Today in History
Today is Monday, Aug. 15, the 228th day of 2016. There are 138 days
left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 15, 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. 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 the remainder was 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 1946, the DuMont television network made its debut over
two stations, WABD in New York and WTTG in Washington, D.C. (The
network lasted a decade, folding in 1956.) In 1947, India became
independent after some 200 years of British rule. In 1965, The Beatles
played to a crowd of more than 55,000 at New York's Shea Stadium. 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: Israel began
withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon. Te Arikinui Dame Te
Atairangikaahu (teh-ah-ree-kee-noo-ee, Dame teh-ah-ty-rung-ee-kah-hoo),
the queen of New Zealand's indigenous Maori population, died on North
Island, New Zealand, at age 75. Five years ago: Hitting back against an
emboldened GOP, President Barack Obama launched a rare direct attack on
the Republican presidential field, criticizing his potential 2012
rivals for their blanket opposition to any deficit-cutting compromise
involving new taxes during a town hall-style meeting in Cannon Falls,
Minnesota. Jim Thome (TOH'-mee) hit his 600th home run an inning after
he hit No. 599 to help the Minnesota Twins outslug the Detroit Tigers
9-6. (Thome became the eighth major league player to reach 600.) One
year ago: Japanese Emperor Akihito expressed rare "deep remorse" over
his country's wartime actions in an address marking the 70th
anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, a day after the prime
minister fell short of apologizing to victims of Japanese aggression.
Civil rights leader Julian Bond, 75, died in Fort Walton Beach,
Florida. Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 93. Political
activist Phyllis Schlafly is 92. Actor Mike Connors is 91. Actress Abby
Dalton is 84. Actress Lori Nelson is 83. Civil rights activist Vernon
Jordan is 81. Actor Jim Dale is 81. Actress Pat Priest is 80. Supreme
Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 78. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.,
is 78. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 74.
Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 72. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 70.
Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 68. Actress
Phyllis Smith is 67. Britain's Princess Anne is 66. Actress Tess Harper
is 66. Actor Larry Mathews is 61. Actor Zeljko Ivanek (ZEHL'-koh
eh-VON'-ehk) is 59. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 58. Rock
singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 55. Movie director Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu (ihn-YAH'-ee-tu) is 53. Philanthropist Melinda Gates
is 52. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 50. Actor Peter
Hermann is 49. Actress Debra Messing is 48. Actor Anthony Anderson is
46. Actor Ben Affleck is 44. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 44.
Actress Natasha Henstridge is 42. Actress Nicole Paggi is 39. Christian
rock musician Tim Foreman (Switchfoot) is 38. Figure skater Jennifer
Kirk is 32. Latin pop singer Belinda (cq) is 27. Rock singer Joe Jonas
(The Jonas Brothers) is 27. Actor-singer Carlos PenaVega is 27. Actress
Jennifer Lawrence is 26. Rap DJ Smoove da General (Cali Swag District)
is 26. Thought for Today: "Men are from Earth, women are from Earth.
Deal with it. George Carlin, American comedian (1937-2008).
