- Aug 3 Basketball Association of America (BAA) & National Basketball League (NBL) merge to form National Basketball Association (NBA), Maurice Podoloff elected head of new league
- Aug 3 Republic Indonesia proclaims cease fire
- Aug 5 6.4 Earthquake strikes Tungurahua Province, Ecuador, killing 5,000 people
Charles vs Lesnevich
Aug 10 Ezzard Charles TKOs Gus Lesnevich in 8 for heavyweight boxing title
- Aug 10 US National Military Establishment renamed Depertment of Defense
- Aug 11 10th Venice Film Festival: "Manon" directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot wins the Golden Lion (1st one)
- Aug 11 1st Naples-Capri swim, 17 miles (27 km) (Giovanni Gambi)
Gaston Eyskens Prime Minister
Aug 11 Gaston Eyskens forms Belgian government
- Aug 12 16th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Philadelphia 38, All-Stars 0 (93,780)
- Aug 14 Military coup in Syria under colonel Sami Hinnawi
- Aug 15 WOTV TV channel 8 in Grand Rapids, MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
- Aug 18 Hungary adopts constitution
- Aug 18 Ralph Flanagan & his Orchestra records "You're Breaking My Heart"
- Aug 20 78,382 watch White Sox play Indians at Cleveland
- Aug 20 Hungary (Magyar People's Republic) accepts constitution
- Aug 20 Las Lajas Sanctuary, a basilica built inside the Guáitara River in Colombia, is completed after 33 years
- Aug 21 Canada's largest earthquake since 1700 strikes the Queen Charlotte Fault below Haida Gwaii, at 8.1 magnitude it knocks cows off their feet [1]
- Aug 21 Philadelphia fans cause A's to forfeit game when they riot over a trapped line drive by Rich Ashburn, Giants leading 4-2 in 9th declared winners
- Aug 24 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) goes into effect
- Aug 28 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: US takes trophy for third straight year with last day singles wins to Ted Schroeder and Pancho Gonzales; beat Australia, 4-1
Riot Stops Robeson Singing
Aug 28 Riot prevents Paul Robeson from singing near Peekskill, New York
Admirals
Aviators
Gangsters
Generals
Industrialists
Suffragists