So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

August 22nd


- Earliest day on which National Heroes' Day can fall, while August 28 is the latest; celebrated on the fourth Monday in August. (the Philippines)
- Christian Feast Day
- Flag Day (Russia)

August 22nd


- 2007 - The Texas Rangers rout the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, the most runs scored by a team in modern MLB history.
- 2007 - The Storm botnet, a botnet created by the Storm Worm, sends out a record 57 million e-mails in one day
- 2006 - Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612 crashes near the Russian border over eastern Ukraine, killing all 170 people on board.
- 2004 - A version of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway.
- 2003 - Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is suspended after refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a rock inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Alabama Supreme Court building.
- 1996 - Bill Clinton signs welfare reform into law, representing major shift in US welfare policy
- 1992 - FBI HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi shoots and kills Vicki Weaver during an 11-day siege at her home at Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
- 1989 - The first ring of Neptune is discovered.
- 1989 - Nolan Ryan strikes out Rickey Henderson to become the first Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts.
- 1985 - Manchester Air Disaster sees 55 people killed when a fire breaks out on a commercial aircraft at Manchester Airport.
- 1978 - The Frente Sandinista de Liberacion or FSLN occupies national palace in Nicaragua.
- 1972 - Rhodesia is expelled by the IOC for its racist policies.
- 1971 - J. Edgar Hoover and John Mitchell announce the arrest of 20 of the Camden 28.
- 1968 - Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the first visit of a pope to Latin America.
- 1966 - Labor movements NFWA and AWOC merge to become the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), predecessor of the United Farm Workers.
- 1963 - American Joe Walker in an X-15 test plane reaches an altitude of 106 km (66 mi).
- 1962 - An attempt to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle fails.
- 1962 - The NS Savannah, the world's first nuclear-powered cargo ship, completes its maiden voyage.
- 1952 - The penal colony on Devil's Island is permanently closed.
- 1950 - Althea Gibson becomes the first black competitor in international tennis.
- 1949 - Queen Charlotte earthquake: Canada's largest earthquake since the 1700 Cascadia earthquake
- 1944 - World War II: Romania is captured by the Soviet Union.
- 1942 - World War II: Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy.
- 1941 - World War II: German troops reach Leningrad, leading to the siege of Leningrad.
- 1934 - Bill Woodfull of Australia becomes the only cricket captain to twice regain The Ashes.
- 1932 - The first experiments with television broadcasting. (See also Timeline of the BBC.)
- 1926 - Gold is discovered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- 1922 - Michael Collins, Commander-in-Chief of the Irish Free State Army is shot dead during an Anti-Treaty ambush at Béal na mBláth, County Cork, during the Irish Civil War.
- 1914 - World War I: in Belgium, British and German troops clash for the first time in the war.
- 1910 - Korea was annexed by Japan with the signing of the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, beginning a period of Japanese rule of Korea that lasted until the end of World War II.
- 1902 - Cadillac Motor Company is founded.
- 1902 - Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to ride in an automobile.
- 1875 - The Treaty of Saint Petersburg between Japan and Russia is ratified, providing for the exchange of Sakhalin for the Kuril Islands.
- 1864 - Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention. The Red Cross is formed.
- 1851 - The first America's Cup is won by the yacht America.
- 1849 - The first air raid in history. Austria launches pilotless balloons against the city of Venice.
- 1848 - The United States annexes New Mexico.
- 1831 - Nat Turner's slave rebellion commences just after midnight in Southampton, Virginia, leading to the deaths of more than 50 whites and several hundred African Americans who are killed in retaliation for the uprising.
- 1827 - José de La Mar becomes President of Peru.
- 1798 - French troops land in Kilcummin harbour, County Mayo, Ireland to aid Wolfe Tone's United Irishmen's Irish Rebellion.
- 1791 - Beginning of the Haitian Slave Revolution in Saint-Domingue.
- 1780 - James Cook's ship HMS Resolution returns to England (Cook having been killed on Hawaii during the voyage).
- 1770 - James Cook's expedition lands on the east coast of Australia.
- 1717 - Spanish troops land on Sardinia.
- 1654 - Jacob Barsimson arrives in New Amsterdam. He is the first known Jewish immigrant to America.
- 1642 - Charles I calls the English Parliament traitors. The English Civil War begins.
- 1639 - Madras (now Chennai), India, is founded by the British East India Company on a sliver of land bought from local Nayak rulers.
- 1559 - Bartolomé Carranza, Spanish archbishop, is arrested for heresy.
- 1485 - The Battle of Bosworth Field, the death of Richard III and the end of the House of Plantagenet.
- 1138 - Battle of the Standard between Scotland and England.
- 851 - Erispoe defeats Charles the Bald near the Breton town of Jengland.
- 565 - St. Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland.
- 476 - Odoacer is named Rex italiae by his troops.
- 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor.

