On This Day - What Happened on August 1 (2024)

1589

Henry III of France stabbed by assassin

Giraudon/Art Resource, New York

Maria Mitchell

American astronomer

born

August 1, 1818
Nantucket, Massachusetts

died

June 28, 1889 (aged 70)
Lynn, Massachusetts

Nantucket Historical Association

2005

Fahd, who became king of Saudi Arabia in 1982, died at age 82; he was succeeded by his half brother ʿAbd Allah. Test your knowledge of kings and emperors

Tannen Maury/AP Images

1996

American author George R.R. Martin published A Game of Thrones, the first installment in his hugely popular fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Take our quiz about fantasy lands

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

1987

American boxer Mike Tyson defeated Tony Tucker and was unanimously recognized as heavyweight champion by all three sanctioning organizations (World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, and International Boxing Federation). Take our sports quiz

Gary Hershorn—Reuters/© Archive Photos

1981

The cable television network MTV debuted, with the broadcast of the music video for Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quiz

1980

Icelandic teacher and politician Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became president of Iceland; she was the first woman in the world to be elected head of state in a national election. Test your knowledge of famous female firsts

ITN/Shutterstock.com

1966

Charles Whitman, a student and ex-marine, fired down from the clock tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, killing 14 people and wounding 31 others (one of whom died years later from complications related to his wounds); it was one of the worst mass murders in a public area in U.S. history. Watch a video of Neal Spelce, who reported live on the 1966 shooting, describing the response to the event

AP Images

1944

The Warsaw Uprising began as the Polish underground tried to oust the German army and seize control of the city before it was occupied by the advancing Soviet army; after running out of supplies, the Poles were forced to surrender in October. Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz

© Jacek Kadaj/Dreamstime.com

1944

The final entry was recorded in the diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl who spent two years in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Watch an overview of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam

United Archives GmbH/Alamy

1940

John F. Kennedy's Why England Slept, a critical account of the British military that became a best seller, was published. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about U.S. presidents

© Arthur Rickerby—Black Star/PNI

1936

The Summer Olympics opened in Berlin, and the efforts by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party to demonstrate the superiority of the “Aryan race” were undermined by the success of African American athletes, notably Jesse Owens. Take our Olympic history quiz

AP

1876

Colorado was admitted to the union, becoming the 38th U.S. state. Test your knowledge of U.S. states

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

1819

American writer Herman Melville—best known for his novels of the sea, most notably Moby Dick (1851)—was born. Take our quiz about famous novels

From Herman Melville, Mariner and Mystic, by Raymond M. Weaver, 1921

1744

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck—a French biologist best known for his theory that acquired traits are inheritable, an idea known as Lamarckism—was born in Bazentin-le-Petit. How much do you know about biology?

© Photos.com/Thinkstock

1714

Queen Anne, the last Stuart ruler of England, died at age 49. Take our queens of England quiz

The Granger Collection, New York

10 bce

Roman Emperor Claudius I, who extended Roman rule in North Africa and made Britain a province, was born in Lugdunum, Gaul (now Lyon, France). How much do you know about the Roman Empire?

Alinari/Art Resource, New York