August 11

Events

Pre-1600

• 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins.
• 2492 BC – Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation.
• 106 – The south-western part of Dacia (modern Romania) becomes a Roman province: Roman Dacia.
• 117 – Hadrian is proclaimed Roman emperor, two days after Trajan's death.
• 355 – Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II.
• 490 – Battle of Adda: The Goths under Theodoric the Great and his ally Alaric II defeat the forces of Odoacer on the Adda River, near Milan.
• 923 – The Qarmatians of Bahrayn capture and pillage the city of Basra.
• 1315 – The Great Famine of Europe becomes so dire that even the king of England has difficulties buying bread for himself and his entourage.
• 1332 – Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Dupplin Moor: Scots under Domhnall II, Earl of Mar are routed by Edward Balliol.
• 1473 – The Battle of Otlukbeli: Mehmed the Conqueror of the Ottoman Empire decisively defeats Uzun Hassan of Aq Qoyunlu.
• 1492 – Rodrigo de Borja is elected as Head of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Alexander VI.

1601–1900

• 1675 – Franco-Dutch War: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire defeat the French in the Battle of Konzer Brücke.
• 1685 – Morean War: The 49-day Siege of Coron ends with the surrender and massacre of its garrison by the Venetians.
• 1786 – Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia.
• 1804 – Francis II assumes the title of first Emperor of Austria.
• 1812 – Peninsular War: French troops engage British-Portuguese forces in the Battle of Majadahonda.
• 1813 – In Colombia, Juan del Corral declares the independence of Antioquia.
• 1858 – The Eiger in the Bernese Alps is ascended for the first time by Charles Barrington accompanied by Christian Almer and Peter Bohren.
• 1871 – An explosion of guncotton occurs in Stowmarket, England, killing 28.
• 1898 – Spanish–American War: American troops enter the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

1901–present

• 1918 – World War I: The Battle of Amiens ends.
• 1919 – Germany's Weimar Constitution is signed into law.
• 1920 – The 1920 Cork hunger strike begins which eventually results in the deaths of three Irish Republicans including the Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney.
• 1920 – The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed, ending the Latvian War of Independence.
• 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.
• 1934 – The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island.
• 1942 – Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a Frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones, two-way radio communications, and Wi-Fi.
• 1945 – Poles in Kraków engage in a pogrom against Jews in the city, killing one and wounding five.
• 1952 – Hussein bin Talal is proclaimed King of Jordan.
• 1959 – Sheremetyevo International Airport, the second-largest airport in Russia, opens.
• 1960 – Chad declares independence from France.
• 1961 – The former Portuguese territories in India of Dadra and Nagar Haveli are merged to create the Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
• 1962 – Vostok 3 launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev becomes the first person to float in microgravity.
• 1965 – Race riots (the Watts Riots) begin in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California.
• 1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine following their liftoff from the Moon.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: The last United States ground combat unit leaves South Vietnam.
• 1973 – At the 1520 Sedgwick Avenue apartment building in The Bronx, New York, DJ Kool Herc hosts a house party widely considered to mark the birthplace of hip hop culture and music. DJ Kool Herc demonstrates a new technique of beat juggling and Coke La Rock performs a new style of vocal performance called rapping.
• 1975 – East Timor: Governor Mário Lemos Pires of Portuguese Timor abandons the capital Dili, following a coup by the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) and the outbreak of civil war between UDT and Fretilin.
• 1979 – Two Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134s collide over the Ukrainian city of Dniprodzerzhynsk and crash, killing all 178 aboard both airliners.
• 1982 – A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo, Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii, killing one passenger and injuring 15 others.
• 1984 – "We begin bombing in five minutes": United States President Ronald Reagan, while running for re-election, jokes while preparing to make his weekly Saturday address on National Public Radio.
• 1988 – A meeting between Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif, Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, and leaders of Egyptian Islamic Jihad in Afghanistan culminates in the formation of Al-Qaeda.
• 1991 – Nickelodeon's first line of "Nicktoons" (Doug, Rugrats & Ren & Stimpy) premiere on the channel.
• 1992 – The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota opens. At the time the largest shopping mall in the United States.
• 1995 – The Russell Hill subway accident in Toronto kills 3 and injures 30, due to a combination of human error and a safety system design flaw.
• 2000 – An air rage incident occurs on board Southwest Airlines Flight 1763 when 19-year-old Jonathan Burton attempts to storm the cockpit, but he is subdued by other passengers and dies from his injuries.
• 2003 – NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history.
• 2003 – Jemaah Islamiyah leader Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, is arrested in Bangkok, Thailand.
• 2006 – The oil tanker MT Solar 1 sinks off the coast of Guimaras and Negros Islands in the Philippines, causing the country's worst oil spill.
• 2012 – At least 306 people are killed and 3,000 others injured in a pair of earthquakes near Tabriz, Iran.
• 2017 – At least 41 people are killed and another 179 injured after two passenger trains collide in Alexandria, Egypt.
• 2023 – Luna 25 launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1086 – Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1125)
• 1384 – Yolande of Aragon (died 1442)
• 1472 – Nikolaus von Schönberg, Catholic cardinal (died 1537)
• 1510 – Margaret Paleologa, Sovereign Marchioness of Montferrat (died 1566)

