History of Today 15 August: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 15 August. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 15 August. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 15 August 2026, 01:00 AM

Important Events on 15 August in History

15 Aug 2025: US president Donald Trump meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the first such summit since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Read more
15 Aug 2021: Kabul 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. Read more
15 Aug 2020: Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Read more
15 Aug 2015: North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 81⁄2 hours ahead of UTC. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 2013: The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years. Read more
15 Aug 2007: An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090. Read more
15 Aug 2005: Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins. Read more
15 Aug 2005: The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three decades of fighting. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1998: Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220 others injured. Read more
15 Aug 1998: Apple introduces the iMac computer. Read more
15 Aug 1995: In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later). Read more
15 Aug 1995: Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan, releases the Murayama Statement, which formally expresses remorse for Japanese war crimes committed during World War II. Read more
15 Aug 1989: China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 crashes after takeoff from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, killing 34 of the 40 people on board. Read more
15 Aug 1985: Signing of the Assam Accord, an agreement between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement to end the movement. Read more
15 Aug 1984: The 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. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1976: SAETA Flight 011 crashes into the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador, killing all 59 people on board; the wreckage is not discovered until 2002. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1974: Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President Park Chung Hee. Read more
15 Aug 1973: Vietnam War: The US Air Force bombing of Cambodia ends. Read more
15 Aug 1971: President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. Read more
15 Aug 1971: Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom. Read more
15 Aug 1970: Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game. Read more
15 Aug 1969: The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1963: Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland. Read more
15 Aug 1963: President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital. Read more
15 Aug 1962: James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok died in 2016. Read more
15 Aug 1961: Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall. Read more
15 Aug 1960: Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France. Read more
15 Aug 1959: American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashes near the Calverton Executive Airpark in Calverton, New York, killing all five people on board. Read more
15 Aug 1954: Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay. Read more
15 Aug 1952: A flash flood devastates the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people. Read more
15 Aug 1950: Measuring Mw 8.6, the largest earthquake on land occurs in the Assam-Tibet-Myanmar border, killing 4,800. Read more
15 Aug 1948: The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula. Read more
15 Aug 1947: India gains independence from British rule after near 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations. Read more
15 Aug 1947: Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi. Read more
15 Aug 1945: Emperor Hirohito broadcasts his declaration of surrender following the effective surrender of Japan in World War II; Korea gains independence from the Empire of Japan. Read more
15 Aug 1944: World War II: Operation Dragoon: Allied forces land in southern France. Read more
15 Aug 1943: World War II: Battle of Trahili: Superior German forces surround Cretan partisans, who manage to escape against all odds. Read more
15 Aug 1942: World 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. Read more
15 Aug 1941: Corporal 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. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1939: Twenty-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. Read more
15 Aug 1939: The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. Read more
15 Aug 1935: Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska. Read more
15 Aug 1920: Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1914: A servant of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, and murders seven people there. Read more
15 Aug 1914: The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon. Read more
15 Aug 1914: World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia. Read more
15 Aug 1914: World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I. Read more
15 Aug 1907: Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies. Read more
15 Aug 1899: Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, England is officially first opened. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1882: Start of the second part of the Montceau-les-Mines troubles by the Black Band, groups of anarchist miners. Read more
15 Aug 1863: The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863). Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1843: Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark. Read more
15 Aug 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. Read more
15 Aug 1814: War of 1812: British forces launch a costly and unsuccessful night attack against American defenders during the siege of Fort Erie. Read more

Famous Births on 15 August

15 Aug 2003: Juanlu Sánchez, Spanish footballer Juan Luis Sánchez Velasco, commonly known as Juanlu Sánchez or simply Juanlu, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for Premier League club Bournemouth. Read more
15 Aug 1999: Paola Reis, BMX rider Paola Reis is a Brazilian BMX rider. Read more
15 Aug 1995: Chief Keef, American rapper Keith Farrelle Cozart, known professionally as Chief Keef, is an American rapper and record producer. Beginning his career as a teenager, he gained regional recognition for his mixtapes in the early 2010s. Cozart has since been credited with popularizing the hip hop subgenre drill among mainstream audiences and is considered a progenitor of the genre. Read more
15 Aug 1995: Setyana Mapasa, Indonesian-Australian badminton player Setyana Daniella Florensia Mapasa is an Indonesian-born Australian badminton player. Mapasa won a silver medal at the 2013 BWF World Junior Championships mixed team when she represented Indonesia. She officially became an Australian citizen in 2014. She was selected to join the national team compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. She was four times women's doubles Oceania champions from 2017 to 2020 with her partner Gronya Somerville, also two times champion in the mixed doubles event in 2017 and 2018 alongside Sawan Serasinghe. Read more
15 Aug 1994: Lasse Vigen Christensen, Danish footballer Lasse Vigen Christensen is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Danish 1st Division side Esbjerg fB. Read more
15 Aug 1994: Kosuke Hagino, Japanese swimmer Kosuke Hagino is a Japanese former competitive swimmer who specialized in the individual medley and 200 m freestyle.
He is a four-time Olympic medalist, most notably winning gold in the 400 m individual medley at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Read more
15 Aug 1993: Clinton N'Jie, Cameroonian footballer Clinton Mua N'Jie is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Read more
15 Aug 1993: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer Alexander Mark David Oxlade-Chamberlain is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Read more
15 Aug 1992: Baskaran Adhiban, Indian chess player Adhiban Baskaran is an Indian chess grandmaster. He was the 2008 World Under-16 Champion and the 2009 Indian champion. He is currently the 21st highest rated player in India. Read more
15 Aug 1992: Matthew Judon, American football player Matthew Judon is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Grand Valley State Lakers, where he set the Division II record for sacks, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He has also played for the New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, and the Miami Dolphins. Read more
15 Aug 1991: Petja Piiroinen, Finnish snowboarder Petja Piiroinen is a snowboarder from Finland. He won the gold medal at the 2011 FIS Snowboarding World Championships in the big air event. He is the younger brother of fellow snowboarder Peetu Piiroinen. Read more
15 Aug 1990: Jennifer Lawrence, American actress and producer Jennifer Shrader Maroney is an American actress and producer. She has starred in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. Lawrence was the world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016 and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
15 Aug 1989: Joe Jonas, American singer, songwriter, and actor Joseph Adam Jonas is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin and Nick. The group released their debut studio album It's About Time through Columbia Records in 2006. After signing with Hollywood Records, the group released their self-titled second studio album in 2007, which became their breakthrough record. The band became prominent figures on the Disney Channel during this time, gaining a large following through the network: they appeared in the widely successful musical television film Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010) as well as two of their own series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream (2008–2010) and Jonas (2009–2010). Read more
15 Aug 1989: Ryan McGowan, Australian footballer Ryan James McGowan is an Australian soccer player who plays as a defender for Scottish Championship club Livingston. Read more
15 Aug 1989: Carlos PenaVega, American actor and singer Carlos Roberto PenaVega is an American actor and singer. He starred on the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush as Carlos García, and is a member of the namesake group Big Time Rush. He was also the host of the network's game show Webheads. He currently voices Bobby Santiago in The Loud House franchise. Read more
15 Aug 1989: Jordan Rapana, New Zealand rugby league player Jordan Rapana is a former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a Fullback and/or winger for Hull F.C. in the Super League. He has played for the New Zealand Māori, New Zealand and the Cook Islands at international level. Read more
15 Aug 1988: Oussama Assaidi, Moroccan footballer Oussama Assaidi is a Moroccan former footballer who played as a winger. Read more
15 Aug 1988: Boban Marjanović, Serbian basketball player Boban Marjanović is a Serbian professional basketball player who last played for the Ilirija of the Slovenian League and the ABA League. He represented the Serbian national team in international competition. Read more
15 Aug 1987: Ryan D'Imperio, American football player Ryan D'Imperio is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He finished his career playing 12 NFL games with two receptions and seven total yards gained. Read more
15 Aug 1987: Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist Michel Kreder is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2019. Read more
15 Aug 1987: Sean McAllister, English footballer Sean Brian McAllister is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
15 Aug 1985: Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (died 2019) Ermias Joseph Asghedom, known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, activist and entrepreneur. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-2000s, Hussle self-released his debut mixtape, Slauson Boy Volume 1, to moderate local success, leading him to sign with Cinematic Music Group and Epic Records. Read more
15 Aug 1984: Jarrod Dyson, American baseball player Jarrod Martel Dyson is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2010 to 2021 for the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays. Read more
15 Aug 1984: Emily Kinney, American actress and singer-songwriter Emily Rebecca Kinney is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her role as Beth Greene on AMC's horror drama television series The Walking Dead. Kinney has also appeared on several other television series, including Showtime's critically acclaimed Masters of Sex and The CW's The Flash and Arrow. In 2016, she co-starred in the ABC series Conviction, alongside Hayley Atwell. Read more
15 Aug 1983: Siobhan Chamberlain, English association football goalkeeper Siobhan Rebecca Chamberlain is an English sports pundit, commentator, and former professional footballer who last played as a goalkeeper for Manchester United. Read more
15 Aug 1983: Rachel Haot, American businesswoman Rachel Haot is an American businesswoman. She is currently Chief of Staff at Bedrock. Prior to this, she was executive director of the Transit Innovation Partnership, a public-private initiative of the Partnership for New York City and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Haot was previously the chief digital officer and Deputy Secretary for Technology of New York State for two years. Prior to this role, Rachel was Chief Digital Officer for the City of New York from January 2011 to December 2013. She co-founded and ran GroundReport between 2006 and 2010. Read more
15 Aug 1982: Casey Burgener, American weightlifter Casey Burgener is a weightlifter for the United States. His coaches are Mike Burgener and Paul Fleschler. He was born to Leslie Burgener, who lives in the San Diego area. Read more
15 Aug 1982: David Harrison, American basketball player David Joshua Harrison is an American former professional basketball player. A former National Basketball Association (NBA) player for the Indiana Pacers, he was a member of the Beijing Ducks for the 2008–09 season and played with the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the next two years. He also played for the Tianjin Ronggang. At Brentwood Academy, Harrison was named Mr. Basketball in Tennessee, in both 2000 and 2001, for Division 2 schools. He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers out of the University of Colorado at Boulder with the 29th pick of the 2004 NBA draft. Read more
15 Aug 1981: Brendan Hansen, American swimmer Brendan Joseph Hansen is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in breaststroke events. Hansen is a six-time Olympic medalist, and is also a former world record-holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events. Read more
15 Aug 1981: Óliver Pérez, American baseball player Óliver Pérez Martínez is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals, and Cleveland Indians. He competed for the Mexico national baseball team in the 2006, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic. Read more
15 Aug 1980: Fiann Paul, Icelandic explorer Fiann Paul is a Polish-Icelandic explorer known for his exploits in ocean rowing. Read more
15 Aug 1979: Carl Edwards, American race car driver Carl Michael Edwards Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver and a current analyst for NASCAR on Prime Video. Read more
15 Aug 1978: Waleed Aly, Australian journalist and television host Waleed Aly is an Australian television presenter, journalist, academic, and lawyer. Read more
15 Aug 1978: Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast Lilia Oleksandrivna Podkopayeva is a Ukrainian former artistic gymnast. She is the 1995 world all-around champion, and the 1996 Olympic all-around and floor exercise champion. Often thought of as a complete athlete, Podkopayeva was known for combining power, style, and balletic grace. Read more
15 Aug 1978: Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer Stavros Tziortziopoulos is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is the current manager of AEK Athens U12 team. Read more
15 Aug 1978: Kerri Walsh Jennings, American volleyball player Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings is a retired American professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. She won 135 international and domestic tournaments, being the beach volleyball leader in career victories in the United States. Read more
15 Aug 1977: Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey player Martin Gaston Biron is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Read more
15 Aug 1977: Anthony Rocca, Australian footballer and coach Anthony Rocca is a former Australian rules footballer who has played with the Sydney Swans and Collingwood in the Australian Football League.
