August 15 - Catch

Catch

This Day In History

778

The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed.

1040

 King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland.

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.)

1483

Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.

1534

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

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.
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1914

The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon.

1935

Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.

1965

The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, New York, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.

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.

Famous Birthdays

1195

Anthony of Padua, Portuguese saint (d. 1231)

1769

Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsican-born French military officer and Emperor of France (d. 1821)

1771

Sir Walter Scott, Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832)

1863

Aleksey Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (d. 1945)

1885

Edna Ferber, American novelist (d. 1968)

1896

Leon Theremin, Russian inventor (d. 1993)

1912

Julia Child, American cook and TV personality (d. 2004)

1914

Paul Rand, American graphic designer (d. 1996)

1917

Óscar Romero, El Salvadorian Roman Catholic priest (d. 1980)

1922

Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and graphic artist (d. 2000)
1935
Jim Dale, English actor
1949
Beverly Burns, American pilot
1958
Rondell Sheridan, American actor and comedian
1968
Debra Messing, American actress
1972
Ben Affleck, American actor
1974
Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress
1990
Jennifer Lawrence, American actress