August 1964
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The following events occurred in August 1964:


August 1 Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic. *AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...
, 1964 (Saturday)

* With the acceptance by voters of a new constitution, the former Belgian Congo officially changed its name from the "Republic of the Congo" to the "
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
". Since 1960, both the former French Congo and the former Belgian Congo had referred to themselves as "Republic of the Congo" and had been distinguished as "Congo-
Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
" and "Congo-
Léopoldville Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...
", respectively. * Emancipation Day was first celebrated in Barbados, Bermuda, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Jamaica – as a celebration of the end of slavery during the British colonial era in the Caribbean. * The final
Looney Tune ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.
cartoon, ''
Señorella and the Glass Huarache ''Señorella and the Glass Huarache'' is a 1964 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Hawley Pratt (who also produced the layouts) and written by John W. Dunn. The short was released on August 1, 1964. The plotline is a typical Cinde ...
'', was released.
Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...
would subsequently shut down the Warner Bros. Cartoon Division.


August 2 Events Pre-1600 *338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. *216 BC – The Carthaginian arm ...
, 1964 (Sunday)

* The
Gulf of Tonkin incident The Gulf of Tonkin incident ( vi, Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ) was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. It involved both a proven confrontation on August 2, 1964, carried out b ...
took place when the destroyer engaged three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats of the 135th Torpedo Squadron, while performing a
signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...
patrol as part of DESOTO operations. Accounts from both sides agreed that the North Vietnamese fired first, with Commander Nguyen Van Tu of T-336 giving the order to launch the first torpedo, followed by the T-339 and the T-333.. According to the U.S. Navy, the ''Maddox'' evaded two torpedoes at 4:08 in the afternoon local time, and at 4:21 the ''Maddox'' and a third Viet boat exchanged gunfire.Marvin E. Gettleman, ''Vietnam and America: A Documented History'' (Grove Press, 1995) pp251-252 During the battle, the ''Maddox'' spent over 280 three-inch and five-inch shells, and in which four U. S. Navy
F-8 Crusader The Vought F-8 Crusader (originally F8U) is a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps (replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass), and for the Frenc ...
jet fighter bombers strafed the torpedo boats. One American aircraft was damaged, one 14.5 mm round hit the destroyer, four North Vietnamese torpedo boats were damaged, and four North Vietnamese sailors were killed and six wounded. * The wreckage of a plane piloted by popular singer
Jim Reeves James Travis Reeves (August 20, 1923July 31, 1964) was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well known as a practitioner of the Nashville Sound. Known as "Gentleman ...
was found near
Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...
's national championships in
Los Altos, California Los Altos (; Spanish for "The Heights") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 31,625 according to the 2020 census. Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally a ...
, in a meet where 10 new world bests had been set.
Murray Rose Iain Murray Rose, (6 January 1939 – 15 April 2012) was an Australian swimmer, actor, sports commentator and marketing executive. He was a six-time Olympic medalist (four gold, one silver, one bronze), and at one time held the world records ...
of Australia swam the men's 1,500-meter freestyle in 17 minutes, 1.8 seconds, and 15-year old
Sharon Stouder Sharon Marie Stouder (November 9, 1948 – June 23, 2013), also known by her married name Sharon Stouder Clark, was an American competition swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, and former world record-holder in four events.Braden Keith, Queen of ...
set a new mark for the women's 200-meter butterfly at 2 minutes, 26.4 seconds. * The
1964 German Grand Prix The 1964 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 2 August 1964. It was race 6 of 10 in both the 1964 World Championship of Drivers and the 1964 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The 15-lap race was wo ...
was won by
John Surtees John Surtees, (11 February 1934 – 10 March 2017) was a British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver. On his way to become a seven-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion, he won his first title in 1956, and followed with ...
. * Born:
Mary-Louise Parker Mary-Louise Parker (born August 2, 1964) is an American actress. After making her Broadway debut as Rita in Craig Lucas' '' Prelude to a Kiss'' in 1990 (for which she received a Tony Award nomination), Parker came to prominence for film roles in ...
, American stage, television and film actress; in
Fort Jackson, South Carolina Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training (BCT), and is located within the city of Columbia, South Carolina. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson, a United States Army gene ...
* Died:
Namdeo Jadav Namdeo Jadhav, PVSM, VC (18 November 1921 – 2 August 1984) was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. D ...
, 62, Indian
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
recipient known for his heroism during the Allied Italian Campaign during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...


August 3 Events Pre-1600 * 8 – Roman Empire general Tiberius defeats the Dalmatae on the river Bosna. * 435 – Deposed Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Nestorius, considered the originator of Nestorianism, is exiled by Roman Emperor ...
, 1964 (Monday)

* The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party issued decree number 655-268, directing
Vladimir Chelomey Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey or Chelomei (russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Челоме́й; 30 June 1914 – 8 December 1984) was a Soviet engineer of Ukrainian ethnicity and designer in missile program of the former Sovie ...
of the
OKB-52 NPO Mashinostroyeniya (russian: НПО машиностроения, lit=RDA of machine manufacturing) is a rocket design bureau based in Reutov, Russia. During the Cold War it was responsible for several major weapons systems, including the UR-1 ...
bureau to proceed on building rockets for a crewed landing on the Moon. The decree slowed the progress of the
OKB-1 PAO S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (russian: Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва, Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya "Energiya" im. S. P. Korolyov ...
rocket design program headed by
Sergei Korolev Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (russian: Сергей Павлович Королёв, Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ kərɐˈlʲɵf, Ru-Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.ogg; ukr, Сергій Павлович Корольов, ...
for a
Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз (Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...
lunar mission. * Followers of
Alice Lenshina Alice Lenshina (1920–1978) was a Zambian woman, prisoner of conscience and self-appointed "prophetess" who is noted for her part in the " Lumpa Uprising", which claimed 700 lives. Lenshina founded and led the Lumpa Church, a religious sect t ...
and the Lumpa sect attacked the town of
Lundazi Lundazi is a town in eastern Zambia, lying near the border with Malawi, around from Chipata. Lundazi is known as a "''Boma''" or administrative centre ( ''boma'' derives from the Swahili word for a thorn fence, built to protect livestock or trav ...
in
Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
and indiscriminately murdered residents they found on the streets, using hatchets, spears, arrows and gunfire. They then marched northward from Lundzi and attacked seven villages. At least 150 people were killed in the attack. Zambian troops and riot police counterattacked at the Lumpa village of Chipoma and killed 74 of the rebels, and Zambian President
Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissat ...
outlawed the Lumpa church. Lenshina would be captured, alive, on August 11. * Willis B. Foster, Director of Manned Space Science in the
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
Office of Space Science and Applications, distributed a preliminary draft report of the Ad Hoc Astronomy Panel of the Orbiting Research Laboratory (ORL). The panel, which met on 26 October 1963 and again on 24 June 1964, was created to sound out the American scientific community on the validity of astronomical research by humans in space and to define
astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
objectives for the ORL mission. The panel promulgated a broad statement on the scope and direction of the crewed space astronomy program. Although
sounding rocket A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to ...
and uncrewed
satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
programs had merit, the panel stated that broader, more flexible and ultimately more economical astronomy programs required the presence of humans in space. Initial crewed astronomy programs should be carried out as soon as possible, and, although primary interest was on
Earth-orbit A geocentric orbit or Earth orbit involves any object orbiting Earth, such as the Moon or satellite, artificial satellites. In 1997, NASA estimated there were approximately 2,465 artificial satellite payloads orbiting Earth and 6,216 pieces of s ...
al systems, the panel clearly was looking forward to the eventual possibility of lunar surface observatories. The Ad Hoc Astronomy Panel also presented a comprehensive rationale for the human role in space astronomy: assembly of large, bulky, or fragile equipment in space; maintenance, repair, and modification of equipment; and direct monitoring of scientific apparatus and immediate data feedback during critical periods and for specialized operations. While recognizing that the presence of flight-oriented
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s was mandatory aboard an ORL, the panel recommended inclusion in the crew of a qualified
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...
to direct scientific operations aboard the laboratory. * Lyman Frain Sr., aged 80, became the oldest person to complete a transcontinental bicycle ride across the United States, arriving at the
Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
after a journey of 86 days and . Frain had taken up the sport at the age of 72. * Born: **
Lucky Dube Lucky Philip Dube (pronounced ''duu-beh'';
luckydubemusic.com, Retrieved 19 October 2007
3 August 1964 – 18 October 20 ...
, South African reggae musician, as Philip Lucky Dube in Ermelo (died 2007) **
Ralph Knibbs Ralph Andrew Knibbs is an English former rugby union player who played for Bristol. Rugby career He made his debut as a seventeen-year-old against Pontypridd RFC in 1982, scoring with his first touch of the ball.rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
centre for
Bristol RFC Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 18 ...
from 1983 to 1996; in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
** Abhisit Vejjajiva, English-born
Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed si ...
2008-2011, as Mark Abhisit Vejjajiva in
Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This fo ...
,
Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...
* Died:
Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern writer who often ...
, 39, American novelist, died of
lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...


