August 15

Events

636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between Byzantine Empire and Rashidun Caliphate begins.

717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which will last for nearly a year.

718 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Raising of the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople.

747 – Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, renounces his position as majordomo and retires to a monastery near Rome. His brother Pepin the Short becomes the sole ruler (de facto) of the Frankish Kingdom.

778 – The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed.

927 – The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto.

982 – Holy Roman Emperor Otto II is defeated by the Saracens in the Battle of Capo Colonna, in Calabria

1018 – Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles blinds and captures Ibatzes of Bulgaria by a ruse, thereby ending Bulgarian resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.

1038 – King Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, dies; his nephew, Peter Orseolo, succeeds him.

1057 – King Macbeth is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.

1070 – The Pavian-born Benedictine Lanfranc is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in England.

1185 – The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.

1237 – The Battle of the Puig takes place in the context of the Spanish Reconquista pitting the forces of the Taifa of Valencia against the Kingdom of Aragon. The battle resulted in an Aragonese victory.

1248 – The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880.)

1261 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.

1281 – Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.

1309 – The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes.

1430 – Francesco Sforza, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca.

1461 – The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II. This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.

1483 – Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.

1511 – Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Malacca Sultanate.

1517 – Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.

1519 – Panama City, Panama is founded.

1534 – Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.

1537 – Asunción, Paraguay is founded.

1540 – Arequipa, Peru is founded.

1549 – Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: 22 July 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.

1695 – French forces end the bombardment of Brussels.

1760 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz: Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst Gideon von Laudon.

1824 – The Marquis de Lafayette, the last surviving French general of the American Revolutionary War, arrives in New York and begins a tour of 24 states.

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.

1893 – Ibadan area becomes a British Protectorate after a treaty signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan with the British acting Governor of Lagos, George C. Denton.

1907 – Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.

1914 – A servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright murders seven people and sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin.

1914 – The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon.

1914 – World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.

1914 – World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I.

1915 – A story in 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.

1920 – Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula.

1935 – Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.

1939 – Thirteen Stukas dive into the ground during a disastrous air-practice at Neuhammer. There are no survivors.

1939 – The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California.

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.

1941 – Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 07:12, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower for espionage.

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 – Jewel Voice Broadcast by the Emperor Showa following effective surrender of Japan in the World War II, Korea gains Independence from the Empire of Japan.

1947 – India gains Independence from British rule after near 190 years of Crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.

1947 – Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi.

1948 – The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north.

1952 – A flash flood drenches the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people.

1954 – Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.

1960 – Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.

1961 – Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.

1962 – James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. 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 the 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, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.

1969 – The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in upstate New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.

1970 – Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game.

1971 – President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.

1971 – Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom.

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, Park Chung-hee.

1975 – Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.

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.

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 Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish military with an attack on police and gendarmerie bases in Şemdinli and Eruh

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 bombing 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.

2005 – Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins.

2005 – The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three decades of fighting.

2007 – An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.

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.

2013 – The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years.

2015 – North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 8½ hours ahead of UTC.

Births

1171 – Alfonso IX of León (d. 1230)

1195 – Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (d. 1231)

1385 – Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (d. 1417)

1402 – Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham (d. 1460)

1432 – Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (d. 1484)

1455 – George, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1503)

1575 – Bartol Kašić, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1650)

1613 – Gilles Ménage, French lawyer, philologist, and scholar (d. 1692)

1702 – Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and Royal Academician (d. 1788)

1717 – Blind Jack, English engineer (d. 1810)

1736 – Johann Christoph Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1803)

1740 – Matthias Claudius, German poet and author (d. 1815)

1769 – Napoleon, French general and emperor (d. 1821)

1771 – Walter Scott, Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet (d. 1832)

1785 – Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (d. 1859)

1798 – Sangolli Rayanna, Indian warrior (d. 1831)

1807 – Jules Grévy, French lawyer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (d. 1891)

1824 – John Chisum, American businessman (d. 1884)

1839 – Antonín Petrof, Czech piano maker (d. 1915)

1844 – Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1908)