1601–1900

• 1673 – Richard Mead, English physician and astrologer (died 1754)
• 1718 – Frederick Haldimand, Swiss-English general and politician, 22nd Governor of Quebec (died 1791)
• 1722 – Richard Brocklesby, English physician (died 1797)
• 1748 – Joseph Schuster, German composer (died 1812)
• 1778 – Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, Prussian gymnast, educator, and politician (died 1852)
• 1794 – James B. Longacre, American engraver (died 1869)
• 1807 – David Rice Atchison, American general, lawyer, and politician (died 1886)
• 1808 – William W. Chapman, American lawyer and politician (died 1892)
• 1816 – Frederick Innes, Scottish-Australian politician, 9th Premier of Tasmania (died 1882)
• 1833 – Robert G. Ingersoll, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (died 1899)
• 1833 – Kido Takayoshi, Japanese samurai and politician (died 1877)
• 1836 – Warren Brown, American historian and politician (died 1919)
• 1837 – Marie François Sadi Carnot, French engineer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (died 1894)
• 1855 – John Hodges, Australian cricketer (died 1933)
• 1858 – Christiaan Eijkman, Dutch physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1930)
• 1860 – Ottó Bláthy, Hungarian engineer and chess player (died 1939)
• 1870 – Tom Richardson, English cricketer (died 1912)
• 1874 – Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg (died 1953)
• 1877 – Adolph M. Christianson, American lawyer and judge (died 1954)
• 1878 – Oliver W. F. Lodge, English poet and author (died 1955)
• 1881 – Aleksander Aberg, Estonian wrestler (died 1920)
• 1884 – Hermann Wlach, Austrian-Swiss actor (died 1962)
• 1885 – Stephen Butterworth, English physicist and engineer (died 1958)
• 1891 – Stancho Belkovski, Bulgarian architect and educator (died 1962)
• 1891 – Edgar Zilsel, Austrian historian and philosopher of science, linked to the Vienna Circle (died 1944)
• 1892 – Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet and linguist (died 1978)
• 1892 – Eiji Yoshikawa, Japanese author (died 1962)
• 1897 – Enid Blyton, English author, poet, and educator (died 1968)
• 1897 – Louise Bogan, American poet and critic (died 1970)
• 1898 – Peter Mohr Dam, Faroese educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (died 1968)
• 1900 – Charley Paddock, American sprinter (died 1943)
• 1900 – Philip Phillips, American archaeologist and scholar (died 1994)

