August 14

Steve Martin born (1945); Magic Johnson born (1959); Halle Berry born (1966); Blackout in the US and Canada affects 53 million (2003); US Embassy in Cuba opens for first time in 54 years (2015).

August 16

Gold is discovered in Canada’s Yukon Territory, sparks Klondike gold rush (1896); Babe Ruth dies (1948); Sports Illustrated is first published (1954); Madonna is born (1958); Elvis Presley dies (1977); Aretha Franklin dies (2018).

August 15

Napoleon Bonaparte born (1769); Iconic chef and TV host Julia Child born (1912); Panama Canal opens (1914); Woodstock music festival begins (1969); Civil rights activist Julian Bond dies (2015).

August 13

Sharpshooter Annie Oakley born (1860); Florence Nightingale, pioneer of modern nursing, dies (1910); Fidel Castro born (1926); Construction of the Berlin Wall begins (1961); Baseball great Mickey Mantle dies (1995); Celebrity chef Julia Child dies (2004).

August 12

Egyptian queen Cleopatra dies by suicide (30 BCE, estimated); James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies (1964); IBM personal computer is released (1981); Explorer Susan Hendrickson discovers SUE the Tyrannosaurus rex (1990); Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies (2014).

August 10

Louvre Museum opens in Paris, France (1793); Smithsonian Institution created (1846); First electric guitar patent awarded to Electro String Corporation (1937); "Wizard of Oz" movie premieres in Green Bay, Wisconsin (1939); Ruth Bader Ginsburg sworn in as Supreme Court justice (1993)

August 11

Author and historian Alex Haley born (1921); Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak born (1950); Actress Viola Davis born (1965); Final US ground combat troops leave South Vietnam during Vietnam War (1972); Robin Williams dies by suicide (2014).