August 4 Events Pre-1600 * 598 – Goguryeo-Sui War: In response to a Goguryeo (Korean) incursion into Liaoxi, Emperor Wéndi of Sui orders his youngest son, Yang Liang (assisted by the co-prime minister Gao Jiong), to conquer Goguryeo during th ...
, 1964 (Tuesday)

* The second
Gulf of Tonkin incident The Gulf of Tonkin incident ( vi, Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ) was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. It involved both a proven confrontation on August 2, 1964, carried out b ...
, which would propel the United States into a large-scale commitment to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, involved the commanders of two U.S. Navy
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s believing that they had been victims of an attack that "probably never occurred". The USS ''C. Turner Joy'' and the USS ''Maddox'' reported during the evening that they were being attacked by North Vietnamese gunboats.
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
would authorize a retaliatory air strike from the carrier USS ''Ticonderoga'' and deliver a late-night televised address calling Congress to action. Three days later, Congress would overwhelmingly authorize American use of force to a war that would claim the lives of over 58,000 Americans and one million Vietnamese. Nearly 40 years later, declassified information would show that the President was skeptical about the second attack, and the
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
concluded after analyzing 140 formerly secret documents that, although there was no doubt about the August 2 attack on the ''Maddox'', there had never been a second attack. NSA historian Robert J. Hanyok concluded that, "In truth, Hanoi's navy was engaged in nothing that night but the salvage of two of the boats damaged on 2 August. SIGINT reports which suggested that an attack had occurred contained severe analytical errors, unexplained translation changes and the conjunction of two unrelated messages into one translation." The overall consensus is that "there was no attack on the American ships on August 4, but... Johnson believed that there had been an attack when he ordered retaliation." * Nine miners in a French limestone quarry were rescued alive after being trapped for eight days by a cave-in near
Champagnole Champagnole () is a commune in the Jura department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Champagnole has the publicity tag of "Pearl of the Jura" and is a small town at the geographical centre of Jura tourism. It stands on th ...
. Another five died beneath the surface. * The bodies of murdered
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
workers
Michael Schwerner Michael Henry Schwerner (November 6, 1939 – June 21, 1964), was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) field workers killed in rural Neshoba County, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Schwerner and two co-workers, James Chan ...
, Andrew Goodman and
James Chaney James Earl Chaney (May 30, 1943 – June 21, 1964) was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) civil rights workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux Klan on June 21, 1964. The others were Andrew Goodman an ...
were found at the site of an earthen dam on a farm near
Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 census. History Philadelphia is incorporated as a municipality; it was given its current name in 1903, two year ...
, where they had disappeared on June 21. Acting on a tip from an informer who was motivated by a $30,000 reward, FBI agents obtained a warrant to search the "Old Jolly Farm" with the assistance of road-grading equipment. After six hours, at 2:05 in the afternoon, the searchers "smelled decaying flesh" and began excavating with shovels. Schwerner's body was found 73 minutes later, followed by those of Goodman and Chaney. * From August 4 to 6,
Manned Spacecraft Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late U ...
Propulsion and Power Division conducted a test of the
Project Gemini Project Gemini () was NASA's second human spaceflight program. Conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, Gemini started in 1961 and concluded in 1966. The Gemini spacecraft carried a two-astronaut crew. Ten Gemini crews and 16 individual ...
fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...
. The system was inadvertently operated for 15 minutes during a short circuit prior to the scheduled test. System performance was poor, and two of the cells would not carry loads of six amperes. The test was terminated. The product water sample obtained from the test was extremely acidic, indicating a potential membrane failure.


August 5 Events Pre-1600 *AD 25 – Guangwu claims the throne as Emperor of China, restoring the Han dynasty after the collapse of the short-lived Xin dynasty. * 70 – Fires resulting from the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem are ...
, 1964 (Wednesday)

* The
Vietnam Era Vietnam Era is a term used by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to classify veterans of the Vietnam War. Various departments of federal, state and local governments as well as private employers often give Vietnam Era veterans sp ...
began for purposes of federal law pertaining to members of the United States Armed Forces, which defines the period of American involvement in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
as "the period beginning on August 5, 1964, and ending on March 27, 1973". * The United States bombed
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
for the first time as it launched
Operation Pierce Arrow Operation Pierce Arrow was a U.S. bombing campaign at the beginning of the Vietnam War. In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident when the destroyers and of the United States Navy engaged North Vietnamese ships, sustaining light damage as ...
from the aircraft carriers USS ''Ticonderoga'' and USS ''Constellation''. The raid, conducted on the North Vietnamese PT boat bases and coastal installations, destroyed 90 percent of the oil storage facilities in the port of
Vinh Vinh () is the biggest city and economic and cultural center of north-central Vietnam. Vinh is the capital of Nghệ An Province, and is a key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The city is ...
. * After taking off from the ''Constellation'', U.S. Navy Lieutenant (jg) Richard C. Sather became the first American serviceman to be killed in North Vietnam (though many had died in South Vietnam), when his
A-1 Skyraider The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly known as the AD Skyraider) is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had an unusually long career, remaining in front-line service well into the Jet Age ...
was hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he crashed into the water off the shore of Thanh Hoa. * U.S. Navy Lieutenant
Everett Alvarez Jr. Everett Alvarez Jr. (born December 23, 1937) is a former United States Navy officer who endured one of the longest periods as a prisoner of war (POW) in Military history of the United States, U.S. military history. Alvarez was the first U.S. pilot ...
became the first American serviceman to be taken prisoner in North Vietnam, when his
A-4 Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed a ...
was hit by ground-fire and he parachuted to safety over
Hon Gai Hon or HON may refer to: People * Han (surname) (Chinese: 韩/韓), also romanized Hon * Louis Hon (1924–2008), French footballer * Priscilla Hon (born 1998), Australian tennis player Other uses * Hon (Baltimore), a cultural stereotype of ...
. Members of the local militia pulled him on to their boat after he landed in the water, and he would be held as a
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
for eight and a half years until February 12, 1973. Alvarez's captivity would be second only to that of U.S. Army Captain Floyd "Jim" Thompson, who had been captured in South Vietnam four months earlier, on March 26. * Stanleyville, the third largest city in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, was captured by the Simbas, the participants in the
Simba rebellion The Simba rebellion, also known as the Orientale revolt, was a regional uprising which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1963 and 1965 in the wider context of the Congo Crisis and the Cold War. The rebellion, located in t ...
, who took several hundred Western hostages. Belgian paratroopers, airlifted into Stanleyville by the U.S. Air Force, would retake the city on November 24. During the siege, at least 120 hostages were killed. * Born: Adam "MCA" Yauch, American hip hop musician and founder of the
Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
; in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
(d. 2012).


August 6 Events Pre-1600 *1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. * 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...
, 1964 (Thursday)

* The first
North Vietnamese Air Force The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese ...
jet fighter unit, Fighter Regiment No. 921 (the "Red Star Squadron"), arrived in North Vietnam after training at the Mengzi airfield in the neighboring
Yunnan province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...
in the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, bringing 36
MiG-17 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 w ...
and
MiG-19 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is a Soviet second generation, single-seat, twinjet fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. It was the ...
fighters to
Phúc Yên Air Base Phúc Yên Air Base (also known as Noi Bai Air Base) is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam)'' military airfield located immediately north of Noi Bai International Airport and approximately north of Hanoi. ...
near
Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
. * Born:
Gary Valenciano Edgardo Jose Santiago Valenciano (, born August 6, 1964), also known as Gary V., is a Filipino singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, actor, music producer and television host. Valenciano has released 39 albums, and won the Awit Award for "Bes ...
, Filipino pop musician and singer; in
Santa Mesa, Manila Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampaloc to ...
* Died:
Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...
, 71, English stage, film, radio and television actor


August 7 Events Pre-1600 * 461 – Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the ''magister militum'' Ricimer. * 626 – The Avar and Slav armies leave the siege of Co ...
, 1964 (Friday)

* By a unanimous (416 to 0) vote in the House of Representatives and an 88 to 2 vote in the Senate, the United States Congress approved the
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution or the Southeast Asia Resolution, , was a joint resolution that the United States Congress passed on August 7, 1964, in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. It is of historic significance because it gave U.S. p ...
, endorsing President
Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
's broad use of war powers to combat North Vietnamese and local Communist attacks in Vietnam. The approval would clear the way for a massive American commitment to the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. The only two votes against the resolution came from Senator
Wayne Morse Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing his party's leadership and for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds. ...
of Oregon and Senator
Ernest Gruening Ernest Henry Gruening ( ; February 6, 1887 – June 26, 1974) was an American journalist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gruening was the governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from A ...
of Alaska. U.S. Representative
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (November 29, 1908 – April 4, 1972) was an American Baptist pastor and politician who represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971. He was t ...
of New York did not vote for or against the resolution, and chose to vote "present" during the roll call. The resolution authorized the president to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States" and "to assist any member" of the
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, the Philipp ...
, but fell short of a declaration of war. The resolution would be repealed by both houses of Congress on June 24, 1970, although American combat operations would continue into 1973. * On the same day, the People's Republic of China warned that it would "without hesitation... resolutely support the Vietnamese people's just war against U.S. aggressors", though not committing to direct military intervention. American strategy during the war would be set when the Beijing government "informed Washington privately that it would not go beyond material aid provided that the United States did not invade North Vietnam with ground forces", which would be considered a threat to China's frontier. * The funeral for
James Chaney James Earl Chaney (May 30, 1943 – June 21, 1964) was one of three Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) civil rights workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by members of the Ku Klux Klan on June 21, 1964. The others were Andrew Goodman an ...
, the first for the three victims of the murder in Neshoba County, Mississippi, was held before African-American mourners at the First Union Baptist Church in
Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...
, and one of the eulogies was given by a white preacher, Ed King, the chaplain at
Tougaloo College Tougaloo College is a private historically black college in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, Mississippi. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was originally established in 1869 by New Yo ...
. "I come before you to try to say that my brothers have killed my brothers," he told the gathering. "My white brothers have killed my black brothers." Pastor King, a native of Vicksburg, had fought for civil rights since 1960 and had been frequently jailed and beaten for his activities. * The formal Combined Systems Acceptance Test (CSAT) of Gemini launch vehicle (GLV) 3 was successfully performed. The vehicle acceptance team (VAT) met August 17 to review CSAT and other test and manufacturing data. Because GLV-3 was not yet needed at
Cape Kennedy , image = cape canaveral.jpg , image_size = 300 , caption = View of Cape Canaveral from space in 1991 , map = Florida#USA , map_width = 300 , type =Cape , map_caption = Location in Florida , location ...
, Manned Spacecraft Center, in line with
Aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...
recommendations, decided to have all engineering changes installed at Baltimore instead of at the Cape. After reviewing these modifications, the VAT directed
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
to conduct a second CSAT when they were completed. Modifications were completed September 15; subsystems retest was finished September 28, and the second CSAT was completed September 30. * Died: **
Salima Machamba Salima Machamba (1 November 1874, Fomboni – 7 August 1964, Pesmes) was sultan of Mohéli (Mwali) in 1888–1909. Her official paternal name was ''Salima Machamba bint Saidi Hamadi Makadara''. She was a relative of Ranavalona I, Queen of Madagasca ...
, 89, former Queen of the island of
Mohéli Mohéli , also known as Mwali, is an autonomous island that forms part of the Comoros, Union of the Comoros. It is the smallest of the three major islands in the country. It is located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa and it is the sma ...
in the
Comoro Islands The Comoro Islands or Comoros ( Shikomori ''Komori''; ar, جزر القمر , ''Juzur al-qamar''; french: Les Comores) form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northw ...
until she was deposed in 1909 **
Aleksander Zawadzki Aleksander Zawadzki, alias Kazik, Wacek, Bronek, One (; 16 December 1899 – 7 August 1964) was a Polish communist politician, first Chairman of the Council of State of the People's Republic of Poland, divisional general of the Polish Army ...
, 65,
President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...
since 1952