1901–present

• 1902 – Alfredo Binda, Italian cyclist (died 1986)
• 1902 – Lloyd Nolan, American actor (died 1985)
• 1902 – Christian de Castries, French general (died 1991)
• 1905 – Erwin Chargaff, Austrian-American biochemist and academic (died 2002)
• 1905 – Ernst Jaakson, Estonian diplomat (died 1998)
• 1907 – Ted a'Beckett, Australian cricketer and lawyer (died 1989)
• 1908 – Don Freeman, American author and illustrator (died 1978)
• 1908 – Torgny T:son Segerstedt, Swedish sociologist and philosopher (died 1999)
• 1909 – Yūji Koseki, Japanese composer (died 1989)
• 1909 – Uku Masing, Estonian philosopher and theologian (died 1985)
• 1911 – Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai field marshal and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Thailand (died 2004)
• 1912 – Eva Ahnert-Rohlfs, German astronomer and academic (died 1954)
• 1912 – Raphael Blau, American screenwriter and producer (died 1996)
• 1913 – Paul Dupuis, Canadian actor (died 1976)
• 1913 – Bob Scheffing, American baseball player and manager (died 1985)
• 1913 – Angus Wilson, English author and academic (died 1991)
• 1915 – Morris Weiss, American author and illustrator (died 2014)
• 1916 – Johnny Claes, English-Belgian race car driver and trumpet player (died 1956)
• 1919 – Luis Olmo, Puerto Rican-American baseball player and manager (died 2017)
• 1920 – Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (died 2006)
• 1920 – Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2002)
• 1921 – Alex Haley, American historian and author (died 1992)
• 1922 – John "Mule" Miles, American baseball player (died 2013)
• 1923 – Stan Chambers, American journalist and actor (died 2015)
• 1925 – Floyd Curry, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (died 2006)
• 1925 – Arlene Dahl, American actress, businesswoman and writer (died 2021)
• 1926 – Aaron Klug, Lithuanian-English chemist and biophysicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2018)
• 1927 – Raymond Leppard, English harpsichord player and conductor (died 2019)
• 1927 – Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (died 2007)
• 1929 – Manabendra Mukhopadhyay, Indian singer (died 1992)
• 1932 – Fernando Arrabal, Spanish actor, director, and playwright
• 1932 – Izzy Asper, Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician, founded Canwest (died 2003)
• 1932 – Geoffrey Cass, English businessman
• 1932 – Peter Eisenman, American architect, designed the City of Culture of Galicia
• 1932 – John Gorrie, English director and screenwriter
• 1933 – Jerry Falwell, American minister and television host (died 2007)
• 1933 – Jerzy Grotowski, Polish director and producer (died 1999)
• 1933 – Tamás Vásáry, Hungarian pianist and conductor (died 2026)
• 1934 – Bob Hepple, South African lawyer and academic (died 2015)
• 1936 – Andre Dubus, American short story writer, essayist, and memoirist (died 1999)
• 1936 – Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player and coach (died 2015)
• 1936 – Jonathan Spence, English-American historian and academic (died 2021)
• 1937 – Anna Massey, English actress (died 2011)
• 1937 – Patrick Joseph McGovern, American businessman, founded International Data Group (died 2014)
• 1939 – James Mancham, first President of Seychelles (died 2017)
• 1939 – Ronnie Dawson, American singer and guitarist (died 2003)
• 1940 – Glenys Page, New Zealand cricketer (died 2012)
• 1941 – John Ellison, American-Canadian musician and songwriter