Rocca is currently serving as North Melbourne's development coach. Read more
15 Aug 1976: Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer and manager Boudewijn Zenden also known by his nickname Bolo, is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a left winger or as an attacking midfielder. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Bertrand Berry, American football player and radio host Bertrand Demond Berry is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer and coach Raghvendrarao Vijay Bharadwaj is an Indian cricket coach and commentator, former professional cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler. He won the Man of the Series award on his debut one day international series against South Africa in the LG Cup in Kenya in the 1999–2000 season. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Brendan Morrison, Canadian ice hockey player Brendan Morrison is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A centre, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Kara Wolters, American basketball player Kara Elizabeth Wolters is an American former collegiate and professional basketball player and a current sports broadcaster. Standing at six feet seven inches (2.01 m) and nicknamed "Big Girl," she is the tallest player in University of Connecticut women's basketball history and one of the tallest women to ever play in the WNBA. During her playing career, she was an NCAA national champion (1995), FIBA world champion (1998), WNBA champion (1999), and Olympic champion (2000) becoming one of 11 women with those accolades. She also won AP College Player of the Year in 1997 Read more
15 Aug 1974: Natasha Henstridge, Canadian model and actress Natasha Tonya Henstridge is a Canadian actress. In 1995, she rose to prominence with her debut role in the science-fiction horror film Species, followed by performances in Species II and Species III. She has since starred in a string of films and television series, including Maximum Risk (1996), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), Ghosts of Mars (2001), She Spies (2002–2004), Eli Stone (2008–2009), and Would Be Kings (2008). For the latter, she won the Gemini Award for Best Actress. From 2019 until 2022, she starred in the CBC Television series Diggstown. Read more
15 Aug 1974: Tomasz Suwary, Polish footballer Tomasz Suwary is a Polish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
15 Aug 1972: Ben Affleck, American actor and filmmaker Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984–1988). He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999). Read more
15 Aug 1972: Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballerina (died 2007) Jennifer Carrie Alexander was a Canadian ballet dancer. Read more
15 Aug 1972: Mikey Graham, Irish singer Michael Christopher Charles Graham is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor and record producer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately as part of Irish pop group Boyzone. Read more
15 Aug 1971: Adnan Sami, Indian singer, musician, music composer, pianist and actor Adnan Sami Khan is an Indian singer, musician, composer, actor and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music in many languages, such as Hindi, Urdu, English, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. He has been awarded with Padma Shri for his remarkable contribution to music. His most notable instrument is the piano. He has been credited as "the first musician to have played the santoor and Indian classical music on the piano". A review in the US-based Keyboard magazine described him as the fastest keyboard player in the world and called him the keyboard discovery of the nineties. Read more
15 Aug 1970: Anthony Anderson, American comedian, actor, and producer Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is known for his leading roles in television shows such as Andre "Dre" Johnson on the ABC sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022) and NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama Law & Order. He has also acted in films such as Big Momma's House (2000), Barbershop (2002), Kangaroo Jack (2003), Agent Cody Banks 2 (2004), Hustle & Flow (2005), The Departed (2006), Transformers (2007), and Scream 4 (2011). Read more
15 Aug 1970: Ben Silverman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Electus Studios Benjamin Noah Silverman is an American media executive. He is the co-CEO and chairman of the entertainment production company Propagate. Read more
15 Aug 1969: Bernard Fanning, Australian singer-songwriter Bernard Joseph Fanning is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Read more
15 Aug 1969: Carlos Roa, Argentine footballer Carlos Ángel Roa is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently the goalkeeper coach of Greek Super League club AEK Athens. Read more
15 Aug 1968: Debra Messing, American actress Debra Lynn Messing is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing starred in the television series Ned and Stacey on Fox (1995–1997) and Prey on ABC (1998). She achieved her breakthrough role as Grace Adler, an interior designer, on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received seven Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, winning once, in 2003. Read more
15 Aug 1967: Tony Hand, Scottish ice hockey player and coach Anthony Hand MBE is a Scottish former ice hockey player and coach. He was the first British player to be drafted by an NHL team when he was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in 1986. Read more
15 Aug 1967: Peter Hermann, American actor Peter Hermann is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Charles Brooks in Younger, Trevor Langan in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Jack Boyle in Blue Bloods. Read more
15 Aug 1966: Scott Brosius, American baseball player and coach Scott David Brosius is an American former professional baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics (1991–1997) and the New York Yankees (1998–2001) of Major League Baseball (MLB) who is the athletic director at Linfield University. He was an MLB All-Star in 1998 and won a Gold Glove Award in 1999. Brosius was a member of three consecutive World Series champions with the Yankees from 1998 to 2000 and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award in 1998. Read more
15 Aug 1966: Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player and coach Dimitris Papadopoulos, also commonly known by his nickname, "The Doctor", is a Greek former professional basketball player. Read more
15 Aug 1965: Rob Thomas, American author, screenwriter, and producer Robert James Thomas is an American author, producer, director and screenwriter. He created the television series Veronica Mars, co-developed 90210 (2008–2013), and co-created Party Down and iZombie (2015–2019). Read more
15 Aug 1964: Jane Ellison, English lawyer and politician Jane Elizabeth Ellison is a British United Nations official and former politician. A member of the Conservative Party, she was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Battersea. On 7 May 2015, she was re-elected with an increased margin of 3.4%. She lost the seat to Marsha de Cordova of the Labour Party at the 2017 snap general election. In November 2017 she joined the senior leadership team of the World Health Organization serving until November 2022. Read more
15 Aug 1964: Melinda French Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Gates Foundation Melinda Ann French Gates is an American philanthropist. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, she attended Duke University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in computer science and economics and an MBA. She joined Microsoft in 1987 as a multimedia product developer. In the same year, she began dating the company's co-founder and then-chief executive Bill Gates, whom she married in 1994 and divorced in 2021. They have three children together. Read more
15 Aug 1963: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican filmmaker. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the human condition. His most notable films include Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010), Birdman (2014), The Revenant (2015), and Bardo (2022). Iñárritu's projects have garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including five Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Read more
15 Aug 1963: Simon Hart, Welsh soldier and politician Simon Anthony Hart, Baron Hart of Tenby is a British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire from 2010 to 2024. He served as the Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from October 2022 to July 2024. He previously served as Secretary of State for Wales in the Johnson government from 2019 to 2022. Read more
15 Aug 1963: Jack Russell, English cricketer and coach Robert Charles "Jack" Russell is an English retired international cricketer, now known for his abilities as an artist, as a cricket wicketkeeping coach, and a football goalkeeping coach. Read more
15 Aug 1962: Tom Colicchio, American chef and author Thomas Patrick Colicchio is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft, Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak and Small Batch restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards for cooking accomplishments. Read more
15 Aug 1962: Rıdvan Dilmen, Turkish footballer and manager Rıdvan Dilmen is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger, notably for Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team. During his career, Dilmen established himself as one of the most skilled players of the Süper Lig. Read more
15 Aug 1962: Inês Pedrosa, Portuguese writer Inês Pedrosa is a Portuguese journalist, novelist, short story writer, children's writer and playwright. She was director of the Casa Fernando Pessoa. Her novels have also been published in Brazil, Croatia, Ukraine, Germany, Italy and Spain. Read more
15 Aug 1962: Vilja Savisaar-Toomast, Estonian lawyer and politician Vilja Toomast is an Estonian politician, a former Member of the European Parliament. She previously belonged to the Estonian Centre Party which she decided to leave on 9 April 2012. Read more
15 Aug 1961: Ed Gillespie, American political strategist Edward Walter Gillespie is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the president from 2007 to 2009 during the presidency of George W. Bush. In 2012, Gillespie was a senior member of the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. Read more
15 Aug 1961: Matt Johnson, English singer-songwriter and musician Matthew Johnson is an English singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and only constant member of his band the The. He is also a film soundtrack composer (Cinéola), publisher, broadcaster, conservationist, and local activist. Read more
15 Aug 1961: Gary Kubiak, American football player and coach Gary Wayne Kubiak is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos before coaching, serving as head coach for the Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Broncos from 2015 to 2016 before stepping down from the position on January 1, 2017, citing health reasons. Read more
15 Aug 1961: Suhasini Maniratnam, Indian actress and screenwriter Suhasini Maniratnam is an Indian actress who works in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. Read more
15 Aug 1959: Scott Altman, American captain, pilot, and astronaut Scott Douglas "Scooter" Altman is a retired United States Navy Captain and naval aviator, engineer, test pilot and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. His fourth mission on STS-125 was the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. In 2018, he was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. As of November 2022, he is the president of the Space operating group for ASRC Federal. Read more
15 Aug 1958: Simon Baron-Cohen, English-Canadian psychiatrist and author Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. He is the director of the university's Autism Research Centre and a Fellow of Trinity College. Read more
