August Birthdays
August Observances
August Misc.
2024 Paris Olympics
Rain, Rain
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Known as Satchmo, this jazz musician was born on August 4th, 1901.
Who is Louis Armstrong?
Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans. He was a foundational influence on early jazz, shifting the focus towards solo performances with his long trumpet solos. His distinctive voice and skill with scatting would also win him acclaim, including a Grammy award, and he appeared in over a dozen films.
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On August 13th, we celebrate this “wrong” handed people.
What are lefthanders?
International lefthanders day is celebrated on October 13th. About 10 percent of people are left handed. It was considered culturally unlucky, and the Latin word for left is “sinister.” Many people were made to write with their right hand instead.
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If you were born in the month of August, you have one of these two zodiac signs.
What are Leo and Virgo?
Leos are often thought to be dramatic, passionate and charismatic. They are the leaders of the pack, pushing forward with courage. Virgos are known to be analytical and detail-focused, which sometimes leads to perfectionism. They love to be of help and have a fierce inner-critic.
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Olympic medals in 2024 were made from this.
Pieces of the Eiffel tower.
The 2024 Paris Olympics medals contain pieces of iron from the Eiffel Tower's original frame. The iron is set in the center of each medal in the form of a hexagon, which is a reference to France's shape and nickname, l'hexagone.
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When your car wheels start to slip on a wet road, it's known as this.
What is hydroplaning?
If you start hydroplaning, here's what you should do:
Take your foot off the gas but don’t slam on the brakes
When hydroplaning, sudden braking can cause the car to spin further out of control, but you do want to moderate your speed. Taking your foot off the gas lets the tires slow down without slamming on the brakes.
Gradually steer in the direction your car is hydroplaning
If your tires don’t match the direction of travel, it can be harder to regain traction or maintain control of the vehicle when the car gets its grip back. Align your wheels with the direction of travel but turn the wheel slowly.
Wait until you have control
Let the car slowly decelerate and make it through the wet patch. As the car’s speed decreases, it’ll be easier to get traction as you pass back onto the dry part of the road.
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Born on August 6th, 1911, this comedian and television actress was known for her distinctive hair.
Who is Lucille Ball?
Born in Jamestown, New York, Ball began acting on Broadway and appeared in several films before meeting and marrying Desi Arnaz. The two of them created the sitcom “I Love Lucy,” which ran for six seasons. She would continue with The Lucy Show, and also managed a major television studio.
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On August 10th, we celebrate this confection popular around campfires.
What are S’mores?
The first s’more recipe appeared in a recipe cookbook called Campfire Marshmallows. It would go on to be very popular, and now sometimes people will add marshmallow peeps, Nutella, or potato chips!
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One of August’s birthflowers, this flower is associated with sleep and remembrance.
What are poppies?
Poppies have been placed on the graves of those who died in war for many years, after the popularity of the poem “In Flanders Fields.” It also has long been associated with sleep, death, and dreams, as opioids can be produced from poppies and have been for thousands of years.
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This continent has never hosted an Olympics.
What is Africa?
Alexandria missed out to Berlin for both the 1916 event (which was ultimately cancelled) and in 1936, while Cairo failed to make the IOC's shortlist for the 2008 hosts.
South Africa has come closest to bringing the showpiece to the continent, when Cape Town was eliminated in the penultimate round of voting for the 2004 Games, which ended up in Athens.
The African country with the most medals is Kenya, with 43 Gold medals, 46 Silver, and 46 Bronze.
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Most rain drops are shaped like this.
What is a hamburger bun?
We might think raindrops are shaped like teardrops, but most are actually flat on the bottom and slightly curved on the top! If the drop is large enough, it split and there will momentarily be two teardrop shapes before returning to a bun shape!
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This French general was born on August 15th, 1769, and is known for being very short.
Who is Napoleon Bonaparte?
Born on the island of Corsica, he rose quickly through the French army after the French Revolution, and consolidated power until a coup in 1799 and crowned himself emperor of the French in 1804, going on to invade Spain, Austria and Prussia, Russia, and going to war with most of the European countries. He was eventually defeated and exiled, but returned and attempted to retake control until the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was 5’ 2”, about average for French men at that time.
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On August 18th, we celebrate exceptionally bad versions of this kind of rhyming literature.
What is poetry?
National Bad Poetry Day was created to feature poetry that is so very bad it simply needs to be paid attention to. Here’s a bad poetry joke: What do you get when you combine Robert Frost with James Bond?
Answer: The Road Not Shaken But Stirred.
