Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 15
August 15: Victory over Japan Day (1945); Independence Day in North Korea & South Korea (1945), India (1947), and Congo (1960); Flooding of the Nile in Egypt.
- 778 – A Frankish army led by Roland was defeated in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, a tale retold in the Old French epic poem The Song of Roland.
- 1248 – The foundation stone of the Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, was laid. Construction eventually completed in 1880.
- 1534 – Ignatius of Loyola (pictured) and six others at Montmartre near Paris took the vows that led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus.
- 1914 – The Panama Canal opened to traffic, providing a short-cut from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
- 1945 – The surrender of Japan during World War II: The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcing the unconditional surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces.
- 1947 – The British Raj was partitioned into two sovereign states: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan.
More events on this day... Recent days: August 14 – August 13 – August 12