15 Aug 1958: Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Craig MacTavish is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player, formerly an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues. He played center for 17 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues, winning the Stanley Cup four times. He was the last NHL player not to wear a helmet during games. Read more
15 Aug 1958: Simple Kapadia, Indian actress and costume designer (died 2009) Simple Kapadia was a Hindi film actress and costume designer, who was active in her professional career from 1987 until her death in 2009. She won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design for Rudaali (1994). Read more
15 Aug 1958: Victor Shenderovich, Russian journalist and radio host Viktor Anatolyevich Shenderovich is a Russian satirist, writer, scriptwriter and radio host. Read more
15 Aug 1958: Rondell Sheridan, American actor and comedian Rondell Jerome Sheridan is an American actor, comedian and television director, best known for his role of Victor Baxter in the Disney Channel sitcom That's So Raven, as well as its later spin-offs Cory in the House and Raven's Home. Sheridan is an alumnus of Marquette University. Sheridan also starred as Dr. Ron Aimes on the NBC/UPN sitcom Minor Adjustments. Read more
15 Aug 1957: Željko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor Željko Ivanek is a Slovenian-American actor. His accolades include an Actor Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for three Tony Awards. Read more
15 Aug 1956: Lorraine Desmarais, Canadian pianist and composer Lorraine Desmarais C.M. is a French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer. Read more
15 Aug 1956: Freedom Neruda, Ivorian journalist Freedom Neruda is an Ivorian journalist. In 1996, he was imprisoned for seditious libel after writing a satirical article about Ivorian President Henri Konan Bédié. The following year, he won an International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists, and in 2000, he was named one of the International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the past 50 years. Read more
15 Aug 1956: Robert Syms, English businessman and politician Sir Robert Andrew Raymond Syms is a Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Poole from 1997 to 2024. He received a knighthood in 2017. Read more
15 Aug 1954: Stieg Larsson, Swedish journalist and author (died 2004) Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson was a Swedish writer, journalist, and far-left activist. He is best known for writing the first trilogy in the Millennium series of crime novels, which was published posthumously, starting in 2005, after he died of a sudden heart attack. The trilogy was adapted as three motion pictures in Sweden, and one in the United States. Larsson had conceived of ten books in the series; the publisher commissioned David Lagercrantz to write the next trilogy, and Karin Smirnoff to write the third trilogy in the series, which has eight novels as of December 2025. For much of his life, Larsson lived and worked in Stockholm. His journalistic work covered socialist politics and he acted as an independent researcher of right-wing extremism. Read more
15 Aug 1953: Carol Thatcher, English journalist and author Carol Jane Thatcher is an English journalist, author and media personality. She is the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister from 1979 to 1990, and businessman Denis Thatcher. Read more
15 Aug 1953: Mark Thatcher, English businessman Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet is an English businessman. He is the son of Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet; his sister is Carol Thatcher. Read more
15 Aug 1953: Wolfgang Hohlbein, German author Wolfgang Hohlbein is a German writer of science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. His wife, Heike Hohlbein, is also a writer and they frequently collaborate. With more than 200 published books and more than 43 million sold copies he is considered one of the most successful German writers in the fantasy genre. Read more
15 Aug 1952: Chuck Burgi, American drummer Charles Arnold Burgi III is an American drummer. He has performed with many rock bands and musicians, ranging from local New Jersey/New York-area artists to international groups, throughout his prolific career. He is the current drummer for The Billy Joel Band. Read more
15 Aug 1951: Ann Biderman, American screenwriter and producer Ann Biderman is an American film and television writer. She is the creator and executive producer of the NBC/TNT series Southland (2009–2013), and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series for an episode of NYPD Blue. She created, wrote, and produced the Showtime drama Ray Donovan. Read more
15 Aug 1951: Bobby Caldwell, American singer-songwriter (died 2023) Robert Hunter Caldwell was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary, and was known for his soulful and versatile vocals. He released the hit single and his signature song "What You Won't Do for Love" from his double platinum debut self-titled album in 1978. Read more
15 Aug 1951: John Childs, English cricketer John Henry Childs is a former cricketer who played in two Test matches for England in 1988. At the age of 36 years 320 days, Childs became the oldest player since Dick Howorth in 1947 to make his England debut. He was a left-arm spin bowler, and played his domestic cricket for Gloucestershire and Essex. Read more
15 Aug 1950: Tommy Aldridge, American drummer Tommy Aldridge is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent, Thin Lizzy, Vinnie Moore and Yngwie Malmsteen. Read more
15 Aug 1950: Tess Harper, American actress Tessie Jean Harper is an American actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1983's Tender Mercies, and for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1986 film Crimes of the Heart. Her other film appearances include Amityville 3-D (1983), Flashpoint (1984), Ishtar (1987), Far North (1988), and No Country for Old Men (2007). She also had a recurring role on the first three seasons of Breaking Bad (2008–2010) as Jesse Pinkman’s mother, as well as reprising her role in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019). Read more
15 Aug 1950: Tom Kelly, American baseball player Jay Thomas Kelly is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. As the manager of the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB) over 16 seasons from mid-September 1986 through 2001, he won two World Series championships. Currently, he serves as a special assistant to the general manager for the Twins. Read more
15 Aug 1950: Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom Anne, Princess Royal, is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the sister of King Charles III. Born third in the line of succession to the British throne, she is 19th in line as of 2026. She has held the title of Princess Royal since 1987. Read more
15 Aug 1949: Phyllis Smith, American actress Phyllis Smith is an American actress and casting director. She is best known for playing Phyllis Vance in the television series The Office and her voice role as Sadness in Pixar's animated franchise Inside Out. Read more
15 Aug 1948: Patsy Gallant, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress Patricia Gallant is a Canadian pop singer and musical theatre actress. Of Acadian ancestry, she has recorded and performed in both English and French. Read more
15 Aug 1948: Tom Johnston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Charles Thomas Johnston is an American musician. He is a guitarist and vocalist, known principally as a founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for the rock group the Doobie Brothers, as well as for his own solo career. He has played off and on with the Doobie Brothers for 50 years, in several styles. Read more
15 Aug 1947: Rakhee Gulzar, Indian film actress Raakhee, professionally known as Raakhee, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi and Bengali films. One of the leading and greatest actresses of the 1970s and early 1980s, Raakhee is a recipient of several awards including two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. In 2003, she received Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award. Read more
15 Aug 1946: Jimmy Webb, American singer-songwriter and pianist Jimmy Layne Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He achieved success at an early age, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the age of 21. Read more
15 Aug 1945: Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (died 2025) Begum Khaleda Zia was a Bangladeshi politician who twice served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto. She was the wife of the former president of Bangladesh and army chief, Ziaur Rahman and was first lady from 1977 to 1981. She was the longest serving chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from 1984 until her death in 2025. Read more
15 Aug 1944: Dimitris Sioufas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health (died 2019) Dimitris Sioufas was a Greek lawyer and New Democracy politician. Read more
15 Aug 1943: Eileen Bell, Northern Irish civil servant and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly Eileen Bell CBE is a retired Alliance Party politician from Dromara, Northern Ireland. She was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for North Down from 1998 to 2007, and is a former deputy leader of the Alliance Party. Read more
15 Aug 1942: Pete York, English rock drummer Peter York is an English rock drummer who has been performing since the 1960s. He is best known for his time with the Spencer Davis Group. Read more
15 Aug 1941: Jim Brothers, American sculptor (died 2013) Jim Brothers was an American figurative sculptor from the U.S. state of Kansas. He died at the age of 72 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas, where he had received hospice care for cancer. His wife Kathy said he completed his final piece, a tribute to William Inge, "literally days before he died." Read more
15 Aug 1941: Don Rich, American country musician (died 1974) Donald Eugene Ulrich, best known by the stage name Don Rich, was an American country musician who helped develop the Bakersfield sound in the early 1960s. He was a noted guitarist and fiddler, and a member of The Buckaroos, the backing band of his best friend, country singer Buck Owens. Rich was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1974 at the age of 32. Read more
15 Aug 1940: Gudrun Ensslin, German militant leader, founded Red Army Faction (died 1977) Gudrun Ensslin was a German far-left terrorist and founder of the West German far-left militant group Red Army Faction. Read more
15 Aug 1938: Stephen Breyer, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Stephen Gerald Breyer is an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and replaced retiring justice Harry Blackmun. Breyer was generally associated with the liberal wing of the Court. Since his retirement, he has been the Byrne Professor of Administrative Law and Process at Harvard Law School. Read more
15 Aug 1938: Stix Hooper, American jazz drummer Nesbert "Stix" Hooper is an American drummer and founding member of The Crusaders. Read more
15 Aug 1938: Pran Kumar Sharma, Indian cartoonist (died 2014) Pran Kumar Sharma, better known as Pran, was an Indian cartoonist best known as the creator of Chacha Chaudhary (1971). He also created other characters like Shrimatiji, Pinki, Billoo, Raman, and Channi Chachi. Read more
15 Aug 1938: Maxine Waters, American educator and politician Maxine Moore Waters is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 43rd congressional district since 1991. The district, numbered as the 29th district from 1991 to 1993 and as the 35th district from 1993 to 2013, includes much of southern Los Angeles, as well as portions of Gardena, Inglewood and Torrance. Read more
15 Aug 1938: Janusz Zajdel, Polish engineer and author (died 1985) Janusz Andrzej Zajdel was a Polish science fiction author, second in popularity in Poland to Stanisław Lem. His major genres were social science fiction and dystopia. His main recurring theme involved the gloomy prospects for a space environment into which mankind carried totalitarian ideas and habits: Red Space Republics, or Space Labor Camps, or both. His heroes desperately try to find meaning in the world around them. Read more