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This other of August’s birthflowers is also known as a Sword Lily.
What are Gladiolus?
These flowers come in a wide range of colors and can reach heights of 6 feet. Their name comes form being associate with gladiators in roman times.
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This type of dancing was considered an Olympic event for the first time in Paris 2024.
What is Breaking or Break Dancing?
It's a style of street dance originated by African Americans with notable contributions from Puerto Ricans in the Bronx.
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DAILY DOUBLE!
Petrichor is the word for this distinct sensation.
What is the smell of rain?
Petrichor (/ˈpɛtrɪˌkɔːr/) is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock' or πέτρος (pétros) 'stone' and ἰχώρ (ikhṓr), the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology. It was coined by Australian scientists in 1964.
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Born on August 28th, 1965, this Canadian singer is known as the queen of country pop.
Who is Shania Twain?
She was raised in Timmins, Ontario, and started singing in bars at the age of 8 to raise money to try and support her family. She Would go on to sign with Mercury Nashville Records in 1993, and recorded hits like You’re Still the One, From This Moment On, Man I Feel Like a Woman, and Any Man of Mine.
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On August 5th, we celebrate the international day of this alcoholic drink most often made from barley or wheat.
What is beer?
Beer is third in popularity after water and tea. The earliest archaeological evidence of beer fermentation is from 13,000 years ago. Workers in the city of Uruk in 3000 BC were paid their wages in beer.
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August takes it’s name from Augustus Caesar. It had this many days before it was renamed.
What is 31?
Although days were added to July, August actually had a full 31 days before it was renamed! It was once named Sextilis, the 6th month in the calendar before January and February.
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The United States walked away with this many medals from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
What is 126(7)?
Swimmer Katie Ledecky added four medals in Paris to become the most decorated U.S. women’s Olympian of all time and the fifth most decorated Olympian in history with 14 medals. Simone Biles concluded the Paris Games as the second most decorated women’s gymnast in Olympic history with 11 medals and seven golds. The U.S. Women’s Basketball Team won its eighth consecutive — and 10th overall — Olympic gold medal, setting the record for the longest Olympic gold medal streak in a ball-and-stick sport.
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On this planet, raindrops are made of sulfuric acid.
What is Venus?
What is the weather like on Venus? Terrible, would be the short answer. The long answer is that it is extremely hot, the air pressure is extremely high, there are very strong winds, sulfuric acid rain (at higher altitudes) and lightning storms driven by volcanic eruptions. It is little wonder then why the only practical option for colonizing Venus involves creating floating cities above the cloud layer. 
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Born on August 30th, 1930, this man is the wealthiest in Nebraska.
Who is Warren Buffet?
Born in Omaha, NE, Buffet began selling chewing gum, coca cola, and weekly magazines door to door at a very early age. By high school, he’d bought a 40 acre farm. He took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1962, and by 1990 he was a billionaire. Today his net worth is 139 (117 in 2023) Billion, and he still lives in Omaha.
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On August 30th, it’s Mary Shelley’s Birthday, when we celebrate this famous character of hers.
Who is Frankenstein?
Although the monster is often called Frankenstein, it’s actually its scientist creator’s name; the monster is never named. The full title of the book is Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. She began writing the book at the age of 18.
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August actually has these three birthstones.
What are Peridot, Spinel, and Sardonyx?
Peridot is the yellowish green to greenish yellow gem variety of the mineral olivine. Some peridot actually comes from meteorites!
The name “spinel” comes from the Latin word spina, which means thorn, in reference to the shape of spinel crystals. It comes in a wide variety of colors, intense red, vibrant pink, orange, purple, violet, blue and bluish green.
sardonyx is a combination of two types of chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz): sard and onyx. Bands of brownish red to brown to dark orange sard alternate with typically white or black layers of onyx. It was extremely popular in Roman times.
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The 2028 LA Summer Games will host this version of a popular US sport.
What is Flag Football?
Flag football is a sport many may have grown up playing in the backyard or at recess in elementary school or in gym class or through leagues. In this version of American football, everyone is eligible to catch a pass on offense. And on defense, ending up with a flag is a good thing (it’s how you stop a player). The NFL has jumped on board, too, adding flag football to the league’s Pro Bowl activities.
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This country holds the town considered the rainiest place on earth.
What is India?
Mawsynram (/ˈmɔːsɪnˌrʌm/) is a town of around 54k people in Northeastern India. On 17 June 2022, Mawsynram set a new record by receiving 1003.6 mm or 39.5 inches in 24 hours.
