What happened today in history
What happened on August 15
On August 15 history recorded 103 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 109 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 103events
- 160births
- 109deaths
- 29observances
Highlights
Highlights
Forces of the Umayyad Caliphate abandoned a year-long siege of Constantinople, ending their goal of conquering the Byzantine Empire.
The Umayyad Caliphate or the Umayyad Empire was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from 661 to 750. It succeeded the Rashidun Caliphate, of which the third caliph, Uthman ibn Af
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.
Eustathios Daphnomeles was a Byzantine strategos and patrician who distinguished himself in the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria. He ranks as one of the most prominent and successful generals in the thirty-year war between Emperor Basil II and Samuel of Bulgaria
Upon the death of his uncle Stephen I, Peter (depicted) became the second king of Hungary.
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his birth is uncertain, but many details of his life sug
August 15
On this day
VII century
- 636
636Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
VIII century
- 717
717Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which will last for nearly a year. - 718
718Arab–Byzantine wars: The Arabs abandond the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople due to failure to secure enough supplies, defeat of their relief army by the Byzantines and an outbreak of plague in the camp. - 747
747Carloman, 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
778The Battle of Roncevaux Pass takes place between the army of Charlemagne and a Basque army.
IX century
X century
XI century
- 1018
1018Byzantine 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
1038King Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, dies; his nephew, Peter Orseolo, succeeds him. - 1057
1057King Macbeth of Scotland is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada. - 1070
1070The Pavian-born Benedictine Lanfranc is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in England. - 1096
1096Starting date of the First Crusade as set by Pope Urban II.
XII century
XIII century
- 1209
1209Albigensian Crusade: The Cathar stronghold of Carcassonne falls to the crusaders. - 1224
1224The Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a Catholic military order, occupy Tarbatu (today Tartu) as part of the Livonian Crusade. - 1237
1237Spanish Reconquista: The Battle of the Puig between the Moorish forces of Taifa of Valencia against the Crown of Aragon culminates in an Aragonese victory. - 1248
1248The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880.) - 1261
1261Michael VIII Palaiologos leads triumphal procession into Constantinople following its recapture and is crowned Byzantine emperor. - 1281
1281Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.
XIV century
XV century
- 1430
1430Francesco Sforza, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca. - 1461
1461The 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
1483Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.
XVI century
- 1511
1511Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Malacca Sultanate. - 1517
1517Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary. - 1519
1519Panama City, Panama is founded. - 1534
1534Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540. - 1537
1537Asunción, Paraguay is founded. - 1540
1540Arequipa, Peru is founded. - 1549
1549Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: 22 July 1549). - 1592
1592Imjin War: At the Battle of Hansan Island, the Korean Navy, led by Yi Sun-sin, Yi Ŏkki, and Wŏn Kyun, decisively defeats the Japanese Navy, led by Wakisaka Yasuharu. - 1599
1599Nine 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.
XVII century
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1814
1814War of 1812: British forces launch a costly and unsuccessful night attack against American defenders during the siege of Fort Erie. - 1824
1824The 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
1843The 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
1843Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark. - 1863
1863The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863). - 1882
1882Start of the second part of the Montceau-les-Mines troubles by the Black Band, groups of anarchist miners. - 1893
1893Ibadan 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. - 1899
1899Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, England is officially first opened.
XX century
- 1907
1907Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies. - 1914
1914A servant of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, and murders seven people there. - 1914
1914The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon. - 1914
1914World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia. - 1914
1914World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I. - 1915
1915A 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
1920Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula. - 1935
1935Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska. - 1939
1939Twenty-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. - 1939
1939The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. - 1940
1940An 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
1941Corporal 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. - 1942
1942World 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. - 1943
1943World War II: Battle of Trahili: Superior German forces surround Cretan partisans, who manage to escape against all odds. - 1944
1944World War II: Operation Dragoon: Allied forces land in southern France. - 1945
1945Emperor Hirohito broadcasts his declaration of surrender following the effective surrender of Japan in World War II; Korea gains independence from the Empire of Japan. - 1947
1947India gains independence from British rule after near 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations. - 1947
1947Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi. - 1948
1948The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula. - 1950
1950Measuring Mw 8.6, the largest earthquake on land occurs in the Assam-Tibet-Myanmar border, killing 4,800. - 1952
1952A flash flood devastates the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people. - 1954
1954Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay. - 1959
1959American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashes near the Calverton Executive Airpark in Calverton, New York, killing all five people on board. - 1960
1960Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France. - 1961
1961Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall. - 1962
1962James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok died in 2016. - 1963
1963Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland. - 1963
1963President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital. - 1965
1965The 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
1969The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era. - 1970
1970Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game. - 1971
1971President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. - 1971
1971Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom. - 1973
1973Vietnam War: The US Air Force bombing of Cambodia ends. - 1974
1974Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President Park Chung Hee. - 1975
1975Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup. - 1975
1975Takeo Miki makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II. - 1976
1976SAETA Flight 011 crashes into the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador, killing all 59 people on board; the wreckage is not discovered until 2002. - 1977
1977The 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
1984The 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. - 1985
1985Signing of the Assam Accord, an agreement between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement to end the movement. - 1989
1989China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 crashes after takeoff from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, killing 34 of the 40 people on board. - 1995
1995In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later). - 1995
1995Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan, releases the Murayama Statement, which formally expresses remorse for Japanese war crimes committed during World War II. - 1998
1998Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220 others injured. - 1998
1998Apple introduces the iMac computer. - 1999
1999Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria: Some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco.
XXI century
- 2005
2005Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins. - 2005
2005The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three decades of fighting. - 2007
2007An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090. - 2013
2013At 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
2013The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years. - 2015
2015North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 81⁄2 hours ahead of UTC. - 2020
2020Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. - 2021
2021Kabul 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. - 2025
2025US president Donald Trump meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the first such summit since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Best known
Born on August 15
Best known
Died on August 15
Honorius
Western Roman emperor from 393 to 423
Libius Severus
Western Roman emperor from 461 to 465
Roland
Frankish military leader under Charlemagne
Emperor Yizong of Tang
Emperor of Tang China from 859 to 873
Bulcsú (chieftain)
10th-century Magyar chieftain and military leader
Lehel
Magyar chieftain (died 955)
Holidays and 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)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on August 15?
103 documented historical events happened on August 15, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Forces of the Umayyad Caliphate abandoned a year-long siege of Constantinople, ending their goal of conquering the Byzantine Empire. On the same day, in another year: 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. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on August 15?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on August 15, including Jack Lynch, Óscar Romero, Huntz Hall. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on August 15?
109 people with a Wikipedia article died on August 15, including Honorius, Libius Severus, Roland. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on August 15?
29 observances are celebrated on August 15 around the world: 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). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar