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778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, in which Roland is killed.

927 - The Saracens conquered and destroyed Taranto.

1040 - King Duncan I killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as Scottish Monarch.

1057 - King Mac Bethad killed in the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.

1185 - The cave city of Vardzia consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.

1261 - Michael VIII Palaeologus crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.

1309 - The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island, and rename themselves as the Knights of Rhodes.

1517 - Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.

1519 - Panama City, Panama founded.

1534 - Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates took initial vows that would lead to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September of 1540.

1537 - Asuncion, Paraguay founded.

1540 - Arequipa, Peru founded.

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

1599 - Nine Years War: Battle of Curlew Pass - Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.

1755 - The deportation of the Acadians takes place, where thousands of them are sent to Europe or Louisiana, with a few escaping and remaining in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

1760 - Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz - Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst von Laudon.

1824 - Freed American slaves form Liberia.

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.

1843 - Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.

1863 - The Satsuma war begins between the Satsuma clan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).

1877 - Thomas Edison makes the first-ever recording - "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

1894 - Sante Jeronimo Caserio executed for the Marie Francois Sadi Carnot assassination.

1914 - The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship Ancon.

1920 - Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw - Poles defeat the Red Army.

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

1944 - World War II: Operation Dragoon - Allied forces land in southern France.

1945 - World War II: Victory over Japan Day - Japan surrenders.

1945 - World War II: Korean Liberation Day.

1947 - India gains independence from the United Kingdom and becomes an independent republic. Jawaharlal Nehru addresses the nation with the Indian Declaration of Independence and takes office as the first Prime Minister of India.

1947 - Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor General of Pakistan at Karachi.

1948 - The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th Parallel.

1960 - Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) declares its independence from France.

1961 - Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.

1965 - John Coltrane plays in Chicago, Illinois for the Downbeat Jazz Festival with Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner.

1965 - The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, marking the birth of stadium rock.

1969 - The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opens.

1971 - President Richard Nixon ends convertibility of U.S. dollar into gold.

1971 - Bahrain Independence Day.

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

1974 - Seoul Subway Line 1 opened, between Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni Station

1974 - Yook Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea is killed amid an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee, during the anniversarial ceremony of the Liberation day.

1975 - Military coup in Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman killed along with all family members, except Haseena Wajid.

1975 - Miki Takeo makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by a sitting prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.

1977 - The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by The Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal" for notation made by a volunteer on the project.

1995 - In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel, but drops out in less than a week.

1998 - Omagh bomb in Northern Ireland, becoming the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles

1999 - Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria; some 29 people killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco.

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1171 - King Alfonso IX of Leon (d. 1230)

1195 - Anthony of Padua, Portuguese saint (d. 1231)

1432 - Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (d. 1484)

1575 - Bartol Kašić, Croatian writer and linguist (d. 1650.)

1613 - Gilles Ménage, French scholar (d. 1692)

1717 - Blind Jack, English roadbuilder (d. 1810)

1740 - Matthias Claudius, German poet (d. 1815)

1769 - Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French (d. 1821)

1771 - Sir Walter Scott, Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832)

1785 - Thomas De Quincey, English author (d. 1859)

1813 - Jules Grévy, 2nd President of the French Third Republic (d. 1891)

1856 - Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer (d. 1916)

1857 - Albert Ballin, German shipping tycoon (d. 1918)

1858 - E. Nesbit, English author (d. 1924)

1859 - Charles Comiskey, baseball player, manager, and owner (d. 1931)

1860 - Henrietta Vinton Davis American elocutionist, dramatist, impersonator, public speaker (d. 1941).

1863 - Alexei Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (d. 1945)

1872 - Sri Aurobindo, Indian writer, nationalist, philosopher, and guru (d. 1950)

1875 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English composer (d. 1912)

1878 - Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian counter-revolutionary (d. 1928)

1879 - Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)

1883 - Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor (d. 1962)

1885 - Edna Ferber, American novelist (d. 1968)

1890 - Jacques Ibert, French composer (d. 1962)

1892 - Louis, 7th duc de Broglie, French physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1987)

1893 - Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and computing pioneer (d. 1950)

1896 - Gerty Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1957)

1896 - Catherine Doherty, Social justice activist (d. 1985)

1896 - Leon Theremin, Russian inventor (d. 1993)

1898 - Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (d. 1966)

1901 - Pyotr Sergeyevich Novikov, Russian mathematician (d. 1975)

1912 - Julia Child, American cook (d. 2004)

1912 - Dame Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003)

1916 - Aleks Çaçi, Albanian writer

1917 - Jack Lynch, fourth Taoiseach (d. 1999)

1917 - Oscar Romero, El Salvador Roman catholic priest (d. 1980)

1919 - Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)

1919 - Benedict Kiely, Irish author

1922 - Lukas Foss, German-born composer

1923 - Rose Marie, American actress

1924 - Robert Bolt, English screenwriter (d. 1995)

1925 - Mike Connors, American actor

1925 - Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist

1928 - Nicolas Roeg, English film director

1933 - Jim Lange, American game show host

1933 - Bobby Helms, American pop singer (d. 1997)

