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August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 136 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, perhaps from a hunger strike.
• 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan – The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gates of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.
• 1186 – Georgenberg Pact: Duke Ottokar IV of Styria and Duke Leopold V of Austria sign a heritage agreement in which Ottokar gives his duchy to Leopold and to his son Frederick under the stipulation that Austria and Styria would henceforth remain undivided.
• 1386 – Karl Topia, the ruler of Princedom of Albania forges an alliance with the Republic of Venice, committing to participate in all wars of the Republic and receiving coastal protection against the Ottomans in return.
• 1424 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of Verneuil – An English force under John, Duke of Bedford defeats a larger French army under the Duke of Alençon, John Stewart, and Earl Archibald of Douglas.
• 1498 – Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, becomes the first person in history to resign the cardinalate. On the same day, the French King Louis XII names him Duke of Valentinois.
• 1549 – Battle of Sampford Courtenay – The Prayer Book Rebellion is quashed in England.
• 1560 – The Roman Catholic Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland.
• 1585 – Eighty Years' War: Siege of Antwerp – Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who orders Protestants to leave the city and as a result over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the northern provinces.
• 1585 – A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Ralegh under the charge of Ralph Lane lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina.
• 1597 – Islands Voyage: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores.
• 1611 – Gaspar de Borja y Velasco is made a cardinal by Pope Paul V.
• 1668 – An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter magnitude scale causes 8,000 deaths in Anatolia, Ottoman Empire.
• 1717 – Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire.
• 1723 – Ioan Giurgiu Patachi becomes Bishop of Făgăraş and is festively installed in his position at the St. Nicolas Cathedral in Făgăraş, after being formally confirmed earlier by Pope Clement XI.
• 1771 – Edinburgh botanist James Robertson makes the first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis in Scotland
• 1784 – Classical composer Luigi Boccherini receives a pay rise of 12000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón.
• 1798 – The Vietnamese Roman Catholics report a Marian apparition in Quảng Trị, an event which is called Lady of La Vang.
• 1807 – Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York, New York, for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.
• 1862 – American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Lakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.
• 1862 – American Civil War: Major General J.E.B. Stuart is assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
• 1863 – American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Gainesville – Confederate forces defeat Union troops near Gainesville, Florida.
• 1866 – The Grand Duchy of Baden announces her withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia.
• 1883 – The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional.
• 1896 – Bridget Driscoll is run over by a Benz car in the grounds of The Crystal Palace, London, the world's first motoring fatality.
• 1907 – Pike Place Market, a popular tourist destination and registered historic district in Seattle, Washington, opened.
• 1908 – Fantasmagorie, the first animated cartoon, created by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris, France.
• 1914 – World War I: Battle of Stallupönen – The German army of General Hermann von François defeats the Russian force commanded by Paul von Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia.
• 1915 – Jewish American Leo Frank is lynched for the alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl in Marietta, Georgia, United States.
• 1915 – A Category 4 hurricane hits Galveston, Texas with winds at 135 miles per hour (217 km/h).
• 1918 – Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated.
• 1942 – World War II: U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin (Butaritari).
• 1943 – World War II: The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission.
• 1943 – World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily.
• 1943 – World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins.
• 1943 – World War II: The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program.
• 1945 – Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
• 1947 – The Radcliffe Line, the border between Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan is revealed.
• 1950 – Hill 303 massacre: American POWs were massacred by the North Korean Army.
• 1953 – Addiction: First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous in Southern California.
• 1958 – Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country.
• 1959 – Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Yellowstone earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.
• 1959 – Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released.
• 1960 – Decolonization: Gabon gains independence from France.
• 1962 – East German border guards kill Peter Fechter, 18, as he attempts to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin becoming one of the first victims of the wall.
• 1969 – Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage.
• 1970 – Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will later become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
• 1977 – The Soviet icebreaker Arktika became the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
• 1978 – Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
• 1980 – Azaria Chamberlain disappears, at Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, probably taken by a dingo, leading to what was then the most publicized trial in Australian history.
• 1982 – The first Compact Discs (CDs) are released to the public in Germany.
• 1988 – President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash.
• 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
• 1999 – A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes İzmit, Turkey, killing more than 17,000 and injuring 44,000.
• 2004 – The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
• 2005 – The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, starts.
• 2005 – Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh
• 2008 – American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals in one Olympic Games.
• 2009 – An accident at the Sayano–Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area.

