On This Day in History — August 15

Highlights of August 15

• 2005 — The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending more than 28 years of fighting. Read more
• 1998 — The Troubles: A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army killed 29 people and injured approximately 220 others in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Read more
• 1977 — Big Ear, a radio telescope at Ohio State University, received a strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal that became known as the Wow! signal (printout pictured). Read more
• 1963 — President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital. Read more
• 1948 — The Republic of Korea was established with Syngman Rhee as its first president. Read more
• 1947 — Jawaharlal Nehru (pictured) took office as the first prime minister of India, a post he held for 16 years. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: Allied forces began Operation Dragoon, their invasion of southern France. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: The tanker SS Ohio reached Malta as part of an operation to deliver much-needed supplies during the siege of Malta. Read more
• 1941 — Decree for the mass expulsion of ethnic Germans from Crimea issued by the Soviet government. Read more
• 1941 — Josef Jakobs, a German spy, became the last person executed at the Tower of London. Read more
• 1909 — A military coup against the government of Dimitrios Rallis began in the neighbourhood of Goudi in Athens, Greece. Read more
• 1812 — War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors ambushed a United States Army convoy after it had evacuated Fort Dearborn, in present-day Chicago, and razed the fort. Read more
• 1261 — Michael VIII Palaiologos was crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople. Read more
• 1038 — Upon the death of his uncle Stephen I, Peter (depicted) became the second king of Hungary. Read more
• 1018 — Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles captured and blinded Ibatzes of Bulgaria by means of a ruse, ending the last resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria. Read more
• 718 — Forces of the Umayyad Caliphate abandoned a year-long siege of Constantinople, ending their goal of conquering the Byzantine Empire. Read more

Events

• 2025 — US president Donald Trump meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the first such summit since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more
• 2021 — Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban as Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan along with local residents and foreign nationals, effectively reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Read more
• 2020 — Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
• 2015 — North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 81⁄2 hours ahead of UTC. Read more
• 2013 — At least 27 people are killed and 226 injured in an explosion in southern Beirut near a complex used by Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. A previously unknown Syrian Sunni group claims responsibility in an online video. Read more
• 2013 — The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years. Read more
• 2007 — An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru, killing 514 and injuring 1,090. Read more
• 2005 — Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins. Read more
• 2005 — The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia is signed, ending almost three decades of fighting. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1998 — Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220 others injured. Read more
• 1998 — Apple introduces the iMac computer. Read more
• 1995 — In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later). Read more
• 1995 — Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan, releases the Murayama Statement, which formally expresses remorse for Japanese war crimes committed during World War II. Read more
• 1989 — China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 crashes after takeoff from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, killing 34 of the 40 people on board. Read more
• 1985 — Signing of the Assam Accord, an agreement between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement to end the movement. Read more
• 1984 — The Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish Armed Forces with an attack on police and gendarmerie bases in Şemdinli and Eruh. Read more
• 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. Read more
• 1976 — SAETA Flight 011 crashes into the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador, killing all 59 people on board; the wreckage is not discovered until 2002. Read more
• 1975 — Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup. Read more
• 1975 — Takeo Miki makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II. Read more
• 1974 — Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President Park Chung Hee. Read more
• 1973 — Vietnam War: The US Air Force bombing of Cambodia ends. Read more
• 1971 — President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. Read more
• 1971 — Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1970 — Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game. Read more
• 1969 — The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era. Read more
• 1965 — The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock. Read more
• 1963 — Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland. Read more
• 1963 — President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital. Read more
• 1962 — James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok died in 2016. Read more
• 1961 — Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall. Read more
• 1960 — Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France. Read more
• 1959 — American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashes near the Calverton Executive Airpark in Calverton, New York, killing all five people on board. Read more
• 1954 — Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay. Read more
• 1952 — A flash flood devastates the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people. Read more
• 1950 — Measuring Mw 8.6, the largest earthquake on land occurs in the Assam-Tibet-Myanmar border, killing 4,800. Read more
• 1948 — The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula. Read more
• 1947 — India gains independence from British rule after nearly 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations. Read more
• 1947 — Founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi. Read more
• 1945 — Emperor Hirohito broadcasts his declaration of surrender following the effective surrender of Japan in World War II; Korea gains independence from the Empire of Japan. Read more
• 1944 — World War II: Operation Dragoon: Allied forces land in southern France. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: Battle of Trahili: Superior German forces surround Cretan partisans, who manage to escape against all odds. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: Operation Pedestal: The oil tanker SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses. Read more
• 1941 — Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad for espionage at the Tower of London at 07:12, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower. Read more
• 1940 — An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser Elli at Tinos harbor during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October. Read more
• 1939 — Twenty-six Junkers Ju 87 bombers commanded by Walter Sigel meet unexpected ground fog during a dive-bombing demonstration for Luftwaffe generals at Neuhammer. Thirteen of them crash and burn. Read more
• 1939 — The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. Read more
• 1935 — Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska. Read more
• 1920 — Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula. Read more
• 1915 — A story in the New York World newspaper reveals that the Imperial German government had purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison that could be used to make explosives for the war effort and diverted it to Bayer for aspirin production. Read more
• 1914 — A servant of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, and murders seven people there. Read more
• 1914 — The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I. Read more
• 1907 — Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies. Read more
• 1899 — Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, England is officially first opened. Read more
• 1893 — Ibadan area becomes a British Protectorate after a treaty was signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan, with the British acting Governor of Lagos, George C. Denton. Read more
• 1882 — Start of the second part of the Montceau-les-Mines troubles by the Black Band, groups of anarchist miners. Read more
• 1863 — The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863). Read more

