Date·Lore

On This Day · The 213th day of the year

August 1

August 1 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1774 and 2007. British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

♌ZodiacLeo ◈BirthstonePeridot ❀Birth flowerGladiolus

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on August 1?

August 1 is the 213th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1774 and 2007. Famous people born on August 1 include Claudius, Dennis Lawrence and Herman Melville.

The shape of the day

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Colorado — August 1 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Leo is the sign for August 1 — read more on the Leo page, or see August's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on August 1

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Titan Quest II

2024

  • Game Thank Goodness You're Here!

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1774

    Joseph Priestley

    British scientist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen gas, corroborating the prior discovery of this element by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

  2. 1798

    French Revolutionary Wars

    French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Nile (Battle of Aboukir Bay): Battle begins when a British fleet engages the French Revolutionary Navy fleet in an unusual night action.

  3. 1801

    First Barbary War

    First Barbary War: The American schooner USS Enterprise captures the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli in a single-ship action off the coast of modern-day Libya.

  4. 1842

    Lombard Street riot

    The Lombard Street riot erupts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

  5. 1876

    Colorado

    Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state.

  6. 1911

    Harriet Quimby

    Harriet Quimby takes her pilot's test and becomes the first U.S. woman to earn an Aero Club of America aviator's certificate.

  7. 1971

    The Concert for Bangladesh

    The Concert for Bangladesh, organized by former Beatle George Harrison, is held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

  8. 1984

    Peat

    Commercial peat-cutters discover the preserved bog body of a man, called Lindow Man, at Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England.

  9. 2004

    Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire

    A supermarket fire kills 424 people and injures 360 others in Asunción, Paraguay.

  10. 2007

    I-35W Mississippi River bridge

    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.

Famous birthday twins

Born on August 1

Claudius

b. -10

Roman emperor

Dennis Lawrence

b. 1974

Trinidadian footballer and coach

Herman Melville

b. 1819

American novelist, short story writer, and poet

Emperor Taizu of Jin

b. 1068

Chinese emperor

David James (footballer, born 1970)

b. 1970

English footballer and manager

Chris Iwelumo

b. 1978

Scottish footballer

Karen Carney

b. 1987

English women's footballer

W. D. Hamilton

b. 1936

British biologist, psychologist, and academic

Deaths

  • 2009Corazon Aquino
  • 1973Walter Ulbricht
  • 1944Manuel L. Quezon
  • 1464Cosimo de' Medici
  • 1098Adhemar of Le Puy
  • 527Justin I

Holidays & observances

  • —Armed Forces Day (Lebanon)
  • —Armed Forces Day (China) or Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Liberation Army (People's Republic of China)
  • —Azerbaijani Language and Alphabet Day (Azerbaijan)
  • —Emancipation Day is commemorated in many parts of the former British Empire, which marks the day the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 came into effect which abolished chattel slavery in the British Empire: Emancipation Day is a public holiday in Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago
  • —Christian feast day: Abgar V of Edessa (Syrian Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori
  • —Christian feast day: Æthelwold of Winchester
  • —Christian feast day: Bernard Võ Văn Duệ (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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