August 8 Events Pre-1600 * 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as th ...
, 1964 (Saturday)

* The first protest demonstration against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War came on the first weekend after U.S. air raids, with about 100 protesters marching near New York's Times Square. * A group of 30 U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force jet fighters took to the air to confront a wave of MiG fighters from the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, after radar detected a wave of Chinese jets flying south from China's
Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
. The F-102 fighters departed from the USAF base at Da Nang while the F-4 and F-8 jets departed from the aircraft carriers ''Ticonderoga'' and ''Constellation'', but the Chinese jets stopped short of penetrating South Vietnamese airspace and flew a "holding pattern" over North Vietnam. * The
Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force ( tr, ) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The Turkish Air Force can trace its origins back to June 1911 when it was founded by the Ottoman Empire, however, the air force as it is known t ...
began strikes on seven Greek Cypriot towns and villages in
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, as well as other strategic positions on the northwest side of the island republic. The Cyprus government said that 24 Greek Cypriots had been killed, and 200 wounded in the day's attacks. Turkey's government admitted to the strikes, and said that they had happened after efforts to stop Greek Cypriot attacks against the Turkish Cypriot minority had proved to be unsuccessful. Three Turkish Cypriot villages (Ayios Theodhoros, Mansoura and Alvega) were besieged by Greek Cypriots, while the Turks blasted Polis, Xeros, Kokkina, Kato Pyrgos, Ghoudi, Pakhyammos and Pomos. The United Nations Security Council demanded an immediate cease-fire the next day, and attacks halted on August 10. For nearly ten years, there would be no further invasions by either Turkey or Greece, until July 20, 1974, following the overthrow of the Cyprus government by a group favoring union with Greece. Following an invasion by Turkish troops, the island would be divided into Turkish and Greek zones. * A
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
concert in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
resort of
Scheveningen Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict (''wijk'') of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is po ...
, near
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, ended in a near riot after the Stones had played only four songs. * Born:
Jan Josef Liefers Jan Josef Liefers (born 8 August 1964), is a German actor, producer, director and musician. Life Liefers was born in Dresden, the son of director Karlheinz Liefers and actress Brigitte Liefers-Wähner. After his apprenticeship he studied at th ...
, German film and television actor, in
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
,
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
* Died: ** Josie Hannon Fitzgerald, 98, maternal grandmother of the late
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
. She was the first, and remains the only person to have been the living grandparent of an incumbent President of the United States. Mrs. Fitzgerald had never been told that her grandson had been assassinated and relatives had kept the news from her for fear that the shock would hasten her death. **
Fontaine Fox Fontaine Talbot Fox, Jr. (June 4, 1884 – August 9, 1964) was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for writing and illustrating his ''Toonerville Folks'' comic panel, which ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North ...
, 80, American comic strip artist known for ''
Toonerville Folks ''Toonerville Folks'' ( ''The Toonerville Trolley That Meets All the Trains'') was a popular newspaper cartoon feature by Fontaine Fox, which ran from 1908 to 1955. It began in 1908 in the ''Chicago Post'', and by 1913, it was syndicated nationall ...
'', featuring the "
Toonerville Trolley Toonerville may refer to: * Toonerville Folks, a 20th-century comic strip * Toonerville, Colorado Toonerville is an unincorporated community in Bent County, Colorado, in the United States. History The community was named after ''Toonerville Folks ...
"


August 9 Events Pre-1600 *48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. * 378 – Gothic War: Battle of Adrianople: A large Roman army led by Emperor Valens ...
, 1964 (Sunday)

* The Cuban freighter ''Maria Teresa'' was damaged by an explosion while docked at a harbor in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, after arriving in the Canadian city from Cuba. An anti-Castro group, the Cuban Nationalist Association, claimed responsibility for the attack, and said that the bomb had been placed beneath the ship by a
frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some European countries, police work. Such personnel are also known by the more formal names of combat diver, comb ...
working for the C.N.A. * Archbishop
Makarios III Makarios III ( el, Μακάριος Γ΄; born Michael Christodoulou Mouskos) (Greek: Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977) was a Cypriot politician, archbishop and primate who served as ...
, President of
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, asked Greek Prime Minister
George Papandreou George Andreas Papandreou ( el, Γεώργιος Ανδρέας Παπανδρέου, , shortened to ''Giorgos'' () to distinguish him from his grandfather; born 16 June 1952) is a Greek politician who served as Prime Minister of Greece from ...
for aerial assistance against Turkey. The Greeks responded by sending four planes. * The
Coptic Christian Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are ...
church, founded in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
by
Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...
during the same century that the Roman Catholic Church was established by Saint Peter, began a mission under
Pope Cyril VI ''This article uses dates and years written in the Coptic calendar, using the A.M. (Anno Martyrum) calendar era, in addition to the Gregorian calendar, using the A.D. (Anno Domini) calendar era.'' Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria also called Abba Ky ...
to reach the growing number of adherents in North America, with the ordination of Wagdi Elias as the first Coptic Orthodox priest, and began service in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. * The
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM or MMM) is a federation of various Muslim organisations in India. Majlis-e-Mushawarat was formally launched at a two-day (August 8–9) meeting in 1964 at the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ula ...
was established by leaders of multiple Islamic organizations in India, under the leadership of Dr.
Syed Mahmud Syed Mahmud (1889–1971) was an Indian politician and senior leader in the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement and in post-independence India. He was a member of the foundation committee of Jamia Millia Islamia. E ...
, as a political organization to lobby for the interests of the nation's 50 million Muslims. * Addie Davis became the first female
Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...
church member to be ordained as a
pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
within the conservative American Christian denomination. Mrs. Davis was ordained in
Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...
at the Watts Street Baptist Church and would be called by the First Baptist Church in
Readsboro, Vermont Readsboro is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The town was named after John Reade, a landholder. The population was 702 at the 2020 census. The hamlet of Heartwellville is in the northern part of Readsboro, approximately nor ...
, serving their for eight years. * Born:
Brett Hull Brett Andrew Hull (born August 9, 1964) is a Canadian–American former ice hockey player and general manager, and currently an executive vice president of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Calgary Flames, ...
, Canadian-born
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
right wing, 1990-91 MVP; in
Belleville, Ontario Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Belleville is between Ottawa and Toronto, along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Its population ...
, as the son of NHL legend
Bobby Hull Robert Marvin Hull OC (born January 3, 1939) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His blonde hair, skating speed, end-to-end rushes, and ability to shoot the puck at very high veloc ...


