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August 15 is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 138 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass , at which Roland is killed.927 - The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto .1040 - King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth . The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland .1057 - King Macbeth is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada .1185 - The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia .1248 - The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral , built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men , is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880 .)1261 - Michael VIII Palaeologus is crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople .1309 - The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John , completing their conquest of Rhodes . The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes .1461 - The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmet II . This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire . Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.1517 - Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary .1519 - Panama City , Panama , is founded.1534 - Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.1537 - Asunción , Paraguay , is founded.1540 - Arequipa , Peru , is founded.1549 - Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date : July 22 , 1549 ).1599 - Nine Years War : Battle of Curlew Pass - Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.1760 - Seven Years' War : Battle of Liegnitz - Frederick the Great 's victory over the Austrians under Ernst von Laudon .1824 - Freed American slaves found Liberia .1843 - The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu , it is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States .1843 - Tivoli Gardens , one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen , Denmark .
1863 - The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date : July 2 , 1863 ).1869 - The Meiji government in Japan establishes six new ministries, including one for Shinto .1891 - San Sebastian Church in Manila , the first all-steel church in Asia , is officially inaugurated and blessed.1914 - A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright sets fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, Taliesin , murders seven people and burns the living quarters to the ground.1914 - The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship Ancon .1920 - Polish-Soviet War : Battle of Warsaw - Poles defeat the Red Army .1935 - Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska .1939 - 13 Stukas dive into the ground during a disastrous air-practice at Neuhammer. No survivors.1942 - World War II : Operation Pedestal - The SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses.1944 - World War II : Operation Dragoon - Allied forces land in southern France .1945 - World War II: Victory over Japan Day - Japan surrenders.1945 - World War II: Korean Liberation Day .
1947 - India gains independence from the United Kingdom and becomes an independent nation within the Commonwealth , Jawaharlal Nehru addresses the nation with the Indian Declaration of Independence and takes office as the first Prime Minister of India .1947 - Founder of Pakistan , Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor General of Pakistan at Karachi .
1948 - The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north .1950 - Srikakulam district is formed in Andhra Pradesh , India .1952 - Devon, United Kingdom A flashflood drenches the town of Lynmouth, killing 34 people.1960 - Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville ) declares its independence from France .1961 - Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall .1961 - Keiyo Road is specified as the first driveway in Japan.
1962 - James Joseph Dresnok defects to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea after running across the Korean DMZ . Dresnok still resides in the capital, Pyongyang .1965 - The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City , in an event later seen as marking the birth of stadium rock .
1969 - The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opens.1971 - President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.1973 - Vietnam War : The United States bombing of Cambodia ends.1974 - Seoul Subway Line 1 is opened, connecting Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni Station .1974 - Yuk Young-soo , First Lady of South Korea , is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea , Park Chung-hee .
1974 - The Turkish invasion of Cyprus continues, and 37% of the island's area comes under Turkish control.
1975 - Military coup in Bangladesh . Sheikh Mujibur Rehman is killed along with all the memebrs of his family except Haseena Wajid .1975 - Miki Takeo makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II .
1977 - The Big Ear , a radio telescope operated by The Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal " from the notation made by a volunteer on the project.1984 - The PKK in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish military1995 - In South Carolina , Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).1998 - Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland , the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles 1999 - Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria ; some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco .2007 - An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.
