August 15 in History

Historical Events on August 15

1534 Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.

1549 Jesuit priest Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: 22 July 1549).

1914 World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.

1920 Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula.

1942 World War II: Operation Pedestal: The SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses.

1947 India gains Independence from British rule after near 190 years of Crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.

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.

1971 President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.

1973 Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends.

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Famous Birthdays on August 15

1769 Napoleon

1972 Ben Affleck

1979 Carl Edwards

1990 Jennifer Lawrence

All Births

Famous Deaths on August 15

1038 Stephen I of Hungary

1907 Joseph Joachim

1935 Will Rogers

1975 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

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