August, 15th in History

[Spiritus Temporis]

Events

Sunday 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.

Saturday 15, 1998:
Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles

Tuesday 15, 1978:
The City of Peace and Future Man

Monday 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.

Friday 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.

Thursday 15, 1974:
Yook Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea is killed amid an apparent assassination attempt upon President of the South Korea, Park Chung-hee, during the anniversarial ceremony of the Liberation day.

Wednesday 15, 1973:
Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends

Sunday 15, 1971:
President Richard Nixon ends convertibility of U.S. dollar into gold

Friday 15, 1969:
The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opens.

Sunday 15, 1965:
John Coltrane plays in Chicago, Illinois for the Downbeat Jazz Festival with Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner.

Tuesday 15, 1961:
Construction begins on the Berlin Wall, Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany.

Monday 15, 1960:
Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France

Sunday 15, 1948:
The Republic of Korea is established south of 38th Parallel

Friday 15, 1947:
India gains independence from Britain. Jawaharlal Nehru takes office as the first Prime Minister of India

Wednesday 15, 1945:
World War II: Korean Liberation Day

Tuesday 15, 1944:
Allied forces land in southern France.

Saturday 15, 1942:
The SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island defenses.

Sunday 15, 1920:
Poles defeat the Red Army.

Saturday 15, 1914:
The Panama Canal opens to traffic

Wednesday 15, 1877:
"Mary Had a Little Lamb"

Saturday 15, 1863:
The Satsuma war begins between the Satsuma clan and Great Britain (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).

Tuesday 15, 1843:
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sunday 15, 1824:
Freed American slaves form Liberia.

Saturday 15, 1620:
The Mayflower departs Southampton, England.

Monday 15, 1549:
Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: July 22, 1549).

Thursday 15, 1540:
Arequipa, Peru is founded

Thursday 15, 1535:
Asuncion, Paraguay is founded

Wednesday 15, 1534:
The Society of Jesus is founded by Ignatius of Loyola with Francis Xavier and other students

Friday 15, 1519:
Panama City, Panama is founded

Wednesday 15, 1517:
Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernao Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.

Thursday 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 headquartes on the island, and rename themselves as the Knights of Rhodes.

Thursday 15, 1185:
The cave city of Vardzia was consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia

Saturday 15, 1057:
King MacBeth of Scotland is killed during the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of King Malcolm III.

Friday 15, 927:
The Saracens conquered and destroyed Taranto

Tuesday 15, 778:
The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which Roland is killed

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/15-august/on-this-day.html


People born on August 15

1978:
Tim Foreman, American bassist (Switchfoot) (b: August 15, 1978) (Biography of Tim Foreman)
Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast (b: August 15, 1978) (Biography of Lilia Podkopayeva)

1977:
Igor Cassina, Italian gymnast (b: August 15, 1977) (Biography of Igor Cassina)

1976:
Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football player (b: August 15, 1976) (Biography of Boudewijn Zenden)

1975:
Kara Wolters, American basketball player (b: August 15, 1975) (Biography of Kara Wolters)

1974:
Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress (b: August 15, 1974) (Biography of Natasha Henstridge)

1972:
Ben Affleck, American actor (b: August 15, 1972) (Biography of Ben Affleck)

1968:
Debra Messing, American actress (b: August 15, 1968) (Biography of Debra Messing)

1965:
Rob Thomas, author and screenwriter (b: August 15, 1965) (Biography of Rob Thomas (writer))

1951:
Daba Diawara, Malian politician (b: August 15, 1951) (Biography of Daba Diawara)

1950:
Princess Anne of the United Kingdom (b: August 15, 1950) (Biography of Anne, Princess Royal)

1949:
Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor (b: August 15, 1949) (Biography of Richard Deacon)

1948:
Uschi Digard, American erotic actress and figure model (b: August 15, 1948) (Biography of Uschi Digard)

1947:
Raakhee Gulzar, Indian actress (b: August 15, 1947) (Biography of Raakhee Gulzar)

1946:
Jimmy Webb, American musician and composer (b: August 15, 1946) (Biography of Jimmy Webb)