Births
1171 - King Alfonso IX of Leon (d. 1230 )1195 - Anthony of Padua , Portuguese saint (d. 1231 )1432 - Luigi Pulci , Italian poet (d. 1484 )1575 - Bartol Kašić , Croatian writer and linguist (d. 1650 )1613 - Gilles Ménage , French scholar (d. 1692 )1717 - Blind Jack , English roadbuilder (d. 1810 )1740 - Matthias Claudius , German poet (d. 1815 )1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte , Emperor of the French (d. 1821 )1771 - Sir Walter Scott , Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832 )1785 - Thomas De Quincey , English author (d. 1859 )1813 - Jules Grévy , 2nd President of the French Third Republic (d. 1891 )1844 - Thomas-Alfred Bernier , Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1908 )1856 - Ivan Franko , Ukrainian writer (d. 1916 )1857 - Albert Ballin , German shipping tycoon (d. 1918 )1858 - E. Nesbit , English author (d. 1924 )1859 - Charles Comiskey , American baseball owner (d. 1931 )1860 - Henrietta Vinton Davis , American elocutionist (d. 1941 )1860 - Florence Harding , American First Lady (d. 1924 )
1863 - Alexei Krylov , Russian engineer and mathematician (d. 1945 )1865 - Usui Mikao , Japanese founder of Reiki (d. 1926 )1872 - Sri Aurobindo , Indian writer and philosopher (d. 1950 )1875 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor , English composer (d. 1912 )1878 - Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel , Russian counter-revolutionary (d. 1928 )1879 - Ethel Barrymore , American actress (d. 1959 )1881 - Alfred Wagenknecht , German-born American activist (d. 1956 )1883 - Ivan Meštrović , Croatian sculptor (d. 1962 )1885 - Edna Ferber , American novelist (d. 1968 )1886 - Bill Whitty , Australian cricketer (d. 1974 )1890 - Elizabeth Bolden , American Supercentenarian (d. 2006 )1890 - Jacques Ibert , French composer (d. 1962 )
1892 - Louis, 7th duc de Broglie , French physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1987 )1893 - Leslie Comrie , New Zealand astronomer and computing pioneer (d. 1950 )1896 - Gerty Cori , Austrian-born biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1957 )1896 - Catherine Doherty , Russian-born Canadian activist (d. 1985 )
1896 - Paul Outerbridge , American photographer (d. 1958 )
1896 - Leon Theremin , Russian inventor (d. 1993 )
1898 - Jan Brzechwa , Polish poet (d. 1966 )1901 - Pyotr Sergeyevich Novikov , Russian mathematician (d. 1975 )1909 - Hugo Winterhalter , American composer and bandleader (d. 1973 )1910 - Signe Hasso , Swedish actress (d. 2002 )1912 - Julia Child , American cook (d. 2004 )1912 - Dame Wendy Hiller , English actress (d. 2003 )
1914 - Paul Rand , American graphic designer (d. 1996 )1916 - Aleks Çaçi , Albanian writer1917 - Jack Lynch , Irish politician, fourth Taoiseach (d. 1999 )1917 - Oscar Romero , El Salvador Roman catholic priest (d. 1980 )
1919 - Huntz Hall , American actor (d. 1999 )1919 - Benedict Kiely , Irish author
1922 - Lukas Foss , German-born composer1923 - Rose Marie , American actress1924 - Robert Bolt , English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995 )1925 - Mike Connors , American actor1925 - Oscar Peterson , Canadian jazz pianist (d. 2007 )
1925 - Bill Pinkney , American baritone singer (d. 2007 )
1926 - Costis Stephanopoulos , Greek politician1927 - Eddie Leadbeater , England cricketer1928 - Nicolas Roeg , English film director1930 - Ageeda Paavel , Estonian freedom fighter1933 - Bobby Helms , American pop singer (d. 1997 )1933 - Jim Lange , American game show host
1934 - Bobby Byrd , American soul/funk singer (d. 2007 )1934 - Nino Ferrer , French-Italian singer (d. 1998 )
1934 - Reginald Scarlett , West Indian cricketer
1935 - Jim Dale , English actor1935 - Vernon Jordan Jr. , American presidential advisor
1935 - Lionel Taylor , American football player
1938 - Maxine Waters , American politician1938 - Janusz A. Zajdel , Polish writer
1940 - Gudrun Ensslin , German terrorist1940 - Rita Shane , American soprano