15 Aug 1936: Pat Priest, American actress Patricia Ann Priest is an American actress known for being the second person to portray Marilyn Munster on the television show The Munsters (1964–1966) after the original actress, Beverley Owen, left after 13 episodes. Read more
15 Aug 1936: Rita Shane, American soprano and educator (died 2014) Rita Shane was an American coloratura soprano. Read more
15 Aug 1935: Jim Dale, English actor, narrator, singer, director, and composer Jim Dale is an English actor, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. He is one of the only surviving main actors of the Carry On films. Read more
15 Aug 1935: Régine Deforges, French author, playwright, and director (died 2014) Régine Deforges was a French author, editor, director, and playwright. Her book La Bicyclette bleue was the most popular book in France in 2000 and it was known by some to be offensive and to others for its plagiarism, neither of which was proved. Read more
15 Aug 1934: Bobby Byrd, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2007) Bobby Howard Byrd was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader, pianist and talent dedicated. He played a part in the development of soul and funk music in association with James Brown. Read more
15 Aug 1934: Purushottam Upadhyay, Indian musician, singer and composer (died 2024) Purushottam Upadhyay was an Indian musician, singer and composer who primarily worked in Gujarati and Hindi languages. He was well known in Gujarati semi-classical music and composed music for over 20 films and 30 plays. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017. Read more
15 Aug 1934: Reginald Scarlett, Jamaican cricketer and coach (died 2019) Reginald Osmond Scarlett was a West Indian cricketer who played in three Tests in 1960. Read more
15 Aug 1934: Darrell K. Sweet, American illustrator (died 2011) Darrell K. Sweet was a professional illustrator best known for providing cover art for science fiction and fantasy novels, in which capacity he was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1983. Read more
15 Aug 1934: Valentin Varlamov, Soviet pilot and cosmonaut instructor (died 1980) Valentin Stepanovich Varlamov was a Russian jet pilot who was selected for Air Force Group 1, the first intake of 20 cosmonaut candidates in 1960. After his disqualification from the space program on medical grounds, he was an instructor at the cosmonaut training centre outside Moscow. Read more
15 Aug 1933: Bobby Helms, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1997) Robert Lee Helms was an American country singer and musician. In 1957, he had a perennial Christmas hit with "Jingle Bell Rock", and two other hits that same year: "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel". Read more
15 Aug 1933: Stanley Milgram, American social psychologist (died 1984) Stanley Milgram was an American social psychologist who conducted controversial experiments on obedience in the 1960s during his professorship at Yale. Read more
15 Aug 1933: Mike Seeger, American folk musician and folklorist (died 2009) Mike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who mainly played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him. He was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2018. Read more
15 Aug 1932: Abby Dalton, American actress (died 2020) Gladys Marlene Wasden, known professionally as Abby Dalton, was an American actress, known for her television roles on the sitcoms Hennesey (1959–1962) and The Joey Bishop Show (1962–1965), and the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1986). Read more
15 Aug 1932: Robert L. Forward, American physicist and engineer (died 2002) Robert Lull Forward was an American physicist and science fiction writer. His literary work was noted for its scientific credibility and use of ideas developed from his career as an aerospace engineer. He also made important contributions to gravitational wave detection research. Read more
15 Aug 1932: Jim Lange, American game show host and DJ (died 2014) James John Lange was an American game show host and disc jockey. He was known to listeners in the San Francisco and Los Angeles radio markets with stints at several stations in both markets, racking up over 45 years on the air. Lange was also known to television viewers as the host of several game shows, including The Dating Game. Read more
15 Aug 1932: Johan Steyn, Baron Steyn, South African-English lawyer and judge (died 2017) Johan van Zyl Steyn, Baron Steyn, PC was a South African-British judge, until September 2005 a Law Lord. He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. Read more
15 Aug 1931: Ernest C. Brace, American captain and pilot (died 2014) Ernest Cary Brace was the longest-held civilian prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. A decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot and mustang, Brace was court-martialed in 1961 for attempting to fake his own death. He flew as a civilian contract pilot before being captured in Laos in 1965 while flying supplies for USAID. He spent almost eight years as a POW and upon his release received a Presidential pardon in light of his good conduct. Read more
15 Aug 1931: Richard F. Heck, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2015) Richard Frederick Heck was an American chemist noted for the discovery and development of the Heck reaction, which uses palladium to catalyze organic chemical reactions that couple aryl halides with alkenes. The analgesic naproxen is an example of a compound that is prepared industrially using the Heck reaction. Read more
15 Aug 1928: Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (died 2013) Carl Joachim Classen was a German classical scholar. Read more
15 Aug 1928: Malcolm Glazer, American businessman and sports team owner (died 2014) Malcolm Glazer was an American businessman and sports team owner. He was the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation, a holding company for his varied business interests, and owned both Manchester United of the Premier League and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. Read more
15 Aug 1928: Nicolas Roeg, English director and cinematographer (died 2018) Nicolas Jack Roeg was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing Performance (1970), Walkabout (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Bad Timing (1980) and The Witches (1990). Read more
15 Aug 1927: Eddie Leadbeater, English cricketer (died 2011) Edric "Eddie" Leadbeater was an English cricketer who played in two Tests in 1951. He was born in Lockwood, Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, and died in Huddersfield. Read more
15 Aug 1927: Oliver Popplewell, English cricketer and judge (died 2024) Sir Oliver Bury Popplewell was a British judge and cricketer. He chaired the inquiry into the Bradford City stadium fire, presided over the libel case brought by Jonathan Aitken MP against The Guardian newspaper which eventually led to Aitken's imprisonment for perjury, and was widely reported for asking "What is Linford's lunchbox?" during a case over which he was presiding, brought by Linford Christie. He played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and was president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) from 1994 to 1996. He wrote a memoir of his legal career, published in 2003. Read more
15 Aug 1926: Julius Katchen, American pianist and composer (died 1969) Julius Katchen was an American concert pianist, possibly best known for his recordings of Johannes Brahms's solo piano works. Read more
15 Aug 1926: Eddie Little Sky, American actor (died 1997) Eddie Little Sky, also known as Edward Little, was an American actor. A citizen of the Oglala Lakota tribe Eddie had parts in 36 feature films and over 60 television shows, mainly westerns in the role of a Native American. He was one of the first Native American actors to play Native American roles such as his performance in the 1970 film A Man Called Horse. Read more
15 Aug 1926: Sami Michael, Iraqi-Israeli author and playwright (died 2024) Sami Michael was an Iraqi-Israeli author, having migrated from Iraq to Israel at the age of 23. From 2001, Michael was the President of The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). Read more
15 Aug 1926: John Silber, American philosopher and academic (died 2012) John Robert Silber was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again served as President ; and, from 2003 until his death, he held the title of President Emeritus. Read more
15 Aug 1926: Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician, 6th President of Greece (died 2016) Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the president of Greece from 1995 to 2005. Read more
15 Aug 1925: Mike Connors, American actor and producer (died 2017) Krekor Ohanian, known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor and film producer. He was best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix on the CBS television series Mannix from 1967 to 1975. This role earned him a Golden Globe Award in 1970, the first of six straight nominations, as well as four consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations from 1970 to 1973. He also starred in the short-lived series Tightrope! (1959–1960) and Today's FBI (1981–1982). Read more
15 Aug 1925: Rose Maddox, American singer-songwriter and fiddle player (died 1998) Roselea Arbana "Rose" Maddox was an American country singer-songwriter and fiddle player, who was the lead singer with the Maddox Brothers and Rose before a successful solo career. Her musical styles blended hillbilly music, rockabilly and gospel. She was noted for her "reputation as a lusty firebrand", and her "colorful Western costumes"; she was one of the earliest clients of Hollywood tailor, Nathan Turk. Read more
15 Aug 1925: Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (died 2007) Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, and received numerous other awards and honours. He played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, simply "O.P." by his friends, and was informally known in the jazz community as "the King of inside swing". Read more
15 Aug 1925: Bill Pinkney, American singer (died 2007) Willie "Bill" Pinkney was an American performer and singer. Pinkney was the last surviving original member of The Drifters, who achieved international fame with numerous hit records. He was chiefly responsible for its early sounds. The Drifters have had a strong influence on soul, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll music. As an original group member, Bill Pinkney was a 1988 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Drifters. Read more
15 Aug 1925: Erik Schmidt, Swedish-Estonian painter and author (died 2014) Erik Schmidt was a painter and writer. Read more
15 Aug 1924: Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (died 1995) Robert Oxton Bolt was an English playwright and a screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Man for All Seasons, the latter two of which won him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also was the recipient of a Tony Award, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. Read more
15 Aug 1924: Hedy Epstein, German-American Holocaust survivor and activist (died 2016) Hedy Epstein was a German-born Jewish-American political activist and Holocaust survivor known for her support of the Palestinian cause through the International Solidarity Movement. Read more
15 Aug 1924: Yoshirō Muraki, Japanese production designer, art director, and fashion designer (died 2009) Yoshirō Muraki was a Japanese production designer, art director, and costume designer. Muraki joined Toho Film studio in 1944. He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction for his work in the films Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Kagemusha (1980), and Ran (1985). He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for his work in Yojimbo (1961). He is most well known for his collaborations with director Akira Kurosawa, having done work on all of Kurosawa's films from Record of a Living Being (1955) onward, with the exception of Dersu Uzala (1975).
