# On this day: August 15

August 15 is the 227th day of the year (228th in leap years), with 138 days left until the end of the year.

## August 15 in one line

Headline entries for August 15, from Wikipedia: in 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru took office as the first prime minister of India, a post he held for 16 years; born 1769: Napoleon Bonaparte, French general and emperor (died 1821); died 1936: Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1871). In 2026 it is a Saturday, in 2027 a Sunday.

## Events on August 15

- 636 Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between the Byzantine Empire and the Rashidun Caliphate begins. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Yarmuk)
- 718 Forces of the Umayyad Caliphate abandoned a year-long siege of Constantinople, ending their goal of conquering the Byzantine Empire. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(717%E2%80%93718))
- 1018 Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles captured and blinded Ibatzes of Bulgaria by means of a ruse, ending the last resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustathios_Daphnomeles)
- 1038 Upon the death of his uncle Stephen I, Peter became the second king of Hungary. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter%2C_King_of_Hungary)
- 1096 Starting date of the First Crusade as set by Pope Urban II. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade)
- 1261 Michael VIII Palaiologos was crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_VIII_Palaiologos)
- 1281 Mongol invasions of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_of_Japan)
- 1534 Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuits)
- 1812 War of 1812: Potawatomi warriors ambushed a United States Army convoy after it had evacuated Fort Dearborn, in present-day Chicago, and razed the fort. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Dearborn)
- 1909 A military coup against the government of Dimitrios Rallis began in the neighbourhood of Goudi in Athens, Greece. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goudi_coup)
- 1920 Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_(1920))
- 1939 The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_Oz)
- 1941 Decree for the mass expulsion of ethnic Germans from Crimea issued by the Soviet government. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportation_of_Soviet_Germans_(1941%E2%80%931942))
- 1941 Josef Jakobs, a German spy, became the last person executed at the Tower of London. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Jakobs)
- 1942 World War II: The tanker SS Ohio reached Malta as part of an operation to deliver much-needed supplies during the siege of Malta. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pedestal)
- 1944 World War II: Allied forces began Operation Dragoon, their invasion of southern France. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan)
- 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru took office as the first prime minister of India, a post he held for 16 years. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru)
- 1947 India gains independence from British rule after nearly 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj)
- 1948 The Republic of Korea was established with Syngman Rhee as its first president. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngman_Rhee)
- 1963 President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trois_Glorieuses_(1963))
- 1969 The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock)
- 1977 Big Ear, a radio telescope at Ohio State University, received a strong, apparently extraterrestrial radio signal that became known as the Wow! signal. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal)
- 1998 The Troubles: A car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army killed 29 people and injured approximately 220 others in Omagh, Northern Ireland. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omagh_bombing)
- 2005 The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending more than 28 years of fighting. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurgency_in_Aceh)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Kabul_(2021))

## Born on August 15

- 1195 Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (died 1231) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_of_Padua)
- 1769 Napoleon Bonaparte, French general and emperor (died 1821) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon)
- 1771 Walter Scott, Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet (died 1832) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Scott)
- 1785 Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (died 1859) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_De_Quincey)
- 1807 Jules Grévy, French lawyer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (died 1891) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Gr%C3%A9vy)
- 1872 Sri Aurobindo, Indian guru, poet, and philosopher (died 1950) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo)
- 1879 Ethel Barrymore, American actress (died 1959) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethel_Barrymore)
- 1892 Louis de Broglie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1987) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Broglie)
- 1896 Gerty Cori, Czech-American biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1957) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerty_Cori)
- 1912 Julia Child, American chef and author (died 2004) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Child)
- 1917 Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (died 1980) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero)
- 1925 Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (died 2007) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Peterson)
- 1931 Richard F. Heck, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2015) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_F._Heck)
- 1945 Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (died 2025) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaleda_Zia)
- 1950 Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne%2C_Princess_Royal)
- 1954 Stieg Larsson, Swedish journalist and author (died 2004) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stieg_Larsson)
- 1963 Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican filmmaker [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Gonz%C3%A1lez_I%C3%B1%C3%A1rritu)
- 1964 Melinda French Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Gates Foundation [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melinda_French_Gates)
- 1972 Ben Affleck, American actor and filmmaker [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Affleck)
- 1989 Joe Jonas, American singer, songwriter, and actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Jonas)
- 1990 Jennifer Lawrence, American actress and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Lawrence)
- 1993 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Oxlade-Chamberlain)

