August 15 is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years A leap year is a year containing one extra day (or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month) in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year) in the Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter gravissimas. The reformed calendar was adopted later that year by a handful of countries, with other countries. There are 138 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 778 – The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland Roland (died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons. His only historical attestation is is killed.
• 927 – The Saracens Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to people who inhabited the deserts near the Roman province of Syria and who were distinct from Arabs. The term was later applied to Arab peoples and by the time of European chroniclers during the time of the Crusades came to be synonymous with Muslim conquer and destroy Taranto Taranto listen (Italian pronunciation: [ˈta(ː)ranto], Latin: Tarentum; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς Tarās; Modern Greek: Τάραντας Tarantas; Taranto's dialect "Tarde") is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval.
• 982 – Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler, who as German King had in addition received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope of the Holy Roman Church, and after the 16th century, the elected monarch governing the Holy Roman Empire, a Central European union of territories in existence Otto II is defeated by the Saracens in the battle of Capo Colonna, in Calabria Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian peninsula. It is bounded to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the south-west by the region of Sicily, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the Ionian Sea. The region covers 15,080 km2 (5,8
• 1018 – Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles blinds and captures Ibatzes of Bulgaria by a ruse, thereby ending Bulgarian resistance against Emperor Basil II Basil II, later surnamed the Bulgar-slayer , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025's conquest of Bulgaria The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 681 by the Bulgars. At the height of its power it spread between Budapest and the Black Sea and from the Dnieper River in modern Ukraine to the Adriatic Sea.
• 1040 – King Duncan I Donnchad mac Crínáin anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" or "the Sick" (died 14 August 1040) was king of Scotland (Alba). He was son of Crínán, hereditary lay abbot of Dunkeld, and Bethóc, daughter of king Malcolm II of Scotland (Máel Coluim mac Cináeda) is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots (also known as the King of Alba, and earlier as King of Moray and King of Fortriu) from 1040 until his death. He is best known as the subject of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth and the many works it has inspired. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland The monarch of Scotland was the head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland. According to tradition, the first King of Scots was Kenneth MacAlpin , who founded the state in 843. The distinction between the Kingdom of Alba/Scotland and the Kingdom of the Picts is rather the product of later medieval myth and confusion from a change in nomenclature, i.
• 1057 – King Macbeth Mac Bethad mac Findlaích was King of the Scots (also known as the King of Alba, and earlier as King of Moray and King of Fortriu) from 1040 until his death. He is best known as the subject of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth and the many works it has inspired is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , called in most Anglicised regnal lists Malcolm III, and in later centuries nicknamed Canmore, "Big Head" or Long-neck (died 13 November 1093), was King of Scots. It has also been argued recently that the real "Malcolm Canmore" was this Malcolm's great-grandson Malcolm IV, who is given this name in.
• 1185 – The cave city of Vardzia The Cave City of Vardzia is a cave monastery dug into the side of the Erusheli mountain in southern Georgia near Aspindza on the left bank of the Mtkvari River. It was founded by Queen Tamar in 1185 is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia Tamar (c. 1160 – 18 January 1213), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was Queen Regnant of Georgia from 1184 to 1213. The first woman to rule Georgia in her own right, Tamar presided over the "Golden age" of the medieval Georgian monarchy.
• 1248 – The foundation stone The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure of Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne (currently Cardinal Joachim Meisner), and is under the administration of the archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned as a monument of Christianity, of German Catholicism in particular, of Gothic architecture and of the continuing faith and, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men In Christian tradition, the Magi , also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, are a group of distinguished foreigners who are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity and in celebrations of, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar).)
• 1261 – Michael VIII Palaeologus is crowned Byzantine emperor This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians. This list does not include numerous co-emperors who never attained sole or senior status as rulers in Constantinople Constantinople was the imperial capital of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire, the Latin Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.
• 1309 Year 1309 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes Rhodes is a Greek island approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) southwest of Turkey in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007 of which 53,709 resided in the homonymous capital city of the island. The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes.
• 1430 Year 1430 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in Milan, Italy. He was the brother of Alessandro, with whom he often fought, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca Lucca listen is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plain near (but not on) the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca. Among other reasons, it is famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls.
• 1461 – The Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire a few weeks prior to that event. Geographically, surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmet II. This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire was the Roman Empire as it existed during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by the Byzantine emperors, direct successors to the ancient Roman emperors. It was called the Roman Empire and also Romania (Greek: Ῥωμανία, Rhōmanía) by its inhabitants and neighbours. As the distinction. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.
• 1483 Year 1483 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar) – Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. He founded the Sistine Chapel where the team of artists he brought together and introduced the Early Renaissance to Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age consecrates the Sistine Chapel Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture, evocative of Solomon's Temple of the Old Testament, and its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro.
• 1517 Year 1517 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Seven Portuguese Portugal /ˈpɔɹtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, Mirandese: Pertual), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa; Mirandese: República Pertuesa), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and armed vessels Vessels are a post-rock band from Leeds, UK. Vessels were born from the ashes of A Day Left in September 2005. In 2006 the band self-released a five track eponymous EP, and played many gigs, including the unsigned stage at Leeds Festival as one of the six winners of the Futuresound competition led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity officials at the Pearl River estuary.
• 1519 Year 1519 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Panama City Panama City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 813,097, with a total metro population of 1,206,792, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, at 8°58′N 79°32′W / 8.967°N 79.533°W. Panama City is the political and administrative center of the country, Panama Panama (pronounced /ˈpænəmɑː/ ), officially the Republic of Panama (Spanish: República de Panamá; pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðe panaˈma]), is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the, is founded.