1945:
Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Indian guru (b: August 15, 1945) (Biography of Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda)

1944:
Linda Ellerbee, American journalist (b: August 15, 1944) (Biography of Linda Ellerbee)
Sylvie Vartan, French pop singer (b: August 15, 1944) (Biography of Sylvie Vartan)

1938:
Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish writer (b: August 15, 1938 ; d: July 19, 1985) (Biography of Janusz A. Zajdel)

1935:
Vernon Jordan Jr., U.S. Presidential advisor (b: August 15, 1935) (Biography of Vernon Jordan Jr.)
Lionel Taylor, American football player (b: August 15, 1935) (Biography of Lionel Taylor)

1933:
Jim Lange, American game show host (b: August 15, 1933) (Biography of Jim Lange)

1928:
Nicolas Roeg, English film director (b: August 15, 1928) (Biography of Nicolas Roeg)

1925:
Mike Connors, American actor (b: August 15, 1925) (Biography of Mike Connors)
Willie Jones, baseball player (b: August 15, 1925 ; d: October 18, 1983) (Biography of Willie Jones (baseball))
Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist (b: August 15, 1925) (Biography of Oscar Peterson)

1924:
Robert Bolt, English screenwriter (b: August 15, 1924 ; d: February 12, 1995) (Biography of Robert Bolt)

1923:
Rose Marie, American actress (b: August 15, 1923) (Biography of Rose Marie)

1922:
Lukas Foss, German-born composer (b: August 15, 1922) (Biography of Lukas Foss)

1919:
Huntz Hall, actor (b: August 15, 1919 ; d: January 30, 1999) (Biography of Huntz Hall)

1916:
Aleks Çaçi, Albanian writer (b: August 15, 1916) (Biography of Aleks Çaçi)

1912:
Dame Wendy Hiller, English actress (b: August 15, 1912 ; d: May 14, 2003) (Biography of Wendy Hiller)
Julia Child, American cook (b: August 15, 1912 ; d: August 13, 2004) (Biography of Julia Child)

1900:
Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (b: August 15, 1900 ; d: July 2, 1966) (Biography of Jan Brzechwa)

1896:
Leon Theremin, Russian inventor (b: August 15, 1896 ; d: November 3, 1993) (Biography of Léon Theremin)

1893:
Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and computing pioneer (b: August 15, 1893 ; d: December 11, 1950) (Biography of Leslie Comrie)

1892:
Louis, 7th duc de Broglie, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b: August 15, 1892 ; d: March 19, 1987) (Biography of Louis, 7th duc de Broglie)

1890:
Jacques Ibert, French composer (b: August 15, 1890 ; d: February 5, 1962) (Biography of Jacques Ibert)

1887:
Edna Ferber, American novelist (b: August 15, 1887 ; d: April 16, 1968) (Biography of Edna Ferber)

1883:
Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor (b: August 15, 1883 ; d: January 16, 1962) (Biography of Ivan Mestrovic)

1879:
Ethel Barrymore, American actress (b: August 15, 1879 ; d: June 18, 1959) (Biography of Ethel Barrymore)

1875:
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English composer (b: August 15, 1875) (Biography of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor)

1872:
Sri Aurobindo, Indian writer, nationalist, philosopher, and guru (b: August 15, 1872) (Biography of Sri Aurobindo)

1858:
E. Nesbit, English author (b: August 15, 1858) (Biography of E. Nesbit)

1785:
Thomas De Quincey, English author (b: August 15, 1785 ; d: December 8, 1859) (Biography of Thomas De Quincey)

1769:
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France (b: August 15, 1769) (Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte)

1613:
Gilles Ménage, French scholar (b: August 15, 1613 ; d: July 23, 1692) (Biography of Gilles Ménage)

1432:
Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (b: August 15, 1432) (Biography of Luigi Pulci)

1171:
Alfonso IX of Leon (b: August 15, 1171) (Biography of Alfonso IX of Leon)

1001:
Duncan I of Scotland (b: August 15, 1001) (Biography of Duncan I of Scotland)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/15-august/births.html