Did you know
Korea was under Japanese colonial rule for 35 years before gaining independence in 1945.
August 15 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
August 15 spans 103 recorded events across recorded history, from 636 to 2025. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
103 events
636 – 2025
Today in history
More major events on August 15
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 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
- 1948 The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula. Source
Did you know
The National Liberation Day of Korea is celebrated annually on 15 August in both North Korea and South Korea.
Did you know
The holiday commemorates the liberation of the Korean Peninsula by the Allies in 1945.
Did you know
The establishment of the South Korean government in 1948 also coincides with the anniversary of National Liberation Day.
Did you know
Liberation Day is the only political holiday that is celebrated in both North and South Korea, making it a unique shared observance.
636
Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins.
Series of wars between the 7th and 11th centuries
The Arab–Byzantine wars or Muslim–Byzantine wars were a series of wars from the 7th to 11th centuries between the successive Islamic caliphates and the Byzantine Empire.
717
Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which will last for nearly a year.
8th century Umayyad prince and military leader
Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik was an Umayyad prince and one of the most prominent Arab generals of the early decades of the 8th century, leading several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire and the Khazar Khaganate.
718
Arab–Byzantine wars: The Arabs abandond the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople due to failure to secure enough supplies, defeat of their relief army by the Byzantines and an outbreak of plague in the camp.
717–718 siege of the Byzantine capital
In 717–718, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was besieged by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate.
747
Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, renounces his position as majordomo and retires to a monastery near Rome.
His brother, Pepin the Short, becomes the sole ruler (de facto) of the Frankish Kingdom.
Year 747 (DCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.
778
The Battle of Roncevaux Pass takes place between the army of Charlemagne and a Basque army.
8th-century battle in France
The Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on the present border between France and Spain, after his…
805
Noble Erchana of Dahauua grants the Bavarian town of Dachau to the Diocese of Freising
State in Germany
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a landlocked state of Germany.
838
The Arabs under Caliph al-Mu'tasim storm and sack the city of Amorium, killing half the population and enslaving the other.
8th Abbasid caliph (r. 833–842)
Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd, better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh, was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling from 833 until his death in 842.
927
The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto.
Archaic term for Arabs and later for all Muslims
The term "Saracen" was commonly used in medieval Europe to refer to a person who lived in or near what the ancient Romans knew as Arabia Petraea and Arabia Deserta.
982
Holy Roman Emperor Otto II is defeated by the Saracens in the Battle of Capo Colonna, in Calabria.
Ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 800 to 1806
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period, was the ruler and head of state of the Holy…
1018
Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles blinds and captures Ibatzes of Bulgaria by a ruse, thereby ending Bulgarian resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.
Byzantine general and governor
Eustathios Daphnomeles was a Byzantine strategos and patrician who distinguished himself in the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria.
1038
King Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, dies; his nephew, Peter Orseolo, succeeds him.
King of Hungary from 1000/1001 to 1038; Catholic saint
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.
1057
King Macbeth of Scotland is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.
Scottish king from 1040 to 1057
Macbethad mac Findláech, nicknamed the Red King, was King of Scotland from 1040 until his death in 1057, during a period when the Scottish kingdom is referred to as the Kingdom of Alba.
1070
The Pavian-born Benedictine Lanfranc is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in England.
Comune in Lombardy, Italy
Pavia is a town and comune in south-western Lombardy, Northern Italy, 35 kilometres south of Milan on the lower Ticino near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of about 73,086.
1096
Starting date of the First Crusade as set by Pope Urban II.
1096–1099 Christian re-conquest of the Holy Land
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, which were initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages.
1136
Seljuk Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud enters Baghdad after he besieged it for fifty days and the flight of Abbasid caliph al-Rashid Billah the day before.
Seljuq Sultan (r. 1133–1152)
Ghiyath al-Dunya wa'l-Din Abu'l-Fath Mas'ud bin Muhammad was the Seljuq Sultan of Iraq and western Persia in 1133–1152.
1185
The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.
Cave monastery in southern Georgia
Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza.
1209
Albigensian Crusade: The Cathar stronghold of Carcassonne falls to the crusaders.
13th-century crusade against Catharism in southern France
The Albigensian Crusade, also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France.
1224
The Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a Catholic military order, occupy Tarbatu (today Tartu) as part of the Livonian Crusade.