• 1534 Year 1534 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Saint Ignatius of Loyola Saint Ignatius of Loyola , (1491 – July 31, 1556) was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and became its first Superior General. The Jesuits emerged during the Counter-Reformation in reaction of the Catholic Church against the theology of Protestantism and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus is a religious order of the Catholic Church. It has only male members; they are called Jesuits. Jesuit priests and brothers — also sometimes known colloquially as "God's marines" — are engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents reflecting the Formula of the Institute ( in September 1540.
• 1537 Year 1537 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar – Asunción Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay. The Spanish word asunción means assumption in English. It refers to the Assumption of Mary; the full name means The Very Noble and Loyal City of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption, Paraguay Paraguay (pronounced /ˈpɛrəgweɪ/ ), officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel paɾaˈɣwai]; Guaraní: Tetã Paraguái /teˈtã paɾaˈgʷaj/), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and, is founded.
• 1540 – Arequipa Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 904,931 it is the second most populous city of the country. Arequipa lies in the Andes mountains, at an altitude of 2,380 meters (7,800 feet) above sea level; the snow-capped volcano El Misti overlooks the city, Peru Peru (pronounced /pəˈru/ ; Spanish: Perú, Quechua: Piruw, Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] ( listen)), is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south, is founded.
• 1549 Year 1549 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Kingdom of England, it was known as 'The Year of the Many-Headed Monster', because of the unusually high number of rebellions which racked the country – Jesuit The Society of Jesus is a religious order of the Catholic Church. It has only male members; they are called Jesuits. Jesuit priests and brothers — also sometimes known colloquially as "God's marines" — are engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents reflecting the Formula of the Institute ( priest A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively 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.
• 1907 – Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.
• 1909 – A group of mid-level Greek Army officers launches the Goudi coup, seeking wide-ranging reforms.
• 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.
• 1914 – The First Russian Army, led by Pavel Rennenkampf, enters Eastern Prussia.
• 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.
• 1940 – An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser Elli at Tinos harbour during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October.
• 1941 – Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 7:12am, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower for treason.
• 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.
• 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.
• 1954 – Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.
• 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) becomes independent 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.
• 1963 – Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland.
• 1963 – President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
• 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.
• 1968 – 40,000 people protest in Mexico City against the repression in the country.
• 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 – Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee.
• 1975 – Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.
• 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 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 military
• 1995 – 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 France (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)
• 1876 – Stylianos Gonatas, Greek military officer and Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1966)
• 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 Novikov, Russian mathematician (d. 1975)
• 1904 – George Klein, Canadian inventor (d. 1992)
• 1905 – Emile St. Godard, Canadian dog sled racer (d. 1948)
• 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 writer (d. 1989)
• 1917 – Jack Lynch, Irish politician (d. 1999)
• 1917 – Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman Catholic priest (d. 1980)
• 1919 – Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)
• 1919 – Benedict Kiely, Irish author (d. 2007)
• 1922 – Lukas Foss, German-born composer (d. 2009)
• 1922 – Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek songwriter and musician (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Rose Marie, American actress
• 1924 – Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995)
• 1925 – Mike Connors, American actor
• 1925 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist (d. 2007)
• 1925 – Bill Pinkney, American baritone singer (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Costis Stephanopoulos, Greek politician
• 1927 – Eddie Leadbeater, England cricketer
• 1928 – Nicolas Roeg, English film director
• 1930 – Ageeda Paavel, Estonian freedom fighter
• 1933 – 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 actor
• 1935 – Vernon Jordan Jr., American presidential advisor
• 1935 – Lionel Taylor, American football player
• 1938 – Maxine Waters, American politician
• 1938 – Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish writer
• 1940 – Gudrun Ensslin, German terrorist (d. 1977)
• 1940 – Rita Shane, American soprano
• 1941 – Manolis Mavrommatis, Greek politician
• 1942 – Larry Hartsell, American martial arts instructor (d. 2007)
• 1943 – María Rojo, Mexican actress and politician
• 1944 – Linda Ellerbee, American journalist
• 1944 – 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 presenter
• 1946 – Jimmy Webb, American musician and composer
• 1947 – Raakhee Gulzar, Indian actress
• 1947 – Jenny Hanley, British TV presenter
• 1948 – Uschi Digard, American pornographic actress and model
• 1948 – Patsy Gallant, Canadian pop singer
• 1948 – George Ryton, British engineer
• 1949 – Beverly Lynn Burns, American pilot
• 1949 – Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor
• 1949 – Garry Disher, Australian author
• 1949 – Mark B. Rosenberg, President of Florida International University
• 1950 – Tommy Aldridge, American musician
• 1950 – The Princess Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom
• 1950 – Tom Kelly, American baseball manager
• 1951 – Ann Biderman, American film and television writer
• 1951 – Bobby Caldwell, American singer and musician
• 1951 – John Childs, England cricketer
• 1951 – Daba Diawara, Malian politician
• 1951 – Ranjan Gunatilleke, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1954 – Stieg Larsson, Swedish writer (d. 2004)
• 1954 – Mary Jo Salter, American poet
• 1956 – Lorraine Desmarais, French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer
• 1957 – Željko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor
• 1958 – Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player/coach
• 1958 – 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 coach
• 1962 – Tom Colicchio, American chef
• 1963 – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican film director
• 1963 – Jack Russell, England cricketer
• 1964 – Melinda French Gates, American wife of Bill Gates
• 1964 – Debi Mazar, American actress
• 1965 – Rob Thomas, American writer
• 1966 – Scott Brosius, American baseball player
• 1966 – Shirley Kwan, Hong Kong singer
• 1966 – Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player
• 1967 – Peter Hermann American actor
• 1968 – Debra Messing, American actress
• 1969 – Kevin Cheng, Hong Kong actor and singer
• 1969 – Cris Judd, American actor/choreographer
• 1969 – Bernard Fanning, Australian singer/songwriter, lead singer of multi-award winning Australian rock bandPowderfinger
• 1970 – Anthony Anderson, American comedian and actor
• 1970 – Maddie Corman, American actress
• 1970 – Ben Silverman, American TV executive
• 1972 – Ben Affleck, American actor
• 1972 – Chris Morrissey, American film director/actor
• 1972 – Matthew Wood, American actor and sound editor
• 1972 – Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballet dancer (d. 2007)
• 1973 – Adnan Sami, music composer, singer
• 1974 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress
• 1975 – Bertrand Berry, American football player
• 1975 – Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer
• 1975 – Brendan Morrison, Canadian hockey player
• 1975 – Kara Wolters, American basketball player
• 1976 – Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football player
• 1977 – Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey goaltender
• 1977 – Igor Cassina, Italian gymnast
• 1977 – Nicole Paggi, American actress
• 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 driver
• 1980 – Nathalie Press, English actress
• 1981 – Brendan Hansen, American swimmer
• 1981 – Song Ji-hyo, South Korean actress
• 1981 – Oliver Perez, American baseball player
• 1982 – Casey Burgener, American weightlifter
• 1988 – Tiffanie Anderson, American performer (Girlicious)
• 1989 – Belinda, Mexican singer
• 1989 – Carlos Pena Jr., American actor and singer
• 1989 – Joe Jonas, American actor and singer

