1369 – Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of Edward III of England, dies at about 56 [year of birth disputed]
1972 – Alf Hurum, Norwegian composer (Lilja), and painter, dies at 89
1988 – Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, Pakistani general and politician (President of Pakistan 1978-88), killed in plane crash at 64
1992 – Giorgio Perlasca, Italian anti-fascist (who saved 5,200 Jews from deportation in Hungary), dies at 82
2007 – Dave Hassinger, American recording engineer and record producer, dies at 80
2008 – Leroy Sievers, American journalist (CBS News, Nightline), dies of cancer at 53
2008 – James Orthwein, American businessman (owner of the New England Patriots), dies at 84
2011 – Eric Dempster, New Zealand cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, TS 47, 2 wickets; Wellington CA), dies at 86
2017 – Vernon “Vern” Ehlers, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives), dies of complications from Alzheimers disease at 83
2018 – Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricket batsman and captain (37 Tests; top score 143; Bombay), dies at 77
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 15th August 2025
1483 – Sistine Chapel to Our Lady of the Assumption in Vatican City is consecrated with a Mass by Pope Sixtus IV [some sources cite August 9]
1931 – Roy Wilkins joins the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as Assistant Secretary
1949 – WOTV TV channel 8 in Grand Rapids, MI (NBC) begins broadcasting
1970 – Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman professional football player (Orlando)
1992 – Colombo ’92 closes in Genoa, Italy
1997 – Dan Wilson hits Seattle Mariners’ 3,000th home run
2013 – 20 people are killed and 200 are injured in an explosion in Beirut
2023 – Young activists win a landmark case, Held v Montana, with a judge ruling that the state of Montana must consider climate change when deciding to approve or renew fossil fuel projects
Today in History for 15th August 2025
Historical Events
1461 – Empire of Trebizond surrenders to forces of Sultan Mehmed II, the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire to fall; Emperor David is exiled and later executed
1653 – Dutch ship “Sperwer” strands on Jeju, Korea
1905 – Philadelphia A’s future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell no-hits the St. Louis Browns, 2-0, in 5 innings
1950 – Indians make their first triple play at Cleveland Stadium
1990 – Phillies’ Terry Mulholland no-hits Giants 6-0 (8th no-hitter of 1990)
Famous Birthdays
1785 – Thomas De Quincey, English writer (Confessions of English Opium Eater), born in Manchester (d. 1859)
1949 – Kate Taylor, American singer and songwriter (“It’s In His Kiss”), born in Boston, Massachusetts
1951 – Bobby Caldwell, American jazz and pop singer (“What You Won’t Do for Love”), and songwriter (“The Next Time I Fall”), born in New York City (d. 2023)
1951 – Ann Biderman, American television writer and producer (Ray Donovan, Southland), born in Miami, Florida
1985 – Nipsey Hussle [Ermias Asghedom], American rapper and activist, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2019)
Famous Deaths
1974 – Edmund Cobb, American silent and sound screen actor, specializing in western film (A Final Reckoning; Motorcycle Gang; Comanche Territory), dies of a heart attack at 82
2006 – Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand Māori Queen for 40 years, dies at 75
2012 – Bob Birch, American session and touring bassist (Elton John), commits suicide at 56
2015 – Julian Bond, American civil rights leader and politician (D-Ga), dies at 75
2016 – Bobby Hutcherson, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (“Little B’s Poem”; SFJAZZ Collective), dies of emphysema at 75
Famous Deaths for 14th August 2025
1852 – Margaret Taylor, wife of Zachary Taylor and 1st lady of the United States (1849-50), dies at 63
1856 – William Buckland, dean (Westminster)/geologist, dies
1891 – Johnny Mullagh, Australian cricket all-rounder (Aboriginal tour of England 1868), dies at 50
1969 – Leonard Woolf, English author and husband of Virginia Woolf, dies at 88
1980 – Dorothy Stratten [Hoogstraten], Canadian playmate (August, 1979), model and actress (Galixina), murdered by estranged husband and manager Paul Snider at 20
1984 – J. B. Priestly, English novelist and scriptwriter (The Good Companions, An Inspector Calls), dies at 89
1985 – (Edith) “Gale” Sondergaard, American Academy Award-winning stage and screen actress (Anthony Adverse; The Letter), dies of cerebral thrombosis at 86
1996 – Sergiu Celibidache, Romanian conductor (Berlin Philharmonic, 1945-57; Munich Philharmonic, 1979-96), and educator, dies at 84
2000 – John Milford, American actor (Command and Conquer: Red Alert, Homefront), dies at 72
2002 – Dave Williams, American rock singer (Drowning Pool), dies of heart failure due to undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at 30
Historical Events for 14th August 2025
554 – Ravenna becomes the seat of the Byzantine military governor in Italy
1782 – Suriname forbids selling enslaved mothers without their babies
1900 – First electric tram in Netherlands (Leidseplein-Brouwersgracht)
1964 – LA Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky is suspended after a hotel room fight with elderly Los Angeles Times sportswriter Braven Dyer
1965 – Continental Football League plays first games
1967 – Pirate radio station, Wonderful Radio London, closes down
1988 – Detroit beats Sox 18-6 at Fenway, ending Boston’s winning streak at 24
2007 – Coordinated bombings in Yazidi communities in Iraq kill at least 500 people, the second-deadliest terror attack of all time
Today in History for 14th August 2025
Historical Events
1642 – Abel Tasman’s ships, Heemskerck and Zeehaen, depart from Batavia to search for Terra Australis, becoming the first Europeans to reach Tasmania and New Zealand
1782 – Suriname forbids selling enslaved mothers without their babies
1962 – A US mail truck in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is robbed of more than $1.5 million
