Famous people born on August 1 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is August 1, you share it with Herman Melville, Yves Saint Laurent, Jason Momoa — and you were born under Leo, the sign of the warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
Birthday basics for August 1
Leo ♌
Zodiac sign
Peridot
Birthstone
Gladiolus
Birth flower
213th
Day of the year
August 1 is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years), with 152 days still to come.
Famous people born on August 1
Herman Melville — American novelist who wrote Moby-Dick (born 1819).
Yves Saint Laurent — French fashion designer who founded a legendary couture house (born 1936).
Jason Momoa — American actor known for Aquaman and Game of Thrones (born 1979).
Also sharing the day:
Francis Scott Key (b. 1779) — American lawyer and poet who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Maria Mitchell (b. 1818) — pioneering American astronomer, the first American to discover a comet by telescope.
Jerry Garcia (b. 1942) — American guitarist and co-founder of the Grateful Dead.
August 1 in history
1774 — British scientist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen.
1876 — Colorado was admitted as the 38th U.S. state.
1981 — MTV began broadcasting, launching the music video era.
1291 — The Old Swiss Confederacy was founded with the signing of the Federal Charter, celebrated today as Switzerland's National Day.
1834 — Slavery was abolished across most of the British Empire as the Slavery Abolition Act took effect.
1965 — Frank Herbert's science fiction classic Dune was published for the first time.
August 1 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is August 1?
Anyone born on August 1 is a Leo — warm, confident, and born for the spotlight.
What is the birthstone for August 1?
The birthstone for a August 1 birthday is Peridot, and the birth flower is the Gladiolus.
Who is the most famous person born on August 1?
Herman Melville is among the best known — American novelist who wrote Moby-Dick (born 1819).
What happened on August 1?
In 1774, British scientist Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen.
What day of the year is August 1?
August 1 is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years), with 152 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on August 1? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.