He was married to Shinobu Muraki. Read more
15 Aug 1924: Phyllis Schlafly, American lawyer, writer, and political activist (died 2016) Phyllis Stewart Schlafly was an American attorney and activist who was nationally prominent in conservatism. She opposed feminism, gay rights, and abortion, and campaigned against the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Read more
15 Aug 1923: Rose Marie, American actress and singer (died 2017) Rose Marie Guy, known professionally as Rose Marie, was an American actress, singer, comedienne, and vaudeville performer with a career spanning nine decades, which included film, radio, records, theater, night clubs and television. As a child performer from the late 1920s onward, she had a successful singing career under the stage name Baby Rose Marie. Read more
15 Aug 1922: Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and illustrator (died 2000) Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor, draughtsman, and graphic artist, as well as founder of the Gehenna Press (1942–2000). One of America's first fine arts presses, it went on to become "one of the most important and comprehensive art presses of the world", often featuring the work of poets, such as Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Anthony Hecht, and James Baldwin side by side with Baskin's bold, stark, energetic and often dramatic black-and-white prints. Called a "Sculptor of Stark Memorials" by the New York Times, Baskin is also known for his wood, limestone, bronze, and large-scale woodblock prints, which ranged from naturalistic to fanciful, and were frequently grotesque, featuring bloated figures or humans merging with animals. "His monumental bronze sculpture, The Funeral Cortege, graces the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C." Read more
15 Aug 1922: Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek trumpet player and composer (died 2005) Giorgos Muzakis was a prominent Greek virtuoso trumpeter and music composer. Read more
15 Aug 1922: Sabino Barinaga, Spanish footballer and manager (died 1988) Sabino Barinaga Alberdi was a Spanish football forward and manager. Read more
15 Aug 1921: August Kowalczyk, Polish actor and director (died 2012) August Marian Kowalczyk was a Polish actor, theatre, television and film director who was the last survivor of a breakout of prisoners from Auschwitz Concentration Camp on 10 June 1942. Read more
15 Aug 1920: Judy Cassab, Austrian-Australian painter (died 2008) Judy Cassab, born Judit Kaszab, was an Australian painter. Read more
15 Aug 1919: Huntz Hall, American actor (died 1999) Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and in the later "Bowery Boys" movies, during the late 1930s to the late 1950s. Read more
15 Aug 1919: Benedict Kiely, Irish journalist and author (died 2007) Benedict "Ben" Kiely was an Irish writer and broadcaster from Omagh, County Tyrone. Read more
15 Aug 1917: Jack Lynch, Irish footballer and politician, 5th Taoiseach of Ireland (died 1999) John Mary Lynch was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1966 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979. He was Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1966 to 1979, Leader of the Opposition from 1973 to 1977, Minister for Finance from 1965 to 1966, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1959 to 1965, Minister for Education 1957 to 1959, Minister for the Gaeltacht from March 1957 to June 1957, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Lands and Parliamentary Secretary to the Government from 1951 to 1954. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1948 to 1981. Read more
15 Aug 1917: Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (died 1980) Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador; he served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular Bishop of Tambeae, as Bishop of Santiago de María, and finally as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. As archbishop, Romero spoke out against social injustice and violence amid the escalating conflict between the military government and left-wing insurgents that led to the Salvadoran Civil War. In 1980, Romero was fatally shot by an assassin while celebrating Mass. Though no one was ever convicted for the crime, investigations by the UN-created Truth Commission for El Salvador concluded that Major Roberto D'Aubuisson, a death squad leader and later founder of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) political party, had ordered the killing. Read more
15 Aug 1916: Aleks Çaçi, Albanian journalist and author (died 1989) Aleks Çaçi was an Albanian author of the socialist realism period. Read more
15 Aug 1915: Signe Hasso, Swedish-American actress (died 2002) Signe Eleonora Cecilia Hasso was a Swedish actress. Read more
15 Aug 1914: Paul Rand, American graphic designer and art director (died 1996) Paul Rand was an American art director and graphic designer. He is known for his corporate logo designs, including logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT. He developed an American Modernist style from European influences and was one of the first American commercial artists to embrace and practice the Swiss Style of graphic design. Rand was a professor emeritus of graphic design at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he taught from 1956 to 1969, and from 1974 to 1985. He was inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 1972. Read more
15 Aug 1912: Julia Child, American chef and author (died 2004) Julia Carolyn Child was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963. Read more
15 Aug 1912: Wendy Hiller, English actress (died 2003) Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation Rating the Movie Stars, described her as "a no-nonsense actress who literally took command of the screen whenever she appeared on film". Despite many notable film performances, Hiller chose to remain primarily a stage actress. Read more
15 Aug 1909: Hugo Winterhalter, American composer and bandleader (died 1973) Hugo Winterhalter was an American easy listening arranger and composer, best known for his many arrangements and recordings for RCA Victor. Read more
15 Aug 1904: George Klein, Canadian inventor, invented the motorized wheelchair (died 1992) George Johann Klein, was a Canadian inventor who is widely regarded as the most productive inventor in Canada in the 20th century. Although he struggled as a high school student, he eventually graduated from the University of Toronto in Mechanical Engineering. His inventions include key contributions to the first electric wheelchairs for quadriplegics, a novel microsurgical suturing device, the ZEEP nuclear reactor which was the precursor to the CANDU reactor, the international system for classifying ground-cover snow, aircraft skis, the Weasel all-terrain vehicle, the STEM antenna for the space program, and the Canadarm. Read more
15 Aug 1902: Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (died 1943) Jan Remco Theodoor Campert was a Dutch journalist, theater critic and writer who lived in Amsterdam. During the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II Campert was arrested for aiding Jews. He was held in the Neuengamme concentration camp, where he died. Read more
15 Aug 1901: Arnulfo Arias Madrid, Panamanian politician, 21st President of Panamá (died 1988) Arnulfo Arias Madrid was a Panamanian politician, medical doctor, and writer who served as the President of Panama from 1940 to 1941, again from 1949 to 1951, and finally for 11 days in October 1968. Read more
15 Aug 1901: Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (died 1975) Pyotr Sergeyevich Novikov was a Soviet mathematician known for his work in group theory. His son, Sergei Novikov, was also a mathematician. Read more
15 Aug 1900: Estelle Brody, American silent film actress (died 1995) Estelle Brody was an American actress who became one of the biggest female stars of British silent film in the latter half of the 1920s. Her career was then derailed by a series of ill-advised decisions and she disappeared from sight for many years before re-emerging between the late 1940s and the 1960s in smaller supporting film and television roles. Read more
15 Aug 1900: Jack Tworkov, Polish-American painter and educator (died 1982) Jack Tworkov was an American abstract expressionist painter. Read more
15 Aug 1898: Jan Brzechwa, Polish author and poet (died 1966) Jan Wiktor Brzechwa was a Polish poet, author and lawyer, known mostly for his contribution to children's literature. Read more
15 Aug 1896: Gerty Cori, Czech-American biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1957) Gerty Theresa Cori was a Czech and American biochemist who in 1947 was the third woman to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for her role in the "discovery of the course of the catalytic conversion of glycogen". Read more
15 Aug 1896: Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (died 1985) Catherine de Hueck Doherty was a Russian-born Catholic activist who founded the Madonna House Apostolate in 1947. She was a pioneer in the struggle for interracial justice, spiritual writer, lecturer, and spiritual mother to priests and laity. Read more
15 Aug 1896: Paul Outerbridge, American photographer and educator (died 1958) Paul Outerbridge, Jr. was an American photographer known for pioneering the carbon-transfer printing process in color photography. His work included still lives, fashion photography, advertising, and provocative female nudes. Read more
15 Aug 1893: Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and academic (died 1950) Leslie John Comrie FRS was an astronomer and a pioneer in mechanical computation. Read more
15 Aug 1892: Louis de Broglie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1987) Louis Victor Pierre Raymond, 7th Duc de Broglie was a French theoretical physicist and aristocrat known for his contributions to quantum theory. In his 1924 Ph.D. thesis, he postulated the wave nature of electrons and suggested that all matter has wave properties. This concept is known as the de Broglie hypothesis, an example of wave–particle duality, and forms a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics. In 1929, de Broglie won the Nobel Prize in Physics, after the wave-like behaviour of matter was experimentally confirmed in 1927. This confirmation earned George Paget Thomson and Clinton Davisson the Nobel in 1937. Read more
15 Aug 1892: Abraham Wachner, New Zealand politician, 35th Mayor of Invercargill (died 1950) Abraham (Abie) Wachner was the 35th Mayor of Invercargill from 1942 to 1950. He was awarded the OBE in 1946. Read more
15 Aug 1890: Jacques Ibert, French composer and educator (died 1962) Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert was a French composer of classical music. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won its top prize, the Prix de Rome at his first attempt, despite studies interrupted by his service in World War I. Read more