August 22nd


- 1991 - Federico Macheda, Italian footballer
- 1991 - Brayden Schenn, Canadian hockey player
- 1987 - Leonardo Moracci, Italian footballer
- 1986 - Keiko Kitagawa, Japanese actress
- 1985 - Kether Donahue, American voice actress
- 1984 - Lee Camp, English footballer
- 1983 - Theo Bos, Dutch cyclist
- 1983 - Laura Breckenridge, American actress
- 1981 - Alex Holmes, American football player
- 1981 - Saito Takumi, Japanese actor and model
- 1980 - Christi Shake, American model and actress
- 1980 - Roland Benschneider, German footballer
- 1980 - Nicolas Macrozonaris, French-Canadian track-and-field athlete
- 1979 - Brandon Quintin Adams, American actor
- 1979 - Matt Walters, American football player
- 1979 - Jennifer Finnigan, Canadian-born actress
- 1978 - Giannis Gagaloudis, Greek basketball player
- 1978 - Jeff Stinco, Canadian musician (Simple Plan)
- 1977 - Heiđar Helguson, Icelandic footballer
- 1977 - Jenna Leigh Green, American actress
- 1975 - Clint Bolton, Australian footballer
- 1975 - Davor Krznari?, Croatian footballer
- 1975 - Sheree Murphy, British actress
- 1975 - Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian actor
- 1974 - Brimstone, American professional wrestler
- 1974 - Agustín Pichot, Argentine rugby player
- 1974 - Stefano Verderi, Italian guitarist
- 1973 - Kristen Wiig, American comedian
- 1973 - Howie Dorough, American singer (Backstreet Boys)
- 1972 - Steve Kline, American baseball player
- 1972 - Okkert Brits, South African pole vaulter
- 1972 - Paul Doucette, American drummer (Matchbox 20)
- 1972 - Max Wilson, Brazilian racing driver
- 1971 - Richard Armitage, English actor
- 1971 - Rick Yune, American actor
- 1970 - Charlie Connelly, English writer
- 1970 - Giada De Laurentiis, Italian/American chef and television host
- 1968 - Paul Colman, Australian guitarist (Newsboys)
- 1968 - Casper Christensen, Danish comedian
- 1968 - Rich Lowry, American magazine editor
- 1968 - Alexander Mostovoi, Russian footballer
- 1968 - Horst Skoff, Austrian tennis player (d. 2008)
- 1967 - Layne Staley, American musician (Alice in Chains) (d. 2002)
- 1967 - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, British actor
- 1967 - Ant, American comedian
- 1967 - Ty Burrell, American actor
- 1967 - Alfred Gough, American screenwriter
- 1967 - Yukiko Okada, Japanese singer (d. 1986)
- 1966 - Eric Andolsek, American football player (d. 1992)
- 1966 - GZA, American rapper
- 1966 - Rob Witschge, Dutch footballer
- 1965 - Tom Gibis, American voice actor
- 1965 - Courtney Gains, American actor
- 1965 - Chen Liping, Singaporean actress
- 1964 - Mats Wilander, Swedish tennis player
- 1963 - Tori Amos, American singer/songwriter
- 1963 - Terry Catledge, American basketball player
- 1961 - Andres Calamaro, Argentine musician
- 1961 - Roland Orzabal, British musician (Tears for Fears)
- 1961 - Debbi Peterson, American musician (The Bangles)
- 1960 - Holger Gehrke, German footballer
- 1959 - Juan Croucier, American musician
- 1959 - Pia Gjellerup, Danish politician
- 1958 - Colm Feore, American actor
- 1958 - Lane Huffman, American professional wrestler
- 1958 - Vernon Reid, American musician (Living Colour)
- 1957 - Steve Davis, English snooker player
- 1956 - Paul Molitor, baseball player
- 1955 - Will Shetterly, writer
- 1955 - Chiranjeevi, Telugu filmsIndian film actor
- 1953 - Paul Ellering, American wrestling manager
- 1952 - Peter Laughner, American musician (Rocket From the Tombs, Pere Ubu) (d. 1977)
- 1951 - Chandra Prakash Mainali, Nepalese politician
- 1950 - Ray Burris, baseball player
- 1950 - I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, White House Chief of Staff
- 1949 - Diana Nyad, American swimmer
- 1949 - Doug Bair, baseball player
- 1949 - Ţórarinn Eldjárn, Icelandic writer
- 1948 - Eleonora Brown, Italian actress
- 1947 - Cindy Williams, American actress
- 1947 - Donna Godchaux, singer (Grateful Dead)
- 1945 - Ron Dante, American songwriter and record producer (The Archies)
- 1945 - Erol Gelenbe, Turkish computer scientist and mathematician
- 1943 - Masatoshi Shima, Japanese computer scientist
- 1942 - U?ur Mumcu, Turkish journalist and writer (d. 1993)
- 1941 - Bill Parcells, American football coach
