Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 15, the 227th day of 2017. There are 138 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 15, 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

On this date:

In 1057, Macbeth, King of Scots, was killed in battle by Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, whom Macbeth had slain.

In 1483, the Sistine Chapel was consecrated by Pope Sixtus IV.

In 1812, the Battle of Fort Dearborn took place as Potawatomi warriors attacked a U.S. military garrison of about 100 people. (Most of the garrison was killed, while those who remained were taken prisoner.)

In 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened as the SS Ancon crossed the just-completed waterway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

In 1935, humorist Will Rogers and aviator Wiley Post were killed when their airplane crashed near Point Barrow in the Alaska Territory.

In 1939, the MGM musical "The Wizard of Oz" opened at the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

In 1945, in a pre-recorded radio address, Japan's Emperor Hirohito announced that his country had accepted terms of surrender for ending World War II.

In 1965, the Beatles played to a crowd of more than 55,000 at New York's Shea Stadium.

In 1967, a 50-foot-tall sculpture by Pablo Picasso was dedicated in Daley Plaza in Chicago by Mayor Richard J. Daley.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

In 1974, a gunman attempted to shoot South Korean President Park Chung-hee during a speech; although Park was unhurt, his wife, Yuk Young-soo, was struck and killed, along with a teenage girl. (The gunman was later executed.)

In 1989, F.W. de Klerk was sworn in as acting president of South Africa, one day after P.W. Botha resigned as the result of a power struggle within the National Party.

Ten years ago: Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he'd officiated in a scandal that rocked the league. (Donaghy, sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, was released in November 2009.) A magnitude-8 earthquake in Peru's southern desert killed 596 people.

Five years ago: Felix Hernandez pitched the Seattle Mariners' first perfect game and the 23rd in baseball history, overpowering the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0; it was the third perfect game and sixth no-hitter of the season. The United States soccer team broke a 75-year winless streak at Mexico's intimidating Azteca Stadium with an 80th minute goal and a series of saves that delivered a 1-0 victory.

One year ago: Republican Donald Trump called for "extreme" ideological vetting of immigrants seeking admission to the United States, vowing during a speech in Youngstown, Ohio, to significantly overhaul the country's screening process and block those who sympathized with extremist groups or didn't embrace American values. President Barack Obama, in Chilmark, Massachusetts, urged Democrats to campaign aggressively for the next 80 days to elect Hillary Clinton, saying "if we do not do our jobs, then it's still possible for her to lose."

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 94. Actress Abby Dalton is 85. Actress Lori Nelson is 84. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 82. Actor Jim Dale is 82. Actress Pat Priest is 81. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 79. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 79. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 75. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 73. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 71. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 69. Actress Phyllis Smith is 68. Britain's Princess Anne is 67. Actress Tess Harper is 67. Actor Larry Mathews is 62. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 60. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 59. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 56. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is 54. Philanthropist Melinda Gates is 53. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 51. Actor Peter Hermann is 50. Actress Debra Messing is 49. Actor Anthony Anderson is 47. Actor Ben Affleck is 45. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 45. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 43. Actress Nicole Paggi is 40. Christian rock musician Tim Foreman (Switchfoot) is 39. Actress Emily Kinney is 33. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 33. Latin pop singer Belinda (cq) is 28. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 28. Actor-singer Carlos PenaVega is 28. Actress Jennifer Lawrence is 27. Rap DJ Smoove da General (Cali Swag District) is 27.

Thought for Today: "To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment." -- George Edward Woodberry, American poet, critic and educator (1855-1930).