Born on August 15

• 2003 — Juanlu Sánchez, Spanish footballer Read more
• 1999 — Paola Reis, BMX rider Read more
• 1995 — Chief Keef, American rapper Read more
• 1995 — Setyana Mapasa, Indonesian-Australian badminton player Read more
• 1994 — Lasse Vigen Christensen, Danish footballer Read more
• 1994 — Kosuke Hagino, Japanese swimmer Read more
• 1993 — Clinton N'Jie, Cameroonian footballer Read more
• 1993 — Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer Read more
• 1992 — Baskaran Adhiban, Indian chess player Read more
• 1992 — Matthew Judon, American football player Read more
• 1991 — Petja Piiroinen, Finnish snowboarder Read more
• 1990 — Jennifer Lawrence, American actress and producer Read more
• 1989 — Joe Jonas, American singer, songwriter, and actor Read more
• 1989 — Ryan McGowan, Australian footballer Read more
• 1989 — Carlos PenaVega, American actor and singer Read more
• 1989 — Jordan Rapana, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1988 — Oussama Assaidi, Moroccan footballer Read more
• 1988 — Boban Marjanović, Serbian basketball player Read more
• 1987 — Ryan D'Imperio, American football player Read more
• 1987 — Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist Read more
• 1987 — Sean McAllister, English footballer Read more
• 1985 — Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (died 2019) Read more
• 1984 — Jarrod Dyson, American baseball player Read more
• 1984 — Emily Kinney, American actress and singer-songwriter Read more
• 1983 — Siobhan Chamberlain, English association football goalkeeper Read more
• 1983 — Rachel Haot, American businesswoman Read more
• 1982 — Casey Burgener, American weightlifter Read more
• 1982 — David Harrison, American basketball player Read more
• 1981 — Brendan Hansen, American swimmer Read more
• 1981 — Óliver Pérez, American baseball player Read more
• 1980 — Fiann Paul, Icelandic explorer Read more
• 1979 — Carl Edwards, American race car driver Read more
• 1978 — Waleed Aly, Australian journalist and television host Read more
• 1978 — Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast Read more
• 1978 — Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer Read more
• 1978 — Kerri Walsh Jennings, American volleyball player Read more
• 1977 — Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1977 — Anthony Rocca, Australian footballer and coach Read more
• 1976 — Robert Macfarlane, English nature writer Read more
• 1976 — Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer and manager Read more

