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This Day in History - August

Can you guess these things that happened in the month of August?
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Quizmaster
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Last updated: August 19, 2020
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First submittedAugust 8, 2012
Times taken43,311
Average score77.4%
Rating4.42
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Date
Year
Clue
Answer
Aug 1
1834
This practice is abolished in the British Empire
Slavery
Aug 2
216 BC
This Carthaginian general defeats the Romans at the Battle of Cannae
Hannibal
Aug 3
1778
Opera house "La Scala" opens in this city
Milan
Aug 4
70
Romans destroy the temple in this city
Jerusalem
Aug 5
1962
This actress is found dead at age 36 in a "probable suicide"
Marilyn Monroe
Aug 6
1945
An atomic bomb is dropped on this city
Hiroshima
Aug 7
1974
Philippe Petit walks between these two buildings on a tight rope
World Trade Center
Aug 8
1974
This U.S. President resigns
Richard Nixon
Aug 9
1965
This country gains independence unwillingly after being expelled from Malaysia
Singapore
Aug 10
1921
Franklin D. Roosevelt first shows signs of this disease
Polio
Aug 11
1919
The new constitution of this country is signed in the city of Weimar
Germany
Aug 12
30 BC
This Egyptian ruler commits suicide, possibly snake bite
Cleopatra
Aug 13
1961
Borders are closed in this European city
Berlin
Aug 14
1980
Lech Wałęsa leads labor strikes in this country
Poland
Aug 15
1281
For the second time, a "divine wind" destroys the Mongol fleet attempting to invade this island nation
Japan
Aug 16
1829
Chang and Eng, conjoined twins from this country, arrive in the U.S.
Siam
Aug 17
1807
The world's first commercial steamboat service is started on this river, connecting New York City and Albany
Hudson River
Aug 18
1969
Jimi Hendrix plays the American national anthem at this music festival
Woodstock
Aug 19
1991
A failed coup attempt is launched against this Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev
Aug 20
1882
This Tchaikovsky overture debuts in Moscow, using cannon shots as part of the music
1812 Overture
Aug 21
1959
This state becomes the 50th to join the U.S.
Hawaii
Aug 22
1642
This king declares Parliament to be traitors, sparking the English Civil War
Charles I
Aug 23
1305
This Scottish rebel is executed in London
William Wallace
Aug 24
2006
This Kuiper Belt object is demoted to "dwarf planet" status
Pluto
Aug 25
1875
Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim across this body of water
English Channel
Aug 26
1768
This explorer sets sail from England aboard the HMS Endeavour
James Cook
Aug 27
479 BC
Ancient Greeks win the battles of Plataea and Mycale, ending the attempted invasion by this empire
Persian Empire
Aug 28
1879
In South Africa, the British capture Cetshwayo, the last king of this tribe
Zulu
Aug 29
2005
This hurricane makes landfall in Louisiana
Hurricane Katrina
Aug 30
1963
The so-called "red phone" is established, connecting this city and Moscow
Washington D.C.
Aug 31
1997
This celebrity dies in a car crash after being chased by paparazzi
Princess Diana
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68 Comments
BobSaget
+2
Level 76
Aug 4, 2012
Nixon announced his resignation on August 8; it took effect on August 9. Just to be technical.
HutHutVikes
+3
Level 65
Aug 1, 2021
Professional-level nitpickery!
Zefyrinus
+2
Level 74
Aug 25, 2012
Gah! More time! I didn't even manage to read through all the clues.
TheCrusher
+4
Level 70
Aug 1, 2018
Really? I finished with almost 3 minutes left. Maybe the QM did add some time since 2012...
travelfan
+1
Level 67
Apr 22, 2014
Would you consider accepting Lady Di for princess Diana? I believe that is a very common appellation. That was the only name I could think of; I tried Lady Diana in full, then got it when I simply typed Diana as a last resort.
IsleAuHaulte
+9
Level 92
Aug 2, 2018
Why want the title, but then just give her a short monosyllabic nick like a cubicle coworker?
swaddle
+2
Level 38
Feb 3, 2021
Can we just stick with ‘Diana’ or ‘Princess Diana’
kitsims
+2
Level 86
Aug 1, 2021
Her title was "Diana, Princess of Wales", not "Lady Diana" or "Princess Diana". I think the quiz is fine as it stands.
Susie222
+2
Level 58
Jul 2, 2015
Are there any other actresses used in these quizzes other than Marilyn Monroe? I bet 90% of the time when the name of an US actress is needed as an answer, it is Marilyn Monroe.
BlackLab
+1
Level 66
Aug 2, 2024
Other actress are also included like Norma Jean for example.
loganite
+4
Level 93
Aug 1, 2015
I couldn't think of William Wallace right away, so I tried Braveheart and then even Mel Gibson in desperation before the name finally came to me! :)
CliveDexter
+1
Level 73
Aug 1, 2015
Adhering strictly to the clue, wouldn't Nagasaki also be a correct answer?
Malbaby
+7
Level 70
Aug 2, 2015
Nagasaki was bombed on the 9th August
JackintheBox
+3
Level 82
Mar 28, 2020
No. Wrong date.
McKenzieFam
+1
Level 68
Sep 1, 2021
Next years version of this quiz: which militant group recaptured Afghanistan?
LarryLovage
+1
Level 55
Aug 4, 2015
Everything in life is so often counter-intuitive, I always like how if you want to remember which of the two new states in 1959 is which, it can be answered, "Which month do you think of when you look at Alaska? And which do you think of when you look at Hawaii?"
RobNobody
+3
Level 80
Aug 1, 2018
I remember because of the TV show Hawaii Five-0.
mightythor
+10
Level 68
Aug 21, 2020
Alaska Four-9 was much less popular.
Senlac
+2
Level 50
Dec 8, 2015
William Wallace was not a rebel, he was a patriot.

