• 1921 – The Railways Act 1921 is published in the United Kingdom, merging the country's 120 railway companies into the Big Four.
• 1933 – New York City Subway's IND Crosstown Line opens between the Queens Plaza and Nassau Avenue stations.
• 1960 – Sputnik program: Sputnik 5 - The Soviet Union launches the satellite with the dogs Belka and Strelka, 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants.
• 1980 – Saudia Flight 163, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar burns after making an emergency landing at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing 301 people.
• 2002 – A Russian Mi-26 helicopter (pictured) carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.

More events: August 16 – August 17 – August 18