Major Events
- 1461 Empire of Trebizond surrenders to forces of Sultan Mehmed II, the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire to fall; Emperor David is exiled and later executed
- 1620 Mayflower sets sail from Southampton, England, with 102 pilgrims
- 1900 Boxer Rebellion: Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi, her family, and court retainers flee Peking for Xi’an while foreign troops move through the capital in an attempt to quell the rebellion
- 1947 India gains independence from the United Kingdom and 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
Aug 15 in Film & TV
- 1918 “The Sinking of the Lusitania” by Winsor McCay is produced; at 12 minutes long, it is the longest work of animation at that time
- 1939 The Wizard of Oz, an American musical fantasy film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s book, premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood; directed by Victor Fleming and King Vidor with a cast featuring 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); songs by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg
Aug 15 in Music
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, and New Zealand wins 22-3
Did You Know?
Sistine Chapel to Our Lady of the Assumption in Vatican City is consecrated with a Mass by Pope Sixtus IV [some sources cite August 9]
Fun Fact About August 15
North Korea creates its own time zone, moving its clocks back half an hour to GMT+8.5
Famous Weddings
- 1352 Lionel of Antwerp (14), son of Edward III marries Elizabeth de Burgh (20), Countess of Ulster and last legitimate descendent of William de Burgh at the Tower of London
- 1515 Marriage of King Christian II of Denmark to Isabella of Austria, granddaughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I is ratified at Copenhagen Castle (married by proxy 1514)
- 1958 American rock singer-songwriter Buddy Holly (21) weds Puerto Rican-American record company receptionist María Santiago (25) at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas
Articles, 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, 1847
A 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, 1936
The Wizard of Oz
Publicity still of the Wizard of Oz, showing the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Cowardly Lion
August 15, 1939
Woodstock Music and Art Fair
Swami Satchidananda addressing the opening ceremony at Woodstock
August 15, 1969
Omagh 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, 1998
Weekly 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!
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