• 1942 – Mike Hugg, English drummer and keyboard player
• 1942 – Otis Taylor, American football player (died 2023)
• 1943 – Jim Kale, Canadian bass player
• 1943 – Pervez Musharraf, Pakistani general and politician, 10th President of Pakistan (died 2023)
• 1943 – Denis Payton, English saxophonist (died 2006)
• 1944 – Martin Linton, Swedish-English journalist and politician
• 1944 – Frederick W. Smith, American businessman, founded FedEx (died 2025)
• 1944 – Ian McDiarmid, Scottish actor
• 1946 – John Conlee, American singer-songwriter
• 1946 – Marilyn vos Savant, American journalist and author
• 1947 – Theo de Jong, Dutch footballer, coach, and manager
• 1947 – Georgios Karatzaferis, Greek journalist and politician
• 1947 – Wilma van den Berg, Dutch sprinter
• 1948 – Don Boyd, Scottish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Eric Carmen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2024)
• 1949 – Tim Hutchinson, American lawyer and politician
• 1949 – Ian Charleson, Scottish-English actor and singer (died 1990)
• 1950 – Erik Brann, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2003)
• 1950 – Gennadiy Nikonov, Russian engineer, designed the AN-94 rifle (died 2003)
• 1950 – Steve Wozniak, American computer scientist and programmer, co-founded Apple Inc.
• 1952 – Reid Blackburn, American photographer (died 1980)
• 1952 – Bob Mothersbaugh, American singer, guitarist, and producer
• 1953 – Hulk Hogan, American professional wrestler (died 2025)
• 1953 – Wijda Mazereeuw, Dutch swimmer
• 1954 – Bryan Bassett, American guitarist
• 1954 – Vance Heafner, American golfer and coach (died 2012)
• 1954 – Joe Jackson, English singer-songwriter and musician
• 1954 – Tarmo Rüütli, Estonian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1954 – Yashpal Sharma, Indian cricketer and umpire (died 2021)
• 1955 – Marc Bureau, Canadian politician, 16th Mayor of Gatineau
• 1955 – Sylvia Hermon, Northern Irish academic and politician
• 1956 – Pierre-Louis Lions, French mathematician and academic
• 1957 – Ian Stuart Donaldson, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1993)
• 1957 – Masayoshi Son, Japanese technology entrepreneur and investor
• 1958 – Steven Pokere, New Zealand rugby player
• 1958 – Jah Wobble, English singer-songwriter and bass player
• 1959 – Gustavo Cerati, Argentinian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2014)
• 1959 – Yoshiaki Murakami, Japanese businessman
• 1959 – Taraki Sivaram, Sri Lankan journalist and author (died 2005)
• 1959 – Richard Scudamore, English businessman
• 1959 – László Szlávics, Jr., Hungarian sculptor
• 1961 – David Brooks, American journalist and author
• 1961 – Craig Ehlo, American basketball player and coach
• 1961 – Suniel Shetty, Indian actor and film producer
• 1962 – Brian Azzarello, American author
• 1962 – Charles Cecil, English video game designer and co-founded Revolution Software
• 1962 – John Micklethwait, English journalist and author
• 1962 – Rob Minkoff, American director and producer
• 1963 – Hiromi Makihara, Japanese baseball player
• 1964 – Jim Lee, South Korean-American author and illustrator
• 1964 – Grant Waite, New Zealand golfer
• 1965 – Marc Bergevin, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1965 – Embeth Davidtz, American actress
• 1965 – Viola Davis, American actress
• 1966 – Nigel Martyn, English footballer and coach
• 1966 – Juan María Solare, Argentinian pianist and composer