## Died on August 15

- 423 Honorius, Roman emperor (born 384) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorius)
- 767 Abu Hanifa, Iraqi scholar and educator (born 699) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Hanifa)
- 778 Roland, Frankish military leader [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland)
- 1038 Stephen I, Hungarian king (born 975) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_I_of_Hungary)
- 1118 Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (born 1048) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexios_I_Komnenos)
- 1935 Paul Signac, French painter and author (born 1863) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Signac)
- 1935 Will Rogers, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (born 1879) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers)
- 1936 Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1871) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grazia_Deledda)
- 1967 René Magritte, Belgian painter (born 1898) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Magritte)
- 1975 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (born 1920) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Mujibur_Rahman)
- 1990 Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician and actor (born 1962) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Tsoi)
- 2004 Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1916) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sune_Bergstr%C3%B6m)
- 2013 Sławomir Mrożek, Polish-French author and playwright (born 1930) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%82awomir_Mro%C5%BCek)
- 2021 Gerd Müller, German footballer (born 1945) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_M%C3%BCller)

## Holidays and observances

- Armed Forces Day (Poland) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_Day_(Poland))
- Christian feast day: Altfrid [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altfrid)
- Christian feast day: Alypius of Thagaste [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alypius_of_Thagaste)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormition_of_the_Mother_of_God)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Ferragosto (Italy) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferragosto)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Māras (Latvia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ras)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: National Acadian Day (Acadians) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Acadian_Day)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Navy Day (Romania) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Day)
- Christian feast day: Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances: Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_Candelaria)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Elvira Moragas Cantarero [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvira_Moragas_Cantarero)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Giuliana Puricelli [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuliana_Puricelli)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Isidore Bakanja [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isidore_Bakanja)
- Christian feast day: San La Muerte (Paraguayan Folk Catholicism) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_La_Muerte)
- Christian feast day: Santa Muerte (Mexican Folk Catholicism) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte)
- Christian feast day: Tarcisius [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarcisius)
- Christian feast day: August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_15_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Equatorial_Guinea)
- Founding of Asunción (Paraguay) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Paraguay)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945: Gwangbokjeol, "Independence Day" (South Korea) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Liberation_Day_of_Korea)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945: Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Liberation_Day_of_Korea)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947 [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(India))
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960 [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_the_Republic_of_the_Congo)
- International Apostrophe Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Apostrophe_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “August 15”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_15) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/August 15”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/August_15) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“August 15”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_15) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_15?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for August 15 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## August 15 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Saturday | 2026-W33 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2027 | Sunday | 2027-W32 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2028 | Tuesday | 2028-W33 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Wednesday | 2029-W33 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Thursday | 2030-W33 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on August 15

- [🇮🇳 India](https://whathappen.today/holidays/india/): Independence Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇮🇳 India](https://whathappen.today/holidays/india/): Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-Milad (Birthday of Prophet Mohammad) (estimated) (2027)
- [🇫🇷 France](https://whathappen.today/holidays/france/): Assumption Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇮🇹 Italy](https://whathappen.today/holidays/italy/): Assumption Of Mary Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇰🇷 South Korea](https://whathappen.today/holidays/south-korea/): Liberation Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇪🇸 Spain](https://whathappen.today/holidays/spain/): Assumption Day (2026)
- [🇨🇱 Chile](https://whathappen.today/holidays/chile/): Assumption Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇵🇹 Portugal](https://whathappen.today/holidays/portugal/): Assumption Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇦🇹 Austria](https://whathappen.today/holidays/austria/): Assumption Day (2026 and 2027)
- [🇧🇪 Belgium](https://whathappen.today/holidays/belgium/): Assumption Day (2026 and 2027)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← August 14](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-14/) · [August 16 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-16/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/august-15/