August 10 Events Pre-1600 * 654 – Pope Eugene I elected to succeed Martinus I. * 955 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor defeats the Magyars, ending 50 years of Magyar invasion of the West. * 991 – Battle of Maldon: Th ...
, 1964 (Monday)

*
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
published his first
encyclical An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...
, ''
Ecclesiam suam ''Ecclesiam suam'' is an encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the Catholic Church given at St. Peter's, Rome, on the Feast of the Transfiguration, 6 August 1964, the second year of his Pontificate. It is considered an important document, which identifi ...
'', identifying the Catholic Church with the
Body of Christ In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ () has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus' words over the bread at the celebration of the Jewish feast of Passover that "This is my body" in (see Last Supper), or it may refer to ...
. Completed on August 6, the papal letter expressed an intent for the church to begin a "dialogue with the other religions of the world", and with anti-religious governments within the Communist nations. * In the Soviet Union, the number of years of required
secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
was reduced from three years to two years, effectively returning Soviet students to the ten-year school program that had existed prior to 1958. The decree was issued jointly by the Council of Ministers and by the Communist Party's Central Committee prior to the beginning of the 1964-1965 school year. * Associate Justice
Hugo L. Black Hugo Lafayette Black (February 27, 1886 – September 25, 1971) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 1927 to 1937 and as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1937 to 1971. ...
of the United States Supreme Court rejected requests by the Heart of Atlanta Motel and by the Pickrick Restaurant (owned by
Lester Maddox Lester Garfield Maddox Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 75th governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. A populist Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationis ...
in Atlanta) for a temporary stay of enforcement of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
provisions prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations. Both the motel and the restaurant had urged that they would suffer irreparable injury (in the form of lost revenues) if they had to serve African-American customers while litigation on the constitutionality of the new law was pending before the Supreme Court, which would not begin its new term until October. In a three-page memorandum, Justice Black wrote that a restraint on enforcement would be unjustifiable, but urged his fellow justices to expedite the cases "in the hope that they could be made ready for final argument the first week we meet in October." * President Johnson signed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which took effect as U.S. Public Law 88-408. *
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
agreed to the unconditional ceasefire demanded by the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. *
Logan Martin Lake Logan Martin Lake is a reservoir located in east central Alabama on the Coosa River approximately east of Birmingham, Alabama. This reservoir was built in 1965 by Alabama Power Company. The lake, nicknamed Lake of a Thousand Coves by locals, has ...
, a reservoir on the
Coosa River The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 ...
, Alabama, was completed.


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 founde ...
, 1964 (Tuesday)

* One-hundred and six U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force troops were dispatched to the
Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
to intervene in the Congolese government's fight against the rebels who had taken control of Stanleyville. The group, sent from
Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
included 40 paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, 56 men from the Air Force maintenance group, and ten Army support personnel, went along with four C-130 transports to be used by the Congo government to airlift its soldiers. * The U.S. Senate approved the
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 () authorized the formation of local Community Action Agencies as part of the War on Poverty. These agencies are directly regulated by the federal government. "It is the purpose of The Economic Opportunity Ac ...
, as amended by the House of Representatives, and sent it to the White House for the approval of President Johnson. At the same time as it was approving domestic aid to fight poverty among Americans, the Senate voted 50-35 to cut foreign aid by $216.7 million. On Saturday, the House of Representatives had voted 226 to 185 to amend the Economic Opportunity bill that had passed the Senate on July 23. * In Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia),
Alice Lenshina Alice Lenshina (1920–1978) was a Zambian woman, prisoner of conscience and self-appointed "prophetess" who is noted for her part in the " Lumpa Uprising", which claimed 700 lives. Lenshina founded and led the Lumpa Church, a religious sect t ...
surrendered voluntarily to Zambian authorities "in exchange for a guarantee of her personal safety" but without any promises that she would avoid criminal prosecution. Thousands of Lenshina's followers would be imprisoned or killed during the two months that followed, and another 20,000 would flee to the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. Although Lenshina would not be prosecuted, she would remain in detention until her death on December 7, 1979. *
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' first film, ''A Hard Day's Night'', was released in the United States and Canada by United Artists in 700 movie theaters.


August 12 Events Pre-1600 * 1099 – First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade. * 1121 – Ba ...
, 1964 (Wednesday)

* Charlie Wilson, who was serving a 30-year sentence for his role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963, escaped from Britain's
Winson Green Prison HM Prison Birmingham is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category B men's prison, located in the Winson Green area of Birmingham, England. The prison was operated by G4S from 2011, before it was returned to HM Prison and Probat ...
in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, apparently with the aid of three accomplices. Wilson, who was only four months into his 30-year sentence, was aided by three men believed to have used a rope ladder to scale a high prison wall, tying up a guard, somehow obtaining a key to his cell, and helping him get out. Wilson would be recaptured in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
in 1968 and would serve 10 years of his sentence. After his release in 1978, he would move to
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
and be murdered in his home in 1990. * ''Sinfonia Sacra'', Sir
Andrzej Panufnik Sir Andrzej Panufnik (24 September 1914 – 27 October 1991) was a Polish composer and conductor. He became established as one of the leading Polish composers, and as a conductor he was instrumental in the re-establishment of the Warsaw Philha ...
's Third Symphony, was given its world premiere performance by the
Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra (french: Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, OPMC) is the main orchestra in the Principality of Monaco. The orchestra gives concerts primarily in the Auditorium Rainier III, but also performs at the Salle ...
in
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, conducted by
Louis Frémaux Louis Joseph Félix Frémaux (13 August 1921 – 20 March 2017) was a French conductor. Life and career Frémaux was born in Aire-sur-la-Lys, France and came from an artistic background; his father was a painter, and his wife was a music teac ...
. The symphony "gained immense recognition among audiences and critics" and would be performed in concerts worldwide. * The "Big Three" American automakers (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) announced through the
Automobile Manufacturers Association The Automobile Manufacturers Association was a trade group of automobile manufacturers which operated under various names in the United States from 1911 to 1999. A different group called the Automobile Manufacturers' Association was active in the ...
that they would introduce
vehicle emissions control Vehicle emissions control is the study of reducing the emissions produced by motor vehicles, especially internal combustion engines. Types of emissions Emissions of many air pollutants have been shown to have variety of negative effects on public ...
devices voluntarily in time for the 1966 model year. The move came less than two months after
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
's Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board had forced the issue by licensing devices by four independent vendors for
catalytic converter A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usually ...
s. * Died: **
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...
, 56. former British intelligence officer and novelist who created the "
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
" series of spy novels, died of a heart attack **
Ernst Kühnel Ernst Kühnel (1882−1964) was a German art historian who specialized in Islamic art. He was notable for his research on the connection between Islamic and Coptic art, particularly in textiles. Kühnel served as director of the Museum of Islamic ...
, 81, German art historian **
Dmitry Dmitrievich Maksutov Dmitry Dmitrievich Maksutov (russian: Дми́трий Дми́триевич Максу́тов) ( – 12 August 1964) was a Russian / Soviet optical engineer and amateur astronomer. He is best known as the inventor of the Maksutov telescope. ...
, 68, Soviet optical engineer who invented the
Maksutov telescope The Maksutov (also called a "Mak") is a catadioptric telescope design that combines a spherical mirror with a weakly negative meniscus lens in a design that takes advantage of all the surfaces being nearly "spherically symmetrical". The negative ...


August 13 Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 – Em ...
, 1964 (Thursday)

* Murderers
Gwynne Owen Evans The murder of John Alan West on 7 April 1964 was the crime which led to the last death sentences being carried out in the United Kingdom. West, a 53-year-old van driver for a laundry company, was beaten and stabbed to death by Gwynne Evans and P ...
and
Peter Anthony Allen The murder of John Alan West on 7 April 1964 was the crime which led to the last Capital punishment, death sentences being carried out in the United Kingdom. West, a 53-year-old van driver for a laundry company, was beaten and stabbed to death b ...
became the last people to be executed in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. Evans was hanged at the Strangways prison in
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, and Allen went to the gallows at the
Walton Gaol HM Prison Liverpool (formerly Walton Gaol) is a category B local men's prison in Walton, Liverpool, England. It is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Liverpool Prison (originally known as Walton Gaol) was constructed between 184 ...
in
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. A year later, the UK would abolish the death penalty. Evans and Allen, aged 24 and 21, respectively, had been dairy workers when they stabbed a laundry truck driver, John Allen West, in the heart during a robbery. * The
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
baseball organization was purchased by the
Columbia Broadcasting System CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, owner of the CBS television and radio networks. CBS paid $11,200,000 for an 80% interest in the team beginning in November, with an option to buy the other 20% within the next five years; by September, 1966, CBS would be the full owner. After eight seasons of mediocrity during the "CBS years" from 1965 through 1972, the television network would sell the team to
George Steinbrenner George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...
in 1973. * The U.S. Senate voted, 62 to 28, to bar all aid to
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. * Restaurateur
Lester Maddox Lester Garfield Maddox Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 75th governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. A populist Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationis ...
shut down the Pickrick restaurant in Atlanta rather than to evade a judicial order requiring him to serve African-American customers. After reopening it as the Lester Maddox Cafeteria to capitalize on his nationwide fame and to evade the judicial order against the Pickrick, Maddox would close his restaurant permanently on February 5, 1965, following a judgment upholding the August order, and threatening him with a retroactive $200 a day fine (for the 180 days of defying the court). He would parlay his popularity into a political career, winning the election for
Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...
in 1966. * Died: William H. Davis, 84, American lawyer and government administrator who drafted the
National Labor Relations Act The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, is a foundational statute of United States labor law that guarantees the right of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining, and ...
, then managed the national economy during World War Two and the peacetime transition as Chairman of the War Labor Board and then the Director of Economic Stabilization.