1845 – Walter Crane, English artist and book illustrator (d. 1915)

1857 – Albert Ballin, German businessman (d. 1918)

1858 – E. Nesbit, English author and poet (d. 1924)

1859 – Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1931)

1860 – Henrietta Vinton Davis, American actress and playwright (d. 1941)

1860 – Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (d. 1924)

1863 – Aleksey Krylov, Russian mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)

1865 – Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader, founded Reiki (d. 1926)

1866 – Italo Santelli, Italian fencer (d. 1945)

1872 – Sri Aurobindo, Indian guru, poet, and philosopher (d. 1950)

1873 – Ramaprasad Chanda, Indian archaeologist and historian (d. 1942)

1875 – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1912)

1876 – Stylianos Gonatas, Greek colonel and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1966)

1877 – Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22nd Yokozuna (d. 1941)

1879 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)

1881 – Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist and politician (d. 1956)

1882 – Marion Bauer, American composer and critic (d. 1955)

1882 – Gisela Richter, English archaeologist and art historian (d. 1972)

1883 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect (d. 1962)

1885 – Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1968)

1886 – Bill Whitty, Australian cricketer (d. 1974)

1890 – Jacques Ibert, French composer and educator (d. 1962)

1892 – Louis de Broglie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)

1893 – Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and academic (d. 1950)

1896 – Gerty Cori, Czech-American biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)

1896 – Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (d. 1985)

1896 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer and educator (d. 1958)

1898 – Jan Brzechwa, Polish author and poet (d. 1966)

1900 – Jack Tworkov, Polish-American painter and educator (d. 1982)

1901 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1975)

1902 – Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (d. 1943)

1904 – George Klein, Canadian inventor, invented the Motorized wheelchair (d. 1992)

1909 – Hugo Winterhalter, American composer and bandleader (d. 1973)

1912 – Julia Child, American chef and author (d. 2004)

1912 – Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003)

1914 – Paul Rand, American graphic designer and art director (d. 1996)

1915 – Signe Hasso, Swedish-American actress (d. 2002)

1916 – Aleks Çaçi, Albanian journalist and author (d. 1989)

1917 – Jack Lynch, Irish footballer and politician, 5th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1999)

1917 – Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (d. 1980)

1919 – Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)

1919 – Benedict Kiely, Irish journalist and author (d. 2007)

1921 – August Kowalczyk, Polish actor and director (d. 2012)

1922 – Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2000)

1922 – Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek trumpet player and composer (d. 2005)

1922 – Sabino Barinaga, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1988)

1923 – Rose Marie, American actress and singer

1924 – Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995)

1924 – Hedy Epstein, German-born American Holocaust survivor and activist (d. 2016)

1924 – Yoshirō Muraki, Japanese production designer, art director, and fashion designer (d. 2009)

1924 – Phyllis Schlafly, American lawyer, writer, and political activist (d. 2016)

1925 – Mike Connors, American actor and producer (d. 2017)

1925 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2007)

1925 – Bill Pinkney, American singer (The Drifters) (d. 2007)

1925 – Erik Schmidt, Swedish-Estonian painter and author (d. 2014)

1926 – Julius Katchen, American pianist and composer (d. 1969)

1926 – Sami Michael, Iraqi-Israeli author and playwright

1926 – John Silber, American philosopher and academic (d. 2012)

1926 – Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician, 6th President of Greece (d. 2016)

1927 – Eddie Leadbeater, English cricketer (d. 2011)

1927 – Oliver Popplewell, English cricketer and judge

1928 – Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (d. 2013)

1928 – Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (d. 2014)

1928 – Nicolas Roeg, English director and cinematographer

1931 – Ernest C. Brace, American captain and pilot (d. 2014)

1931 – Richard F. Heck, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)

1932 – Johan Steyn, Baron Steyn, South African-English lawyer and judge

1933 – Michael Rutter, Lebanese-English psychiatrist and academic

1933 – Stanley Milgram, American social psychologist (d. 1984)

1934 – Bobby Byrd, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2007)

