August Birthdays
August Observances
August Misc.
Rain, Rain
Cake Walk
August History
200
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.
200
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.
200
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.
200
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.
200
This is another name for frosting.
What is icing?
Icing first appeared on cakes during the 16th century thanks to a French chef. The first documented case of frosting occurred in 1655, and included sugar, eggs and rosewater.
200
On August 22, 564, this monster was allegedly first sighted in Scotland.
What is the Loch Ness Monster?
It was nicknamed Nessie. In 2018, it was reported Loch Ness and surrounding areas in Scotland received £41 million from goods and services related to the monster.
400
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.
400
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!
400
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.
400
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!
400
These are individual little cakes.
What are cupcakes?
The earliest extant description of what is now often called a cupcake was in 1796, when a recipe for "a light cake to bake in small cups" was written in American Cookery by Amelia Simmons.
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In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in.
400
On August 28, 1963, this famous speech was delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
What is the "I have a Dream" speech?
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The speech was one of the most famous moments of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history.
The speech was drafted with the assistance of Stanley Levison and Clarence Benjamin Jones in Riverdale, New York City. Jones has said that "the logistical preparations for the march were so burdensome that the speech was not a priority for us" and that, "on the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 27, (12 hours before the march) Martin still didn't know what he was going to say".
600
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.
600
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.
600
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.
600
Petrichor is the word for this distinct odor.
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.
600
During the 19th century, yeast was replaced in cakes by two leavening agents. Name one of them.
What is baking soda or baking powder?
Both contain sodium bicarbonate, what we call baking soda, but baking powder adds two more ingredient—acidifying and drying agents.
The introduction of baking powder was revolutionary in minimizing the time and labor required to make breadstuffs. It led to the creation of new types of cakes, cookies, biscuits, and other baked goods
600
On August 1, 1944, this young lady penned the last entry into her diary.
Who was Anne Frank?
"[I] keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would like to be, and what I could be, if...there weren't any other people living in the world."
The family was arrested by the Gestapo on August 4th. Anne Frank and her sister, Margot, were transferred from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they died.
800
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.
800
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.
800
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.
800
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. 
800
The word "cake" comes from Old Norse, spoken by these famous raiders.
Who are Vikings?
It comes from the Old Norse word "kaka".
In ancient Rome, the basic bread dough was sometimes enriched with butter, eggs, and honey, which produced a sweet and cake-like baked good. The Latin poet Ovid refers to his and his brother's birthday party and cakes in his book, Tristia, around 8 A.D:
"I was not the first child: I’d an elder brother,
who was born twelve months before me.
The same day of the year saw both our birthdays:
one day celebrated with both our offering of cakes,"
800
On August 29, 2005, the New Orleans area was hit with this natural disaster.
What is Hurricane Katrina?
It made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 102 miles per hour. The storm surge from Katrina overwhelmed the levee system protecting New Orleans, causing catastrophic flooding. Approximately 80% of the city was underwater by August 30. The storm resulted in over 1,800 fatalities and caused approximately $161 billion in damages.
1000
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.
1000
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.
1000
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.
1000
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.
1000
The top tier of a wedding cake is most often saved for the first anniversary; however, it could also be saved for this occasion.
What is christening of the first child?
Saving the top tier of a wedding cake originated in Great Britain in the 18th century. During this time, the top of the cake, which was usually a fruit cake or chocolate cake because they lasted longer, was saved by the couple to share at the christening of their first child.
1000
On August 24th, 79 A.D., an active volcano erupted and destroyed this southern Italian city.
What is Pompeii?
The city was buried under 13 to 20 ft of volcanic ash and pumice. Largely preserved under the ash, Pompeii offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried.
