1057: Macbeth, king of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, eldest son of Duncan I.
1914: The American-built waterway across the Isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is inaugurated with the passage of the U.S. vessel Ancon, a cargo and passenger ship.
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The rush of settlers to California and Oregon in the mid 19th century was the initial impetus of the U.S. desire to build an artificial waterway across Central America.
On August 15, 1914, the government of Japan sends an ultimatum to Germany, demanding the removal of all German ships from Japanese and Chinese waters and the surrender of control of Tsingtao—the location of Germany’s largest overseas naval bases, located on China’s Shantung Peninsula—to Japan by noon on August 23.
1947: India Becomes Independent from British Rule
British control of the South Asian country began in mid 1800s with the East India Company. The company initially established itself in the subcontinent for trading purposes, and then slowly took control over the princely states that separately ruled the country. A violent rebellion in 1857 prompted the British Crown to take over direct rule of India. The time between then and independence in 1945 was marked by violent and nonviolent movements targeted towards gaining independent rule. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a key figure in the nonviolent civil disobedience movement against the British. Independence came with the country being partitioned into India and Pakistan. Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of India, while Liaquat Ali Khan became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan.
1960: Congo (Brazzaville)
The Republic of the Congo gained independence from France. The Central African country came under French control in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, the French consolidated their territories in Central Africa to create the French Equatorial Africa, with Brazzaville as its capital. During the Second World War, when the Nazis occupied France, Brazzaville acted as the temporary capital of Free France. After violent protests and riots, the country became independent with Fulbert Youlou as its first President.
1973: US involvement in Vietnam ends
The Case–Church Amendment passed by the US Congress set August 15 as the deadline for the end of the US military involvement in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Because of this, the US ended all military offensives in Vietnam on this day.
1986: Ignoring objections from President Ronald Reagan‘s Administration, US Senate approves economic sanctions against South Africa to protest that country’s apartheid policies.
1987: Caning was officially banned in British schools. In other private schools, it was banned in 1988 in England and Wales, 2000 in Scotland, and 2003 in Northern Ireland.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY: August 15
Napoléon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769 – May 5, 1821)
Napoléon di Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. He was one of the most controversial, influential and celebrated figures in human history, Napoleon seized upon the opportunities created by the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 and became a general at age 29.
After the French Directory gave him control of the armed forces, his early military victories established him as a national hero, and he engineered a coup in 1799 that made him First Consul of the Republic. He went further and declared himself Emperor of the French in 1804.
Napoleon’s stunning military victories over his European enemies – at Austerlitz in 1805, Friedland in 1807 and Wagram in 1809 – solidified his dominance of virtually the entire continent, and confirmed the rapid spread of his empire.
After launching the Peninsular War in Spain, Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, which ended in disaster and the collapse of his Grand Army. A Sixth Coalition defeated him at Leipzig, invaded France and forced him to abdicate in 1814. He was exiled to Elba, where he escaped and took control of France. He was finally defeated by a Seventh Coalition at Waterloo and exiled to St Helena in the South Atlantic where he died in 1821. He died at 51.
Herbert Wigwe (15 August 1966 – 9 February 2024)
Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe CFR was a Nigerian banker and businessman. He was the group managing director and CEO of Access Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s top five banking institutions, after succeeding his business partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede. The head of Nigeria’s largest bank was killed when a helicopter he was flying along with his wife and a son crashed in California desert. He was 57.
Great men never die.