Births

• 1473 – Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (d. 1483)
• 1556 – Alexander Briant, English martyr (d. 1581)
• 1578 – Francesco Albani, Italian painter (d. 1660)
• 1601 – Pierre de Fermat, French lawyer and mathematician (d. 1665)
• 1629 – John III Sobieski, Polish–Lithuanian king (d. 1696)
• 1686 – Nicola Porpora, Italian composer (d. 1768)
• 1753 – Josef Dobrovský, Bohemian philologist and historian (d. 1828)
• 1768 – Louis Desaix, French general (d. 1800)
• 1786 – Davy Crockett, American soldier and politician (d. 1836)
• 1786 – Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (d. 1861)
• 1794 – Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst (d. 1849)
• 1828 – Jules Bernard Luys, French neurologist (d. 1897)
• 1840 – Wilfrid Scawen Blunt, English poet (d. 1922)
• 1844 – Menelik II of Ethiopia (d. 1913)
• 1863 – Gene Stratton-Porter, American author and photographer (d. 1924)
• 1866 – Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Indian 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (d. 1911)
• 1866 – Julia Marlowe, English-American actress (d. 1950)
• 1873 – John A. Sampson, American gynecologist (d. 1946)
• 1877 – Ralph McKittrick, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1923)
• 1878 – Reggie Duff, Australian cricketer (d. 1911)
• 1880 – Percy Sherwell, South African cricketer (d. 1948)
• 1887 – Charles I of Austria (d. 1922)
• 1887 – Marcus Garvey, Jamaican journalist and activist, founded Black Star Line (d. 1940)
• 1888 – Monty Woolley, American actor and singer (d. 1963)
• 1890 – Stefan Bastyr, Polish pilot (d. 1920)
• 1890 – Harry Hopkins, American politician, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 1946)
• 1893 – Mae West, American actress, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1980)
• 1895 – Aris Maliagros, Greek actor and singer (d. 1984)
• 1896 – Leslie Groves, American general and engineer (d. 1970)
• 1896 – Tõnis Kint, Estonian politician (d. 1991)
• 1896 – Oliver Waterman Larkin, American historian and author (d. 1970)
• 1904 – Mary Cain, American journalist and politician (d. 1984)
• 1904 – Leopold Nowak, Austrian composer (d. 1991)
• 1909 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (d. 1985)
• 1911 – Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player (d. 1995)
• 1911 – Martin Sandberger, German colonel and lawyer (d. 2010)
• 1913 – Mark Felt, American agent, 2nd Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 2008)
• 1913 – Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1989)
• 1913 – Rudy York, American baseball player and manager (d. 1970)
• 1914 – Bill Downs, American journalist (d. 1978)
• 1914 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1988)
• 1916 – Moses Majekodunmi, Nigerian politician (d. 2012)
• 1918 – Evelyn Ankers, Chilean-American actress (d. 1985)
• 1919 – Georgia Gibbs, American singer (d. 2006)
• 1920 – Maureen O'Hara, Irish-American actress and singer
• 1921 – Geoffrey Elton, German-English historian (d. 1994)
• 1922 – Roy Tattersall, England cricketer (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Valerie Eliot, English businesswoman (d. 2012)
• 1926 – George Melly, English singer (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Jean Poiret, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1926 – Jiang Zemin, Chinese politician, 5th President of the People's Republic of China
• 1928 – T. J. Anderson, American composer, conductor, and educator
• 1928 – Willem Duys, Dutch tennis player, sportscaster, and producer (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Jimmy Donley, American singer-songwriter (d. 1963)
• 1929 – Francis Gary Powers, American pilot (d. 1977)
• 1930 – Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer
• 1930 – Ted Hughes, English poet, author, and playwright (d. 1998)
• 1932 – V. S. Naipaul, Trinidadian-English author, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1933 – Glenn Corbett, American actor (d. 1993)
• 1933 – Mark Dinning, American singer (d. 1986)
• 1933 – Gene Kranz, American NASA flight director and manager
• 1934 – João Donato, Brazilian pianist and composer
• 1935 – Oleg Tabakov, Russian actor
• 1936 – Floyd Red Crow Westerman, American actor, singer, and activist (d. 2007)
• 1937 – Ronnie Butler, Bahamian singer
• 1937 – Spiros Focás, Greek actor
• 1938 – Abu Bakar Bashir, Indonesian cleric
• 1938 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
• 1939 – Luther Allison, American singer and guitarist (d. 1997)
• 1940 – Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
• 1941 – Lothar Bisky, German politician (d. 2013)
• 1941 – Jean Pierre Lefebvre, Canadian director and screenwriter
