1876
Arts
Birth in Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Birth of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle (later known as Mata Hari) in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
View detailsThis Day
07August
26 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1883
Science
Skirt-protector patented with Harriet M. Macfarland
US Patent 282,646 for a dress and skirt shield, co-patented with Harriet M. Macfarland.
View details1909
1919
Activism
Completion of four‑year Naval Reserve enlistment
Completes her four‑year Naval Reserve enlistment and leaves active Navy service after World War I.
View details1925
Arts
Birth of Felice Bryant
Felice Bryant was born on August 7, 1925, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
View details1932
Sports
Triple-discipline Olympic medalist in 1932
Zaharias earned an Olympic silver medal in high jump, creating a first by medaling in three track and field events.
View details1933
Science
Birth of Elinor Ostrom
Elinor Claire Awan (later Ostrom) was born in Los Angeles, California, USA.
View details1941
Arts
First prize in sculpture at Golden Jubilee National Exposition
Catlett's work won first prize at the Golden Jubilee National Exposition.
View details1942
Arts
Marriage to Warren Audrey Nesmith
Bette married Warren Audrey Nesmith in Dallas, Texas.
View details1948
Sports
Only woman with Olympic athletics medals before and after WWII
Dorothy Tyler won silver in 1948, the only female to medal both pre- and post-WWII.
View details1948
Sports
First African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal
Alice Coachman won gold in the high jump at the 1948 Olympics, breaking racial and gender barriers.
View details1949
Sports
NASCAR start at Occoneechee Speedway
Raced at Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, NC, finishing 23rd as part of her run of NASCAR’s inaugural season events.
View details1971
Sports
Death of Beatrice Kerr
Beatrice Kerr died on August 7, 1971, leaving behind a legacy in sports.
View details1973
Sports
Hit six to help England win first Women's Cricket World Cup
As England captain, Heyhoe Flint hit the winning runs including a six, securing the inaugural Women's Cricket World Cup in 1973 at Edgbaston.
View details1975
Sports
World record swim around Manhattan Island
Nyad swam 28 miles around Manhattan Island in 7 hours 57 minutes, breaking a 48-year-old record.
View details1993
Politics
First opening of Buckingham Palace to the general public
Buckingham Palace was opened to the public, a first in royal history.
View details1995
Science
European Physical Society High Energy and Particle Physics Prize
Wu received the European Physical Society Prize in 1995 for her gluon observation.
View details1997
Science
First Aboriginal woman to win a world athletics title
Freeman won 400m gold at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, becoming the first Aboriginal woman to win a world athletics title.
View details2002
Politics
First Female Commander of Fort Gordon
Brig. Gen. Janet E. A. Hicks became the first woman to command Fort Gordon, Georgia, in a formal change-of-command ceremony.
View details2011
Activism
Death of Nancy Wake in London
Nancy Wake died in London on 7 August 2011, aged 98, closing the life of one of the Allies’ most decorated women of the Second World War.
View details2015
2016
Sports
Kosovo's first Olympic medal and first Olympic gold (judo −52kg, Rio 2016)
Kelmendi defeats Odette Giuffrida in the −52kg final at Rio 2016, winning Kosovo's first-ever Olympic medal and gold.
View details2016
Sports
Women's 100 m freestyle at Rio 2016
Competed in 100 m freestyle for IOC Refugee Olympic Team.
View details2016
Sports
Olympic gold medal presented by IOC President Thomas Bach
Kelmendi receives her Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal on the podium from IOC President Thomas Bach.
View details2021
Science
Wins record-extending 11th Olympic medal in 4x400m relay at Tokyo 2020
Felix won gold in the 4x400m relay on August 7, 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, extending her record to 11 career Olympic medals, more than any other female track athlete.
View details2021
Science
Death in Oakland, California
Hung Liu died at age 73 in Oakland, California, of pancreatic cancer, weeks before her Smithsonian retrospective opened.
View details