1942 - Larry Hartsell , American martial arts instructor (d. 2007 )1943 - María Rojo , Mexican actress and politician1944 - Linda Ellerbee , American journalist1944 - Tom Murphy , American politician
1944 - Dimitris Sioufas , Greek lawyer and politician
1944 - Sylvie Vartan , Bulgarian pop singer
1945 - Gene Upshaw , American football player and union leader (d. 2008 )1945 - Begum Khaleda Zia , Bangladeshi politician
1946 - Tony Robinson , English actor and television presenter1946 - Jimmy Webb , American musician and composer
1947 - Raakhee Gulzar , Indian actress1947 - Jenny Hanley , British TV presenter
1948 - Uschi Digard , American pornographic actress and model1948 - Patsy Gallant , Canadian pop singer
1948 - George Ryton , British engineer
1949 - Beverly Lynn Burns , Americna pilot, first woman captain in the world on the Boeing 7471949 - Richard Deacon , Welsh sculptor
1949 - Garry Disher , Australian author
1950 - Tommy Aldridge , American musician1950 - The Princess Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom
1950 - Tom Kelly , American baseball manager
1951 - Ann Biderman , American film and television writer1951 - Bobby Caldwell , American singer and musician
1951 - John Childs , England cricketer
1951 - Daba Diawara , Malian politician
1951 - Ranjan Gunatilleke , Sri Lankan cricketer
1954 - Mary Jo Salter , American poet1956 - Lorraine Desmarais , French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer1957 - Željko Ivanek , Slovenian-American actor1958 - Craig MacTavish , Canadian ice hockey player/coach1958 - Victor Shenderovich , Russian satirist
1958 - Rondell Sheridan , American actor and comedian
1961 - Ed Gillespie , American White House counsel to George W. Bush 1961 - Gary Kubiak , American football coach1962 - Tom Colicchio , American chef1963 - Alejandro González Iñárritu , Mexican film director1963 - Jack Russell , England cricketer
1964 - Melinda French Gates , American wife of Bill Gates 1964 - Debi Mazar , American actress
1965 - Rob Thomas , American writer1966 - Scott Brosius , American baseball player1966 - Shirley Kwan , Hong Kong singer
1967 - Peter Hermann American actor1968 - Debra Messing , American actress1969 - Kevin Cheng , Hong Kong actor and singer1969 - Cris Judd , American actor/choreographer
1970 - Anthony Anderson , American comedian and actor1970 - Maddie Corman , American actress
1970 - Ben Silverman , American TV executive
1972 - Ben Affleck , American actor1972 - Chris Morrissey , American film director/actor
1972 - Matthew Wood , American actor and sound editor
1974 - Natasha Henstridge , Canadian actress1975 - Bertrand Berry , American football player1975 - Vijay Bharadwaj , Indian cricketer
1975 - Brendan Morrison , Canadian hockey player
1975 - Kara Wolters , American basketball player
1976 - Boudewijn Zenden , Dutch football player1977 - Martin Biron , Canadian ice hockey goaltender1977 - Igor Cassina , Italian gymnast
1977 - Nicole Paggi , American actress
1977 - Ray Toro , American musician (My Chemical Romance )
1978 - Tim Foreman , American bassist (Switchfoot )1978 - Lilia Podkopayeva , Ukrainian gymnast
1978 - Stavros Tziortziopoulos , Greek footballer
1978 - Kerri Walsh , American beach volleyball player
1979 - Carl Edwards , American NASCAR driver1980 - Nathalie Press , English actress1981 - Brendan Hansen , American swimmer1981 - Song Ji-hyo , South Korean actress
1981 - Oliver Perez , American baseball player
1982 - Casey Burgener , American weightlifter1989 - Belinda , Mexican singer1989 - Tiffanie Anderson , American , Performer, (Girlicious )1989 - Joe Jonas , American singer (Jonas Brothers )
Deaths
423 - Flavius Honorius , Western Roman Emperor (b. 384 )778 - Roland , Frankish commander1038 - King Stephen I of Hungary 1040 - King Duncan I of Scotland 1057 - King Macbeth of Scotland 1118 - Alexius I Comnenus , Byzantine Emperor (b. 1048 )1196 - Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173 )1274 - Robert de Sorbon , French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne (b. 1201 )1369 - Philippa of Hainault , Queen consort of Edward III of England 1528 - Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec , French military leader (b. 1485 )1552 - Hermann of Wied , German Catholic archbishop (b. 1477 )1621 - John Barclay , Scottish writer (b. 1582 )1666 - Johann Adam Schall von Bell , German Jesuit missionary (b. 1591 )1714 - Constantin Brâncoveanu , Prince of Wallachia (b. 1654 )1728 - Marin Marais , French composer and viol player (b. 1656 )1758 - Pierre Bouguer , French mathematician (b. 1698 )1799 - Giuseppe Parini , Italian poet (b. 1729 )1852 - Johan Gadolin , Finnish scientist (b. 1760 )1880 - Adelaide Neilson , English Actress (b. 1848 )1907 - Joseph Joachim , Austrian violinist (b. 1831 )1909 - Euclides da Cunha , Brazilian writer and sociologist (b. 1866 )1917 - Thomas J. Higgins , decorated Union Army soldier (b. 1831 )1925 - Konrad Mägi , Estonian artist (b. 1878 )1935 - Wiley Post , American pilot (airplane crash) (b. 1898 )1935 - Will Rogers , American humorist and actor (airplane crash) (b. 1879 )
1936 - Grazia Deledda , Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1871 )1945 - Korechika Anami , Japanese War Minister (b. 1887 )1951 - Artur Schnabel , Polish pianist (b. 1882 )1953 - Ludwig Prandtl , German physicist (b. 1875 )1959 - Blind Willie McTell , American singer (b. 1901 )1962 - Lei Feng , Chinese revolutionary (b. 1940 )1967 - René Magritte , Belgian painter (b. 1898 )1971 - Paul Lukas , Hungarian-born actor (b. 1887 )1975 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , President of Bangladesh (b. 1920 )1975 - Clay Shaw , alleged John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracist & businessman (b. 1913 )
1982 - Hugo Theorell , Swedish scientist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903 )1990 - Viktor Tsoi , Russian musician (b. 1962 )1995 - John Cameron Swayze , American journalist (b. 1906 )1999 - Sir Hugh Casson , British architect and artist (b. 1910 )2001 - Richard Chelimo , Kenyan athlete (b. 1972 )2003 - Gösta Sundqvist , Finnish songwriter and singer (heart attack) (b. 1957 )2004 - Semiha Berksoy , first Turkish opera singer (b. 1910 )2004 - Sune Bergström , Swedish biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1916 )2004 - Amarsinh Chaudhary , Indian politician (b. 1941 )
2006 - Te Atairangi Kaahu , Māori queen (b. 1931 )2006 - Rick Bourke , Australian rugby league player (c. 1955 )
2006 - Doug White , American news anchor
2006 - Faas Wilkes , Dutch international footballer (b. 1923 )
2007 - Richard Bradshaw , British opera conductor, (b. 1944 )2007 - John Gofman , American Manhattan Project scientist and advocate (b. 1918 )
2007 - Geoffrey Orbell , New Zealand bush walker (b. 1908 )
2007 - Sam Pollock , Canadian sports executive (b. 1925 )
2008 - Jerry Wexler , music producer and coiner of the term "Rhythm & Blues" (b. 1917 )2008 - James Orthwein , American businessman (b. 1924 )
2008 - Leroy Sievers , American journalist (b. 1955 )
2008 - Vic Toweel , South African boxer , bantamweight world champion (b. 1929 )
Holidays and observances
VJ Day / VP Day India – Independence Day (from the United Kingdom , 1947 ).Egypt – Flooding of the Nile Day.Italy , Ferragosto , remembrance of an ancient Roman holiday in honor of Augustus .Korea – Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day).Tuva – Naadym .Costa Rica – Mother's Day .Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism – Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos , the commemoration of the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus .Feast day of the Assumption of Mary , the mother of Jesus , Holy Day of Obligation . Public Holiday in: Austria , Belgium , Benin , Burundi , Cameroon , Chile , Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia , Cyprus , East Timor, France , Greece , Guatemala, India (As India's Independence Day), Italy , Lebanon, Lithuania , Luxembourg, Malta , Mauritius , Poland , Portugal , Seychelles, Slovenia , Spain and Switzerland .
National Acadian Day RC Saints
External links