• 1942 – Muslim Magomayev, Azerbaijani singer
• 1943 – Robert De Niro, American actor, director, and producer
• 1943 – John Humphrys, Welsh journalist and author
• 1943 – Dave "Snaker" Ray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Koerner, Ray & Glover) (d. 2002)
• 1945 – Rachel Pollack, American author
• 1944 – Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation
• 1946 – Martha Coolidge, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1946 – Patrick Manning, Trinidadian-Tobagonian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
• 1947 – Sylvia Nasar, German-American economist and author
• 1947 – Jennifer Rhodes, American actress
• 1947 – Gary Talley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Box Tops)
• 1948 – Rod MacDonald, American singer-songwriter
• 1949 – Norm Coleman, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Mayor of St. Paul
• 1949 – Julian Fellowes, Egyptian-English actor, director, screenwriter, and politician
• 1949 – Sib Hashian, American drummer (Boston)
• 1951 – Robert Joy, Canadian actor
• 1951 – Alan Minter, English boxer
• 1951 – Elba Ramalho, Brazilian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1952 – Aleksandr Maksimenkov, Russian footballer and coach (d. 2012)
• 1952 – Nelson Piquet, Brazilian race car driver
• 1952 – Mario Theissen, German businessman
• 1952 – Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player
• 1953 – Mick Malthouse, Australian footballer and coach
• 1953 – Kevin Rowland, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Dexys Midnight Runners)
• 1953 – Herta Müller, Romanian-German poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1954 – Andrés Pastrana Arango, Colombian lawyer and politician, 38th President of Colombia
• 1954 – Eric Johnson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1955 – Richard Hilton, American businessman
• 1956 – Gail Berman, American businessman, co-founded BermanBraun
• 1956 – Álvaro Pino, Spanish cyclist
• 1957 – Robin Cousins, English figure skater
• 1957 – Ken Kwapis, American director and screenwriter
• 1957 – Laurence Overmire, American poet, author, and actor
• 1958 – Belinda Carlisle, American singer-songwriter (The Go-Go's)
• 1958 – Fred Goodwin, Scottish banker and accountant
• 1958 – Kirk Stevens, Canadian snooker player
• 1959 – Jonathan Franzen, American author
• 1959 – David Koresh, American cult leader (d. 1993)
• 1959 – Chika Sakamoto, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1959 – Eric Schlosser, American journalist and author
• 1960 – Stephan Eicher, Swiss singer-songwriter (Grauzone)
• 1960 – Sean Penn, American actor and director
• 1961 – Larry B. Scott, American actor, director, and producer
• 1962 – Gilby Clarke, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Guns N' Roses, Rock Star Supernova, and Candy)
• 1962 – John Marshall Jones, American actor
• 1962 – Buddy Landel, American wrestler
• 1962 – Pierre Sanoussi-Bliss, German actor and director
• 1963 – Shankar, Indian director and producer
• 1963 – Jon Gruden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1964 – Colin James, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1965 – Steve Gorman, American drummer (The Black Crowes and Trigger Hippy)
• 1964 – Maria McKee, American singer-songwriter (Lone Justice)
• 1966 – Maysa Leak, American singer and producer (Incognito)
• 1966 – Jüri Luik, Estonian diplomat and politician
• 1966 – Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder
• 1966 – Don Sweeney, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1967 – David Conrad, American actor
• 1968 – Andrew Koenig, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1968 – Ed McCaffrey, American football player
• 1968 – Helen McCrory, English actress
• 1969 – Christian Laettner, American basketball player and coach
• 1969 – Donnie Wahlberg, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (New Kids on the Block)
• 1970 – Jim Courier, American tennis player
• 1970 – Rupert Degas, English actor and producer
• 1970 – Andrus Kivirähk, Estonian author
• 1970 – Øyvind Leonhardsen, Norwegian footballer
• 1970 – Bob Golding, English actor
• 1971 – Uhm Jung-hwa, South Korean singer and actress
• 1971 – Ed Motta, Brazilian singer and keyboard player
• 1971 – Jorge Posada, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1971 – Shaun Rehn, Australian footballer and coach
• 1972 – Habibul Bashar, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1974 – Tony Hajjar, Lebanese-American drummer (At the Drive-In and Sparta)
• 1974 – Nicola Kraus, American author
• 1975 – Giuliana Rancic, Italian-American journalist and actress
• 1976 – Scott Halberstadt, American actor
