August 7th is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 146 days remaining until the end of the year.

This day marks the approximate midpoint of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and of winter in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the June solstice).

Events

768 – The papacy of Stephen III, who convened the Lateran Council of 769, began.

1679 – Le Griffon, a brigantine built by René-Robert de La Salle, began its journey to be the first sailing ship to navigate the upper Great Lakes.

1933 – Iraqi troops slaughtered 600–3,000 Assyrians during the Simele massacre in the Dahuk and Mosul districts.

1998 – Car bombs exploded simultaneously at the American embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 4,000 others.

2008 – Fighting between the Georgian and South Ossetian separatist forces escalated to the six-day Russo-Georgian War.

Celebrity Birthdays

David Duchovny turns 58

Michael Shannon turns 44

Charlize Theron turns 43

Abbie Cornish turns 36

Helen Flanagan turns 28