1934 – Reginald Scarlett, Jamaican cricketer and coach

1935 – Jim Dale, English actor, singer, and screenwriter

1935 – Régine Deforges, French author, playwright, and director (d. 2014)

1935 – Vernon Jordan, American lawyer, businessman, and activist

1935 – Lionel Taylor, American football player and coach

1936 – Rita Shane, American soprano and educator (d. 2014)

1938 – Stephen Breyer, American lawyer and judge

1938 – Pran Kumar Sharma, Indian cartoonist (d. 2014)

1938 – Maxine Waters, American educator and politician

1938 – Janusz Zajdel, Polish engineer and author

1939 – Bill Wratten, English air marshal

1940 – Gudrun Ensslin, German militant leader, founded Red Army Faction (d. 1977)

1941 – Jim Brothers, American sculptor (d. 2013)

1943 – Eileen Bell, Northern Irish civil servant and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly

1944 – Linda Ellerbee, American journalist and author

1944 – Thomas J. Murphy, Jr., American politician, 56th Mayor of Pittsburgh

1944 – R. A. W. Rhodes, English political scientist and academic

1944 – Dimitris Sioufas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health

1945 – Duffy Dyer, American baseball player and coach

1945 – Gene Upshaw, American football player (d. 2008)

1945 – Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician, 9th Prime Minister of Bangladesh

1946 – William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, English academic and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

1946 – Jimmy Webb, American singer-songwriter and pianist

1948 – Patsy Gallant, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress

1948 – Tom Johnston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1949 – Beverly Burns, American captain and pilot

1949 – Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor and academic

1949 – Garry Disher, Australian author

1949 – Edward McMillan-Scott, English lawyer and politician

1949 – Mark B. Rosenberg, American political scientist and academic

1950 – Tommy Aldridge, American drummer

1950 – Tom Kelly, American baseball player and manager

1950 – Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom

1951 – Ann Biderman, American screenwriter and producer

1951 – Bobby Caldwell, American singer-songwriter

1951 – John Childs, English cricketer

1952 – Chuck Burgi, American drummer

1953 – Carol Thatcher, English journalist and author

1953 – Mark Thatcher, English businessman

1954 – Stieg Larsson, Swedish journalist and author (d. 2004)

1954 – Mary Jo Salter, American poet and academic

1956 – Lorraine Desmarais, Canadian pianist and composer

1956 – Freedom Neruda, Ivorian journalist

1956 – Robert Syms, English businessman and politician

1957 – Željko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor

1958 – Simon Baron-Cohen, English-Canadian psychiatrist and author

1958 – Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1958 – Simple Kapadia, Indian actress and costume designer (d. 2009)

1958 – Victor Shenderovich, Russian journalist and radio host

1959 – Scott Altman, American captain, pilot, and astronaut

1961 – Ed Gillespie, American political strategist

1961 – Matt Johnson, English singer-songwriter and musician

1961 – Gary Kubiak, American football player and coach

1961 – Suhasini Maniratnam, Indian actress and screenwriter

1962 – Tom Colicchio, American chef and author

1962 – Rıdvan Dilmen, Turkish footballer and manager

1962 – Vilja Savisaar-Toomast, Estonian lawyer and politician

1963 – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican director, producer, and screenwriter

1963 – Simon Hart, Welsh soldier and politician

1963 – Jack Russell, England cricketer and coach

1964 – Jane Ellison, English lawyer and politician

1964 – Melinda Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

1965 – Rob Thomas, American author, screenwriter, and producer

1966 – Scott Brosius, American baseball player and coach

1966 – Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player and coach

1967 – Tony Hand, Scottish ice hockey player and coach

1968 – Debra Messing, American actress

1969 – Bernard Fanning, Australian singer-songwriter (Powderfinger)

1969 – Cris Judd, American dancer and choreographer

1970 – Anthony Anderson, American comedian, actor, and producer

1970 – Ben Silverman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Electus Studios

1972 – Ben Affleck, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1972 – Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballerina (d. 2007)

1972 – Jonathan Slinger, English actor

1972 – Matthew Wood, American voice actor and engineer

1974 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian model and actress

1974 – Tomasz Suwary, Polish footballer

1975 – Bertrand Berry, American football player and radio host

1975 – Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer and coach

1975 – Brendan Morrison, Canadian ice hockey player

1975 – Kara Wolters, American basketball player

1976 – Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer and manager

1977 – Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey player

1978 – Tim Foreman, American bass player

1978 – Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast

1978 – Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer

1978 – Kerri Walsh Jennings, American volleyball player

1979 – Carl Edwards, American race car driver

1979 – Jon Hopkins, English producer and musician

1981 – Brendan Hansen, American swimmer

1981 – Óliver Pérez, American baseball player

1982 – Casey Burgener, American weightlifter

1982 – Germán Caffa, Argentine footballer

1982 – David Harrison, American basketball player

1983 – Jancarlos de Oliveira Barros, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)

1987 – Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist

1987 – Sean McAllister, English footballer

1987 – Ryan D'Imperio, American football player

1988 – Oussama Assaidi, Moroccan footballer

1988 – Zaira Nara, Argentinian model and television host

1989 – Ryan McGowan, Australian footballer

1989 – Joe Jonas, American singer-songwriter

1989 – Jordan Rapana, New Zealand rugby league player

1990 – Nyusha, Russian singer-songwriter and producer

1990 – Jennifer Lawrence, American actress

1990 – Justin Pugh, American football player

1990 – Danny Verbeek, Dutch footballer

1991 – Petja Piiroinen, Finnish snowboarder

1992 – Baskaran Adhiban, Indian chess player

1993 – Clinton N'Jie, Cameroonian footballer

1993 – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer

1994 – Lasse Vigen Christensen, Danish footballer

1994 – Kosuke Hagino, Japanese swimmer

1994 – Natalja Zabijako, Estonian figure skater

Deaths

398 – Lan Han, official of the Xianbei state Lan Yan

423 – Honorius, Roman emperor (b. 384)

465 – Libius Severus, Roman emperor (b. 420)

778 – Roland, Frankish military leader

873 – Yi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 833)

874 – Altfrid, bishop of Hildesheim

1022 – Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos, Byzantine rebel

1038 – Stephen I, Hungarian king (b. 975)

1057 – Macbeth, King of Scotland

1118 – Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1048)

1196 – Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173)

1257 – Saint Hyacinth

1274 – Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and educator, founded the College of Sorbonne (b. 1201)

1275 – Lorenzo Tiepolo, Doge of Venice

1328 – Yesün Temür, emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (b. 1293)

1369 – Philippa of Hainault (b. 1314)

1388 – Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio, Bohemian theologian and rector of the University of Paris (b. circa 1320)

1507 – John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1439)

1528 – Odet of Foix, Viscount of Lautrec, French general (b. 1485)

1552 – Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (b. 1477)

1594 – Thomas Kyd, English playwright (b. 1558)

1621 – John Barclay, Scottish poet and author (b. 1582)

1666 – Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (b. 1591)

1714 – Constantin Brâncoveanu, Romanian prince (b. 1654)

1728 – Marin Marais, French viol player and composer (b. 1656)

1758 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (b. 1698)

1799 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and author (b. 1729)

1852 – Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist (b. 1760)

1859 – Nathaniel Claiborne, American farmer and politician (b. 1777)

1907 – Joseph Joachim, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1831)

1909 – Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian sociologist and journalist (b. 1866)

1917 – Thomas J. Higgins, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1831)

1925 – Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter and educator (b. 1878)

1928 – Anatole von Hügel, Italian ethnologist and academic, co-founded St Edmund's College, Cambridge (b. 1854)

1935 – Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898)

1935 – Will Rogers, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1879)

1935 – Paul Signac, French painter and author (b. 1863)

1936 – Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871)

1942 – Mahadev Desai, Indian activist and author (b. 1892)

1945 – Korechika Anami, Japanese general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of the Army (b. 1887)

1945 – Fred Hockley, English lieutenant and pilot (b. 1923)

1951 – Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)

