The history of timekeeping devices begins thousands of years ago with the invention of the sexagesimal system of time measurement in approximately 2000 BC, in Sumer. The Ancient Egyptians divided the day into two 12-hour periods and used large obelisks to track the movement of the Sun. They also developed water clocks, which were probably first used in the Precinct of Amun-Re, and later outside Egypt as well. Other ancient timekeeping devices include the candle clock, used in China, Japan, England, and Iraq; the timestick, used in India and Tibet, as well as some parts of Europe; and the hourglass, which functioned similarly to a water clock. The first clock with an escapement, which transferred rotational energy into discrete motions, appeared in China in the 8th century, and Muslim engineers invented weight-driven clocks in the 11th century. Mechanical clocks were introduced to Europe at the turn of the 14th century, and became the standard timekeeping device until the 20th century. During the 20th century, quartz oscillators were invented, followed by atomic clocks. Atomic clocks are far more accurate than any previous timekeeping device, and are used to calibrate other clocks and to calculate the proper time on Earth; a standardized civil system, Coordinated Universal Time, is based on atomic time. (more...)

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• Pakistan's ruling coalition announces it will seek the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf (pictured).
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August 7: Qi Xi in the Chinese lunar calendar (2008); Assyrian Martyrs Day; Independence Day in Côte d'Ivoire

• 1679 – Le Griffon, a brigantine by René-Robert de LaSalle, became the first sailing ship to navigate the Great Lakes.
• 1782 – The Badge of Military Merit (pictured), the original Purple Heart, was established as a military decoration in the Continental Army.
• 1933 – Many of an estimated 3,000 Assyrians were slaughtered by Iraqi troops during the Simele massacre in the Dahuk and Mosul districts.
• 1947 – An expedition led by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl on his raft the Kon-Tiki completed a 101–day journey across the Pacific Ocean.
• 1998 – Car bombs simultaneously exploded at the United States embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, killing over 200 people and injuring over 4,500 others.

• More events: August 6 – August 7 – August 8

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