August 14 Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...
, 1964 (Friday)

* The
United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...
(Egypt) entered the war in Yemen with a massive bombing campaign against the royalists led by the Imam
Muhammad al-Badr , succession = King and Imam of Yemen , image = Muhammad al-Badr.jpg , image_size = , caption = Al-Badr in 1962 , reign = 19 – 26 September 1962 , predecessor = Ahmad bin Yahya , successor = ''Title abolishe ...
, who had been overthrown in 1962 when the
Yemen Arab Republic The Yemen Arab Republic (YAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية اليمنية '), also known simply as North Yemen or Yemen (Sanaʽa), was a country from 1962 to 1990 in the northwestern part of what is now Yemen.The United States extend ...
had been created by coup leaders. Egyptian planes departed from the El Rahaba Airport at the Yemeni capital of
Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
in an attack on royalist strongholds to reach the Imam's base at Al-Qarah, and Egyptian troops converged on Al-Qarah by moving north from Sana'a and south from
Sa'dah Saada ( ar, صَعْدَة, translit=Ṣaʿda), a city and ancient capital in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the province of the same name, and the county seat of the county of the same name. The city is located in the ...
, forcing Imam al-Badr to flee for his life; in September 1964, he and the royalists would receive supplies from
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and would mount a counteroffensive. *
Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
married cocktail waitress Sonji Roi, a month after their first meeting. *At a meeting of the NASA-
McDonnell The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 6, 1939, by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom I ...
Management Panel, the problem of the Gemini
extravehicular activity Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA in ...
(EVA) chest pack size was discussed. If stowed on
Gemini spacecraft Project Gemini () was NASA's second human spaceflight program. Conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, Gemini started in 1961 and concluded in 1966. The Gemini spacecraft carried a two-astronaut crew. Ten Gemini crews and 16 individual ...
No. 6, it would take up space that would otherwise be available for experiments on that mission, and the same would be true on subsequent missions. A study was requested from McDonnell, as well as suggestions for alternative plans. One such alternative proposed was the storing of some experiments in the adapter section - but this, of course, meant that EVA would be a prerequisite for those experiments.


August 15 Events Pre-1600 * 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins. * 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Constant ...
, 1964 (Saturday)

*
Aloysius Schwartz Aloysius Philip Schwartz (September 18, 1930 – March 16, 1992), commonly known as Fr. Al Schwartz, was an American Roman Catholic priest who began charity programs for poor orphans in Korea, the Philippines, and Mexico, and founded the Sis ...
, a Roman Catholic priest from the United States, founded the Sisters of Mary of Banneux to provide education to impoverished children in Amnam-dong, a poor section of
Pusan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Over the 50 years that followed, it would establish programs in the Philippines, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and Brazil. * The first rebellion of the
Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...
minority against the government of
Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...
was declared suppressed by the Malian Army. A new rebellion would not occur until 1990. * Construction of the
Mount Fuji Radar System The Mount Fuji Radar System is a historic weather radar system located on the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan. It was completed on August 15, 1964, and is now recorded on the list of IEEE Milestones in electrical engineering. When first built, the ...
, Japan's first early-warning weather radar network, was completed. The project had been commissioned after
Isewan Typhoon Typhoon Vera, also known as the , was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959, becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country as a Category 5 equivalent storm. Th ...
had killed 5,000 people in September, 1959. * Born:
Melinda Gates Melinda French Gates (born Melinda Ann French; August 15, 1964) is an American philanthropist and former multimedia product developer and manager at Microsoft. French Gates has consistently been ranked as one of the world's most powerful women ...
, American philanthropist, wife of
Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
and co-founder of the charitable organization, the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...
; as Melinda Ann French in
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...


August 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs. * 942 – Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdan ...
, 1964 (Sunday)

* In a coup, South Vietnam's Prime Minister, Major General
Nguyen Khanh Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元)is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this s ...
, was named as the nation's new President, replacing figurehead chief of state Duong Van Minh as chief of state. Under a new constitution, drafted with the assistance of the U.S. Embassy, a 62-member revolutionary council had the right to veto Khanh's decisions. He would resign after only nine days, and be replaced by a three-man military junta. On September 30, he would be named prime minister by the new government but would serve only 30 days. * The American
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA) cut all ties with
Michael Goleniewski Michał Franciszek Goleniewski a.k.a. 'SNIPER', 'LAVINIA', (16 August 1922 – 12 July 1993), was a Polish officer in the People's Republic of Poland's Ministry of Public Security, the deputy head of military counterintelligence GZI WP, later hea ...
, a former intelligence officer for Poland's spy agency, the
Urząd Ochrony Państwa The Office of State Protection (Polish language, Polish: ''Urząd Ochrony Państwa'' (, UOP)
(UOP). Goleniewski, who had provided the CIA Polish and Soviet secrets since his defection in 1961, had told ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that he was actually Prince Alexei Romanov, the former heir to the Russian throne. Prince Alexei had been killed along with his father, the former
Tsar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
and the rest of the Romanov family in 1918. Goleniewski, who had been born four years after Alexei's death at the age of 13, claimed also that he was the sole Romanov survivor and heir to the Romanov fortune. * Fourteen children from the Arras region of northern France, and three adults, were killed when the bus they were on plunged into a ravine near Bourg St. Maurice. The dead were part of an excursion of 55 children who were attending a summer camp in the French Alps, and the bus was on a narrow road near the Little St. Bernard mountain pass. An oncoming car forced the bus to the side of the road, which then crumbled under the bus's weight, causing the accident. * ''The New York Times'' published "Visit to the World's Fair of 2014", by American author and scientist
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
, his forecast of the world of fifty years in the future. Fifty years later, a writer would note, "Depending on which parts are emphasized, Asimov's predictions range from off-the-wall (underwater cities and solar power plants in space) to eerily prescient (miniaturized computers, self-driving cars and automated kitchen appliances). He estimated the U.S. population at 350 million (it's just under 319 million), and the world population at 6.5 billion (it's 7.2 billion) -- not bad, considering in 1964 they were 192 million and 3.3 billion, respectively." * Martin-Baltimore received the propellant tanks for Gemini launch vehicle 6 from Martin-Denver, which had begun fabricating them in April 1964. After being inspected, the tanks were placed in storage where they remained until December 18.


August 17 Events Pre-1600 * 309/310 – Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, possibly from a hunger strike. * 682 – Pope Leo II begins his pontificate. * 986 – Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of ...
, 1964 (Monday)

* A year and a half after the '' Konfrontasi'' between
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
began on the island of
Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
, about 100 Indonesian Army troops landed on the Malaysian mainland, launching an amphibious invasion on the peninsula at Pontian. A historian notes that the troops (and a force of paratroopers) "expected to be welcomed by the people" but were immediately turned over to the national government by local militias. * Construction was completed on the
Capital Beltway The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase "inside th ...
, a multi-lane interstate highway that surrounds the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and passes through
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
as I-495. The first section of the route, originally called the "Washington Circumferential Highway", had been opened in Maryland in 1957 as one of the first projects in the American
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
; the project cost an estimated $189,000,000 at the time. *A severe electrical storm in the vicinity of complex 19 interrupted testing of Gemini launch vehicle (GLV) 2. Several observers reported a lightning strike at or near complex 19. All testing was halted for a thorough investigation of this so-called electromagnetic incident. The inspection, completed on September 2, revealed no physical markings of any kind but disclosed a number of failed components, mostly in aerospace ground equipment (AGE) with some in GLV-2. This indicated that complex 19 had not been hit directly; damage was attributed to the electromagnetic effects of a nearby lightning strike or to resulting static charges. A recovery plan was prepared to restore confidence in all launch vehicle systems, AGE, ground instrumentation equipment, and facility systems. All components containing
semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical resistivity and conductivity, electrical conductivity value falling between that of a electrical conductor, conductor, such as copper, and an insulator (electricity), insulator, such as glas ...
s were replaced, and all tests were to be conducted again as if GLV-2 had just arrived at
Eastern Test Range The Eastern Range (ER) is an American rocket range (Spaceport) that supports missile and rocket launches from the two major launch heads located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The range ha ...
. *MSC's Spacecraft Integration Branch proposed an Apollo "X"
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
to be used in Earth orbit for biomedical and scientific missions of extended duration. The spacecraft would consist of the lunar
Apollo spacecraft The Apollo spacecraft was composed of three parts designed to accomplish the American Apollo program's goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and returning them safely to Earth. The expendable (single-use) spacecraft ...
and its systems, with minimum modifications consisting of redundancies and spares. The concept provided for a first-phase mission which would consider the Apollo "X" a two-person Earth-orbiting laboratory for a period of 14 to 45 days. The spacecraft would be boosted into a orbit by a
Saturn IB The Saturn IB (also known as the uprated Saturn I) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program. It uprated the Saturn I by replacing the S-IV second stage (, ...
launch vehicle A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad, launch pads, supported by a missile launch contro ...
. Variations of configurations under consideration provided for Configuration A, a two-person crew, 14- to 45- day mission, no lab module; Configuration B, a three-person crew, 45-day mission, single lab module; Configuration C, a three-person crew, 45-day mission, dependent systems double lab module; and Configuration D, a three-person crew, 120-day mission, independent systems lab module. * Died:
Keiji Sada is the stage name for a Japanese cinema actor active from the late-1940s to the early 1960s. His real name was Kanichi Nakai. He won the award for best actor at the 7th Blue Ribbon Awards for and . He was the father of the actor Kiichi Nakai an ...
, 37, Japanese actor, was killed in a car accident.


