See what makes August 15 special at Famous Daily.
History, birthdays, holiday, and a quote!
What happened on August 15
- August 15, 0778 "The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which Roland is killed."
- August 15, 0927 The Saracens are conquered and destroyed Taranto.
- August 15, 1040 King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland.
- August 15, 1057 King Mac Bethad is killed in the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Mel Coluim mac Donnchada.
- August 15, 1057 "Macbeth, King of Scotland, slain by son of King Duncan"
- August 15, 1185 The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.
- August 15, 1261 Michael VIII Palaeologus is crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.
- August 15, 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 as the Knights of Rhodes."
- August 15, 1461 The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmet II. This is the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.
- August 15, 1517 Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Ferno Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.
- August 15, 1519 Panama City founded
- August 15, 1519 "Panama City, Panama, is founded."
- August 15, 1534 Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates took initial vows that would lead to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September of 1540.
- August 15, 1535 "Asuncion, Paraguay founded"
- August 15, 1537 "Asuncin, Paraguay, is founded."
- August 15, 1540 "Arequipa, Peru, is founded."
- August 15, 1549 "Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: July 22, 1549)."
- August 15, 1620 Mayflower sets sail from Southampton with 102 Pilgrims
- August 15, 1748 United Lutheran Church of US organized
- August 15, 1760 Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz - Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst von Laudon.
- August 15, 1808 A British mission to Japan arrives but the Tokugawa shogun Ienari rejects the emissaries
- August 15, 1822 "Census shows Upper Canada has 120,000 inhabitants, Lower Canada 500,000."
- August 15, 1824 Freed American slaves form Liberia.
- August 15, 1832 Gregory XVI encyclical On liberalism and religious indifferentism
- August 15, 1834 "South Australia Act is passed by Britain's Parliament, allowing for establishment of colony there."
- August 15, 1843 National black convention meets (Buffalo NY)
- August 15, 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."
- August 15, 1843 "Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark."
- August 15, 1858 Regular mail to the Pacific coast begins
- August 15, 1863 "Submarine ""HL Hunley"" arrives in Charleston on railroad cars"
- August 15, 1863 "The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863)."
- August 15, 1864 "Off New England coast, CSS Tallahassee captures 6 yankee schooners"
- August 15, 1867 2nd Reform Bill extends suffrage in England
- August 15, 1869 "Meiji government establishes six ministries below Pardication (ja:) in the bottom of Cabinet, officer-of-Shinto-Worship, and jurisdiction of Cabinet."
- August 15, 1870 Transcontinental Railway actually completed
- August 15, 1889 "Oldest Club of Asia Mohun Bagan AC Established in Kolkata, India."
- August 15, 1889 The Great London dock strike from August 15 to September 16 helps extend British trade unionism from the skilled classes to the less skilled
- August 15, 1893 US no longer allowed exclusive rights in Bering Sea
- August 15, 1900 "Regular service is commenced over the 3'0"" gauge White Pass and Yukon Railway between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon."
- August 15, 1901 "Arch Rock, danger to Bay shipping, blasted with 30 tons of nitro"
- August 15, 1903 "New Zealand wins first rugby union test against Australia, 22-3."
- August 15, 1906 "First freight delivery tunnel system begins, underneath Chicago"
- August 15, 1907 "Members of Australia's federal parliament vote themselves their first pay rise, of 50 per cent."
- August 15, 1914 "A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright set fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, murdered seven people, and burned the living quarters to the ground. It is unknown if the servant was arrested or not."
- August 15, 1914 Panama Canal opens (under cost)
- August 15, 1914 The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship Ancon.
- August 15, 1917 Prv. Michael James O'Rourke (7th Cdn. infantry Batt.) wins the Victoria Cross at Hill 70 France
- August 15, 1918 First full length cartoon (The Sinking of the Lusitania)
- August 15, 1918 US and Russia sever diplomatic ties
- August 15, 1939 """Wizard of Oz"" premiers at Grauman's Chinese Theater, Hollywood"
- August 15, 1939 13 Stukas dive into the ground during a disastrous air-practice at Neuhammer. No survivors.
- August 15, 1944 "Anvil-Dragoon, U.S. 6th, 7th and French first Armies, attack Southern France and head toward Southern Germany."
- August 15, 1945 South Korea liberated from Japanese rule
- August 15, 1945 US wartime rationing of gasoline and fuel oil ends
- August 15, 1945 World War II: Korean Liberation Day.
- August 15, 1945 World War II: Victory over Japan Day - Japan surrenders.
- August 15, 1947 "Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor General of Pakistan at Karachi."
- August 15, 1947 "India becomes independent, Islamic part becomes Pakistan"
- August 15, 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."
- August 15, 1948 Republic of Korea (South Korea) proclaimed (National Day)
- August 15, 1948 The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north.
- August 15, 1950 "8.6 quake kills over 1,000 in Assam, India"
- August 15, 1950 "Srikakulam district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India."
- August 15, 1952 "9"" of rain fall creates a 20' wave in Lynmouth, England killing 34"
- August 15, 1952 "Devon, United Kingdom A flashflood drenches the town of Lynmouth, killing 34 people."
