August 15

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

Births

• 1057 - King Macbeth I of Scotland
• 1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte, general and politician (+ 1821)
• 1771 - Sir Walter Scott, writer (+ 1832)
• 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
• 1935 - Wiley Post[?], pilot
• 1935 - Will Rogers, humorist, actor
• 1951 - Artur Schnabel, pianist
• 1959 - Blind Willie McTell, blues singer
• 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 and Italy.
• Italy - "Ferragosto"
• Korea - Liberation Day
• India - Independence Day
• Croatia - Assumption
• Ancient Latvia - Maras

August 14 - August 16 - July 15 - September 15 -- listing of all days

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