• 1976 – Geertjan Lassche, Dutch journalist
• 1977 – Nathan Deakes, Australian race walker
• 1977 – William Gallas, French footballer
• 1977 – Thierry Henry, French footballer
• 1977 – Mike Lewis, Welsh guitarist (Lostprophets and Public Disturbance)
• 1977 – Tarja Turunen, Finnish singer-songwriter (Nightwish)
• 1978 – Karena Lam, Canadian-Hong Kong actress and singer
• 1978 – Ebon Moss-Bachrach, American actor
• 1978 – Vibeke Stene, Norwegian singer (Tristania)
• 1979 – Marcus Patric, English actor
• 1979 – Antwaan Randle El, American football player
• 1980 – Keith Dabengwa, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1980 – Daniel Güiza, Spanish footballer
• 1980 – Jan Kromkamp, Dutch footballer
• 1980 – Lene Marlin, Norwegian singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Van Tuong Nguyen, Thai-Australian drug trafficker (d. 2005)
• 1981 – Kristin Adams, American television host
• 1982 – Phil Jagielka, English footballer
• 1982 – Cheerleader Melissa, American wrestler
• 1982 – Mark Salling, American actor and singer
• 1983 – Dustin Pedroia, American baseball player
• 1984 – Dee Brown, American basketball player
• 1984 – Oksana Domnina, Russian ice dancer
• 1984 – Garrett Wolfe, American football player
• 1985 – Yū Aoi, Japanese actress
• 1985 – Brock Kelly, American actor
• 1986 – Rudy Gay, American basketball player
• 1986 – Bryton James, American actor and singer
• 1986 – Tyrus Thomas, American basketball player
• 1987 – Kemp Muhl, American model, actress, and singer
• 1988 – Aidan Coleman, Irish jockey
• 1988 – Bianca Collins, American actress
• 1988 – Brady Corbet, American actor
• 1988 – Erika Toda, Japanese actress
• 1989 – Lil B, American rapper (The Pack)
• 1989 – Elena Hight, American snowboarder
• 1989 – Frederick Lau, German actor
• 1990 – Colin Bates, American actor, singer, and dancer
• 1990 – Lauren Diewold, Canadian actress
• 1990 – Rachel Hurd-Wood, English actress
• 1991 – Austin Butler, American actor and singer
• 1991 – Qory Sandioriva, Indonesian model, Puteri Indonesia 2009
• 1992 – Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (d. 2013)
• 1992 – Britani Knight, American wrestler
• 1993 – Cinta Laura, German-Indonesian actress and singer
• 1993 – Madison McReynolds, American actress
• 1993 – Sarah Sjöström, Swedish swimmer
• 1994 – Taissa Farmiga, American actress
• 1996 – Ella Cruz, Filipino actress

Deaths

• 1153 – Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne (b. 1130)
• 1304 – Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan (b. 1243)
• 1324 – Irene of Brunswick (b. 1293)
• 1338 – Nitta Yoshisada, Japanese samurai (b. 1301)
• 1433 – Jan of Tarnów (b. 1367)
• 1510 – Edmund Dudley, English politician (b. 1462)
• 1657 – Robert Blake, English admiral (b. 1599)
• 1673 – Regnier de Graaf, Dutch physician and anatomist (b. 1641)
• 1676 – Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, German author (b. 1621)
• 1720 – Anne Dacier, French scholar (b. 1654)
• 1723 – Joseph Bingham, English scholar (b. 1668)
• 1768 – Vasily Trediakovsky, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1703)
• 1785 – Jonathan Trumbull, American politician, 16th Governor of Connecticut (b. 1710)
• 1786 – Frederick the Great, Prussian king (b. 1712)
• 1834 – Husein Gradaščević, Bosniak general (b. 1802)
• 1838 – Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian playwright and poet (b. 1749)
• 1850 – José de San Martín, Argentinian general and politician, 1st President of Peru (b. 1778)
• 1861 – Alcée Louis la Branche, American politician (b. 1806)
• 1870 – Perucho Figueredo, Cuban poet and activist (b. 1818)
• 1875 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist (b. 1827)
• 1880 – Ole Bull, Norwegian violinist and composer (b. 1810)
• 1897 – William Jervois, English engineer and diplomat, 10th Governor of South Australia (b. 1821)
• 1901 – Edmond Audran, French composer (b. 1842)
• 1903 – Hans Gude, Norwegian painter (b. 1825)
• 1909 – Madan Lal Dhingra, Indian activist (b. 1883)
• 1918 – Moisei Uritsky, Russian politician (b. 1873)
• 1920 – Ray Chapman, American baseball player (b. 1891)
• 1924 – Tom Kendall, Australian cricketer (b. 1851)
• 1925 – Ioan Slavici, Romanian journalist (b. 1848)
• 1935 – Adam Gunn, American decathlete (b. 1872)
• 1935 – Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American sociologist and author (b. 1860)
• 1940 – Billy Fiske, American pilot (b. 1911)
• 1945 – Reidar Haaland, Norwegian police officer and soldier (b. 1919)
• 1949 – Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino jurist and politician (b. 1891)
• 1954 – Billy Murray, American singer (b. 1877)
• 1958 – Arthur Fox, American fencer (b. 1878)
