the U.S.
• 1819 – Herman Melville, an American novelist. He wrote the famous book Moby Dick.
• 1843 – Robert Todd Lincoln, an American lawyer and politician, and the son of President Abraham Lincoln.
• 1858 – Gaston Doumergue, a French lawyer and politician who became the President of France.
• 1877 – George Hackenschmidt, an Estonian-English wrestler and strongman.

Modern Personalities

• 1905 – Helen Sawyer Hogg, an American-Canadian astronomer.
• 1930 – Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist and philosopher.
• 1933 – Dom DeLuise, an American actor and comedian.
• 1936 – Yves Saint Laurent, a famous Algerian-French fashion designer.
• 1942 – Jerry Garcia, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known from the band The Grateful Dead.
• 1945 – Douglas Osheroff, an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1948 – Avi Arad, an Israeli-American producer who helped create Marvel Studios.
• 1949 – Jim Carroll, an American poet, author, and musician.
• 1953 – Robert Cray, an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1959 – Joe Elliott, an English singer-songwriter, famous as the lead singer of Def Leppard.
• 1960 – Chuck D, an American rapper and songwriter, known for the group Public Enemy.
• 1963 – Coolio, an American rapper and actor.
• 1965 – Sam Mendes, an English director and producer, known for films like American Beauty and 1917.
• 1976 – Nwankwo Kanu, a Nigerian footballer.
• 1978 – Dhani Harrison, an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, and the son of George Harrison.
• 1979 – Jason Momoa, an American actor, known for roles like Aquaman.
• 1984 – Bastian Schweinsteiger, a German footballer.
• 1985 – Adam Jones, an American baseball player.
• 1987 – Karen Carney, an English women's footballer.
• 1989 – Tiffany Young, a Korean American singer and actress.
• 2001 – Scottie Barnes, an American basketball player.

Deaths

Notable People Who Died on August 1st

Historical Figures

• 30 BC – Mark Antony, a famous Roman general and politician.
• 527 – Justin I, a Byzantine emperor.
• 1137 – Louis VI, the King of France.
• 1464 – Cosimo de' Medici, a powerful Italian ruler and banker who supported the arts.
• 1714 – Anne, Queen of Great Britain, the last Stuart monarch of Great Britain.
• 1787 – Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, an Italian bishop and saint.

Modern Personalities

• 1903 – Calamity Jane, an American frontierswoman and scout.
• 1920 – Bal Gangadhar Tilak, an Indian freedom fighter and journalist.
• 1944 – Manuel L. Quezon, the second President of the Philippines.
• 1959 – Jean Behra, a French race car driver.
• 1967 – Richard Kuhn, an Austrian-German biochemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1970 – Otto Heinrich Warburg, a German physician and physiologist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 1977 – Francis Gary Powers, an American pilot whose spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.
• 1981 – Paddy Chayefsky, an American author and screenwriter.
• 1996 – Tadeusz Reichstein, a Polish-Swiss chemist who won the Nobel Prize.
• 2009 – Corazon Aquino, the 11th President of the Philippines.
• 2015 – Cilla Black, a popular English singer and actress.
• 2020 – Wilford Brimley, an American actor and singer.

Holidays and observances

• Armed Forces Day (Lebanon)
• Armed Forces Day (China) or Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation Army (People's Republic of China)
• Azerbaijani Language and Alphabet Day (Azerbaijan)
• Emancipation Day is celebrated in many parts of the former British Empire. It marks the day when the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 officially ended chattel slavery in the British Empire.
  • Emancipation Day is a public holiday in Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• Christian feast day:
  • Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori
  • Eusebius of Vercelli
  • The Holy Maccabees
• Minden Day (United Kingdom)
• National Day, celebrates the independence of Benin from France in 1960.
• National Day, celebrates Switzerland becoming a single country in 1291.
• Official Birthday and Coronation Day of the King of Tonga (Tonga)
• Parents' Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• Statehood Day (Colorado)
• The beginning of autumn observances in the Northern Hemisphere and spring observances in the Southern Hemisphere (Neopagan Wheel of the Year):
  • Lughnasadh in the Northern Hemisphere, Imbolc in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Lammas (England, Scotland, Neopagans)
  • Pachamama Raymi (Quechuan people in Ecuador and Peru)
• Victory Day (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam)
• World Scout Scarf Day
• Yorkshire Day (Yorkshire, England)

See also

In Spanish: 1 de agosto para niños