August 18 Events Pre-1600 * 684 – Battle of Marj Rahit: Umayyad partisans defeat the supporters of Ibn al-Zubayr and cement Umayyad control of Syria. * 707 – Princess Abe accedes to the imperial Japanese throne as Empress Genmei. *1304 & ...
, 1964 (Tuesday)

* The
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
banned South Africa from future participation in the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
after the nation's white-minority government declined to disassociate itself from its
apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
policy of barring non-whites from its Olympic team. Frank Braun, President of the South African Olympic Committee, had informed the IOC that it did not intend to change its policies. * The U.S. Senate voted, 44 to 41, to
table Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...
a bill that would have required equal television and radio time to Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater in the presidential campaign if the two candidates did not participate in a debate. All 44 of the votes for postponing consideration of the legislation were from Democratic Party senators; 12 other Democrats joined all 29 Republican senators in opposing the move. * At the
Wartburg Castle The Wartburg () is a castle originally built in the Middle Ages. It is situated on a precipice of to the southwest of and overlooking the town of Eisenach, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It was the home of St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the p ...
in
Eisenach Eisenach () is a town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, located west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia and bordering northeastern Hessian regions, situat ...
in
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
, Socialist Unity Party Chairman
Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later (after spending the years of Nazi rule in ...
met with
Moritz Mitzenheim Moritz is the German equivalent of the name Maurice. It may refer to: People Given name * Saint Maurice, also called Saint Moritz, the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century * Prince Moritz of Hesse (2007), the son of ...
, the Evangelical Lutheran Bishop of
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
, and the two signed a "document on church-state understanding". Although Bishop Mitzenheim was not authorized to speak on behalf of all of East Germany's Protestant churches, there were concessions made, with the East German evangelical Lutherans associating less with the West German church, and East Germany allowing pacifists an alternative form of military service that did not require them to bear arms. * Lebanon's Parliament voted, 99 to 5, to elect Education Minister
Charles Helou Charles Helou ( ar, شارل الحلو; 25 September 1913 – 7 January 2001) was a Lebanese politician and President of Lebanon from 1964 to 1970. Early life and education Born in Beirut on 25 September 1913, Helou was the scion of a powerf ...
as the nation's new President. Helou would take office on September 23. * In
The Ashes The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, ''The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, its first Te ...
, the five-match
test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
series between
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Australia retained its title despite having won only one of the matches, and despite the consensus that the English team was the better of the two. The other four meetings ended in draws, including the final match, which was ruined by the weather, giving Australia the 1-0 victory for the series. * Died: Hildegard Trabant, 37, was shot by East German border guards while attempting to cross into West Berlin. Unlike almost all other deaths at the
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...
, Trabant's killing would go unnoticed in the West until the discovery of the incident 26 years later in East German files in 1990.


August 19 Events Pre-1600 *295 BC – The first temple to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, is dedicated by Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges during the Third Samnite War. *43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later know ...
, 1964 (Wednesday)

* The United States launched the world's first
geostationary satellite A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitude ...
, sending
Syncom 3 Syncom (for "synchronous communication satellite") started as a 1961 NASA program for active geosynchronous communication satellites, all of which were developed and manufactured by the Space and Communications division of Hughes Aircraft Compa ...
into orbit in advance of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, with a dual purpose of televising the games back to the U.S. and to provide "an emergency communication link with hard-to-reach Asian trouble spots". The next day, a ground station in ground control at
Salisbury, South Australia Salisbury is a northern suburb in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the seat of the City of Salisbury, and in the South Australian Legislative Assembly electoral district of Ramsay and the Australian House of Representatives division of Spence. ...
sent a command to fire rockets to increase Syncom 3's altitude from to above the
equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
, where it would match the Earth's rotation. Over a period of two weeks, other ground stations would send commands at precise times to gradually move Syncom 3 to a position "above the intersection of the equator and the
international date line The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific O ...
." * Born:
Dermott Brereton Dermott Hugh Brereton (born 19 August 1964) is an Australian former professional Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League (AFL) who is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent (his ...
,
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
star * Died:
Hans Peter Luhn Hans Peter Luhn (July 1, 1896 – August 19, 1964) was a German researcher in the field of computer science and Library & Information Science for IBM, and creator of the Luhn algorithm, KWIC (Key Words In Context) indexing, and Selective ...
, 68, German computer scientist who invented the
Luhn algorithm The Luhn algorithm or Luhn formula, also known as the " modulus 10" or "mod 10" algorithm, named after its creator, IBM scientist Hans Peter Luhn, is a simple checksum formula used to validate a variety of identification numbers, such as credit ca ...
and the
Key Word in Context Key Word In Context (KWIC) is the most common format for concordance lines. The term KWIC was first coined by Hans Peter Luhn. The system was based on a concept called ''keyword in titles'' which was first proposed for Manchester libraries in 1864 ...
(KWIC) search system, as well as developing the
Selective dissemination of information Selective dissemination of information ("SDI") was originally a phrase related to library and information science. SDI refers to tools and resources used to keep a user informed of new resources on specified topics, including the current-awareness ...
(SDI) concept.


August 20 Events Pre-1600 *AD 14 – Agrippa Postumus, maternal grandson of the late Roman emperor Augustus, is mysteriously executed by his guards while in exile. * 636 – Battle of Yarmouk: Arabs, Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take c ...
, 1964 (Thursday)

* U.S. President
Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
signed the
Economic Opportunity Act The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 () authorized the formation of local Community Action Agencies as part of the War on Poverty. These agencies are directly regulated by the federal government. "It is the purpose of The Economic Opportunity Ac ...
into law. "Today, for the first time in all the history of the human race," Johnson said in a ceremony at the Rose Garden outside the White House, "a great nation is able to make and is willing to make a commitment to eradicate poverty among its people. To sign the legislation, Johnson "used 72 pens, which he handed out to the notables who were gathered together... a moment of high drama in a period in which a number of new, important, controversial programs were infused into American life", with the "
War on Poverty The war on poverty is the unofficial name for legislation first introduced by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during his State of the Union address on January 8, 1964. This legislation was proposed by Johnson in response to a national p ...
" being a major part of Johnson's
Great Society The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the University ...
program. *
INTELSAT Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as In ...
, the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, was established by 11 founding nations. * The U.S. Air Force began the first of 3,435 unmanned
drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...
reconnaissance missions during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, using the Ryan AQM-34 Lightning Bug series. The first of the Lightning Bugs flew a mission in Communist Chinese airspace, while others flew over locations in Southeast Asia. The drones could gather photographic, electronic, and communication intelligence, as well as to serve as decoys or to drop leaflets. * What would later become known as "The
Harmonica Incident The Harmonica Incident took place on a New York Yankees team bus on August 20, 1964 New York Yankees season, 1964, en route to O'Hare International Airport. Infielder Phil Linz, slightly resentful at not being played during a four-game sweep by th ...
" took place between
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
'
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...
Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball ...
and
utility infielder In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various st ...
Phil Linz Philip Francis Linz (June 4, 1939 – December 9, 2020) was an American professional baseball player. Linz played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees (1962–65), Philadelphia Phillies (1966–67), and New York Mets (1967–68). He ...
after Linz's playing of a
harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...
on the team bus following a four-game sweep by the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
.


August 21 Events Pre-1600 * 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. * 1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. *1169 – Battle o ...
, 1964 (Friday)

* U.S. Navy Lieutenant Charles F. Klusmann, who had been held captive by the communist
Pathet Lao The Pathet Lao ( lo, ປະເທດລາວ, translit=Pa thēt Lāo, translation=Lao Nation), officially the Lao People's Liberation Army, was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The gro ...
since June 6 after his RF-8A Crusader jet was shot down over
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, managed to escape his captors after he and five Laotian and Thai prisoners of war were able to tunnel under the wall of the compound and sneak past sentries. He and one of the five POWs were able to reach safety at Bouam Long. Lt. Klusmann would be one of only two U.S. Navy aviators to escape prison during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. * Born:
Gary Elkerton Gary Elkerton (born 21 August 1964), known as Kong is an Australian surfer, three time world masters champion (2000–01, 2003), three time world professional runner-up (1987, 1990, 1993), twice Hawaiian Triple Crown champion (1987, 1989) and Au ...
, Australian surfer nicknamed "Kong"; three time world masters champion (2000, 2001 and 2003); in
Ballina, New South Wales Ballina () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire local government area. Ballina's urban population at June 2018 was 26,381. The town lies on the Richmond River and serves as a ...
* Died:
Palmiro Togliatti Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (; 26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was an Italian politician and leader of the Italian Communist Party from 1927 until his death. He was nicknamed ("The Best") by his supporters. In 1930 he became a citizen of ...
, 71, Italian politician and General Secretary of the Italian Communist party (PCI), died while vacationing in the Soviet Union at the Black Sea resort of
Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
. Togliatti, who had led the largest Communist Party in Western Europe since 1926, and been in poor health since being shot four times in a 1948 assassination attempt. Togliatti was succeeded as PCI secretary by
Luigi Longo Luigi Longo (15 March 1900 – 16 October 1980), also known as Gallo, was an Italian communist politician and secretary of the Italian Communist Party from 1964 to 1972. He was also the first foreigner to be awarded an Order of Lenin. Early l ...
.


