On this day in History - Aug 15

• 0778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which Roland is killed
• 0778 - Roland dies. Frankish commander
• 0927 - The Saracens conquered and destroyed Taranto
• 1001 - Duncan I of Scotland was born
• 1057 - King MacBeth of Scotland is killed during the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of King Malcolm III.
• 1057 - King Macbeth I of Scotland dies.
• 1118 - Alexius I Comnenus, dies (b. 1048).Byzantine emperor
• 1171 - Alfonso IX of Leon was born.
• 1195 - Nascimento de Santo António de Lisboa, ou de Pádua, tendo-lhe sido dado o nome de Fernando de Bulhões.
• 1248 - Foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral laid
• 1250 - Matteo Visconti I was born (d. 24 Jun 1322). Italian head of the Milanese Visconti dynasty.
• 1274 - Robert de Sorbon dies (b. 1201). French theologian.
• 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.
• 1369 - Philippa of Hainault dies. Queen of Edward III of England
• 1498 - Fundação da Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, por D. Leonor, rainha viúva de D. João II, enquanto regente de Portugal, na ausência de D. Manuel.
• 1517 - Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernao Pires de Andrade met Chinese officials at Pearl River estuary.
• 1519 - Panama City, Panama founded by Pedro Arias de Avila
• 1535 - Asuncion, Paraguay founded
• 1540 - Arequipa, Peru founded
• 1549 - Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: July 22, 1549).
• 1620 - The Mayflower pulled out of Southampton, England.
• 1703 - O português José da Gama Machado assume o governo de Macau
• 1728 - Marin Marais dies (b. 1656). French composer and viol player.
• 1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte was born (d. 1821). French general, politician and emperor of France.
• 1771 - Walter Scott was born (d. 1832). Scottish novelist, poet, historian and biographer
• 1785 - Thomas De Quincey was born (d. 1859). English author.
• 1799 - Giuseppe Parini dies. Italian poet.
• 1803 - James Douglas was born in Guyana (d. 2 Aug 1877). Canadian fur trader and colonial governor .
• 1824 - Freed American slaves form Liberia.
• 1825 - Nascimento de Bernardo Guimarães, em Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais (m. 10 Mar 1884). Magistrado, jornalista, professor, romancista, poeta. Membro da Academia Brasileira de Letras. ( A Escrava Isaura)
• 1834 - Abertura das primeiras Cortes, de acordo com a Carta Constitucional, após o fim da Guerra Civil. As sessões decorreram no Convento de S. Bento da Saúde, que passou a denominar-se Palácio das Cortes. É a 1.ª Legislatura do Regime Constitucional.
• 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, opened in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• 1848 - Nascimento de António Enes. Escritor, político e diplomata português.
• 1855 - Walter Hines Page was born (d. 1918). Ameerican journalist, publisher, author and diplomat.
• 1858 - E. Nesbit was born (d. 1924). Author.
• 1863 - The Satsuma war begins between the Satsuma clan and Great Britain (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).
• 1866 - Nasce Margarida Adelina Abranches, actriz portuguesa.
• 1869 - Cirilo Antonio Rivarola Acosta assume a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1872 - Sri Aurobindo was born (d. 1950). Writer, nationalist, philosopher, and guru.
• 1877 - Thomas Edison made the first-ever recording - "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
• 1879 - Ethel Barrymore was born (d. 18 Jun 1959). Actress. She was considered the "first lady" of the American theatre.
• 1887 - Edna Ferber was born (d. 16 Apr 1968). American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright
• 1883 - Ivan Meštrović was born (d. 1962). Croatian sculptor.
• 1886 - António Silva was born in Lisbon (d. 3 Mar 1971). Portuguese actor / Nasce, em Lisboa, Antonio Silva (m. 3 Mar 1971). Grande actor português. ( O Costa do Castelo, A Menina da Rádio, A Vizinha do Lado, O leão da Estrela, O Grande Elias, O Noivo das Caldas, As Pupilas do Senhor Reitor, etc)
• 1888 - Término do mandato de Gregorio Pacheco na presidência da Bolívia e início do mandato de Aniceto Arce Ruiz na Presidência.
• 1890 - Jacques Ibert was born (d. 1962). French composer.
• 1892 - Louis, 7th duc de Broglie was born (d. 1987). French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate in 1929.
• 1893 - Leslie Comrie was born (d. 1950). Astronomer and computing pioneer.
• 1896 - Leon Theremin was born (d. 1993). Inventor.
• 1896 - Gerty Cori was born in Prague. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1947 co-laureate with Carl Ferdinand Cori and Bernardo Alberto Houssay (Argentine)
• 1896 - Sheldon Glueck was born (d. 1980). Polish born American criminologist.
• 1898 - Lilian Carter was born in Richland, Georgia (d. 30 Oct 1983). American nurse. Member of the Peace Corps. Mother of Jimmy Carter.
• 1898 - Fundação do Club Atlético Estudiantes - Argentina
• 1900 - As Legações estrangeiras em Pequim, cercadas pelos Boxers, camponeses chineses conhecido por este nome por pertenceram à Sociedade Harmoniosa dos Punhos, foram socorridos por uma força militar internacional de 15.000 homens, metade dos quais eram japoneses.
• 1900 - Jan Brzechwa was born (d. 1966). Polish poet.
• 1907 - Joseph Joachim dies (b. 1831). Austrian violinist.
• 1909 - Euclides da Cunha dies (b. 1866). Brazilian writer and sociologist / Morte de Euclides da Cunha (Euclides Rodrigues Pimenta da Cunha). Engenheiro, jornalista, professor, ensaísta, historiador, sociólogo, poeta e Membro da Academia Brasileira de Letras.
• 1912 - Julia Child was born (d. 2004). American cook.
• 1912 - Dame Wendy Hiller was born (d. 2003). English actress.
• 1914 - Panama Canal opens to traffic
• 1916 - Aleks Çaçi was born. Albanian writer.
• 1916 - Manuel Franco assume a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1917 - Jack Lynch was born (d. 20 Oct 1999). Irish politician; prime minister of Ireland (1966-73, 1977-9)
• 1919 - Huntz Hall was born (d. 1999). Actor.
• 1920 - Poles defeated the Red Army at the Battle of Warsaw (Polish-Soviet War) .
• 1920 - Manuel Gondra Pereira assume (pela 2º vez) a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1922 - Lukas Foss was born. German-born composer
• 1923 - Rose Marie was born. Actress
• 1924 - Robert Bolt was born (d. 20 Feb 1995). English screenwriter and dramatist.
• 1924 - José Eligio Ayala assume (pela 2º vez) a presidência do Paraguai
• 1924 - Phyllis Schlafly was born in Saint Louis, Missouri. American Lawyer, Author, Columnist. Conservative activist (A Choice Not an Echo)
• 1925 - Mike Connors was born. Actor
• 1925 - Willie Jones was born (d. 1983). Major League Baseball player
• 1925 - Oscar Peterson was born. Canadian jazz pianist .
• 1927 - John Cranko was born (d. 26 Jun 1973). South African-born dancer and director of the Stuttgart Ballet.
• 1928 - Nicolas Roeg was born. Director.
• 1928 - José Patricio Guggiari Corniglione assume a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1932 - Eusebio Ayala assume (pela 2º vez) a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1933 - Rita Hunter was born (d. 29 Apr. 2001). English soprano.
• 1933 - Jim Lange was born. Game show host
• 1935 - Vernon Jordan Jr. was born. U.S. Presidential advisor
• 1935 - Lionel Taylor was born. American football player.
• 1935 - Wiley Post dies (b. 1898). American pilot.
• 1935 - Will Rogers dies : airplane crash (b. 1879). American humorist and actor.
• 1935 - Paul Signac dies (b. 1863). French painter.
• 1936 - Grazia Deledda dies (b. 1871). Italian writer. 1926 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.
• 1938 - Janusz A. Zajdel was born. Polish science-fiction writer.
• 1938 - Fiama Hasse Pais Brandão was born in Lisbon. Portuguese writer. See critics on the work of Fiama Hasse
• 1938 - Fundação do Grupo de Amigos de Olivença - Portugal.
• 1939 - O general Félix Estigarribia (herói da guerra do chaco) é eleito presidente do Paraguai.
• 1939 - Federico Gamboa dies. mexican writer.
• 1942 - Peter York was born. Rock drummer, Spencer Davis Group Gimme Some Lovin’, Keep on Runnin’, Somebody Help Me
• 1942 - SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta in Operation Pedestal barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island defenses.
• 1944 - Linda Ellerbee was born. Journalist
• 1944 - Allied forces land in southern France (Operation Anvil)
• 1944 - Sylvie Vartan was born. French pop singer
• 1945 - Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda was born. Hindu guru
• 1945 - Japan surrender unconditionally; Korean Liberation Day; Victory over Japan Day
  Japan has surrendered to the Allies after almost six years of war. There is joy and celebration around the world and 15 August has been declared Victory in Japan day. The end of war will be marked by two-day holidays in the UK, the USA and Australia.
• 1946 - Jimmy Webb was born. Musician, composer
• 1947 - Raakhee Gulzar was born. Indian actress
• 1947 - India gains independence from Britain. Jawaharlal Nehru takes office as the first Prime Minister of India
• 1948 - Republic of Korea established south of 38th Parallel.
• 1948 - Juan Natalicio González Paredes assume a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1949 - Richard Deacon was born. Sculptor
• 1950 - Princess Anne of the United Kingdom was born. British royalty: daughter of Philip Mountbatten [Duke of Edinburgh] and Alexandra Mary Windsor [Queen Elizabeth II], sister of Princes Charles, Andrew and Edward
• 1951 - Daba Diawara was born. Malian politician.
