Famous people born in August include American actors Jason Momoa and Robert De Niro, actresses Amy Adams and Viola Davis, and Swiss former world number 1 tennis player Roger Federer. Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt, Madonna the Queen of Pop, and late American singer Whitney Houston are also August birthday celebrities.
Australian actor famous as Thor Odinson, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence who is famous as the shapeshifting mutant Mystique on X-Men, Michael Jackson the King of Pop, 42nd and 44th presidents of the United States Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and the late Hulk Hogan are other famous celebrities with birthdays in August.
Celebrities with birthdays in August
61 years old
40 years old
Died aged 48
American singer, actress in The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale, and one of the greatest singers of all time
Died aged 50
American singer, songwriter and dancer who was dubbed the King of Pop
65 years old
44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017
47 years old
36 years old
Died aged 71
43 years old
Australian actor famous as Thor Odinson on Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, including Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
80 years old
August Historical Events
3rd August 1942: Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made his 1st voyage in a search of a new and better sea route to Asia. Departing from mainland Spain, Columbus went on a voyage to find a quicker route for trade with China.5th August 1962: Nelson Mandela was arrested. He was later sentenced to 5 years in prison. Mandela was one of the African nationalists under the South African Communist Party who were actively challenging the apartheid state. On June 12, 1964, He was added charges of sabotage against the apartheid South African government and sentenced to life in prison. He was released after 27 years in jail, on February 11, 1990.6th August 1945: The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city known as Hiroshima. The weapon was created under the then top-secret program that was code-named "The Manhattan Project". This was during the 2nd World War. 9th August 1945: Another American B-29 bomber dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The combined effects of the new American weapons forced the Japanese to formally surrender and bring to an end World War II the following week on August 14, 1945.14th August 1945: Japan surrenders to the allied powers. Japanese Emperor Hirohito formally announced the surrender the next day, and the surrender was signed the following month on 2nd September, 1945. This brought the end of World War II.15th August 1947:India gained independence from the United Kingdom. Indians celebrate their Independence Day every year on the 15th of August, which is a public holiday. Additionally, the country's constitution came into effect on the 26th of January, 1950, and the date is celebrated as the Indian Republic Day.
In total, the British Raj (the period of British rule of India) lasted for 100 years, beginning in 1858 and ending in 1947.