Catholic military order (1204–1237)
The order of Livonian Brothers of the Sword or Sword Brethren, formally known as The Militia of Christ of Livonia was a Catholic military order of German crusading knights established in 1202 in Livonia by Albert, the…
1237
Spanish Reconquista: The Battle of the Puig between the Moorish forces of Taifa of Valencia against the Crown of Aragon culminates in an Aragonese victory.
Medieval Christian military campaigns
The Reconquista or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military campaigns by northern Iberian Christian polities against Muslim-ruled al-Andalus, which had previously been part of the Visigothic Kingdom before the…
1248
The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid.
(Construction is eventually completed in 1880.)
A cornerstone is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
1261
Michael VIII Palaiologos leads triumphal procession into Constantinople following its recapture and is crowned Byzantine emperor.
Byzantine emperor from 1261 to 1282
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus reigned as Byzantine emperor from 1261 until his death in 1282, and previously as the co-emperor of the Empire of Nicaea from 1259 to 1261.
1281
Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.
Late 13th-century failed invasion of Kyushu
Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom.
1310
The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St.
John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes.
Rhodes is the principal city and a former municipality on the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese, Greece.
1430
Francesco Sforza, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca.
Italian condottiero and Sforza dynasty founder (1401–1466)
Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiere who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death.
1461
The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II.
This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.
The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three Byzantine rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century.
1483
Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.
Head of the Catholic Church from 1471 to 1484
Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, Italian: Sisto IV; born Francesco della Rovere; was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484.
1511
Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Malacca Sultanate.
Portuguese general and conquistador (1453–1515)
Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa, was a Portuguese general, admiral, statesman, and conquistador.
1517
Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.
Water-borne conveyance
A watercraft or waterborne vessel is any vehicle designed for travel across or through water bodies, such as a boat, ship, hovercraft, submersible or submarine.
1519
Panama City, Panama is founded.
Capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama
Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama.
1534
Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.
Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian (1491–1556)
Ignatius of Loyola, venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish Basque Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and became its…
1537
Asunción, Paraguay is founded.
Capital and most populous city of Paraguay
Asunción is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city lies on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, immediately north northeast of the confluence where it is joined by the Pilcomayo River.
1540
Arequipa, Peru is founded.
City in Peru
Arequipa is a city in southern Peru and the capital of Arequipa Province and the Department of Arequipa. With a projected population of 1,195,700 in 2025, it is the country's second most populous city after Lima.
1549
Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: 22 July 1549).
Male religious congregation of the Catholic Church
The Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits, is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church.
1592
Imjin War: At the Battle of Hansan Island, the Korean Navy, led by Yi Sun-sin, Yi Ŏkki, and Wŏn Kyun, decisively defeats the Japanese Navy, led by Wakisaka Yasuharu.
1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea
The Imjin War was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596 between the conflicts, followed by a second invasion in 1597…
1599
Nine Years' War: Battle of Curlew Pass: Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.
1593–1603 Irish war against Tudor conquest
The Nine Years' War was a conflict in Ireland between a confederacy of Irish lords and the English-led government.
1645
A Royalist army under the Marquess of Montrose defeats a Covenanter army in the battle of Kilsyth.
Scottish nobleman and soldier (1612–1650)
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman, poet, soldier and later viceroy and captain general of Scotland.
1684
Emperor Leopold I and French king Louis XIV agree to an armistice in the truce of Ratisbon.
Holy Roman Emperor from 1658 to 1705
Leopold I was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia.
1695
French forces end the bombardment of Brussels.
1695 battle of the Nine Years' War
During the Nine Years' War, the French Royal Army carried out a bombardment of Brussels from August 13–15, 1695.
1760
Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz: Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst Gideon von Laudon.
Global war among European powers (1756–1763)
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a global war fought by numerous great powers, primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and the Indian subcontinent.
1814
War of 1812: British forces launch a costly and unsuccessful night attack against American defenders during the siege of Fort Erie.
1812–1815 conflict in North America
The War of 1812 was a conflict initiated by the United States against the United Kingdom and its allies fought mainly in North America and at sea during the wider Napoleonic Wars.
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.
French military officer and politician (1757–1834)
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, known in the United States as Lafayette, was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by General…
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.
