August 16, 1513: Battle of the Spurs at Guinegate (now Eguinegatte): Henry VIII of England and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I beat France

August 17, 1807: Robert Fulton, the inventor of steamboats, launches the first steamboat named Clermont which begins it's first trip up the Hudson River

August 18, 2017: Civilian researchers led by Paul Allen re-discover the USS Indianapolis 18,000 feet below the Pacific surface, 72 years after it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes

August 19, 1953: The democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad Mosaddegh is overthrown in a coup orchestrated by the United Kingdom (under the name 'Operation Boot') and the United States (under the name TPAJAX Project)

August 20, 1000: The foundation of the Hungarian state, Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

August 21, 1541: Ottoman Turks under Suleiman the Magnificent capture Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom and go on to dominate central Hungary for 150 years 

August 22, 1770: James Cook's expedition lands on the east coast of Australia

August 23, 1305: William Wallace, a Scottish patriot, is executed for high treason by Edward I of England.

August 24, 79: Mt Vesuvius erupts, buries Roman Pompeii and Herculaneum, 15.000 people die

August 25, 325: Council of Nicaea ends with adoption of the Nicene Creed establishing the doctrine of the Holy Trinity for Christian religion.

August 26, 1071: Battle of Manzikert: Seljuq Turks led by sultan Alp Arslan beat and capture Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes. This signals a major defeat for the Byzantine Empire and is the beginning of the end for the Byzantines.

August 27, 1928: Kellog-Briand Pact is signed by 60 nations. They agree to condemn 'recourse to war for the solution of international controversies'.

August 28 1189: Third Crusade: the Crusaders begin the Siege of Acre

August 29 1533: Francisco Pizarro, of the Spanish Conquistadors orders the death of the last Incan King of Peru, Atahualpa

August 30 1146: European leaders outlaw the crossbow, intending to end war for all time

August 31 1888: The body of Jack the Ripper's first victim, Mary Ann 'Polly' Nichols, is found in Whitechapel , in London's East End