• 1951 - Artur Schnabel dies (b. 1882). Polish pianist.
• 1957 - Zeljko Ivanek was born. Actor.
• 1959 - Blind Willie McTell dies. Blues singer
• 1960 - Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France
• 1961 - Construction begins on the Berlin Wall, Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany.
• 1961 - Matt Johnson was born. Rock singer-musician
• 1962 - Lei Feng dies. Chinese revolutionary.
• 1962 - Inauguração do Museu da Marinha - Portugal
• 1963 - O general Alfredo Stroessner inicia o seu terceiro mandato como Presidente do Paraguai
• 1963 - John Powell dies (b. 1882). American pianist and composer.
• 1964 - Debi Mazar was born. Actress.
• 1965 - John Coltrane plays in Chicago, Illinois for the Downbeat Jazz Festival with Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and other.
• 1965 - Jane Fonda / Roger Vadim marriage.
• 1966 - Angela Rae was born. Country singer (Wild Horses)
• 1967 - René Magritte dies (b. 1898). Belgian surrealist painter
• 1968 - Debra Messing was born. Actress (''Will and Grace'')
• 1969 - First day of Woodstock Music and Art Festival /Início do Festival de Woodstock, num campo perto de Bethel, no estado americano de Nova Iorque. O festival durou três dias, tendo passado pelo palco 24 bandas musicais, que tocaram para mais de 300.000 pessoas.
• 1970 - Anthony Anderson was born. Actor
• 1971 - President Richard Nixon ends convertibility of U.S. dollar into gold
• 1971 - Paul Lukas dies. Academy Award-winning actor
• 1972 - Ben Affleck was born. American actor ( Pearl Harbor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Glory Daze, Good Will Hunting, Armageddon, Forces of Nature, Reindeer Games).
• 1972 - Mikey Graham was born. Singer (Boyzone)
• 1973 - O general Alfredo Stroessner é empossado (pela 5º vez) na presidência do Paraguai
• 1973 - Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends
• 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.
• 1974 - Natasha Henstridge was born. Actress and model.
• 1974 - Yook Young-soo, diesFirst Lady of South Korea
• 1975 - Clay Shaw, John F. Kennedy assassination investigator
• 1975 - Military coup in Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, President of Bangladesh is murdered.
• 1975 - Kara Wolters was born. American basketball player
• 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.
• 1976 - Boudewijn Zenden was born. Dutch football player.
• 1977 - Igor Cassina was born. Italian gymnast
• 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.
• 1978 - Foundation of Mirapuri - The City of Peace and Future Man
• 1978 - Timothy Foreman was born. Bassist (Switchfoot.
• 1981 - Lionel Richie and Diana Ross hit number one on the pop music charts with their beautiful duet, Endless Love
• 1990 - Viktor Tsoi dies. Russian musician (Kino)
• 1995 - John Cameron Swayze dies (b. 1906). Journalist
• 1995 - Antonio Vilar dies in Madrid. Portuguese actor / Morre, em Madrid, António Vilar (n. 31 Out 1912, em Lisboa). Actor português, um dos poucos que teve uma verdadeira carreira internacional de prestígio no cinema.
• 1998 - Raúl Alberto Cubas Grau assume a presidência do Paraguai.
• 1998 - Inés Leonor Enríquez Frödden dies. Chilean poolitician
• 1998 - Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles
• 1999 - Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria; some 29 people killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco
• 1999 - Sir Hugh Casson dies. Architect and artist.
• 2001 - Richard Chelimo dies (brain tumour). Kenyan athlete.
• 2002 - Bulgária ratifica o Protocolo de Kyoto
• 2003 - Gösta Sundqvist dies of heart attack. Finnish songwriter and singer
• 2004 - Amarsinh Chaudhary dies (b. 1941). Indian politician
• 2004 - Sune Bergström dies (b. 1916). Swedish biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• 2006 - Te Atairangi Kaahu dies (b. 1931). Māori Queen.
• Eastern Orthodoxy – Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the commemoration of the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
• Roman Catholicism – Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, Holy Day of Obligation. Public Holiday in: Lebanon, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Croatia, Cyprus, East Timor, France, Greece, India, Italy, Côte d'Ivoire, Lithuania, Malta, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Seychelles, Slovenia and Spain.
• Egypt – Flooding of the Nile Day
• Hawaii – Toro Nagashi (Floating Lantern Ceremony) to commemorate the end of the second world war
• India – Independence Day
• Italy – "Ferragosto", remembrance of an ancient Roman holiday in honor of Augustus (Feriae Augusti)
• Korea – Liberation Day
• Liechtenstein – Liechtenstein Day
• Poland – Polish Armed Forces Day