Today in History for August 15

Today's Highlight in History:

On August 15, 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair opened in upstate New York.

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 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica.

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 were taken prisoner.)

In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

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

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

In 1947, India became independent after some 200 years of British rule.

In 1961, as workers began constructing a Berlin Wall made of concrete, East German soldier Conrad Schumann leapt to freedom over a tangle of barbed wire.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon announced a 90-day freeze on wages, prices and rents. Bahrain declared its independence from Britain.

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

In 1998, 29 people were killed by a car bomb that tore apart the center of Omagh, Northern Ireland; a splinter group calling itself the Real IRA claimed responsibility.

Ten years ago: Bouncing back from the largest blackout in U.S. history, cities from the Midwest to Manhattan restored power to millions of people.

Five years ago: Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili grudgingly signed a U.S.-backed truce with Russia, even as he denounced the Russians as invading barbarians and accused the West of all but encouraging them to overrun his country. Michael Phelps won his sixth gold medal with his sixth world record, in the 200-meter individual medley at the Summer Olympics. American Nastia Liukin won the gold in women's gymnastics; friend and teammate Shawn Johnson was second. Record producer Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues," died in Sarasota, Fla. at age 91. National Public Radio commentator Leroy Sievers, who'd shared his struggle with cancer, died at his Maryland home at age 53.

One year ago: Felix Hernandez pitched the Seattle Mariners' first perfect game and the 23rd in baseball history, overpowering the Tampa Bay Rays in a brilliant 1-0 victory; it was the third perfect game and sixth no-hitter of the season. The United States 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.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Rose Marie is 90. Political activist Phyllis Schlafly is 89. Actor Mike Connors is 88. Game show host Jim Lange is 81. Actress Lori Nelson is 80. Civil rights activist Vernon Jordan is 78. Actor Jim Dale is 78. Actress Pat Priest is 77. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 75. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is 75. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 71. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 69. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 67. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 65. Actress Phyllis Smith is 64. Britain's Princess Anne is 63. Actress Tess Harper is 63. Actor Larry Mathews is 58. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 56. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 55. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 52. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is 50. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 47. Actor Peter Hermann is 46. Actress Debra Messing is 45. Actor Anthony Anderson is 43. Actor Ben Affleck is 41. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 41. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 39. Actress Nicole Paggi is 36. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 29. Latin pop singer Belinda is 24. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 24. Actor-singer Carlos Pena is 24. Actress Jennifer Lawrence is 23. Rap DJ Smoove da General (Cali Swag District) is 23.

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).