On This Day - August 15
Image credit: The GrayVine
Ready to take a trip down memory lane? Let's look back at some of the most significant events in America and beyond that happened on this day, starting with...
1879: Birth of a Theater Legend
Ethel Barrymore, later celebrated as the "First Lady of the American Theater", was born in Philadelphia.
1899: Henry Ford Pursued His Automobile Dreams
Henry Ford stepped down as chief engineer at Edison Illuminating Company to focus full-time on developing automobiles.
1914: Panama Canal Officially Opened
The US cargo ship Ancon became the first vessel to transit the newly completed Panama Canal, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
1935: Tragic Plane Crash Claimed Two Icons
Humorist Will Rogers and aviation pioneer Wiley Post died when their aircraft crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska.
1947: India Gained Independence from Britain
After decades of nonviolent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi, India finally achieved independence, ending nearly 200 years of British colonial rule.
1969: The Woodstock Festival Began
The iconic three-day music festival opened on a rural farm in Bethel, New York, becoming a defining moment of 1960s counterculture.
1979: Apocalypse Now Hit Theaters
Francis Ford Coppola's war epic Apocalypse Now premiered after a notoriously difficult production, later becoming a cinematic masterpiece.
1995: Concorde Set World Flight Record
An Air France Concorde jet completed a record-breaking round-the-world passenger flight in just 31 hours, 27 minutes, and 49 seconds.
Do you have more events (historical or not!) you'd like to share with the community? Post them below and let's reminisce together!
