InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels, Central Park, Warsaw, 2024.

WARSAW — Now that August has arrived, here’s a look at some events taking place this month, along with some sports, music and general trivia.

TRIVIA: 

• August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar,  coming between July and September. It has 31 days. It is named after the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar. 
• If you were born in August, your Zodiac sign is either Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) or Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22). The August Birthstone is Peridot and Sardonyx. August birth flowers are Gladiolus and Poppy. 

THIS MONTH IN MUSIC:

• August 1984 — Prince fans across the UK rushed to cinemas to catch ‘Purple Rain,’ which was causing plenty of buzz since its release a month earlier in America. Buoyed by a hit soundtrack — which featured the enduring singles “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” as well as the title track — the blockbuster film grossed over $72 million worldwide.
• Aug. 7, 1981 — On this day, a revolutionary concept entered our lives: MTV, the world’s first 24-hour music television network. With its eclectic mix of music videos, interviews and VJs, MTV redefined how we experienced music and introduced us to iconic artists and visuals that continue to influence pop culture.
• August 1963 — The Angels started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. singles chart with “My Boyfriend’s Back.” It was written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer and was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles. The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached No. 2 on the R&B Billboard.

THIS MONTH IN SPORTS:

• Aug. 25, 1991 — Carl Lewis reclaims his title of world’s fastest human by setting a world record of 9.86 seconds in the 100-meter final in the world championships in Tokyo. Lewis clips four-hundredths of a second off the previous mark of 9.90 set by Leroy Burrell in the U.S. Championships two months earlier.
• Aug. 3, 1984 — Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to win a gold medal in Olympic gymnastics at the Summer Games in Los Angeles.
• Aug. 25, 1950 — Sugar Ray Robinson knocks out Jose Basora at 52 seconds of the first round to retain world middleweight boxing title.

THIS MONTH IN HISTORY:

• Aug. 17, 1998 —Bill Clinton became the first sitting President to give testimony before a grand jury in which he, the President, was the focus of the investigation. This resulted from a sweeping investigation of the President by Independent Counsel Ken Starr as well as a private lawsuit concerning alleged sexual harassment by Clinton before he became President. In the evening, President Clinton appeared on national television and gave a speech admitting he had engaged in an improper relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The admission occurred several months after a much publicized denial.
• Aug. 1, 1944 — Anne Frank penned her last entry into her diary. “[I] keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would like to be, and what I could be, if…there weren’t any other people living in the world.” Three days later, Anne and her family were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Anne died at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on March 15, 1945, at age 15.
• Aug. 26, 1883 — One of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions in recorded history occurred on the Indonesian island of Krakatoa. Explosions were heard 2,000 miles away. Tidal waves 120 ft. high killed 36,000 persons on nearby islands, while five cubic miles of earth were blasted into the air up to a height of 50 miles.
• Aug. 1, 1838 — Slavery was abolished in Jamaica. It had been introduced by Spanish settlers 300 years earlier in 1509.

AREA EVENTS:

Aug. 2 — Summer Concert Series, The Lake Area Community Band, 7-8:30 p.m., Central Park Plaza, 225 E. Fort Wayne St., Warsaw.

Aug. 3 — Second Annual Free Back-to-School Haircuts, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Empress Beauty Salon, 970 N. Lake St., Warsaw. 

Aug. 10 — Glow Float, Winona Lake Night Paddle, 8 p.m., Winona Lake Limitless Park, Winona Lake.

Aug. 17 — Food Truck Festival, 11:30 a.m., Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, 1400 E. Smith St., Warsaw.

Aug. 23 — Family Movie Night, Wonka, 7:30 p.m., Lucerne Park, 800 N. Park Ave., Warsaw.