- August 15, 1953 Inmates riot at Kingston Penitentiary; burn three buildings; do $2 million damage.
- August 15, 1957 "David Simons reaches 30,942 m in Man High 2 balloon"
- August 15, 1957 "USAF Capt Joe B Jordan reaches 31,513 m in F-104 jet fighter"
- August 15, 1960 Congo (Brazzaville) gains independence from France (Natl Day)
- August 15, 1960 Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France.
- August 15, 1960 UFO is sighted by 3 California patrolmen
- August 15, 1961 Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.
- August 15, 1961 Construction on Berlin Wall begins in East Germany (Dark day)
- August 15, 1961 Keiyo Road is specified to be the first driveway in Japan.
- August 15, 1962 "James Joseph Dresnok defected to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, running across the Korean DMZ. Dresnok still resides in the capital, Pyongyang."
- August 15, 1962 Shady Grove Baptist Church burned in Leesburg Georgia
- August 15, 1964 Race riot in Dixmoor (Chicago suburb) Ill
- August 15, 1965 "The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, marking the birth of stadium rock."
- August 15, 1967 "England's Marine Offense Bill making pirate radio stations a crime goes into effect, pirate station Radio 355 closes down"
- August 15, 1968 "Pirate Radio Free London, begins transmitting"
- August 15, 1969 The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opens.
- August 15, 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair opens in NY State (Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm)
- August 15, 1971 Bahrain gains independence from Britain
- August 15, 1971 Bahrain Independence Day.
- August 15, 1971 Hurricane Beth drops 296 mm of rain on Halifax and washes out highways and bridges in Nova Scotia.
- August 15, 1971 "Pres Nixon announces 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents"
- August 15, 1973 Black September kills 3 wounds 55 Athens
- August 15, 1973 Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends.
- August 15, 1974 "Seoul Subway Line 1 opened, between Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni Station"
- August 15, 1974 South Korean President Park Chung-Hee escapes assassination
- August 15, 1974 "Turkish invasion of Cyprus continues, and the 37% of the island is now under Turkish control."
- August 15, 1974 "Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea is killed amid an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee, during the anniversarial ceremony of the Liberation day."
- August 15, 1975 Miki Takeo makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by a sitting prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.
- August 15, 1975 "Military coup in Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman killed along with all family members, except Haseena Wajid."
- August 15, 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"" for notation made by a volunteer on the project."
- August 15, 1984 "PKK, Kurdish people in Turkey gain arms and start a Guerrilla warfare campaign against the Turkish military"
- August 15, 1986 Pres Reagan decides to support a replacement for the Challenger
- August 15, 1987 Number one hit on UK music charts - Michael Jackson - I Just Can't Stop Loving You
- August 15, 1989 "Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers was born in Casa Grande, Arizona"
- August 15, 1991 "750,000 attend Paul Simon's free concert in Central Park"
- August 15, 1993 "Junko Asari wins the women's marathon in the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, Japan's first major women's athletics victory."
- August 15, 1995 "In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel, but drops out in less than a week."
- August 15, 1998 "Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles"
- August 15, 1999 "Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria; some 29 people killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco."
- August 15, 2000 A group of 100 separated family members from North Korea arrive in South Korea for temporary reunions with relatives they have not seen for half a century.
- August 15, 2000 "Director Freeh revised the FBI disciplinary system to create a single system for all FBI employees, including those in the Senior Executive Service."
- August 15, 2007 "An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090."
- August 15, 2009 "A blaze in a tent in Kuwait, where a wedding party is held, kills 43 women and children. The ex-wife of the groom confesses to starting the fire."
- August 15, 2009 A prison riot in the Mexican state of Durango leaves at least 19 people dead and 20 injured.
- August 15, 2009 "A suicide bomb attack occurs outside the NATO headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least seven and injuring 100."
- August 15, 2009 "Burma is to free detained American John Yettaw, who appeared uninvited at Aung San Suu Kyi's home, after a meeting with US Senator Jim Webb."
- August 15, 2009 Colombia claims to have completed talks with the United States to allow US troops to use seven of Colombia's military bases.
- August 15, 2009 "Former President of Zambia, Frederick Chiluba, awaits the verdict in his trial into his criminal case for being accused of plundering the national economy during his decade-long rule."
- August 15, 2009 "Hamas police claim to have killed Abdel-Latif Moussa, head of the Islamic group Jund Ansar Allah in a shootout."
- August 15, 2009 "Hong Kong posts 3.3% growth over its previous quarter, far exceeding predictions, signaling an end to its recession."
- August 15, 2009 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi speaks at a news conference to say his country will crack down on organised crime over the next four years.
- August 15, 2009 "Japan expresses remorse for its actions in World War II on the anniversary of its 1945 defeat, but former Prime Ministers Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe visit the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial war shrine seen as a symbol of its past militarism."
- August 15, 2009 "The tracking device onboard the Arctic Sea was briefly reactivated according to Russian media, showing the vessel to be off the coast of France."
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