- 1941 - Hannspeter Winter, Austrian plasma physicist
- 1940 - Bill McCartney, American football coach
- 1939 - George Reinholt, American actor
- 1939 - Carl Yastrzemski, American baseball player
- 1939 - Valerie Harper, American actress
- 1938 - Paul Maguire, American football commentator
- 1936 - Werner Stengel, German roller coaster designer and engineer
- 1936 - Dale Hawkins, American singer and songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1935 - E. Annie Proulx, American author
- 1934 - Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. general
- 1934 - Sir Donald McIntyre, English bass-baritone
- 1932 - Gerald P. Carr, American astronaut
- 1930 - Gilmar, Brazilian football player
- 1928 - Tinga Seisay, Sierra Leonean diplomat and pro-democracy advocate
- 1928 - Karlheinz Stockhausen, German composer (d. 2007)
- 1925 - Honor Blackman, English actress
- 1925 - James Kirkwood, Jr., American playwright and author (d. 1989)
- 1922 - Micheline Presle, French actress
- 1921 - Dinos Dimopoulos, Greek film director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Ray Bradbury, American writer
- 1920 - Denton Cooley, American heart surgeon
- 1918 - Mary McGrory, American journalist (d. 2004)
- 1917 - John Lee Hooker, American musician (d. 2001)
- 1915 - David Dellinger, American social rights and peace movement leader (d. 2004)
- 1915 - Hugh Paddick, British actor (d. 2000)
- 1915 - James Hillier, Co-inventor of the electron microscope (d. 2007)
- 1915 - Edward Szczepanik, Polish Prime Minister (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Bruno Pontecorvo, Italian physicist (d. 1993)
- 1909 - Julius J. Epstein, American screenwriter (d. 2000)
- 1909 - Mel Hein, American football player (d. 1992)
- 1909 - Lucille Ricksen, American actress (d. 1925)
- 1908 - Henri Cartier-Bresson, French photographer (d. 2004)
- 1908 - Erwin Thiesies, German rugby player and coach (d. 1993)
- 1904 - Deng Xiaoping, Premier of the People's Republic of China (d. 1997)
- 1902 - Leni Riefenstahl, German film director (d. 2003)
- 1902 - Thomas Pelly, American politician (d. 1973)
- 1900 - Sergei Ozhegov, Russian lexicographer (d. 1964)
- 1895 - Paul Comtois, French Canadian politician (d. 1966)
- 1893 - Wilfred Kitching, British Salvation Army general (d. 1977)
- 1893 - Dorothy Parker, American writer (d. 1967)
- 1891 - Jacques Lipchitz, Lithuanian/American sculptor (d. 1973)
- 1887 - Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, German minister of finance (d. 1977)
- 1880 - George Herriman, American cartoonist (d. 1944)
- 1880 - Gorch Fock, German author and poet (d. 1916)
- 1874 - Max Scheler, German philosopher (d. 1928)
- 1873 - Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician and philosopher (d. 1928)
- 1867 - Maximilian Bircher-Benner, Swiss physician and nutritionist (d. 1939)
- 1862 - Claude Debussy, French composer (d. 1918)
- 1860 - Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, German inventor (d. 1940)
- 1860 - Eleonore of Reuss-Köstritz, tsaritsa of Bulgaria (d. 1917)
- 1857 - Ned Hanlon, American baseball player and manager (d. 1937)
- 1854 - Milan I, King of Serbia (d. 1901)
- 1848 - Melville E. Stone, American newspaper publisher (d. 1929)
- 1845 - William Lewis Douglas, 42nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1924)
- 1836 - Archibald MacNeal Willard, American artist (d. 1918)
- 1834 - Samuel Pierpont Langley, American astronomer (d. 1906)
- 1827 - Ezra Butler Eddy, Canadian businessman, industrialist and politician (d. 1906)
- 1822 - Virginia Clemm Poe, wife of Edgar Allan Poe (d. 1847)
- 1811 - William Kelly, American inventor (d. 1888)
- 1800 - William S. Harney, U.S. general (d. 1889)
- 1800 - Samuel David Luzzatto, Italian-Jewish scholar (d. 1865)
- 1779 - James Kirke Paulding, American author (d. 1860)
- 1773 - Aimé Bonpland, French explorer (d. 1858)
- 1771 - Henry Maudslay, English inventor (d. 1831)
- 1764 - Charles Percier, French architect (d. 1838)
- 1760 - Pope Leo XII (d. 1829)
- 1679 - Pierre Guérin de Tencin, French cardinal (d. 1758)
- 1647 - Denis Papin, French physicist and inventor (d. c. 1712)
- 1624 - Jean Renaud de Segrais, French writer (d. 1701)
- 1601 - Georges de Scudéry, French writer (d. 1667)