15 Aug 1886: Bill Whitty, Australian cricketer (died 1974) William James Whitty was an Australian cricketer who played 14 Test matches between 1909 and 1912. Read more
15 Aug 1885: Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (died 1968) Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat, Cimarron, Giant and Ice Palace (1958), which also received a film adaptation in 1960. She helped adapt her short story "Old Man Minick", published in 1922, into a play (Minick) and it was thrice adapted to film, in 1925 as the silent film Welcome Home, in 1932 as The Expert, and in 1939 as No Place to Go. Read more
15 Aug 1883: Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect (died 1962) Ivan Meštrović was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavao Bilinić's Stone Workshop in Split and at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, where he was formed under the influence of the Secession. He traveled throughout Europe and studied the works of ancient and Renaissance masters, especially Michelangelo, and French sculptors Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Aristide Maillol. He was the initiator of the national-romantic group Medulić. During the First World War, he lived in emigration. After the war, he returned to Croatia and began a long and fruitful period of sculpture and pedagogical work. In 1942 he emigrated to Italy, in 1943 to Switzerland and in 1947 to the United States. He was a professor of sculpture at Syracuse University and from 1955 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Read more
15 Aug 1882: Marion Bauer, American composer and critic (died 1955) Marion Eugénie Bauer was an American composer, teacher, writer, and music critic. She played an active role in shaping American musical identity in the early half of the twentieth century. Read more
15 Aug 1882: Gisela Richter, English archaeologist and art historian (died 1972) Gisela Marie Augusta Richter was a British-American classical archaeologist and art historian. She was a prominent figure and an authority in her field. Read more
15 Aug 1881: Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist and politician (died 1956) Alfred Wagenknecht was an American Marxist activist and political functionary. He is best remembered for having played a critical role in the establishment of the Communist Party USA in 1919 as a leader of the Left Wing Section of the Socialist Party. Wagenknecht served as executive secretary of the Communist Labor Party of America and the United Communist Party of America in 1919 and 1920, respectively. Read more
15 Aug 1879: Ethel Barrymore, American actress (died 1959) Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore-Drew family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarded as "The First Lady of the American Theatre". She received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, winning for None but the Lonely Heart (1944). Read more
15 Aug 1877: Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22nd Yokozuna (died 1941) Tachiyama Mineemon was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. He was the sport's 22nd yokozuna. He was well known for his extreme strength and skill. He won 99 out of 100 matches from 1909 to 1916, and also won eleven top division tournament championships. Read more
15 Aug 1876: Stylianos Gonatas, Greek colonel and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Greece (died 1966) Stylianos Gonatas was an officer of the Hellenic Army, Venizelist politician, and Prime Minister of Greece from 1922 to 1924. Read more
15 Aug 1875: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English pianist, violinist, and composer (died 1912) Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a British composer and conductor. He was particularly known for his three cantatas on the epic 1855 poem The Song of Hiawatha by American Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Coleridge-Taylor premiered the first section in 1898, when he was 23. Of mixed-race descent, Coleridge-Taylor achieved such success that he was referred to by white musicians in New York City as the "African Mahler" when he had three tours of the United States in the early 1900s. He married an Englishwoman, Jessie Walmisley, and both their children had musical careers. Their son, Hiawatha, adapted his father's music for a variety of performances. Their daughter, Avril Coleridge-Taylor, became a composer and conductor. Read more
15 Aug 1873: Ramaprasad Chanda, Indian archaeologist and historian (died 1942) Ramaprasad Chanda was an Indian anthropologist, historian and archaeologist from Bengal. A pioneer in his field in South Asia, Chanda's lasting legacy is the Varendra Research Museum, he established in Rajshahi, a leading institute for research on the history of Bengal. He was the first head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Calcutta from 1920- 1921. He was also a professional archaeologist and worked in the Archaeological Survey of India. Chanda was one of the founders the Indian Anthropological Institute and was its president during 1938–1942. He represented India in the first International Congress of Anthropology held in London in 1934. He had done original research on the somatic characters of Indian populations by using ancient Indian literature and challenged Herbert Hope Risley's theory of Indian races.
Riley was the first Census Commissioner of India. Read more
15 Aug 1872: Sri Aurobindo, Indian guru, poet, and philosopher (died 1950) Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher, yogi and nationalist, who is noted for his participation in the movement for India's independence from British rule, he advocated for complete autonomy through his writings and political activity. Following his imprisonment and acquittal, he withdrew to Pondicherry to devote himself to spiritual practice, eventually formulating the path of Integral Yoga. His extensive literary output includes the treatises The Life Divine and The Synthesis of Yoga and the epic poem Savitri. Read more
15 Aug 1866: Italo Santelli, Italian fencer (died 1945) Italo Santelli was an Italian fencer who is considered to be the "father of modern sabre fencing". Read more
15 Aug 1865: Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader, founded Reiki (died 1926) Mikao Usui was the father of a form of energy medicine and spiritual practice known as Reiki, used as an alternative therapy for the treatment of physical, emotional, and mental diseases. According to the inscription on his memorial stone, Usui taught Reiki to over 2,000 people during his lifetime. Eleven of these students continued their training to reach the Shinpiden level, a level equivalent to the Western third degree, or Master level. Read more
15 Aug 1863: Aleksey Krylov, Russian mathematician and engineer (died 1945) Aleksey Nikolaevich Krylov was a Russian naval engineer, applied mathematician and memoirist. Read more
15 Aug 1860: Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (died 1924) Florence Mabel Harding was First Lady of the United States from 1921 until the death of her second husband, President Warren G. Harding, in 1923. She had initially studied to be a concert pianist before eloping with her first husband Henry DeWolfe in 1880, and having a son with him named Marshall Eugene DeWolfe. The couple divorced in 1886, and Florence remarried to Warren G. Harding in 1891, and began working with him in running The Marion Star. They remained married until his death in 1923, despite his frequent infidelity leading Florence to consider divorce more than once. Read more
15 Aug 1859: Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (died 1931) Charles Albert Comiskey, nicknamed "Commy" or "the Old Roman", was an American professional baseball first baseman, manager, and team owner. He played 13 seasons in the American Association (AA) for the St. Louis Brown Stockings / Browns, the Players' League (PL) for the Chicago Pirates, and the National League (NL) for the Cincinnati Reds. He was a key figure in the formation of the American League and was also the founding owner of the Chicago White Sox. Comiskey Park, the White Sox's storied baseball stadium, was built under his guidance and named for him. Read more
15 Aug 1858: E. Nesbit, English author and poet (died 1924) Edith Nesbit was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children and others as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist and co-founder of the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. Read more
15 Aug 1857: Albert Ballin, German businessman (died 1918) Albert Ballin was a German shipping magnate. He was the general director of the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) or Hamburg-America Line, which for a time was the world's largest shipping company. Being the inventor of the concept of the cruise ship, he is known as the father of modern cruise ship travel. Albert Ballin was a risk-taker who was willing to challenge his colleagues, foreign competitors, and domestic politics in order to build a successful shipping company. He focused on British rivals and was determined to expand HAPAG's global reach, he also worked closely with the Kaiser and supported expansion of the German navy. Read more
15 Aug 1856: Keir Hardie, Scottish politician and trade unionist (died 1915) James Keir Hardie was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party, and was its first parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. Read more
15 Aug 1845: Walter Crane, English artist and book illustrator (died 1915) Walter Crane was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered to be the most influential, and among the most prolific, children's book creators of his generation and, along with Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway, one of the strongest contributors to the child's nursery motif that the genre of English children's illustrated literature would exhibit in its developmental stages in the later 19th century. Read more
15 Aug 1844: Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (died 1908) Thomas-Alfred Bernier was a Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician. Read more
15 Aug 1839: Antonín Petrof, Czech piano maker (died 1915) Antonín Petrof was a Czech entrepreneur and piano maker. Read more
15 Aug 1824: John Chisum, American businessman (died 1884) John Simpson Chisum was a wealthy cattle baron on the frontier in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. As a rancher, he established large herds throughout the New Mexico territory, becoming known as the "Cattle King of the Pecos"; though his business ventures embroiled him in various conflicts, such as the Pecos War and the Lincoln County War. He is remembered as one of the most influential American cattlemen, and his name and life were remembered through memorials, books, films and shows. Read more
