Edited daily
American history, reported as it happened
Made for the 250thOn this day › August 1
What happened on August 1 in American history
August 1 is the 213th day of the year (the 214th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from August 1 spanning 1801 to 1981. Among them: in 1801, Enterprise fights a three-hour battle and dismasts the corsair Tripoli; and in 1876, Grant signs Colorado into the Union, four weeks late for the centennial.
1801
Enterprise fights a three-hour battle and dismasts the corsair Tripoli
Sterett's schooner takes twenty killed and thirty wounded from the enemy crew without losing a single American.
1876
Grant signs Colorado into the Union, four weeks late for the centennial
Voters ratified the constitution on July 1; the proclamation waited until August 1, 1876.
1943Member story · 1776 Club
B-24s hit Ploiești's refineries at rooftop height; 53 bombers do not come home
A navigational error over Târgoviște sent part of the formation toward Bucharest before crews found the oil fields waiting with 88mm guns already loaded.
1950Member story · 1776 Club
Truman signs the Guam Organic Act; naval rule ends, citizenship begins
The law that followed a mass walkout of Guam's own legislature hands the island a governor, a legislature, and a Bill of Rights.
1961
McNamara moves to merge the Pentagon's rival spy shops into one agency
The three service branches have been running separate, often conflicting intelligence operations for years.
1981Member story · 1776 Club
A cable channel signs on after midnight, and radio gets buried on camera
The Buggles' 1979 novelty single becomes the first image MTV ever broadcasts.
Read the full August 1 edition →
← July 31 · Every date · August 2 →