1934 - Nino Ferrer, French-Italian singer (d. 1998)

1935 - Vernon Jordan Jr., U.S. presidential advisor

1935 - Lionel Taylor, American football player

1938 - Maxine Waters, American politician

1938 - Janusz A. Zajdel, Polish writer

1944 - Linda Ellerbee, American journalist

1944 - Sylvie Vartan, Bulgarian pop singer

1945 - Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Indian guru

1945 - Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of Bangladesh

1945 - Gene Upshaw, NFL player

1946 - Jimmy Webb, American musician and composer

1947 - Raakhee Gulzar, Indian actress

1948 - Uschi Digard, American pornographic actress and model

1948 - Patsy Gallant, Canadian pop singer

1949 - Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor

1950 - The Princess Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom

1950 - Tom Kelly, Minnesota Twins manager

1951 - Daba Diawara, Malian politician

1954 - Mary Jo Salter, American poet

1957 - Željko Ivanek, American actor

1958 - Victor Shenderovich, Russian satirist

1963 - Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican film director

1965 - Rob Thomas, author and screenwriter

1966 - Scott Brosius, American baseball player

1968 - Debra Messing, American actress

1972 - Ben Affleck, American actor

1974 - Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress

1974 - Yook Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea

1975 - Kara Wolters, American basketball player

1976 - Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football player

1977 - Nicole Paggi, American actress

1977 - Igor Cassina, Italian gymnast

1977 - Martin Biron, professional ice hockey goaltender

1978 - Tim Foreman, American bassist (Switchfoot)

1978 - Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast

1979 - Carl Edwards, NASCAR Driver

1981 - Brendan Hansen, American swimmer

1989 - Jeff Kiser, Mr. Teen USA

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423 - Flavius Honorius, Western Roman Emperor (b. 384)

778 - Roland, Frankish commander

1038 - King Stephen I of Hungary

1040 - King Duncan I of Scotland

1057 - King Macbeth of Scotland

1118 - Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1048)

1196 - Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173)

1274 - Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and founder of the Sorbonne (b. 1201)

1369 - Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of Edward III of England

1528 - Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, French military leader (b. 1485)

1552 - Hermann of Wied, German Catholic archbishop (b. 1477)

1621 - John Barclay, Scottish writer (b. 1582)

1666 - Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German Jesuit missionary (b. 1591)

1714 - Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia (b. 1654)

1728 - Marin Marais, French composer and viol player (b. 1656)

1758 - Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (b. 1698)

1799 - Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet (b. 1729)

1852 - Johan Gadolin, Finnish scientist (b. 1760)

1907 - Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist (b. 1831)

1909 - Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian writer and sociologist (b. 1866)

1935 - Wiley Post, American pilot (airplane crash) (b. 1898)

1935 - Will Rogers, American humorist and actor (airplane crash) (b. 1879)

1936 - Grazia Deledda, Italian writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1871)

1951 - Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist (b. 1882)

1953 - Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (b. 1875)

1959 - Blind Willie McTell, American singer (b. 1901

1962 - Lei Feng, Chinese revolutionary (b. 1940)

1967 - René Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)

1971 - Paul Lukas, Hungarian-born actor (b. 1887)

1975 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, President of Bangladesh (b. 1922)

1975 - Clay Shaw, John F. Kennedy assassination investigator (b. 1913)

1982 - Hugo Theorell, Swedish scientist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1903)

1990 - Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician (b. 1962)

1995 - John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (b. 1906)

1999 - Sir Hugh Casson, British architect and artist (b. 1910)

2001 - Richard Chelimo, Kenyan athlete (b. 1972)

2003 - Gösta Sundqvist, Finnish songwriter and singer (heart attack) (b. 1957)

2004 - Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1916)

2004 - Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician (b. 1941)

2006 - Te Atairangi Kaahu, Māori Queen (b. 1931)

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Acadie – National Day.

Egypt – Flooding of the Nile Day.

Bangladesh – Holy Macrole Day

Hawaii – Toro Nagashi (Floating Landturds Ceremony) to commemorate the end of the second world war.

India – Independence Day (from the United Kingdom, 1947).

Hindu – Krishna Janmaashtami, also on August 16.

Italy – "Ferragosto", remembrance of an ancient Roman holiday in honor of Augustus (Feriae Augusti).

Korea – Liberation Day.

Ancient Latvia – Māras.

Liechtenstein – Liechtenstein Day.

Poland – Polish Armed Forces Day.

Tuva – Tuva Republic Day, Naadym.

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Liturgical feasts

Eastern Orthodoxy – Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the commemoration of the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, the mother of Jesus, Holy Day of Obligation. Public Holiday in: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, East Timor, France, Greece, Guatemala, India, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Poland, Portugal, Seychelles, Slovenia and Spain.
RC Saints
Saint Alfred (died 874)
Saint Alipius, bishop
Saint Arnulph, bishop of Soissons
St. Arnoul/Saint Arnulphus
St. MacCartin/Ard/AedMac-Cartin (Ard), bishop of Clogher, Ireland
Saint Tarcisius
Blessed Rupert (died 1145)