• 1967 – Massimiliano Allegri, Italian footballer and manager
• 1967 – Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1967 – Joe Rogan, American actor, comedian, and television host
• 1967 – Petter Wettre, Norwegian saxophonist and composer
• 1968 – Anna Gunn, American actress
• 1968 – Sophie Okonedo, British actress
• 1968 – Charlie Sexton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1970 – Andy Bell, British musician and songwriter
• 1970 – Dirk Hannemann, German footballer and manager
• 1970 – Gianluca Pessotto, Italian footballer
• 1971 – Alejandra Barros, Mexican actress and screenwriter
• 1971 – Tommy Mooney, English footballer
• 1973 – Kristin Armstrong, American cyclist
• 1974 – Marie-France Dubreuil, Canadian figure skater
• 1974 – Hadiqa Kiani, Pakistani singer, songwriter and philanthropist
• 1974 – Audrey Mestre, French biologist and diver (died 2002)
• 1974 – Carolyn Murphy, American model and actress
• 1975 – Chris Cummings, Canadian singer-songwriter
• 1976 – Iván Córdoba, Colombian footballer and manager
• 1976 – Bubba Crosby, American baseball player
• 1976 – Will Friedle, American actor and screenwriter
• 1976 – Ben Gibbard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1976 – Ľubomír Višňovský, Slovak ice hockey player
• 1977 – Gemma Hayes, Irish singer-songwriter
• 1977 – Dênio Martins, Brazilian footballer
• 1978 – Spyros Gogolos, Greek footballer
• 1978 – Charlotte Leslie, British politician
• 1978 – Lillian Nakate, Ugandan politician
• 1978 – Isy Suttie, English comedian, musician, actress, and writer
• 1979 – Walter Ayoví, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1980 – Daniel Lloyd, English cyclist and sportscaster
• 1980 – Lee Suggs, American football player
• 1981 – Daniel Poohl, Swedish journalist
• 1982 – Andy Lee, American football player
• 1983 – Chris Hemsworth, Australian actor
• 1983 – Luke Lewis, Australian rugby league player
• 1983 – Pavel 183, Russian painter (died 2013)
• 1984 – Mojtaba Abedini, Iranian Olympic fencer
• 1984 – Melky Cabrera, Dominican baseball player
• 1984 – Lucas di Grassi, Brazilian race car driver
• 1985 – Jacqueline Fernandez, Bahraini–Sri Lankan actress
• 1985 – Asher Roth, American rapper
• 1986 – Mokhtar Benmoussa, Algerian footballer
• 1986 – Hélène Defrance, French sailor
• 1986 – Pablo Sandoval, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1987 – Dany N'Guessan, French footballer
• 1987 – Drew Storen, American baseball player
• 1988 – Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Filipino basketball player
• 1988 – Patty Mills, Australian basketball player
• 1988 – Mustafa Pektemek, Turkish footballer
• 1989 – Junior Heffernan, Irish cyclist and triathlete (died 2013)
• 1989 – Sebastian Huke, German footballer
• 1990 – Lenka Juríková, Slovak tennis player
• 1991 – Cristian Tello, Spanish footballer
• 1992 – Tomi Lahren, American conservative political commentator
• 1993 – Alyson Stoner, American actor, singer, and dancer
• 1994 – Storm Sanders, Australian tennis player
• 1994 – Anton Cooper, New Zealand cross-country cyclist
• 1994 – Joseph Barbato, French footballer
• 1994 – Song I-han, South Korean singer
• 1995 – Brad Binder, South African motorcycle racer
• 1997 – Sarah Clelland, Scottish footballer
• 1999 – Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Indonesian badminton player
• 1999 – Changbin, South Korean rapper
• 2001 – Moyuka Uchijima, Japanese tennis player
• 2002 – Marvin Harrison Jr., American football player

