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August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining.
Events
- 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
- 1620 - Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England
- 1877 - Thomas Edison makes the first-ever recording - "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
- 1914 - Panama Canal opens to traffic
- 1944 - Allied forces land in southern France (Operation Anvil)
- 1945 - Korea is liberated after Japan accepts the Allied terms of surrender in World War II
- 1947 - India and Pakistan become independent of Britain
- 1948 - Republic of Korea established south of 38th Parallel
- 1960 - Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France
- 1967 - UK introduces legislation to outlaw offshore pirate radio stations. All except Radio Caroline comply.
- 1969 - First day of Woodstock Music and Art Festival
- 1971 - President Richard Nixon ends convertibility of U.S. dollar into gold
- 1973 - The United States bombing of Cambodia ends
- 1975 - Military coup in Bangladesh
- 1994 - Illich Ramirez Sanchez, the terrorist known as "Carlos", is captured
- 1998 - Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles
Births
- 1057 - King Macbeth I of Scotland
- 1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte, general and politician (+ 1821)
- 1785 - Thomas De Quincey, author (+ 1859)
- 1858 - E. Nesbit (Edith Nesbit), author (+ 1924)
- 1872 - Shri Aurobindo, writer, nationalist, philosphter and guru (+ 1950)
- 1879 - Ethel Barrymore, actress (+ 1959)
- 1887 - Edna Ferber, novelist (+ 1968)
- 1888 - Lawrence of Arabia
- 1896 - Leon Theremin, inventor of the theremin
- 1912 - Julia Child, cook, writer
- 1912 - Dame Wendy Hiller, actress
- 1919 - Huntz Hall, actor (+ 1999)
- 1923 - Rose Marie, actress
- 1924 - Robert Bolt, screenwriter (+ 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
- 1944 - Linda Ellerbee, journalist
- 1946 - Jimmy Webb, musician, composer
- 1949 - Richard Deacon, sculptor
- 1950 - Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Windsor (Princess Anne)
- 1972 - Ben Affleck, actor
- 1974 - Natasha Henstridge, actress
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
- 1971 - Paul Lukas, Academy Award winning actor
- 1975 - Clay Shaw, John F. Kennedy assassination investigator
- 1975 - Sheikh Mujib, president of Bangladesh
- 1995 - John Cameron Swayze, journalist
Holidays and observances
- Catholicism - Feast day of assumption of Virgin Mary, holy day in Spain, Italy and Croatia.
- Italy - "Ferragosto"
- Korea - Liberation Day
- India - Independence Day
- Ancient Latvia - Maras
See Also:
August 14 - August 16 - July 15 - September 15 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December