🏖️ August in the Time Tunnel

Every day of August: one big moment from history, famous birthdays and special days. Click a date for the full story and a quiz.

1. August 11774: Scientist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen — the gas we breathe🎂 Herman Melville
2. August 21610: Sailor Henry Hudson sailed into the huge Canadian bay now named after him: Hudson Bay🎂 Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
3. August 31492: Christopher Columbus set sail on his first great voyage from Palos, Spain🎂 Tom Brady
4. August 41790: The US Coast Guard was founded🎂 Louis Armstrong
5. August 51858: The first telegraph cable across the Atlantic was completed — messages could travel between continents🎂 Neil Armstrong
6. August 61538: Bogotá, today the capital of Colombia, was founded🎂 Alexander Fleming
7. August 71909: Alice Ramsey and her friends became the first women to drive all the way across the United States🎂 Ralph Bunche
8. August 8🐈 International Cat Day1576: The first stone of Tycho Brahe’s Uraniborg observatory was laid🎂 Roger Federer
9. August 91173: Construction began on the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy🎂 Whitney Houston
10. August 101519: Magellan’s ships set sail from Seville on the first voyage around the world🎂 Herbert Hoover
11. August 111929: Babe Ruth became the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs🎂 Enid Blyton
12. August 12🐘 World Elephant Day1851: Isaac Singer received a patent for his sewing machine🎂 Erwin Schrödinger
13. August 131889: William Gray received a patent for a coin-operated telephone🎂 John Logie Baird
14. August 141880: The giant Cologne Cathedral in Germany was finally completed after more than 600 years🎂 Magic Johnson
15. August 151843: Tivoli Gardens amusement park opened in Copenhagen, Denmark🎂 Jennifer Lawrence
16. August 161916: The US and Britain (for Canada) signed a treaty to protect migrating birds🎂 James Cameron
17. August 171807: Robert Fulton’s steamboat began carrying passengers up the Hudson River🎂 Thierry Henry
18. August 181868: During an eclipse, scientist Pierre Janssen saw a mysterious line of light — it turned out to be a new gas, helium🎂 Robert Redford
19. August 19📷 World Photography Day1839: France gave Daguerre’s method of photography to the world as a free gift🎂 Orville Wright
20. August 201858: Darwin and Wallace’s paper on evolution was published in a science journal🎂 Demi Lovato
21. August 211888: William Burroughs received a patent for a successful adding machine🎂 Usain Bolt
22. August 221654: Jacob Barsimson arrived in New Amsterdam (New York) — the first known Jewish immigrant there🎂 Ray Bradbury
23. August 231541: Explorer Jacques Cartier landed near today’s Quebec City🎂 Dick Bruna
24. August 241932: Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the United States🎂 Rupert Grint
25. August 251609: Galileo showed his first telescope to the leaders of Venice🎂 Tim Burton
26. August 26🗳️ Women’s Equality Day · 🐕 National Dog Day1542: Explorer Francisco de Orellana reached the mouth of the Amazon River🎂 Katherine Johnson
27. August 271859: Oil was struck at Titusville, Pennsylvania — the start of the modern oil industry🎂 Don Bradman
28. August 281789: Astronomer William Herschel discovered Enceladus, a moon of Saturn🎂 Satoshi Tajiri
29. August 29708: Japan made copper coins for the first time🎂 Michael Jackson
30. August 301835: The city of Melbourne, Australia, was founded🎂 Mary Shelley
31. August 311895: Ferdinand von Zeppelin received a patent for his steerable airship — the zeppelin🎂 Maria Montessori