Today in History: Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834

The following is a chronological list of notable events that occurred on August 1 throughout history:

Discovery of oxygen by Joseph Priestley (1774) – Priestley isolated oxygen gas (then “dephlogisticated air”) on August 1, 1774.

Battle of the Nile begins (1798) – Nelson’s British fleet engaged the French at Aboukir Bay starting on August 1, 1798.

Slavery abolished in the British Empire (1834) – The Slavery Abolition Act came into force on August 1, 1834, freeing enslaved people across British colonies.

Colorado admitted as U.S. state (1876) – Colorado became the 38th U.S. state on August 1, 1876.

Germany declares war on Russia (1914) – Germany formally declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914, escalating World War I.

Berlin Olympics open in Nazi Germany (1936) – Adolf Hitler opened the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin on August 1.

Warsaw Uprising begins (1944) – On August 1, 1944, the Polish Home Army launched a major uprising against Nazi occupation in Warsaw. 

Anne Frank’s final diary entry (1944) – Anne Frank wrote her last known diary entry on August 1, 1944, shortly before her arrest.

Texas Tower sniper attack by Charles Whitman (1966) – Former Marine Charles Whitman opened fire from UT Austin’s clock tower on August 1, 1966.

MTV launches with “Video Killed the Radio Star” (1981) – MTV began its U.S. broadcast at 12:01 AM on August 1, 1981, debuting with that iconic music video.