What Happened on August 15
Historical Events
- 1461 Empire of Trebizond surrenders to forces of Sultan Mehmet II - last Byzantine Empire remnant to fall. Emperor David exiled and later murdered.
- 1620 Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England, with 102 Pilgrims
- 1900 The Boxer Rebellion: In China, the Empress, her family and court retainers flee while foreign troops move through Peking in an attempt to quell the rebellion
- 1947 India gains independence from Great Britain, remains a dominion until 1950
- 1998 Omagh Bombing in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles, kills 29 people and injures about 220
- 2021 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country as Taliban forces enter the capital Kabul and take control
- More Historical Events
Aug 15 in Film & TV
- 1918 1st full length cartoon (Sinking of Lusitania)
- 1939 "The Wizard of Oz", American musical fantasy film directed by Victor Fleming and King Vidor, premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, starring Judy Garland (Dorothy), Ray Bolger (Scarecrow), Jack Haley (Tin Man), Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion), Frank Morgan (Wizard), Billie Burke (Glinda), and Margaret Hamilton (Wicked Witch)
Aug 15 in Music
- 1969 Woodstock Festival opens in Bethel, New York on Max Yasgur's Dairy Farm; performers include Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie, and Joan Baez
Aug 15 in Sport
- 1903 New Zealand's All Blacks play their first Rugby Test Match against Australia's Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground; New Zealand win 22-3
Did You Know?
Napoléon Bonaparte
Phyllis Schlafly
Oscar Peterson
Ben Affleck
Abiy Ahmed
Jennifer Lawrence
Would You Believe?
North Korea creates its own time zone -moving its clocks back half an hour to GMT+8.5
On August 15, 2015
Famous Weddings
- 1515 King Christian II of Denmark marriage ratified to Isabella of Austria, granddaughter to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I at Copenhagen Castle (married by proxy 1514)
- 1958 American rock singer-songwriter Buddy Holly (21) weds receptionist Maria Santiago
- 1985 Anti-apartheid lawyer Bulelani Ngcuka marries in South Africa
More Weddings & Divorces
Macbeth
Wiley Post
Will Rogers
Paul Lukas
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Gerd MüllerArticles, Photos and Quiz
First Faltering Steps of Jane Eyre
With hope, pride – and some subterfuge – Charlotte Brontë sent her hefty manuscript of Jane Eyre to publishers in London on this day, then crossed her fingers.
August 15, 1847A Kiss For Adolf Hitler
A woman spectator leaned over and kissed Adolf Hitler at the Berlin Olympic Games on this day. Hitler pretended to be amused, but his guards were to suffer.
August 15, 1936The Wizard of Oz
Publicity still of the Wizard of Oz, showing the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Cowardly Lion
August 15, 1939Woodstock Music and Art Fair
Swami Satchidananda addressing the opening ceremony at Woodstock
August 15, 1969Omagh Bombing
A man and a child (who both survived) stand next to the car bomb in Omagh, Northern Ireland, that exploded shortly after, killing 29 people. The photographer did not survive.
August 15, 1998Weekly Quiz for August 12-18
Test your knowledge of historical events and famous people in our multi-choice, weekly history quiz for August 12-18. Then challenge your friends!
