Happy Birthday RIP Whitney Houston(1963–2012) ; Samuel Elliott–81 Melanie Griffith–68 Amanda Bearse–67 Gillian Anderson–57 Eric Banadinovic(Eric Bana)–57 Chris Cuomo–55 Audrey Tautou–49 Anna Kendrick–40 ; 1969 – Actress Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring and Steven Parent were found murdered in Los Angeles at 10500 Cielon Drive ; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the murders
August 8
Happy Birthday RIP Esther Williams(1921–2013) Richard Anderson(1926–2017) Lonnie Melvin Tillis(1932–2017) ; Donald P. Bellisario–90 Dustin Hoffman–88 Concetta Ingolia(“Connie Stevens”)–87 Larry Wilcox–78 Keith Carradine–76 Donald Most–72 Joshua “J.C.” Chasez–49 Jackie Cruz–39 ; 1876 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph ; 1974 – Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day
August 7
Happy Birthday RIP Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer (1927–1959) Mary “Billie” Burke(1884–1970) ; John Glover Jr–81 Wayne Knight–70 Paul Bruce Dickinson–67 David Duchovny–65 Michael Shannon–51 Charlize Theron–50 Eric Johnson–46 Randy Wayne Frederick–44 ; 1782 – George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart ; 1981 – The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication
August 6
Happy Birthday RIP Robert Mitchum(1917–1997) Andy Warhola(1928–1987) Lucille Ball(1911–1989) Barbara Windsor(Deeks 1937–2020) ; Manoj Nelliyattu “M Night” Shyamalan–55 Vera Farmiga–52 Soleil Moon Frye–49 Melissa George–49 Karl Davies–43 Christopher Anton Ploszczansky–39 ; 1926 – In New York City, the Warner Bros.’ Vitaphone system premieres with the movie Don Juan starring John Barrymore ; 1945 – the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, that instantly killed an estimated 66,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare ; 1965 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.
August 5
Happy Birthday RIP John Huston(1906–1987) Selma Diamond(1920–1985) Neil Armstrong(1930–2012) “John Saxon”(Carmine Orrico 1935–2020) Jeannette “Ja’net” DuBois 1945–2020) Loni Anderson(1945–2025) ; Maureen McCormick–69 ; 1926 – Harry Houdini performs his greatest feat, spending 91 minutes underwater in a sealed tank before escaping ; 1957 – “American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark, made its network TV debut on ABC network
August 4
Happy Birthday RIP Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon(Queen Mother 1900–2002) Anita Page(Pomares 1910–2008) Louis Armstrong(1901–1971) Richard Belzer(1944–2023) ; William Robert “Billy Bob” Thornton–70 Barack H. Obama II–64 Daniel Dae Kim–57 Meghan Duchess of Sussex “Markle”–44 Abigail Spencer–44 ; 1977 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs legislation creating the United States Department of Energy ; 1993 – A federal judge sentences Los Angeles Police Department officers Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell to 30 months in prison for violating motorist Rodney King’s civil rights.
August 3
Happy Birthday “Tony Bennett”(Anthony Benedette 1926–2013) Jay Waverly North Jr(1951–2025) ; “Martin Sheen”(Ramon Estevez)–85 Martha Stewart(Kostyra)–84 John Landis–75 Molly Hagan–64 Thomas Brady Jr–48 Tommy Dewey–47 Nicole Evangeline Lilly–46 ; 1923 – Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as the 30th president of the United States, one day after President Warren G. Harding died of a heart attack ; 1977 – Tandy Corporation announces the TRS-80, one of the world’s first mass-produced personal computers
August 2
Happy Birthday RIP Jacob “Jack” Warner(1892–1978) Myrna “Loy” Williams(1905–1993) Beatrice Straight(1914–2001) John Carroll O’Connor(1924–2001) Peter O’Toole(1932–2013) Wesley Craven(1939–2015) ; Joanna Cassidy(Caskey)–80 Patrick Lilley(“Butch Patrick”)–72 Patricia Apollonia Kotero–66 Mary-Louise Parker–61 Samuel Worthington–49 Edward Furlong–48 ; 1790 – The first United States Census is conducted ; 1870 – Tower Subway, the world’s first underground tube railway, opens in London, England, United Kingdom
August 1
Happy Birthday RIP Jerome “Jerry” Garcia(1942–1995) Yves Mathieu-Saint-Laurent(1936–2008) Dominic “Dom” DeLuise(1933–2009) ; Giancarlo Giannini–83 Samuel Mendes–60 “James St James”(James Clark)–59 Tempestt Bledsoe–52 Joseph Jason Momoa–46 “Max Carver”(Robert Maxwell Martensen)–37 Jack O’Connell–35 ; 1981 – MTV begins broadcasting in the United States and airs its first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles!
July 31
Happy Birthday RIP Theodore Cassidy(1932–1979) Geoffrey Lewis(1935–2015) ; Michael Biehn–69 Wesley Snipes–63 Joanne “J.K.” Rowling–60 Dean “Cain” Tanaka–59 Loren Dean Jovicic–56 Emily “Eve” Best–54 Benjamin “B.J.” Novak–46 Charlie Carver Martensen–37 ; 1930 – The radio mystery program “The Shadow” airs for the first time ; 1948 – At Idlewild Field in New York City, New York International Airport (later renamed JFK International Airport) is dedicated