Deaths

• 423 – Flavius Honorius, Western Roman Emperor (b. 384)
• 778 – Roland, Frankish commander
• 1038 – 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)
• 1859 – Nathaniel Claiborne, U.S. politician (b. 1777)
• 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)
• 1931 – Nigar Shikhlinskaya, Azerbaijani WWI nurse (b. ca. 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)
• 1942 – Mahadev Desai, personal secretary of Mahatma Gandhi (b.1892)
• 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)
• 1973 – Adam Willard, Offspring drummer
• 1975 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founder and first 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)
• 1989 – Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek Army officer who served in World War I, the Minor Asia Campaign and World War II (b. 1897)
• 1990 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician (b. 1962)
• 1995 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (b. 1906)
• 1996 – Scott Redding, actually redmond(b. 1910)
• 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)
• 2005 – Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Te Atairangi Kaahu, Māori queen (b. 1931)
• 2006 – Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (b. c. 1955)
• 2006 – Coenraad Bron, Dutch computer scientist (b. 1937)
• 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

• Christian Feast Day
  • Stanislaus Kostka
  • Tarcisius
  • August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic Holy Day of Obligation. (Christianity, a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu)
  • Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)
  • Ferragosto (Italy)
  • Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)
  • National Acadian Day (Acadians)
  • Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)
• Independence Day, celebrate the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.
• Independence Day, celebrate the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.
• Liberation Day of Korea from Japan in 1945:
  • Gwangbokjeol, "Liberation Day" (South Korea)
  • Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)
• The first day of Flooding of the Nile, a commemoration of the belief that the star Sirius would appear when the Nile River flooded.(Egypt and Coptic Church)
• The main day of Bon Festival (Japan)
• VJ Day / VP Day (United States)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

Categories: Days of the year | August

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