August 1: The last Tom and Jerry episode (Tot Watchers) made by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera is released. Tom and Jerry will not be released to theatres again until 1961.

August 3: The nuclear powered submarine USS Nautilus becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole under water.

August 6: Australian athlete Herb Elliott clips almost three seconds off the world record for the mile run at Santry Stadium, Dublin, recording a time of 3 minutes 54.5 seconds.

August 14: A 4-engine Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation aircraft belonging to KLM crashes into the sea with 99 people on board.

August 17: The first Thor-Able rocket is launched, carrying Pioneer 0, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 17. The launch fails due to a first stage malfunction.

August 18: Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States. - Brojen Das from East Pakistan swims across the English Channel in a competition, as the first Bangali as well as the first Asian to ever do it. He is first among 39 competitors.

August 23: Chinese Civil War: The Second Taiwan Strait crisis begins with the People's Liberation Army's bombardment of Quemoy. - President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Federal Aviation Act, transferring all authority over aviation in the USA to the newly created Federal Aviation Agency (FAA, later renamed Federal Aviation Administration).

August 27: Operation Argus: The United States begins nuclear tests over the South Atlantic.

August 30: September 1: Notting Hill race riots: Riots between blacks and whites in Notting Hill, London. (source: Wikipedia)