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 223 – Jia Xu, Chinese politician and strategist (born 147)
• 353 – Magnentius, Roman usurper (born 303)
• 449 – Archbishop Flavian of Constantinople
• 632 – Rusticula, abbess of Arles
• 919 – Dhuka al-Rumi, Abbasid governor of Egypt
• 979 – Gero, Count of Alsleben
• 991 – Byrhtnoth, English soldier (born 956)
• 1044 – Sokkate, king of the Pagan dynasty of Burma (born 1001)
• 1204 – Guttorm of Norway (born 1199)
• 1253 – Clare of Assisi, Italian follower of Francis of Assisi (born 1194)
• 1259 – Möngke Khan, Mongolian emperor (born 1208)
• 1268 – Agnes of Faucigny, Dame ruler of Faucigny, Countess consort of Savoy
• 1332 – Domhnall II, Earl of Mar
• 1332 – Robert II Keith, Marischal of Scotland
• 1332 – Thomas Randolph, 2nd Earl of Moray
• 1332 – Murdoch III, Earl of Menteith
• 1332 – Robert Bruce, Lord of Liddesdale
• 1456 – John Hunyadi, Hungarian general and politician (born 1387)
• 1464 – Nicholas of Cusa, German cardinal and mystic (born 1401)
• 1465 – Kettil Karlsson, regent of Sweden and Bishop of Linköping (born 1433)
• 1486 – William Waynflete, English Lord Chancellor and bishop of Winchester (born c. 1398)
• 1494 – Hans Memling, German-Belgian painter (born 1430)
• 1519 – Johann Tetzel, German preacher (born 1465)
• 1556 – John Bell, English bishop
• 1563 – Bartolomé de Escobedo, Spanish composer and educator (born 1500)
• 1578 – Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician and academic (born 1502)
• 1596 – Hamnet Shakespeare, son of William Shakespeare (born 1585)