• 1969 – Otto Stern, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1970 – Rattana Pestonji, Thai director and producer (b. 1908)
• 1971 – Maedayama Eigorō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 39th Yokozuna (b. 1914)
• 1971 – Wilhelm List, German field marshal (b. 1880)
• 1973 – Conrad Aiken, American author and poet (b. 1889)
• 1973 – Jean Barraqué, French composer (b. 1928)
• 1973 – Paul Williams, American singer and choreographer (The Temptations) (b. 1939)
• 1976 – William Redfield, American actor (b. 1927)
• 1979 – John C. Allen, American roller coaster designer (b. 1907)
• 1979 – Vivian Vance, American actress and singer (b. 1909)
• 1983 – Ira Gershwin, American songwriter (b. 1896)
• 1987 – Rudolf Hess, German politician (b. 1894)
• 1987 – Shaike Ophir, Israeli actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 1987 – Gary Chester, Italian drummer (b. 1924)
• 1988 – Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani general and politician, 6th President of Pakistan (b. 1924)
• 1988 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1914)
• 1988 – Victoria Shaw, Australian-American actress (b. 1935)
• 1990 – Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (b. 1918)
• 1992 – Al Parker, American porn actor, director, and producer (b. 1952)
• 1993 – Feng Kang, Chinese mathematician (b. 1920)
• 1994 – Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver (b. 1901)
• 1994 – Jack Sharkey, American boxer (b. 1902)
• 1995 – Howard E. Koch, American screenwriter (b. 1902)
• 1995 – Ted Whitten, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1933)
• 1998 – Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter (b. 1940)
• 1998 – Raquel Rastenni, Danish singer (b. 1915)
• 1998 – Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (b. 1950)
• 2003 – Mazen Dana, Palestinian journalist (b. 1962)
• 2004 – Thea Astley, Australian author (b. 1925)
• 2004 – Gérard Souzay, French singer (b. 1918)
• 2005 – John Bahcall, American astrophysicist (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Shamsur Rahman, Bangladeshi poet and journalist (b. 1929)
• 2007 – Jos Brink, Dutch actor, producer, and author (b. 1942)
• 2007 – Bill Deedes, English journalist and politician (b. 1913)
• 2007 – Eddie Griffin, American basketball player (b. 1982)
• 2008 – Franco Sensi, Italian businessman (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Francesco Cossiga, Italian politician, 8th President of Italy (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Aase Bjerkholt, Norwegian politician (b. 1915)
• 2012 – Pál Bogár, Hungarian basketball player (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Joey Kovar, American model (b. 1983)
• 2012 – John Lynch-Staunton, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Lou Martin, Irish-English pianist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1949)
• 2012 – Shirley W. Palmer-Ball, American politician (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Victor Poor, American engineer, developed the Datapoint 2200 (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Patrick Ricard, French businessman (b. 1945)
• 2012 – John Lynch-Staunton, Canadian politician (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Stephen Antonakos, Greek-American painter and sculptor (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Bo Bing, Chinese academic (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Chow Yam-nam, Chinese-Thai mystic (b. 1937)
• 2013 – Jim Clark, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Rod Craig, American baseball player (b. 1958)
• 2013 – Odilia Dank, American educator and politician (b. 1938)
• 2013 – Devin Gray, American basketball player (b. 1972)
• 2013 – Jack Harshman, American baseball player (b. 1927)
• 2013 – John Hollander, American poet and critic (b. 1929)
• 2013 – David Landes, American academic (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Kjell Lund, Norwegian architect and singer (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Frank Martínez, American painter (b. 1924)
• 2013 – Gus Winckel, Dutch lieutenant and pilot (b. 1912)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Clare of the Cross
  • Hyacinth of Poland
  • Mammes of Caesarea (Catholic Church)
  • August 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Independence Day, celebrates the proclamation of Indonesia's independence from Japan in 1945.
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960.
• Portunalia (Roman Empire)
• Prekmurje Union Day (Slovenia)
• San Martin Day (Argentina)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

• Days of the year
• August