15 Aug 1810: Louise Colet, French poet (died 1876) Louise Colet, born Louise Revoil de Servannes, was a French poet and writer. Read more
15 Aug 1807: Jules Grévy, French lawyer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (died 1891) François Judith Paul Grévy, known as Jules Grévy, was a French lawyer and politician who served as President of France from 1879 to 1887. He was a leader of the Moderate Republicans, and given that his predecessors were monarchists who tried without success to restore the French monarchy, Grévy is considered the first real republican president of France. During Grévy's presidency from 1879 to 1887, according to David Bell, there was a disunity among his cabinets. Only one survived more than a year. Grévy paid attention chiefly to defense, internal order, and foreign relations. Critics argue that Grévy's confusing approach to appointments set a bad precedent for handling crises. Read more

Notable Deaths on 15 August

15 Aug 2024: Peter Marshall, American game show host, performer, and singer (born 1926) Ralph Pierre LaCock, better known by his stage name Peter Marshall, was an American game show host, television and radio personality, singer, and actor. He was the original host of The Hollywood Squares from 1966 to 1981 and had almost fifty television, movie, and Broadway credits. Read more
15 Aug 2021: Gerd Müller, German footballer (born 1945) Gerhard Müller was a German professional footballer. A prolific striker, especially in and around the six-yard box, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers and players in the history of the sport. With success at both the club level and the international level, he is one of eleven players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Read more
15 Aug 2020: Robert Trump, American real-estate developer, business executive (born 1948) Robert Stewart Trump was an American businessman and investor. He was the younger brother of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, and a loyal supporter of Donald's political career. Read more
15 Aug 2017: Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-American architect (born 1925) Gunnar Birkerts was a Latvian American architect who, for the most of his career, was based in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan. Read more
15 Aug 2015: Julian Bond, American academic, leader of the civil rights movement, and politician (born 1940) Horace Julian Bond was an American social activist, leader of the civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the early 1960s, he helped establish the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). In 1971, he co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, and served as its first president for nearly a decade. Read more
15 Aug 2015: Hamid Gul, Pakistani general (born 1936) Hamid Gul was a Pakistani military officer and defence analyst. A three-star general, Gul was notable for serving as the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, between 1987 and 1989. During his tenure, Gul played an instrumental role in directing ISI support to the Afghan mujahideen against Soviet forces in return for funds and weapons from the US, during the Soviet–Afghan War, in co-operation with the CIA. Read more
15 Aug 2014: Licia Albanese, Italian-American soprano and actress (born 1909) Licia Albanese was an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera from 1940 to 1966. She also made many recordings and was chairwoman of The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, which is dedicated to assisting young artists and singers. Read more
15 Aug 2013: Rosalía Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (born 1944) Rosalía Mera Goyenechea was a Spanish businesswoman and fashion designer. At the time of her death, she was the richest woman in Spain and the world's richest self-made woman according to Forbes. She was ranked #66 among the world's most powerful women by Forbes in 2013. In 1975, she co-founded the Zara retail chain with her then-husband Amancio Ortega Gaona. The company grew to become the world's largest fashion retailer. Read more
15 Aug 2013: Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (born 1930) Sławomir Tangolo Mrożek was a Polish playwright. Read more
15 Aug 2013: Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Nepali politician, 28th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1942) Marich Man Singh Shrestha was a Nepali politician and former Prime Minister of Nepal. He was born in 1942 in Khalanga Bazar, Salyan, Nepal. He served as the Prime Minister of Nepal from 15 June 1986 to 6 April 1990, and is remembered as the last Prime Minister of the Panchayat period and the Prime Minister during the 1989 Indian economic blockade on Nepal. Prior to that, he was the speaker of the Rastriya Panchayat from 1981 to 1985. He is one of the only two non-Khas Prime Ministers of Nepal, both the exceptions having been Newar Shresthas. He is the first Newar to have assumed the full title of the Prime Minister of Nepal, second if Gehendra Bahadur Rajbhandari, who was acknowledged as an Acting Prime Minister, is counted. Read more
15 Aug 2013: August Schellenberg, Canadian actor (born 1936) August Werner Schellenberg was a Canadian actor. He played Randolph in the first three installments of the Free Willy film series (1993–1997) as well as characters in Black Robe (1991), The New World (2005), and dozens of other films and television shows. Read more
15 Aug 2012: Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (born 1956) Robert Wayne Birch was an American musician, best known as the bass player for Elton John. Read more
15 Aug 2012: Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian flute player and composer (born 1924) Altamiro Carrilho was a Brazilian musician and composer. He is widely regarded as a master flutist and a major representative of the choro genre. Read more
15 Aug 2012: Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (born 1925) Harry Max Harrison was an American science fiction author, known mostly for his character The Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Long resident in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, Harrison was involved in the foundation of the Irish Science Fiction Association, and was, with Brian Aldiss, co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group. Read more
15 Aug 2011: Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1984) Richard Joseph Rypien was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was a forward for parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks from 2005 to 2011. After a major junior career of four years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he was signed to a professional contract by the minor league Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2005. The following season, he signed with the Canucks. He spent six years with the organization, splitting time between the Canucks and Moose, their AHL affiliate. A fourth-line player in the NHL, he was known for his hitting and fighting abilities, though his size was not typical of an enforcer. Read more
15 Aug 2009: Mary Catherine Lamb, American textile artist (born 1949) Mary Catherine Lamb was an American textile artist, whose quilts reframed traditional Roman Catholic iconography. Recycling vintage textiles popular during the mid-20th century, she both honored and affectionately skewered her Catholic upbringing. Read more
15 Aug 2008: Vic Toweel, South African-Australian boxer (born 1929) Victor "Vic" Anthony Toweel was a South African boxer and former Undisputed World Bantamweight Champion. He was the first South African to hold a world title. Read more
15 Aug 2008: Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (born 1917) Gerald Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integral in signing and/or producing many of the biggest acts of the time, including Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, Chris Connor, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Wilson Pickett, Dire Straits, Dusty Springfield and Bob Dylan. Wexler was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and in 2017 to the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Read more
15 Aug 2007: Richard Bradshaw, English conductor and director (born 1944) Richard James Bradshaw was a British opera conductor and the General Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in Toronto. Read more
15 Aug 2007: John Gofman, American biologist, chemist, and physicist (born 1918) John William Gofman was an American scientist and advocate. He was professor emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley. Read more
15 Aug 2007: Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand physician (born 1908) Geoffrey Buckland Orbell was a New Zealand doctor and keen hunter and tramper who was responsible for the rediscovery of the takahē in 1948. Read more
15 Aug 2007: Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (born 1925) Samuel Patterson Smyth Pollock, was a Canadian sports executive who was general manager of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens for 14 years during which they won nine Stanley Cups. Pollock also was chairman and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club. Read more
15 Aug 2006: Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand Māori queen (born 1931) Dame Te Atairangikaahu reigned as Māori Queen from 1966 until her death in 2006. Her reign was the longest of any Māori monarch. Read more
15 Aug 2006: Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (born 1955) Richard (Rick) Bourke was an Australian rugby league footballer. He played for Cronulla-Sutherland and South Sydney in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) competition. Read more
15 Aug 2006: Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer and manager (born 1923) Servaas "Faas" Wilkes was a Dutch football forward, who earned a total of 38 caps for the Netherlands national team, in which he scored 35 goals. However, for a prolonged period of his career, June 1949 through till March 1955, he was banned from the national team since the KNVB did not allow professional players to participate. He also played for the Netherlands at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Read more
15 Aug 2005: Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist and academic (born 1927) Dr. Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana was an Indian dermatologist who was known as 'the doyen of dermatology' in Andhra Pradesh, India. Read more
15 Aug 2004: Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916) Karl Sune Detlof Bergström was a Swedish biochemist. In 1975, he was appointed to the Nobel Foundation Board of Directors in Sweden, and was awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University, together with Bengt I. Samuelsson.