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is the mother church and cathedral of the Diocese of Honolulu.
1843
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark
Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1863
The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).
1863 naval battle between Britain and the Satsuma Domain of Japan
The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the Anglo-Satsuma War , was a military engagement fought between Britain and the Satsuma Domain in Kagoshima from 15 to 17 August 1863.
1882
Start of the second part of the Montceau-les-Mines troubles by the Black Band, groups of anarchist miners.
1878–1885 conflict in Saône-et-Loire, France
The Montceau-les-Mines troubles are a series of social movements and events that took place in Montceau-les-Mines, France and, more broadly, in a large part of Saône-et-Loire, roughly between 1878 and 1885.
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.
Ibadan is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is one of the largest cities by population in Nigeria with a population of 4.3 million within its metropolitan area.
1899
Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, England is officially first opened.
Association football ground in Portsmouth, England
Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and is the home of Portsmouth Football Club. Constructed in 1899, it has been the only home ground in Portsmouth F.C.'s history.
1907
Ordination in Constantinople of Fr.
Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.
Robert Josias "Raphael" Morgan was a Jamaican-American who is believed to be the first Black Eastern Orthodox priest in the United States.
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.
Person who designs buildings and oversees construction
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings.
1914
The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon.
Shipping route across Central America
The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean.
1914
World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.
Global conflict from 1914 to 1918
World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers.
1914
World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I.
Battle fought between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in August 1914
The Battle of Cer was a military campaign fought between Austria-Hungary and Serbia in August 1914, starting three weeks into the Serbian Campaign of 1914, the initial military action of the First World War.
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.
German WWI plot to divert US phenol
The Great Phenol Plot was a clandestine effort by the German government during the early years of World War I to divert American-produced phenol from the manufacture of high explosives that supported the British war…
1920
Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula.
20th-century conflict between Poland and Russia
The Polish–Soviet War was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution.
1935
Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.
American humorist and entertainer (1879–1935)
William Penn Adair Rogers was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator.
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.
The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935.
1939
The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California.
1939 film based on the book by L. Frank Baum
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.
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.
Country in Southern Europe (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 18 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished, following civil discontent…
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.
German spy (1898–1941)
Josef Jakobs was a German spy and the last person to be executed at the Tower of London. He was captured shortly after parachuting into the United Kingdom during the Second World War.
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.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers.
1943
World War II: Battle of Trahili: Superior German forces surround Cretan partisans, who manage to escape against all odds.
1943 battle during the German occupation of Crete in World War II
The Battle of Trahili was fought on 15 August 1943 between Cretan partisans and German occupying forces during World War II.
1944
World War II: Operation Dragoon: Allied forces land in southern France.
1944 Allied invasion of Southern France
Operation Dragoon, known as Débarquement de Provence in French, was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence on 15 August 1944.
1947
India gains independence from British rule after near 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
Country in South Asia
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's seventh-largest country by area and the largest by population.
1947
Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi.
Founder and 1st Governor-General of Pakistan (1876–1948)
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a barrister, statesman, and the founder of Pakistan.
1948
The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula.
Government of South Korea from 1948 to 1960
The First Republic of Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, was the government of South Korea from August 1948 to June 1960.
1950
Measuring Mw 8.6, the largest earthquake on land occurs in the Assam-Tibet-Myanmar border, killing 4,800.
Scales to describe earthquake strength
Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake.
1952
A flash flood devastates the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people.
1952 natural disaster in the county of Devon, England
The Lynmouth Flood occurred on the night of 15–16 August 1952, principally affecting the village of Lynmouth, in North Devon.
1954
Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.
Dictator of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989
Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda was a Paraguayan politician, army general, and military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 1989.
1959
American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashes near the Calverton Executive Airpark in Calverton, New York, killing all five people on board.
1959 aviation accident on Long Island, New York
American Airlines Flight 514 was a training flight from Idlewild International Airport in Queens, New York, to the Grumman Aircraft Corporation airfield in Calverton, New York.
1960
Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.
Country in Central Africa
The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply Congo, is a country located on the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo River.
1961
Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.
East German soldier and defector (1942–1998)
Hans Conrad Schumann, also known as Konrad Schumann, was an East German Bereitschaftspolizist who escaped to West Germany during the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.
1962
James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Dresnok died in 2016.
