History of 1 August
1907 – The U.S. Army established an aeronautical division that later became the U.S. Air Force.
1914 – Germany declared war on Russia at the beginning of World War I.
1936 – Adolf Hitler presided over the Olympic games as they opened in Berlin.
1943 – In the Solomon Islands, the U.S. Navy patrol torpedo boat PT-109 sank after being hit by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri. The boat was under the command of Lt. John F. Kennedy. Eleven of the thirteen crew survived.
1944 – In Warsaw, Poland, an uprising against Nazi occupation began. The revolt continued until October 2 when Polish forces surrendered.
1946 – In the U.S., the Atomic Energy Commission was established.
1953 – The first aluminum-faced building was completed. It was the first of this type in America.
1956 – The Social Security Act was amended to provide benefits to disabled workers aged 50-64 and disabled adult children.
1957 – The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) was created by the United States and Canada.
1973 – The movie “American Graffiti” opened.
1975 – The Helsinki accords pledged the signatory nations to respect human rights.
1976 – The Seattle Seahawks played their first (preseason) game. The Seahawks lost 27-20 to San Francisco.
1978 – Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) ended his streak of hitting in 44 consecutive games.
1986 – John McEnroe and Tatum O’Neal were married.
1986 – Bert Blyleven (Minnesota Twins) became only the 10th pitcher to strike out 3,000 batters in his career.
1988 – Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” opened.
1993 – Reggie Jackson was admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
1995 – Westinghouse Electric Corporation announced a deal to buy CBS for $5.4 billion.
1998 – The U.S. books and music chain Borders opens its first European outlet with a 40,000-square-foot store on London’s Oxford Street.
2006 – Cuban leader Fidel Castro turned over absolute power when he gave his brother Raul authority while he underwent intestinal surgery.
2007 – The I-35W Mississippi River bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, collapses during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145.
2008 – The Beijing–Tianjin Intercity Railway begins operation as the fastest commuter rail system in the world.
2008 – Eleven mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth in the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering.
2017 – A suicide attack on a mosque in Herat, Afghanistan kills 20 people.
Celebrating Birthday Today
1981 – Dean Cox, Australian footballer
1981 – Pia Haraldsen, Norwegian journalist and author
1981 – Christofer Heimeroth, German footballer
1981 – Stephen Hunt, Irish footballer
1981 – Jamie Jones-Buchanan, English rugby player
1982 – Basem Fathi, Jordanian footballer
1982 – Montserrat Lombard, English actress, director, and screenwriter
1983 – Bobby Carpenter, American football player
1983 – Craig Clarke, New Zealand rugby player
1983 – Julien Faubert, French footballer
1983 – David Gervasi, Swiss decathlete
1984 – Steve Feak, American game designer
1984 – Francesco Gavazzi, Italian cyclist
1984 – Brandon Kintzler, American baseball player
1984 – Bastian Schweinsteiger, German footballer
1985 – Stuart Holden, Scottish-American soccer player
1985 – Adam Jones, American baseball player
1985 – Cole Kimball, American baseball player
1985 – Tendai Mtawarira, South African rugby player
1985 – Kris Stadsgaard, Danish footballer
1985 – Dušan Švento, Slovak footballer
1986 – Damien Allen, English footballer
1986 – Anton Strålman, Swedish ice hockey player
1986 – Andrew Taylor, English footballer
1986 – Elena Vesnina, a Russian tennis player
1986 – Mike Wallace, American football player
1987 – Iago Aspas, Spanish footballer
1987 – Karen Carney, English women’s football winger
1987 – Sébastien Pocognoli, Belgian footballer
1987 – Lee Wallace, Scottish footballer
1988 – Mustafa Abdellaoue, Norwegian footballer
1988 – Patryk Małecki, Polish footballer
1988 – Bodene Thompson, New Zealand rugby league player
1989 – Madison Bumgarner, American baseball player
1989 – Tiffany Hwang, Korean American singer, songwriter, and actress
1990 – Aledmys Díaz, Cuban baseball player
1990 – Jean Hugues Gregoire, Mauritian swimmer
1990 – Elton Jantjies, South African rugby player
1991 – Piotr Malarczyk, Polish footballer
1991 – Marco Puntoriere, Italian footballer
1992 – Austin Rivers, American basketball player
1992 – Mrunal Thakur, Indian actress
1993 – Álex Abrines, Spanish basketball player
1993 – Leon Thomas III, American actor, and singer
1994 – Sergeal Petersen, South African rugby player
1994 – Ayaka Wada, Japanese singer
1996 – Katie Boulter, English tennis player
2001 – Park Si-Eun, South Korean actress