August 22 Events Pre-1600 * 392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. * 851 – Battle of Jengland: Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland. * 1138 – Battle of the Standard between Scotland a ...
, 1964 (Saturday)

* ''
Match of the Day ''Match of the Day'' (abbreviated to ''MOTD'') is a football highlights programme, typically broadcast on BBC One on Saturday nights, during the Premier League season. The show's current presenter is former England international striker Gary L ...
'', one of the longest-running shows on British television, premiered on
BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
with
Kenneth Wolstenholme Kenneth Wolstenholme, DFC & Bar (17 July 1920 – 25 March 2002) was an English football commentator for BBC television in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best remembered for his commentary during the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final; in the closing min ...
as its presenter. Each Saturday during the English soccer football season, the show would feature pre-recorded highlights of one of the day's games. Wolstenholme introduced the first broadcast, featuring Liverpool hosting Arsenal at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
stadium, with the words, "Welcome to ''Match of the Day'', the first of a weekly series on BBC2. This afternoon we are in Beatleville." Liverpool won the match, 3-2. *
Hurricane Cleo Hurricane Cleo was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the third named storm, first hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season. Cleo was one of the longest-lived storms of the season. This compa ...
began a five-day path of destruction through the
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
, destroying homes and killing 120 people in
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
and
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
on its first day. It then swept northward to
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, where it caused an additional $200 million in damage and killed 13 more people; the final death toll was 156 lives lost. *Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) Procurement and Contracts Division reported that the amendment to the Gemini flight suit contract covering G3C flight suits and related equipment for Gemini-Titan (GT) 3 had been sent to the contractor,
David Clark Company David Clark Company, Inc. is an American manufacturing company. DCC designs and manufactures a wide variety of aerospace and industrial protective equipment, including pressure-space suit systems, anti-G suits, headsets, and several medical/safet ...
. The first four Gemini flight suits, to be used in GT-3, were delivered to MSC late in August. Because of earlier problems in fitting training suits, astronauts had had preliminary fittings of the flight suits before final delivery. *Crew Systems Division reported that
AiResearch Garrett AiResearch was a manufacturer of turboprop engines and turbochargers, and a pioneer in numerous aerospace technologies. It was previously known as Aircraft Tool and Supply Company, Garrett Supply Company, AiResearch Manufacturing Compa ...
had been formally notified to begin immediately integrating displays and associated circuitry for the astronaut Modular Maneuvering Unit (MMU) into the basic design of the extravehicular life support system (ELSS). The MMU was scheduled to be flown in Gemini-Titan 9 as
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
experiment D-12. The first prototype ELSS was scheduled for delivery in January 1965. *Flight Crew Support Division reported that egress and recovery training for the first crewed Gemini flight crew had been defined and scheduled in three phases: phase I would consist of an egress procedure review in the McDonnell Gemini mock-up, phase II of a review of egress development results and of egress using the trainer and the Ellington flotation tank, and phase III of egress in open water with the essential recovery forces. *
Fannie Lou Hamer Fannie Lou Hamer (; Townsend; October 6, 1917 – March 14, 1977) was an American voting rights, voting and women's rights activist, Community organizing, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. She was the co-foun ...
, civil rights activist and Vice Chair of the
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), also referred to as the Freedom Democratic Party, was an American political party created in 1964 as a branch of the populist Freedom Democratic organization in the state of Mississippi during the ...
, addressed the Credentials Committee of the
1964 Democratic National Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnes ...
, challenging the all-white
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
delegation. *
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
appeared in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
for the first time, performing in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
at Empire Stadium. * Born: **
Maria Koc Maria Zofia Koc (born 22 August 1964, in Prudnik) is a Polish politician. She has served in the Senate since 2014, and as a Deputy Marshal of the Senate since 2015. Biography Maria Koc was brought up in Karolewo, near Węgrów, where she gradu ...
, Polish politician, in
Prudnik Prudnik (, szl, Prudnik, Prōmnik, german: Neustadt in Oberschlesien, Neustadt an der Prudnik, la, Prudnicium) is a town in southern Poland, located in the southern part of Opole Voivodeship near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the ...
, Poland **
Diane Setterfield Diane Setterfield (born 22 August 1964) is an English author whose 2006 debut novel, '' The Thirteenth Tale '', became a ''New York Times'' No. 1 best-seller. she won the 2007 Quill Award, Debut author of the year, for this novel. It is writ ...
, British novelist, in
Englefield, Berkshire Englefield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. The village is mostly within the bounds of the private walled estate of Englefield House. The village is in the district of West Berkshire, close to Reading. Battle of E ...
**
Mats Wilander Mats Arne Olof Wilander (; born 22 August 1964) is a Swedish former world No. 1 tennis player. From 1982 to 1988, he won seven major singles titles (three at the French Open, three at the Australian Open, and one at the US Open), and one major ...
, Swedish tennis player and winner of seven Grand Slam singles events; in
Växjö Växjö ( ) is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 70,489 inhabitants (2019) out of a municipal population of 95,995 (2021). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County ...
. In 1988, he won the
Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, the
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, and the U.S. Open. * Died: **
Benjamin J. Davis Jr. Benjamin Jefferson Davis Jr. (September 8, 1903 – August 22, 1964), was an African-American lawyer and communist who was elected in 1943 to the New York City Council, representing Harlem. He faced increasing opposition from outside Harlem a ...
, 60, African-American politician and Communist who served on the
New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...
from 1943 to 1949. Smith, who was editor of the
Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...
newspaper, the ''
Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, attempts were m ...
'', was jailed for three years in a federal penitentiary for violating the Smith Act by being a member of a subversive organization. ** Bishop Symeon Lukach, 71, Soviet cleric jailed seven years for unauthorized evangelism in the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , native_name_lang = uk , caption_background = , image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG , imagewidth = , type = Particular church (sui iuris) , alt = , caption = St. George's C ...
, died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
shortly after his release from a labor camp


August 23 Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, the eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Caesar ...
, 1964 (Sunday)

*
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
performed at the
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, one of the two concerts that were compiled as the live album ''
The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl ''The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl'' is a live album by the Beatles, released in May 1977, featuring songs compiled from three performances recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in August 1964 and August 1965. The album was released by Capitol Records ...
''. * ''Abraham and Isaac'', an orchestral ballad composed by
Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
, was performed for the public for the first time, with a concert at the Binyanei HaUmmah in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. Stravinsky, who had composed the work on commission from the Israel Festival Committee, wrote the original lyrics in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. *
Layla Balabakki Layla Balabakki (also Leila/Laila/ Baalbaki/Baalbakki/Balabaki, ar, ليلى بعلبكي) is a Lebanese novelist, journalist, activist, and feminist. Among her most notable works is '' Ana Ahya (I Live)'' (1958) which tells the story of a woman' ...
, a Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim, feminist, journalist and bestselling author, was exonerated from obscenity charges arising from her collection of short stories, ''Safinat hanan ila al-quamar'' (''The Spaceship of Tenderness to the Moon''). Charges against her were dropped and the copies of the book (which had been confiscated by police from all bookstores in
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
) were returned to their owners. * Born:
Kong Hee Kong Hee (; born 23 August 1964) is the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church. He was convicted in 2015 of being involved in the City Harvest Church Criminal Breach of Trust Case, Singapore's biggest case in misuse of charitable fu ...
, Singaporean pastor and founder of the
City Harvest Church City Harvest Church () or CHC is a pentecostal megachurch located within the Yunnan subzone of Jurong West planning area, Singapore. Founded in 1989 by Kong Hee, the church officially bases its values on Charismatic and Pentecostal teachings, ...
who was later convicted for the
embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...
of $50 million (USD) of church funds and the subsequent coverup; in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
* Died:
Estella Canziani Estella Louisa Michaela Canziani (12 January 1887 – 23 August 1964) was a British portrait and landscape painter, an interior decorator and a travel writer and folklorist. Life and works Born in London, Estella Canziani was the daughter of ...
, 87, British travel writer, folklorist and painter


August 24 Events Pre-1600 * 367 – Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father. * 394 – The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, the latest known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, is written. ...
, 1964 (Monday)

* The
Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...
of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
was celebrated in the
English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
for the first time, as permitted by a decision from the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions) ...
allowing religious services in the vernacular, or native, languages rather than in Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin. Reverend Frederick R. McManus of the Catholic University of America celebrated the mass in front of 11,000 people at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Missouri at the National Liturgical Week conference, in advance of the November 29 services where the vernacular would be permitted worldwide. Father McManus opened the service with the words, "Lord, have mercy" in place of the traditional Greek language, Greek prayer "''Kyrie eleison''", and the congregation responded, "Christ, have mercy" instead of ''Christe eleison''. * Thirty-seven people were killed in an explosion in the Mexican village of Atlatlahucan, after fireworks exploded near two tanks of butane gas. The fireworks had been gathered for an upcoming festival for the town's patron saint. * Born: Salizhan Shakirovich Sharipov, Uzbek people, Uzbek Kyrgyzstani space traveler who served as an astronaut and mission specialist on the American Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1998, and as a cosmonaut and flight engineer on the Russian Soyuz TMA-5 from 2004 to 2005; in Uzgen, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union * Died: Umberto D'Ancona, 68, Italian biologist


August 25, 1964 (Tuesday)

*
Nguyen Khanh Nguyễn () is the most common Vietnamese surname. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as Nguyen. Nguyên (元)is a different word and surname. By some estimates 39 percent of Vietnamese people bear this s ...
resigned after only nine days as President of South Vietnam. Only three days into his term, students across the southeast Asian nation had rioted in protest of his assumption of a dictatorship. The generals on the military revolutionary council temporarily replaced the presidency with a triumvirate composed of Khanh, Duong Van Minh and Tran Thien Khiem. * Born: Maxim Kontsevich, Russian-born French mathematician; in Khimki, Moscow Oblast, Soviet Union


August 26, 1964 (Wednesday)

* The Cabinet Crisis of 1964 in Malawi began in the West African nation's third month of existence, when three of the most prominent members of the cabinet (government), cabinet (Foreign Minister Kanyama Chiume, Home Affairs Minister Yatuta Chisiza and Justice Minister Orton Chirwa) confronted Prime Minister Hastings Kamuzu Banda and angrily criticized his leadership abilities. Shaken, Banda at first offered to resign; on September 8, he angrily began reprisals by dismissing most of his cabinet and assuming dictatorial powers. * Incumbent U.S. President Lyndon Johnson received the Democratic Party nomination for President, by acclamation, at the national party convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Earlier in the day, President Johnson took the unprecedented action of personally appearing before the delegates to urge delegates to endorse his choice for a running mate, U.S. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota. In the past, party nominees would not come to the national convention until the evening of giving a speech accepting the nomination. * The white-minority government of Rhodesia outlawed the two main black African resistance parties, the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), and arrested their leaders, including future Prime Minister and President Robert Mugabe of the ZAPU. * Born: ** Bobby Jurasin, American-born Canadian Football League star and Hall of Famer; in Wakefield, Michigan ** Carsten Wolf, East German racing cyclist, 1989 world champion in the 4000m pursuit; in Potsdam