Rebels rebel against their own, patriots fight against would-be invaders.

Quizmaster
+14
Level ∞
Jul 24, 2017
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter
buck1017
+3
Level 78
Jul 25, 2017
Yep...Watch Star Wars from the other side's perspective and you soon see that Luke Skywalker killed WAY more people and ruined WAY more lives than the empire ever did. I'm sure the empire and people who were ruled by the empire saw the rebels as terrorists the entire time.
kalbahamut
+5
Level 79
Aug 1, 2018
This is a really dumb and inaccurate meme that perpetuates ignorance and the increasingly popular misuse of the word terrorist.
IsleAuHaulte
+3
Level 92
Aug 19, 2020
People will always fight foreign invaders, whether in Palestine, Iraq, France, Vietnam, Russia, Sioux territory, Algeria, Philippines and every other nation we care to add. The invaders will always label them insurrectionists, savages, terrorists or whatever the current buzzword is for the public back home to continue support of the occupation of a foreign country.
kalbahamut
+5
Level 79
Jun 1, 2021
^objectively wrong
Djilas
+3
Level 86
Aug 19, 2020
Patriots don't need to fight to be patriots
cpgatbyu
+1
Level 88
Oct 8, 2017
Lots of pre-Darwinian evolutionary thought.
jguthriex
+3
Level 77
Dec 29, 2017
Damn August, you crazy!
divantilya
+1
Level 36
May 18, 2018
Diana, The Princess of Wales vs. Diana, Princess of Wales. What a difference one word makes!
cornflakesfu
+2
Level 89
Aug 1, 2018
Dang. Front-page quizzes really piling on poor Pluto today.
Croppies98
+4
Level 70
Aug 1, 2018
William Wallace was little more than a brigand. There was a warrant out for his arrest for stealing beer with some English soldiers. He only gained a reputation because he refused to stop fighting when all the more senior nobles made peace. And he only did that because he knew he would be arrested. Most of the story made popular by Braveheart is a myth,
martay
+6
Level 69
Aug 1, 2018
Are you saying William Wallace wasn't 7ft tall and didn't consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and lightning bolts from his arse?
ander217
+12
Level 73
Aug 1, 2018
QM, you forgot to include my marriage 44 years ago, a far more important event than the one you listed for that date. :)
mrnafe
+5
Level 84
Aug 1, 2018
Did she tell you to write that?
camus
+9
Level 80
Aug 4, 2018
I think ander is a she married to a he. (Isn't it weird what one remembers from Jetpunk comments?)
rocamorar
+2
Level 80
Aug 1, 2018
August 9 has the Battle of Pharsalus, Jesse Owens fourth medal, Singapore's (unwilling) independence, the Tate murders,... plenty of significant world significant events. Ice Hockey is not even among the top ten of watched sports.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Aug 2, 2018
Nagasaki gets no loving.
Jiff123
+2
Level 47
Dec 21, 2021
Nagasaki was not bombed on the 6th of August.
ninjastar9
+3
Level 58
Aug 4, 2018
I didn't know Marilyn Monroe was only 36 when she died. That's really sad.
CardinalSin
+1
Level 82
Aug 30, 2020
ninjastar9, sadly, there's plenty more that have taken their own lives at a much younger age than that. At least she had an illustrious career. Suicide is not more sad because the victim happens to be pretty.
PitifulExcuse
+2
Level 65
Mar 19, 2024
that's a bit callous.
RobNobody
+5
Level 80
May 31, 2024
They weren't saying that Marilyn Monroe's death was the saddest suicide possible, geez. You're the only one making it a competition.
PrettyTiedUp
+2
Level 71
Aug 17, 2020
Jimi Hendrix plays the national anthem at this music festival. Maybe specify that it was the USA national anthem because the US is not the only country in the world....
Djilas
+4
Level 86
Aug 19, 2020
There's only one Jimi Hendrix though, he couldn't be in two different countries on the same day.
PitifulExcuse
+2
Level 65
Mar 19, 2024
This is Jimi Hendrix you're talking about. If he wanted to be in two countries on the same day, he could do so easily.
DonTheLamplighter
+12
Level 87
Aug 19, 2020
I was confused by this, too. I couldn't decide if it was referencing his legendary performance at Woodstock, or the time he played the national anthem of Upper Volta at that backyard barbeque in Perth.
IsleAuHaulte
+3
Level 92
Aug 19, 2020
He's not seen as a cultural milestone for bringing up sonic images of the lyrics to O Canada.
PrettyTiedUp
+1
Level 71
Sep 3, 2020
You know fine well I was being facetious.
cpgatbyu
+2
Level 88
Aug 19, 2020
I think the Charles year should be 1642. For example: "Finally, on 22 August 1642, Charles raised his standard at Nottingham, and declared Parliament to be traitors." http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_ecw1.html
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Aug 20, 2020
Fixed
cpgatbyu
+1
Level 88
Aug 19, 2020
The red phone year seems to be wrong. E.g., Wikipedia: "The hotline started operations on August 30, 1963."
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Aug 20, 2020
Fixed
kalbahamut
+1
Level 79
Jun 1, 2021
the information on Wikipedia is all wrong. The red phone is what connected Commissioner Gordon's office to the Bat-Cave.
BillShields
+2
Level 37
Jul 1, 2021
please accept World Trade Centre (English spelling)
RJF
+2
Level 67
Jul 31, 2021
Is 'Achaemenid' not accepted, or did I just spell it wrong? Seems odd to not use the empire's actual name, and only accept the name based on the region it came from...
MG17
+1
Level 43
Aug 1, 2021
The birthday of Blog Emperor also on August. ✅😝
McKenzieFam
+1
Level 68
Sep 1, 2021
Better include MG17 's birthday on this quiz, QM
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 79
Aug 1, 2021
Interesting stuff
PurpleMage
+2
Level 77
Aug 2, 2021
Can you include Guillain–Barré syndrome for FDR's disease? It's now thought that he had a form of that rather than Polio
RhymingCouplet
+1
Level 72
Aug 4, 2021
Cetshwayo was not the last king of the Zulus, they even have one today! Could I suggest replacing the question with:

"In South Africa, the British capture Cetshwayo, the last king to head up this tribe as an independent nation".

hamptergoogledoc
+1
Level 35
Sep 16, 2021
how is 1812 the least guessed answer? brett yang is rolling in his grave even though he isnt dead
ddddan
+1
Level 85
Oct 1, 2021
Is this a two-set reference before my eyes??
vortexsp
+1
Level 33
Dec 24, 2021
You should accept Achaemenid Empire for the Persian Empire, since it is the actual name for it.
xXViolaXx
+1
Level 67
Jun 3, 2022
I typed Cook so many times. Maybe except just his last name as a type-in?
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Jun 3, 2022
I typed Cook just once and it worked.
semisnotcolon
+1
Level 46
May 1, 2024
Hm…. Wikipedia says Marilyn Monroe died on August 4th, is Wikipedia right? Is JetPunk right? Or are both *technically* right?
RobNobody
+1
Level 80
May 31, 2024
Huh, weird. IMDb, Britannica, and Biography all give August 5 as the date of her death, and that's the date I've always heard for it (it's my birthday, and I don't share it with many noteworthy events, so I took notice.) It seems that Wikipedia's source for the date of August 4 is the book Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner, which apparently states that her autopsy found she died between 8:30 and 10:30 PM on August 4, though she wasn't found until early the next morning. If that's true, I'm not sure why it isn't the accepted date everywhere else?
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 79
Dec 11, 2024
Just forgot 1812
Alexquiz17
+1
Level 95
Feb 3, 2025
2025 and the UK is still harping on about ending slavery in 1834, as if we had nothing to do with the practice in the first place. Mind you I heard the orange one at his inauguration claim the same feat for America. It’s sort of true, if you overlook that it took a ruinous war to do so, not forgetting that the entire nation was founded on the sweat of “inferior folk” on land that used to belong to others.

It’s like a serial killer expecting credit for ending his career early.

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