August 15
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 15 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 137 days remaining after August 15 until the end of the year.
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[change] Events
- 1248 – The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral is laid.
- 1519 – Panama City is founded.
- 1537 – The city of Asuncion in present-day Paraguay is founded, named after the religious feast day Assumption.
- 1540 – The city of Arequipa in present-day Peru is founded.
- 1769 – Napoleon, French general and emperor, is born on the island of Corsica.
- 1824 – Freed African-American slaves found Liberia.
- 1843 – The Tivoli Gardens theme park in Copenhagen, Denmark, opens.
- 1914 – The Panama Canal opens.
- 1945 – Japan surrenders, ending World War II.
- 1945 – Liberation of Korea.
- 1947 – India becomes independent (separate) from the United Kingdom from the formal Transfer of Power as the Empire is partitioned and adopts the name Bharat.
- 1947 – Muhammad Ali Jinnah becomes Governor-General of Pakistan.
- 1948 – The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is founded south of the 38th parallel.
- 1952 – The village of Lynmouth in Devon, England, is hit by a flash flood.
- 1954 – In Paraguay, the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner begins.
- 1960 – The Republic of the Congo becomes independent, with Fulbert Youlou as President. Exactly three years later, he is removed from office in a military coup.
- 1969 – The Woodstock music festival takes place.
- 1973 – US bombing of Cambodia ends.
- 1975 – Along with members of his family, Bangladeshi political leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is killed in a coup.
- 1998 – The Omagh bombing is carried out by the IRA in Northern Ireland.
- 2007 – A magnitude 8 earthquake centred off Peru's Pacific coast, devastates Ica province, killing 514 people, and injuring over 1000.
[change] Births
- 1171 – King Alfonso IX of Leon (d. 1230)
- 1769 – Napoleon, Emperor of France (d. 1821)
- 1771 – Sir Walter Scott, Scottish writer (d. 1832)
- 1860 – Florence Harding, First Lady of the United States (d. 1924)
- 1863 – Alexei Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (d. 1945)
- 1872 – Sri Aurobindo, Indian author and guru (d. 1950)
- 1879 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)
- 1890 – Elizabeth Bolden, American supercentenarian (d. 2006)
- 1892 – Louis, 7th duc de Broglie, French physicist (d. 1987)
- 1896 – Gerty Cori, Austrian-born biochemist (d. 1957)
- 1896 – Leon Theremin, Russian inventor (d. 1993)
- 1912 – Julia Child, American cook (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Oscar Romero, El Salvadorean priest (d. 1980)
- 1919 – Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Lukas Foss, German-born composer (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist (d. 2007)
- 1940 – Gudrun Ensslin, member of the Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
- 1942 – Pete York, English musician
- 1950 – Anne, Princess Royal, member of the British royal family
- 1952 – Rudi Kargus, German footballer
- 1954 – Stieg Larsson, Swedish writer (d. 2004)
- 1958 – Simon Baron-Cohen, British psychiatrist and author
- 1961 – Ed Gillespie, former White House counsel
- 1968 – Debra Messing, American actress
- 1972 – Ben Affleck, American actor
- 1975 – Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, Japanese footballer
- 1976 – Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer
- 1983 – Luke McCormick, English footballer
- 1989 – Joe Jonas, American actor and singer (Jonas Brothers)
- 1990 – Jennifer Lawrence, American actress
[change] Deaths
- 1038 – King Stephen I of Hungary
- 1040 – King Duncan of Scotland
- 1057 – King Macbeth of Scotland
- 1118 – Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1048)
- 1728 – Marin Marais, French composer (b. 1656)
- 1935 – Paul Signac, French painter (b. 1863)
- 1935 – Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898)
- 1935 – Will Rogers,American humorist and actor (b. 1879)
- 1936 – Grazia Deledda, Italian writer (b. 1871)
- 1951 – Artur Schnabel, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (b. 1875)
- 1962 – Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (b. 1940)
- 1967 – Rene Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)
- 1974 – Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea (b. 1925)
- 1975 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Sune Bergstrom, Swedish biochemist (b. 1916)
- 2006 – Te Atairangi Kaahu, Maori Queen (b. 1931)
- 2006 – Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer (b. 1923)
- 2007 – John Gofman, American scientist (b. 1918)
[change] Observances
- Independence Day in India and the Republic of the Congo
- Liberation Day in South Korea
- VJ Day, marking the end of World War II in East Asia
- Assumption – Roman Catholic Church