August 27, 1964 (Thursday)

* With the opening of the Tsukuda Bridge over Japan's Sumida River, the residents of the island of Tsukishima were able to drive to neighboring Tokyo for the first time, and the ferryboat that had serviced the residents for years made its last run. * In South Vietnam, troops of the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) opened fire on a crowd of 3,000 unarmed Roman Catholic demonstrators who were protesting outside of the national military headquarters. * Troops from the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
crossed the border from Tibet into the neighboring Buddhist kingdom of Sikkim, invading through the Himalayan Mountains mountain pass, pass at Nathu La in the first of numerous incursions. * The
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
announced that its troops had recaptured the city of Albertville from rebels who had held it for two months. Stanleyville, however, still remained under rebel control. Congolese troops under the command of Colonel Kikuji retook the city (now called Kalemie) from mercenaries led by Mike Hoare, and freed 135 Western hostages who had been captured during the
Simba rebellion The Simba rebellion, also known as the Orientale revolt, was a regional uprising which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1963 and 1965 in the wider context of the Congo Crisis and the Cold War. The rebellion, located in t ...
. * President Johnson accepted the Democratic Party nomination on his 56th birthday. Johnson, who had become President of the United States the previous November 22 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, invoked the late President's name and told delegates, "Let us here rededicate ourselves to keeping burning the golden torch of promise which John Kennedy set aflame!" * Hurricane Cleo struck the Cape Kennedy area. Stage II of Gemini launch vehicle (GLV) 2 was deerected and stored; the erector was lowered to horizontal, and stage I was lashed in its vertical position. Stage II was reerected September 1. Power was applied to the launch vehicle September 2, and Subsystem Functional Verification Tests (SSFVT) began September 3. When forecasts indicated that Hurricane Dora would strike Cape Kennedy, both stages of GLV-2 were deerected on September 8 and secured in the Missile Assembly Building. 1964 Atlantic hurricane season#Hurricane Ethel, Hurricane Ethel subsequently threatened the area, and both stages remained in the hanger until September 14, when they were returned to complex 19 and reerected. SSFVT, begun again on September 18, ended successfully October 5. * Walt Disney's hit film ''Mary Poppins (film), Mary Poppins'', starring Julie Andrews in the title role and Dick Van Dyke, made its first appearance, with a première at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The film would go on to become Disney's biggest moneymaker, and would win of five Academy Awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress for Andrews. * Born: ** Paul Bernardo, Canadian serial killer and rapist; in Scarborough, Ontario ** Nicolas Bochatay, Swiss Olympic speed skier (d. 1992, collision with a Snowcat at 1992 Winter Olympics) * Died: ** Gracie Allen, 69, American actress and comedian who teamed with her husband, George Burns, in ''The Burns and Allen Show'', died of a heart attack. ** Aleksey Zhivotov, 59, Soviet Russian composer


August 28, 1964 (Friday)

* The United States launched the weather satellite Nimbus program, ''Nimbus 1'', the first man-made object to be placed into a near-polar sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth. Traveling in an elliptical orbit , ''Nimbus 1'' was always above an area of the globe during a period of maximum sunlight, which allowed almost full coverage of the planet and powered the satellite's 10,500 solar cells. The satellite would go out of commission 26 days later, due to a malfunction of its solar panels, but managed to transmit 27,000 images during the 1964 Atlantic hurricane season, including Hurricane Dora and Hurricane Gladys (1964), Hurricane Gladys. * The Soviet Union launched its first weather satellite, Meteor (satellite), ''Meteor 1'', but the payload was not able to orient itself properly to transmit any useful images back to Earth. * A Philadelphia 1964 race riot, race riot in Philadelphia began after tensions between African American residents and the city police escalated. During the two nights of violence, two people would be killed, 339 injured, and 774 arrested. The triggering incident happened when two city policemen, one black and one white, had attempted to move an automobile that was blocking an intersection. When the owner's wife, an African-American, confronted them and was arrested, bystanders began attacking the two police. * After pressure from the United States, Japan's Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda announced that American nuclear submarines would be welcome in Japanese ports, though only if they were equipped with conventional weapons rather than nuclear weapons. *
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
performed the first of two weekend stadium concerts at Forest Hills, New York, outside of New York City. All 15,983 tickets were sold out. * Bob Dylan introduced
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
to marijuana during their first tour of the United States. The first meeting between the legendary artists took place at the Delmonico Hotel in New York City.


August 29, 1964 (Saturday)

* The government of the Soviet Union adopted a resolution favorable to the Soviet German minority, rescinding Joseph Stalin's order of August 28, 1941, directing the repression of ethnic Germans. "Although this resolution meant little in terms of every day life for Germans," an author notes, it did prompt a delegation of the German minority to (unsuccessfully) seek a restoration of the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic that had existed from 1918 to 1941. * Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Hinduism, Hindu religious and political organization, was founded in India at a conference of 150 religious leaders in Bombay. Among its objectives was to establish unity among the several denominations within the Hindu faith, with an aim of creating a pure Hindu ethnostate. * Nguyen Xuan Oanh was appointed as Prime Minister of South Vietnam and charged with forming a caretaker government until domestic unrest and rioting could be brought under control. Oanh had been a professor at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, from 1955 to 1960, where he was nicknamed "Jack Owen" by the students. * The Tony Award-winning Broadway play ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'', a musical with lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim and inspired by the 3rd century BC playwright Plautus, closed its run after 964 performances. * Born: Frédéric Bintsamou, Pasteur Ntoumi, Republic of the Congo clergyman, warlord and politician, as Frédéric Bintsamou in
Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...


August 30, 1964 (Sunday)

* The Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee sent an angry reply to a July 30 proposal from the Soviet Communist Party for a meeting to resolve their differences, claiming that the letter had "slammed the door tight" against any prospect of a meeting. * The private Population Reference Bureau announced that at the current birthrate in the United States, there would be 362 million people in the United States by the year 2000 and 437 million by the year 2010. "Thus, only 50 years hence," the report said, "the population increase for a single decade might be 75 million people. That is equal to the entire population of the United States in 1900.". The actual 2000 United States Census, U.S. population in 2000 would be 281 million and the 2010 United States Census, 2010 population would be almost 309 million, an increase of 28 million people. * The first Clásico Joven match between two Mexico City football clubs, Club América and Cruz Azul, took place.


August 31, 1964 (Monday)

* Syria created its 13th administrative province, the Quneitra Governorate, from portions of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, Rif Dimashq and Daraa Governorate, Daraa governorates, in order to unify the area around the Golan Heights. Israel would capture most of the Quneitra province less than three years later during the Six-Day War. * U.S. President Johnson signed legislation creating a permanent, nationwide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food stamp program for impoverished Americans. Under the original guidelines, qualifying families could purchase ten dollars of food stamps for six dollars of cash, a system whereby the federal government would pay for 40% of food purchases. * Schools in Biloxi, Mississippi, were integrated for the first time as 16 black first grade students were enrolled, without incident, in the four elementary schools that had previously been all-white (Lopez, Gorenflo, Dukate, and Jefferson Davis Elementary). The 12 girls and four boys had been registered pursuant to a U.S. District Court order, and were protected from protesters by 20 U.S. Marshals supplementing local law enforcement officials. An "emergency force" of 1,800 members of the Mississippi National Guard was on standby in the event that National Guard of the United States#Federal duty, "federalization" needed to be ordered by President Johnson. The next day, state and federal officers protected Debra Lewis as the lone African-American to enroll in a white school in Leake County, Mississippi, Leake County. On the other hand, 39 black first graders would peacefully be enrolled in the eight all-white schools in Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson on September 14 as "history was made—most uneventfully". * Manned Spacecraft Center reported that efforts were still being made to clarify production problems at Ordnance Associates, Pasadena, California, pyrotechnics contractor for the Gemini program. The problems appeared to be more extensive than had been previously indicated. Problems of poor planning or fabrication and testing were complicated by poor quality control. In many areas it was difficult to trace the routing of parts. These problems were caused by inadequate record-keeping and frequent by-passing of checkpoints by development engineers who were trying to expedite the release of parts for test programs. Efforts to solve these difficulties stopped production for a time and delayed the overall program. * Gemini Program Office (GPO) reported the substantial completion of all research and development testing of components, including thrust chamber assemblies, of the reentry control system (RCS) and orbit attitude and maneuver system (OAMS) as configured for Gemini SC-2, spacecraft Nos. 2 through 5. System testing of two RCS units was under way, and GPO expected the test program to be finished by the end of 1964. Research and development system testing of the OAMS configuration for spacecraft Nos. 2 through 5 was expected to be completed within three months, but no plans had yet been approved for tests of the spacecraft No. 6 configuration. The long delay in completing research and development testing had resulted in serious delays in the qualification test program. GPO reviewed the qualification test program to see how schedules could be improved without compromising the attainment of test data. Some test requirements were deleted, but the major change was reducing hardware requirements by planning more tests on single units. Since lack of hardware had been a major source of delay, GPO expected this change to produce improved schedules. Reliability testing was to be done on some qualification hardware, which meant that much of the reliability test program could not be initiated until qualification testing was finished. * Died: Peter Lanyon, 46, English painter, glider crash


References

{{Events by month links August, 1964 1964, *1964-08 Months in the 1960s, *1964-08