1601–1900

• 1614 – Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (born 1552)
• 1656 – Ottavio Piccolomini, Austrian-Italian field marshal (born 1599)
• 1725 – Prince Vittorio Amedeo Theodore of Savoy (born 1723)
• 1774 – Charles-François Tiphaigne de la Roche, French physician and author (born 1722)
• 1813 – Henry James Pye, English poet and politician (born 1745)
• 1851 – Lorenz Oken, German botanist, biologist, and ornithologist (born 1779)
• 1854 – Macedonio Melloni, Italian physicist and academic (born 1798)
• 1868 – Halfdan Kjerulf, Norwegian pianist and composer (born 1815)
• 1886 – Lydia Koidula, Estonian poet and playwright (born 1843)
• 1890 – John Henry Newman, English cardinal and theologian (born 1801)
• 1892 – Enrico Betti, Italian mathematician and academic (born 1813)

1901–present

• 1903 – Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican-American sociologist, philosopher, and lawyer (born 1839)
• 1908 – Khudiram Bose, Indian Bengali revolutionary (born 1889)
• 1919 – Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Carnegie Steel Company and Carnegie Hall (born 1835)
• 1921 – Mary Sumner, English philanthropist, founded the Mothers' Union (born 1828)
• 1936 – Blas Infante, Spanish historian and politician (born 1885)
• 1937 – Edith Wharton, American novelist and short story writer (born 1862)
• 1939 – Jean Bugatti, German-Italian engineer (born 1909)
• 1939 – Siegfried Flesch, Austrian fencer (born 1872)
• 1945 – Stefan Jaracz, Polish actor and theater producer (born 1883)
• 1953 – Tazio Nuvolari, Italian race car driver and motorcycle racer (born 1892)
• 1956 – Jackson Pollock, American painter (born 1912)
• 1961 – Antanas Škėma, Lithuanian-American author, playwright, actor, and director (born 1910)
• 1963 – Otto Wahle, Austrian-American swimmer and coach (born 1879)
• 1965 – Bill Woodfull, Australian cricketer and educator (born 1897)
• 1969 – Miriam Licette, English soprano and educator (born 1885)
• 1972 – Max Theiler, South African-American virologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1899)
• 1974 – Vicente Emilio Sojo, Venezuelan conductor and composer (born 1887)
• 1977 – Frederic Calland Williams, British co-inventor of the Williams-Kilborn tube, used for memory in early computer systems (born 1911)
• 1978 – Berta Ruck, Indian-born Welsh romance novelist (born 1878)
• 1979 – J. G. Farrell, English author (born 1935)
• 1980 – Paul Robert, French lexicographer and publisher (born 1910)
• 1982 – Tom Drake, American actor and singer (born 1918)
• 1984 – Alfred A. Knopf Sr., American publisher, founded Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. (born 1892)
• 1984 – Paul Felix Schmidt, Estonian–American chemist and chess player (born 1916)
• 1986 – János Drapál, Hungarian motorcycle racer (born 1948)
• 1988 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (born 1929)
• 1989 – John Meillon, Australian actor (born 1934)
• 1991 – J. D. McDuffie, American race car driver (born 1938)
• 1994 – Peter Cushing, English actor (born 1913)
• 1995 – Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1904)
• 1996 – Rafael Kubelík, Czech conductor and composer (born 1914)
• 1996 – Ambrosio Padilla, Filipino basketball player and politician (born 1910)
• 2000 – Jean Papineau-Couture, Canadian composer and academic (born 1916)
• 2001 – Percy Stallard, English cyclist and coach (born 1909)
• 2002 – Galen Rowell, American photographer and mountaineer (born 1940)
• 2003 – Armand Borel, Swiss-American mathematician and academic (born 1923)
• 2003 – Herb Brooks, American ice hockey player and coach (born 1937)
• 2006 – Mike Douglas, American singer and talk show host (born 1920)
• 2008 – George Furth, American actor and playwright (born 1932)
• 2008 – Dursun Karataş, founding leader of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party–Front (DHKP-C) in Turkey (born 1952)
• 2009 – Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American activist, founded the Special Olympics (born 1921)
• 2010 – James Mourilyan Tanner, British paediatric endocrinologist (born 1920)
• 2012 – Red Bastien, American wrestler, trainer, and promoter (born 1931)
• 2012 – Michael Dokes, American boxer (born 1958)
• 2012 – Lucy Gallardo, Argentinian-Mexican actress and screenwriter (born 1929)
• 2013 – Raymond Delisle, French cyclist (born 1943)
• 2013 – Zafar Futehally, Indian ornithologist and author (born 1919)
• 2013 – David Howard, English ballet dancer and educator (born 1937)
• 2014 – Vladimir Beara, Croatian footballer and manager (born 1928)
• 2014 – Raymond Gravel, Canadian priest and politician (born 1952)
• 2014 – Kika Szaszkiewiczowa, Polish author and blogger (born 1917)
• 2014 – Robin Williams, American actor and comedian (born 1951)
• 2014 – Sam Hall, American diver, legislator, and mercenary (born 1937)
• 2015 – Serge Collot, French viola player and educator (born 1923)
• 2015 – Harald Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager (born 1941)
• 2015 – Richard Oriani, Salvadoran-American metallurgist and engineer (born 1920)
• 2017 – Yisrael Kristal, Polish-Israeli supercentenarian; oldest living Holocaust survivor and one of the ten oldest men ever (born 1903)
• 2017 – Segun Bucknor, Nigerian musician and journalist (born 1946)
• 2018 – V S Naipaul, British writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1932)
• 2018 – Terry A. Davis, American computer programmer, creator of TempleOS (born 1969)
• 2019 – Sergio Obeso Rivera, Mexican Roman Catholic cardinal (born 1931)
• 2020 – Trini Lopez, American singer and guitarist (born 1937)
• 2020 – Sumner Redstone, American billionaire businessman (born 1923)
• 2022 – Anne Heche, American actress (born 1969)
• 2022 – Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer (born 1926)
• 2023 – Mike Ahern, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Queensland (born 1942)
• 2024 – Ángel Salazar, Cuban-American comedian and actor (born 1956)
• 2024 – Noël Treanor, Irish Roman Catholic prelate (born 1950)
• 2025 – Miguel Uribe Turbay, Colombian precandidate to presidency (born 1986)
• 2025 – Danielle Spencer, American actress (born 1965)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Athracht
  • Clare of Assisi
  • Gaugericus
  • John Henry Newman (Church of England)
  • Philomena
  • Susanna
  • Taurinus of Évreux
  • Tiburtius and Chromatius
  • August 11 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Flag Day (Pakistan)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Chad from France in 1960.
• Mountain Day (Japan)

External links

• "On This Day". BBC.
• Template:NYT On this day
• "Historical Events on August 11". OnThisDay.com.