Did you know
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.
Notable Deaths on August 15
1935 — Will Rogers
American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (born 1879)
August 15 has 109 recorded notable deaths across history, from 398 to 2024. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
109 source records
398 – 2024
Today in history
Major events on August 15
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 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. Source
- 2025 US president Donald Trump meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the first such summit since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Source
- 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. Source
- 2013 The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years. Source
Did you know
Alexios I Komnenos's appeals to Western Europe for help against the Seljuk Turks were the catalyst that sparked the First Crusade.
Did you know
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038.
Did you know
Shaw is best known for being the only person brought to trial for involvement in the 1963 assassination of John F.
Did you know
Gerald Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s.
More major people who died on August 15
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1118
Alexios I Komnenos
Byzantine emperor (born 1048)
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurping the throne he was faced with a collapsing empire and constant warfare throughout his reign.
1038
Stephen I
Hungarian king (born 975)
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038.
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.
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.
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.
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.
465
Libius Severus
Roman emperor (born 420)
Libius Severus, sometimes enumerated as Severus III, was Western Roman emperor from November 19, 461, to his death on November 14, 465.
1953
Ludwig Prandtl
German physicist and engineer (born 1875)
Ludwig Prandtl was a German fluid dynamicist, physicist and aerospace scientist.
978
Li Yu
ruler ('king') of Southern Tang
Li Yu, before 961 known as Li Congjia (李從嘉), also known as Li Houzhu, was the third ruler of the Southern Tang state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
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.
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.
423
Honorius
Roman emperor (born 384)
Honorius was Roman emperor from 393 to 423. He was the younger son of emperor Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla.
778
Roland
Frankish military leader
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became an epic hero and one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France.
1728
Marin Marais
French viol player and composer (born 1656)
Marin Marais was a French composer and viol player of the middle Baroque era.
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.
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).
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…
873
Yi Zong
Chinese emperor (born 833)
Emperor Yizong of Tang, né Li Wen, later changed to Li Cui, was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Emperor Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuanzong.
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.