James Joseph Dresnok was an American defector to North Korea, one of seven U.S. soldiers to defect after the Korean War.
1963
Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland.
Scottish convicted murderer; last person to be executed by hanging in Scotland (1963)
Henry John Burnett was the last man to be hanged in Scotland, and the first in Aberdeen since 1891. He was tried at the high court in Aberdeen from 23 to 25 July 1963 for the murder of merchant seaman Thomas Guyan.
1963
President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
1st President of Congo-Brazzaville from 1960 to 1963
Fulbert Youlou was a Congolese nationalist leader and former Catholic priest who became the first President of the Republic of the Congo upon its independence in 1960.
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.
English rock band (1960–1970)
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
1969
The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.
1969 music festival in Bethel, New York, US
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, 60 miles (95 km) southwest of the town of…
1970
Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game.
American football player
Patricia Palinkas was the first woman to have played American football professionally in a predominantly male league.
1971
President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.
President of the United States from 1969 to 1974
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974.
1971
Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom.
Country in West Asia
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in the eastern part of Arabian Peninsula in West Asia.
1973
Vietnam War: The US Air Force bombing of Cambodia ends.
1955–1975 war in Southeast Asia
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies.
1974
Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President Park Chung Hee.
First Lady of South Korea from 1962 to 1974
Yuk Young-soo was the wife of the 3rd South Korean president Park Chung Hee and the mother of the 11th South Korean president Park Geun-hye.
1975
Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.
People of Bangladesh
Bangladeshis are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.
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.
Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 to 1976
Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 to 1976.
1976
SAETA Flight 011 crashes into the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador, killing all 59 people on board; the wreckage is not discovered until 2002.
1976 fatal aviation accident in Ecuador
SAETA Flight 011 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by SAETA Air Ecuador between Quito and Cuenca, using a Vickers Viscount 785D aircraft.
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.
Kraus-type radio telescope in Ohio from 1963–98
The Ohio State University Radio Observatory was a Kraus-type radio telescope located on the grounds of the Perkins Observatory at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio from 1963 to 1998.
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.
Kurdish militant political organization
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla group primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and…
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.
1985 agreement between the Indian government and the Assam Movement
The Assam Accord was a Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) signed between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement.
1989
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 crashes after takeoff from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, killing 34 of the 40 people on board.
1989 aviation accident in China
China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 was a domestic flight from Shanghai to Nanchang, operated by an An-24.
1995
In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).
U.S. state
South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic and Deep South regions of the United States.
1995
Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan, releases the Murayama Statement, which formally expresses remorse for Japanese war crimes committed during World War II.
Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996
Tomiichi Murayama was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1994 to 1996.
1998
Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220 others injured.
Part of the United Kingdom
Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been variously described as a country, province or region.
1998
Apple introduces the iMac computer.
American multinational technology company
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley, and known for consumer electronics, software and online services.
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.
Commune and town in Béchar Province, Algeria
Béni Ounif is a town and commune in Béchar Province, Algeria, coextensive with the district of Béni Ounif.
2005
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins.
2005 Israeli government initiative
In 2005, Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip by dismantling all 21 Israeli settlements there.
2005
The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three decades of fighting.
1976–2005 Acehnese separatist group in northwest Sumatra, Indonesia
The Free Aceh Movement, known internationally as the Acheh-Sumatra National Liberation Front (ASNLF), was a separatist group seeking independence for the province of Aceh of Sumatra, Indonesia.
2007
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.
Extreme earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Peru
The 2007 Peru earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale, hit the central coast of Peru on August 15 at 23:40:57 UTC and lasted two minutes.
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.
On 15 August 2013, a car bomb exploded in Beirut, Lebanon killing 27 people and injuring over 200 people. The car bomb was intended for the stronghold of Hezbollah.
2013
The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years.
US group of museums and research centers
The Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums, education and research centers, created by the United States federal government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge".
2015
North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 81⁄2 hours ahead of UTC.
Country in East Asia
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia.
2020
Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
Russian vaccine against COVID-19
Sputnik V or Gam-COVID-Vac is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia.
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.
Capital and the largest city of Afghanistan
Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is within the jurisdiction of Kabul District and has an estimated population of 5,333,284 people.
2025
US president Donald Trump meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the first such summit since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.