1953 – Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist and engineer (b. 1875)

1962 – Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (b. 1940)

1967 – René Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)

1971 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor (b. 1887)

1975 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bengali politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (b. 1920)

1975 – Clay Shaw, American businessman (b. 1913)

1975 – Harun Karadeniz, Turkish political activist and author (b. 1942)

1981 – Carol Ryrie Brink, American author (b. 1895)

1981 – Jørgen Løvset, Norwegian gynaecologist and academic (b. 1896)

1982 – Ernie Bushmiller, American cartoonist (b. 1905)

1982 – Jock Taylor, Scottish motorcycle sidecar racer (b. 1954)

1982 – Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)

1989 – Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (b. 1904)

1989 – Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general and diplomat (b. 1897)

1992 – Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (b. 1947)

1994 – Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (b. 1929)

1995 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist and actor (b. 1906)

1997 – Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet and educator (b. 1905)

1999 – Hugh Casson, English architect and interior designer (b. 1910)

2001 – Yavuz Çetin, Turkish singer-songwriter (b. 1970)

2001 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (b. 1972)

2001 – Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist ad academic (b. 1919)

2004 – Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)

2004 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (b. 1941)

2005 – Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist and academic (b. 1927)

2006 – Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand queen (b. 1931)

2006 – Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (b. 1955)

2006 – Coenraad Bron, Dutch computer scientist and academic (b. 1937)

2006 – Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1923)

2007 – Richard Bradshaw, English conductor and director (b. 1944)

2007 – John Gofman, American biologist, chemist, and physicist (b. 1918)

2007 – Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand physician (b. 1908)

2007 – Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (b. 1925)

2008 – James Orthwein, American businessman (b. 1924)

2008 – Heinz-Ludwig Schmidt, German footballer and manager (b. 1920)

2008 – Leroy Sievers, American journalist (b. 1955)

2008 – Vic Toweel, South African-Australian boxer (b. 1929)

2008 – Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (b. 1917)

2011 – Michael Legat, English author and publisher (b. 1923)

2011 – Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1984)

2012 – Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (b. 1956)

2012 – Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian flute player and composer (b. 1924)

2012 – Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)

2013 – Bert Lance, American businessman and civil servant, 23rd Director of the Office of Management and Budget (b. 1931)

2013 – William S. Livingston, American political scientist and academic (b. 1920)

2013 – Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (b. 1944)

2013 – Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (b. 1930)

2013 – Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Nepali politician, 28th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1942)

2014 – Licia Albanese, Italian-American soprano and actress (b. 1909)

2014 – James Freeman Gilbert, American geophysicist and academic (b. 1931)

2014 – Jerry Lumpe, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)

2015 – Julian Bond, American academic and politician (b. 1940)

2015 – Bobby Culpepper, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)

2015 – Hamid Gul, Pakistani general (b. 1936)

2015 – Derwyn Shea, Canadian clergyman and politician (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation in many places; a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu; and its related observances:

Ferragosto (Italy)

Lady's Day (Ireland)

Māras (Latvia)

Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)

National Acadian Day (Acadians)

Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)

Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)

Navy Day (Romania)

Stanislaus Kostka

Tarcisius

August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Folk Catholic feast days:

Santa Muerte

San La Muerte

Earliest day on which Children's Day can fall, while August 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in August. (Peru)

Earliest day on which Day of Hearts can fall, while August 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in August. (area around Haarlem and Amsterdam)

Armed Forces Day (Poland)

The main day of Bon Festival (Japan), and its related observances:

Awa Dance Festival (Tokushima Prefecture)

Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea)

The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or Wafaa El-Nil (Egypt and Coptic Church)

Founding of Asunción (Paraguay)

Independence Day (Korea), celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945:

Gwangbokjeol, "Independence Day" (South Korea)

Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)

Independence Day (India), celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.

Independence Day (Republic of the Congo), celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.

End-of-war Memorial Day, when the National Memorial Service for War Dead is held (Japan)

National Day (Liechtenstein)

National Mourning Day (Bangladesh)

Victory over Japan Day (United Kingdom)