1997 – Revival of Sherman Edwards’ historical musical “1776,” featuring Brent Spiner, opens at the Criterion Theatre, NYC, and runs for 333 performances
2010 – First Summer Youth Olympic Games open in Singapore
Famous Birthdays
1727 – Louise Élisabeth of France, twin daughter of king Louis XV, born in Palace of Versailles, France (d. 1759)
1938 – Niara Sudarkasa [Gloria Albertha Marshall], American educator and anthropologist (Lincoln College), born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (d. 2019)
1946 – Alexander Curly [Harm Breemer], Dutch artist, born in Haarlem, Netherlands (d. 2012)
1969 – DJ Uncle Al, American hip-hop DJ, born in Miami, Florida (d. 2001)
1978 – Anastasios Kyriakos, Greek footballer, born in Giannouli, Greece
Famous Deaths
1794 – George Colman the Elder, English playwright, dies at 62
1863 – Colin Campbell, British officer (Cawnpore), dies at 70
1888 – Charles Crocker, American business tycoon and railroad executive (Central Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Railroad), dies at 65
1955 – Herbert Putnam, American Librarian of Congress, dies at 93
1994 – Elias Canetti, Bulgarian-British author (Crowds and Power) and winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Literature, dies at 89
Famous Deaths for 13th August 2025
1382 – Eleanor of Aragon, wife of John I of Castile, dies giving birth to her third child at 24
1787 – Isaac de Pinto, Dutch merchant (Dutch East India Company), and scholar, dies at 70
1910 – Florence Nightingale, British nurse who revolutionized nursing during the Crimean War, dies at 90
1916 – Fritz Steinbach, German conductor and composer, dies at 61
1927 – James Oliver Curwood, American journalist and writer (Valley of Silent Men), dies at 49
1995 – Per-Jakez Helias, French Breton writer (Le Cheval d’orgueil) and actor, dies at 81
2001 – Otto Stuppacher, Austrian racing driver, dies at 54
2016 – Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Indian Hindu spiritual leader (BAPS), dies at 94
2021 – Nanci Griffith, American singer (“From A Distance”), and songwriter (“Once in a Very Blue Moon”; “Love at the Five and Dime”), dies at 68
2021 – Charlie Johnson, American football defensive tackle (Pro Bowl 1979-81; All Pro 1980; Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings), dies at 69
Historical Events for 13th August 2025
1608 – John Smith’s story of Jamestown’s first days submitted for publication
1892 – US black newspaper “Afro-American” begins publishing from Baltimore
1948 – Hungarian boxer László Papp wins the first of three consecutive Olympic gold medals, defeating British middleweight Johnny Wright on points at the London Games
1954 – 21st NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Detroit 31, All-Stars 6 (93,470 attendees)
1978 – Bomb attack in Beirut kills 175
1988 – Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit opens
1995 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Riviera CC: Steve Elkington of Australia wins his first major title in a playoff with Scotsman Colin Montgomerie
2016 – Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson wins the women’s 100 m gold in 10.71 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; American Tori Bowie finishes second in 10.83, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica finishes third in 10.86
Today in History for 13th August 2025
Historical Events
1889 – William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut patents the coin-operated telephone
1907 – First taxicabs, imported by Harry N. Allen, operate in New York City
1981 – Test cricket debut of Mike Whitney for Australia against England at Old Trafford
1985 – South African Defence Force soldiers, traveling in a convoy of more than ten armored vehicles, surround the Thaba-Jabula High School in Soweto and arrest 200 students during a clampdown on school boycotts
1989 – PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Kemper Lakes GC: Payne Stewart wins first of 3 major titles by 1 from Andy Bean, Mike Reid, and Curtis Strange
Famous Birthdays
1887 – Julius Freed [Fried], American namesake and co-founder of Orange Julius fast food chain, born in Montana (d. 1952)
1898 – Regis Toomey, American actor (Burke’s Law, Petticoat Junction), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
1902 – Bartoes [Albertus J. Wijstma], Dutch singer and cabaret performer, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1976)
1913 – Liesbeth Askonas, concert agent, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1996)
1955 – Hideo Fukuyama, Japanese racing driver (first Japanese to compete in NASCAR’s top series), born in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Famous Deaths
1637 – Dirck Bas, Dutch merchant, regent, government leader (OIC), dies
1896 – John Everett Millais, English painter (Order of Release), dies at 67
1986 – Helen Mack, American actress (Son of Kong, Milky Way), dies of cancer at 72
1992 – Jan Elburg, Dutch poet (Through the Night), dies at 72
2024 – George Leotsakos, Greek composer and musicologist, dies at 89
Famous Deaths for 12th August 2025
1633 – Jacopo Peri, Italian composer and singer who wrote the 1st recognized opera “Dafne”, dies at 71
1750 – Rachel Ruysch, Dutch painter (portrait of sovereign Johan von de Pfalz), dies at 86
1896 – Thomas Chamberlain, officer of the 20th Maine at the Battle of Gettysburg
1970 – Glenn Hartranft, American athlete (discus WR 47.89m 1925; Olympic silver shot putt 1924), dies at 68
1983 – Giff Vivian, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (7 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 100, 17 wickets; Auckland), dies at 70
1990 – Sara Seegar [Stone], actor (Mystery of Room 13), dies at 76
1996 – Anthony Parsons, British diplomat and British Ambassador to Iran during Iranian Revolution (1974-79), dies at 73
1999 – John Rigby Hale, British linguist and historian, dies at 75
2007 – Elizabeth Murray, American abstract expressionist painter, and printmaker known for her use of shaped canvases, dies of lung cancer at 66
2007 – Ian McGeoch, Scottish Vice-Admiral with Royal Navy (submarine HMS Splendid WWII), dies at 93