He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Bengt I. Samuelsson and John R. Vane in 1982, for discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related substances. Read more
15 Aug 2004: Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (born 1941) Amarsinh Bhilabhai Chaudhary was an Indian politician. He became the first adivasi to serve as the Chief Minister of Gujarat when he took office in 1985. Read more
15 Aug 2001: Yavuz Çetin, Turkish singer-songwriter (born 1970) Yavuz Hilmi Çetin was a Turkish musician, singer, and songwriter in the blues and psychedelic music genres. He gained renown in his native country for the skill and sensitivity of his guitar performances. Following his suicide at the age of 30, before the release of his highly praised album, Satılık [For Sale], Çetin achieved a near-iconic posthumous status as a talent lost on the brink of great achievement. Also, he is one of the most known Anatolian blues singers. Read more
15 Aug 2001: Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (born 1972) Richard Chelimo was a Kenyan long-distance runner, and a world record holder over 10,000 metres. However, he is best known as the silver medallist in the controversial 10,000m at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He was also a world junior record holder in the 10,000m. Read more
15 Aug 2001: Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (born 1919) Kateryna Lohvynivna Yushchenko was a Ukrainian computer and information research scientist, corresponding member of USSR Academy of Sciences (1976), and member of The International Academy of Computer Science. She developed one of the world's first high-level languages with indirect address in programming, called the Address programming language. Over the period of her academic career, Yushchenko supervised 47 Ph.D. students. Further professional achievements include Yushchenko being awarded two USSR State Prizes, The USSR Council of Ministers Prize, The Academician Glushkov Prize, and The Order of Princess Olga. Yushchenko was the first woman in the USSR to become a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in programming. Read more
15 Aug 2000: Lancelot Ware, English barrister and biochemist, co-founder of Mensa (born 1915) Lancelot Lionel Ware OBE was an English barrister and biochemist. He co-founded Mensa, the international society for intellectually gifted people, with the Australian barrister Roland Berrill in 1946. It was originally called the "High IQ Club". Read more
15 Aug 1999: Hugh Casson, English architect and interior designer (born 1910) Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson was a British architect, also active as an interior designer, an artist, and a writer and broadcaster on twentieth-century design. He was the director of architecture for the 1951 Festival of Britain. From 1976 to 1984, he was president of the Royal Academy. Read more
15 Aug 1997: Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet and educator (born 1905) Ida Gerhardt was a classicist and Dutch poet of a post-symbolist tradition. Read more
15 Aug 1995: John Cameron Swayze, American journalist and actor (born 1906) John Cameron Swayze was an American anchorman, news commentator, and game show panelist during the 1940s and 1950s. He later became best known as a product spokesman. Read more
15 Aug 1994: Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (born 1929) Wouter "Wout" Wagtmans was a Dutch road bicycle racer. Read more
15 Aug 1992: Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (born 1947) Linda Jane Laubenstein was an American physician and early HIV/AIDS researcher. She was among the first doctors in the United States to recognize the AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s; she co-authored the first article linking AIDS with Kaposi's sarcoma. Read more
15 Aug 1990: Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician and actor (born 1962) Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was a Soviet singer-songwriter and actor who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and influential bands in the history of Russian music. Read more
15 Aug 1989: Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (born 1904) General Minoru Genda was an Imperial Japanese Navy flight officer, JASDF general and politician. He is best known for helping to plan the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war he became the third Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Read more
15 Aug 1989: Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general and diplomat (born 1897) Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos was a distinguished Hellenic Army Lieutenant General who served in World War I, the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–1922, World War II and the Greek Civil War, rising to become Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff. He also served as Greece's Ambassador to Yugoslavia. Read more
15 Aug 1982: Ernie Bushmiller, American cartoonist (born 1905) Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the comic strip character Nancy in 1933, now in print for over 90 years. His work is noted for its simple graphic style. In 1976, he received the Reuben Award from the National Cartoonists Society for his work on Nancy. Read more
15 Aug 1982: Jock Taylor, Scottish motorcycle sidecar racer (born 1954) John Robert "Jock" Taylor was a Scottish World Champion motorcycle sidecar racer. Read more
15 Aug 1982: Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1903) Axel Hugo Theodor Theorell was a Swedish scientist and Nobel Prize laureate in medicine. Read more
15 Aug 1981: Carol Ryrie Brink, American author (born 1895) Carol Ryrie Brink was an American writer of over thirty juvenile and adult books. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal and a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958. Read more
15 Aug 1981: Jørgen Løvset, Norwegian gynaecologist and academic (born 1896) Jørgen Løvset was a Norwegian professor of medicine, gynecology and obstetrics. He was the son of a farmer Arnt Løvset (1873–1938) and Helle Hove (1870–1911), married Selma Margaret Nilsen (1894–1986) in 1924, divorced 1950, and married again in 1951 with the nurse Aslaug Tordis Gil (1921–1976). Read more
15 Aug 1977: Raymond A. Palmer, American author and magazine editor (born 1910) Raymond Alfred Palmer was an American author and magazine editor. Influential in the first wave of science fiction fandom, his first fiction stories were published in 1935. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (born 1920) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman, activist, and diarist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangladesh, he led the country as its president and prime minister from 1972 until his assassination in a coup d'état in 1975. Read more
15 Aug 1975: Harun Karadeniz, Turkish political activist and author (born 1942) Harun Karadeniz was a Turkish political activist and author. He was the student leader of the late 1960s generation in Turkey and the chair of the Student Union of Istanbul Technical University. Together with other prominent student leaders such as Deniz Gezmiş, he was one of the student leaders who organized the famous 1968 protest against the American Navy's Sixth Fleet arriving at the Port of Istanbul, although he was initially against protesting at the docks themselves. Read more
15 Aug 1974: Clay Shaw, American businessman (born 1913) Clay LaVergne Shaw was an American businessman, military officer, and part-time contact of the Domestic Contact Service (DCS) of the CIA. Shaw is best known for being the only person brought to trial for involvement in the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, due to an investigation led by Jim Garrison, the District Attorney of New Orleans. The jury ultimately acquitted Shaw after less than an hour's deliberation in 1969, though some conspiracy theorists continue to speculate on his possible involvement. Read more
15 Aug 1971: Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor (born 1894) Paul Lukas was a Hungarian actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, as well as a Photoplay Award and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his performance in the film Watch on the Rhine (1943), reprising the role he created on the Broadway stage. Read more
15 Aug 1967: René Magritte, Belgian painter (born 1898) René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and boundaries of reality and representation. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art. Read more
15 Aug 1962: Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (born 1940) Lei Feng, born Lei Zhengxing, was a Chinese soldier in the People's Liberation Army who was the object of several major propaganda campaigns in China. The most well-known of these campaigns in 1963 promoted the slogan "Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng." Lei was portrayed as a model citizen, and the masses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao Zedong. In the following years, Lei Feng was portrayed as a symbol and model of party revolution by both the Chinese Communist Party and Government of China. For decades, he promoted the "Learn from Lei Feng as a Model" in the media. Political ideology closely follows the Chinese Communist Party, actively helping others in work and daily life, practicing frugality and thrift, and upholding the socialist spirit of "one for all, all for one" which is known as the Lei Feng spirit. After Mao's death, Chinese state media continued to promote Lei Feng as a model of earnestness and service, and his image still appears in popular forms such as on T-shirts and memorabilia. Read more
15 Aug 1953: Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist and engineer (born 1875) Ludwig Prandtl was a German fluid dynamicist, physicist and aerospace scientist. He was a pioneer in the development of rigorous systematic mathematical analyses which he used for underlying the science of aerodynamics, which have come to form the basis of the applied science of aeronautical engineering. In the 1920s, he developed the mathematical basis for the fundamental principles of subsonic aerodynamics in particular; and in general up to and including transonic velocities. His studies identified the boundary layer, thin-airfoils, and lifting-line theories. The Prandtl number was named after him. Read more
15 Aug 1951: Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist and composer (born 1882) Artur Schnabel was an Austrian-born classical pianist, composer and pedagogue. Schnabel was known for his intellectual seriousness as a musician, avoiding pure technical bravura. Among the 20th century's most respected and important pianists, his playing displayed marked vitality, profundity and spirituality in the Austro-German classics, particularly the works of Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart. Read more
15 Aug 1945: Korechika Anami, Japanese general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of the Army (born 1887) Korechika Anami was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II who was War Minister during the surrender of Japan. Read more
15 Aug 1945: Fred Hockley, English lieutenant and pilot (born 1923) Sub-Lieutenant Frederick (Fred) Hockley RNVR (1923–1945) was an English Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot who was shot down over Japan while taking part in the last combat mission flown by British aircraft in the Second World War. Read more
15 Aug 1942: Mahadev Desai, Indian activist and author (born 1892) Mahadev Haribhai Desai was an Indian independence activist, scholar and writer best remembered as Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary. He has variously been described as "Gandhi's Boswell, a Plato to Gandhi's Socrates, as well as an Ānanda to Gandhi's Buddha". Read more
15 Aug 1936: Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1871) Grazia Maria Cosima Damiana Deledda was an Italian writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 "for her idealistically inspired writings which with plastic clarity picture the life on her native island [i.e. Sardinia] and with depth and sympathy deal with human problems in general". She was the first Italian woman to receive the prize, and only the second woman in general after Selma Lagerlöf was awarded hers in 1909. Read more
15 Aug 1935: Wiley Post, American pilot (born 1898) Wiley Hardeman Post was an American aviator during the interwar period and the first pilot to fly solo around the world. Known for his work in high-altitude flying, he helped develop one of the first pressure suits and discovered the jet stream. On August 15, 1935, he and American humorist Will Rogers were killed when his aircraft crashed on takeoff from a lagoon near Point Barrow in the Territory of Alaska. Read more
15 Aug 1935: Will Rogers, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (born 1879) William Penn Adair Rogers was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory, now part of Oklahoma, and is known as "Oklahoma's Favorite Son". As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 films, and wrote more than 4,000 nationally syndicated newspaper columns. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was hugely popular in the United States for his leading political wit and was one of the higher paid Hollywood film stars. He died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post when their small airplane crashed on takeoff from a lagoon near Utqiaġvik, Alaska, in northern Alaska. Read more
15 Aug 1935: Paul Signac, French painter and author (born 1863) Paul Victor Jules Signac was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, with Georges Seurat, helped develop the artistic technique Pointillism. Read more
15 Aug 1928: Anatole von Hügel, Italian ethnologist and academic, co-founded St Edmund's College, Cambridge (born 1854) Anatole von Hügel was a son of an Austrian nobleman who lived in England and was curator of the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology, 1883 – 1921. Read more
15 Aug 1925: Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter and educator (born 1878) Konrad Vilhelm Mägi was an Estonian painter, who was one of the first modernist painters in Estonia and the Nordic countries. He only worked for sixteen years, yet the total volume of his oeuvre is estimated to be around 400 paintings. Read more
15 Aug 1917: Thomas J. Higgins, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1831) Thomas J. Higgins was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War who was a recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Vicksburg. Read more
15 Aug 1909: Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian sociologist and journalist (born 1866) Euclides da Cunha was a Brazilian journalist, sociologist and engineer. His most important work is Os Sertões, a non-fictional account of the military expeditions promoted by the Brazilian government against the rebellious village of Canudos, known as the War of Canudos. Read more
15 Aug 1907: Joseph Joachim, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (born 1831) Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished violinists of the 19th century. Read more
15 Aug 1859: Nathaniel Claiborne, American farmer and politician (born 1777) Nathaniel Herbert Claiborne was a nineteenth-century Virginia lawyer and planter, as well as an American politician who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly and in the United States House of Representatives (1825-1837). Read more
15 Aug 1852: Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist (born 1760) Johan Gadolin was a Finnish chemist, physicist and mineralogist. Gadolin discovered a "new earth" containing the first rare-earth compound yttrium, which was later determined to be a chemical element. He is also considered the founder of Finnish chemistry research, as the second holder of the Chair of Chemistry at the Royal Academy of Turku. Gadolin was ennobled for his achievements and awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir and the Order of Saint Anna. Read more
15 Aug 1844: José María Coppinger, governor of Spanish East Florida (born 1733) José María Coppinger was a Spanish soldier who served in the infantry of the Royal Spanish Army (Ejército de Tierra) and governed East Florida (1816–1821) and several areas in Cuba including Pinar Del Río, Bayamo, the Cuatro Villas and Trinidad at various times between 1801 and 1834. He was also a member of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Ferdinand and San Hermenegildo. Read more

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