August 15
- August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining.
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Events
- 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which Roland is killed
- 1517 - First European connection with China - seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernao Pires de Andrade met Chinese officials at Pearl River estuary.
- 1519 - Panama City, Panama founded
- 1535 - Asuncion, Paraguay founded
- 1540 - Arequipa, Peru founded
- 1620 - The Mayflower pulls out of Southampton, England
- 1843 - The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. It is today the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
- 1877 - Thomas Edison makes the first-ever recording - "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
- 1914 - Panama Canal opens to traffic
- 1920 - Poles defeated the Red Army at the Battle of Warsaw (Polish-Soviet War)
- 1944 - Allied forces land in southern France (Operation Anvil)
- 1947 - India gains independence from Britain. Jawaharlal Nehru takes office as the first Prime Minister of India
- 1948 - Republic of Korea established south of 38th Parallel
- 1960 - Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France
- 1961 - Construction begins on the Berlin Wall
- 1969 - First day of Woodstock Music and Art Festival
- 1971 - President Richard Nixon ends convertibility of U.S. dollar into gold
- 1973 - Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends
- 1974 - Yook Young-soo, First Lady of the South Korea is killed amid apparent assassination attempt upon President of the South Korea, Park Chung-hee by North Korean spy, during the anniversarial ceremony of the Liberation day.
- 1975 - Military coup in Bangladesh
- 1978 - foundation of Mirapuri - The City of Peace and Future Man
- 1998 - Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles
Births
- 1171 - Alfonso IX of Leon,
- 1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte, general and politician (d. 1821)
- 1785 - Thomas De Quincey, author (d. 1859)
- 1858 - E. Nesbit (Edith Nesbit), author (d. 1924)
- 1872 - Shri Aurobindo, writer, nationalist, philosopher and guru (d. 1950)
- 1879 - Ethel Barrymore, actress (d. 1959)
- 1887 - Edna Ferber, novelist (d. 1968)
- 1883 - Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor (d. 1962)
- 1893 - Leslie Comrie, astronomer and computing pioneer (d. 1950)
- 1896 - Leon Theremin, inventor of the theremin
- 1900 - Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (d. 1966)
- 1912 - Julia Child, cook, writer (d. 2004)
- 1912 - Dame Wendy Hiller, actress
- 1919 - Huntz Hall, actor (d. 1999)
- 1923 - Rose Marie, actress
- 1924 - Robert Bolt, screenwriter (d. 1995)
- 1925 - Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist
- 1925 - Mike Connors, actor
- 1928 - Nicolas Roeg, director
- 1933 - Jim Lange, game show host
- 1935 - Vernon Jordan Jr., Presidential advisor
- 1938 - Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish science-fiction writer
- 1944 - Linda Ellerbee, journalist
- 1945 - Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, hindu guru
- 1946 - Jimmy Webb, musician, composer
- 1949 - Richard Deacon, sculptor
- 1950 - Princess Anne of the United Kingdom
- 1968 - Debra Messing, actress
- 1972 - Ben Affleck, actor
- 1974 - Natasha Henstridge, actress
- 1977 - Igor Cassina, gymnast
Deaths
- 778 - Roland, Frankish commander
- 1057 - King Macbeth I of Scotland
- 1907 - Joseph Joachim, violinist
- 1935 - Wiley Post, pilot
- 1935 - Will Rogers, humorist, actor
- 1951 - Artur Schnabel, pianist
- 1959 - Blind Willie McTell, blues singer
- 1962 - Lei Feng, eminent PLA Soldier
- 1967 - René Magritte, Surrealist painter
- 1971 - Paul Lukas, Academy Award winning actor
- 1974 - Yook Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea
- 1975 - Clay Shaw, John F. Kennedy assassination investigator
- 1975 - Sheikh Mujib, president of Bangladesh
- 1995 - John Cameron Swayze, journalist
- 1999 - Sir Hugh Casson, architect, artist
- 2004 - Amarsinh Chaudhary, politician
Holidays and observances
- Catholicism - Holy Day of Obligation Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, Public Holiday in:
- Italy - "Ferragosto"
- Korea - Liberation Day
- India - Independence Day
- Liechtenstein - Liechtenstein Day
- Ancient Latvia - Maras
August 14 - August 16 - July 15 - September 15 -- listing of all days
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