Died on August 15

• 2024 — Peter Marshall, American game show host, performer, and singer (born 1926) Read more
• 2021 — Gerd Müller, German footballer (born 1945) Read more
• 2020 — Robert Trump, American real-estate developer, business executive (born 1948) Read more
• 2017 — Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-American architect (born 1925) Read more
• 2015 — Julian Bond, American academic, leader of the civil rights movement, and politician (born 1940) Read more
• 2015 — Hamid Gul, Pakistani general (born 1936) Read more
• 2014 — Licia Albanese, Italian-American soprano and actress (born 1909) Read more
• 2013 — Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (born 1944) Read more
• 2013 — Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (born 1930) Read more
• 2013 — Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Nepali politician, 28th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1942) Read more
• 2013 — August Schellenberg, Canadian actor (born 1936) Read more
• 2012 — Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (born 1956) Read more
• 2012 — Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian flute player and composer (born 1924) Read more
• 2012 — Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (born 1925) Read more
• 2011 — Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1984) Read more
• 2009 — Mary Catherine Lamb, American textile artist (born 1949) Read more
• 2008 — Vic Toweel, South African-Australian boxer (born 1929) Read more
• 2008 — Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (born 1917) Read more
• 2007 — Richard Bradshaw, English conductor and director (born 1944) Read more
• 2007 — John Gofman, American biologist, chemist, and physicist (born 1918) Read more
• 2007 — Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand physician (born 1908) Read more
• 2007 — Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (born 1925) Read more
• 2006 — Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand Māori queen (born 1931) Read more
• 2006 — Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (born 1955) Read more
• 2006 — Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer and manager (born 1923) Read more
• 2005 — Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist and academic (born 1927) Read more
• 2004 — Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916) Read more
• 2004 — Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (born 1941) Read more
• 2001 — Yavuz Çetin, Turkish singer-songwriter (born 1970) Read more
• 2001 — Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (born 1972) Read more
• 2001 — Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (born 1919) Read more
• 2000 — Lancelot Ware, English barrister and biochemist, co-founder of Mensa (born 1915) Read more
• 1999 — Hugh Casson, English architect and interior designer (born 1910) Read more
• 1997 — Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet and educator (born 1905) Read more
• 1995 — John Cameron Swayze, American journalist and actor (born 1906) Read more
• 1994 — Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (born 1929) Read more
• 1992 — Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (born 1947) Read more
• 1990 — Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician and actor (born 1962) Read more
• 1989 — Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (born 1904) Read more
• 1989 — Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general and diplomat (born 1897) Read more

Holidays & observances

Armed Forces Day (Poland); Christian feast day: Altfrid; Christian feast day: Alypius of Thagaste; Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches); Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Ferragosto (Italy); Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Māras (Latvia); Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica); Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: National Acadian Day (Acadians); Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Navy Day (Romania); Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain); Christian feast day: Blessed Elvira Moragas Cantarero; Christian feast day: Blessed Giuliana Puricelli; Christian feast day: Blessed Isidore Bakanja; Christian feast day: San La Muerte (Paraguayan Folk Catholicism); Christian feast day: Santa Muerte (Mexican Folk Catholicism); Christian feast day: Tarcisius; Christian feast day: August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea); Founding of Asunción (Paraguay); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945: Gwangbokjeol, "Independence Day" (South Korea); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945: Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947; Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960; International Apostrophe Day; National Day (Liechtenstein); National Day of Mourning (Bangladesh); The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or Wafaa El-Nil (Egypt and Coptic Church); The main day of Bon Festival (Japan), and its related observances: Awa Dance Festival (Tokushima Prefecture); Victory Day (Afghanistan), celebrating the 2021 Fall of Kabul; Victory over Japan Day (United Kingdom), and its related observances: End-of-war Memorial Day, when the National Memorial Service for War Dead is held (Japan)

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