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August 15 | 1601β1900 | 1601β1900
1695 β French forces end the bombardment of Brussels.
1760 β Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz: Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst Gideon von Laudon.
1824 β The Marquis de Lafayette, the last surviving French general of the American Revolutionary War, arrives in New York and begins a tour of 24 states.
1843 β The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
1843 β Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
1863 β The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).
1893 β Ibadan area becomes a British Protectorate after a treaty signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan with the British acting Governor of Lagos, George C. Denton.
1899 β Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, England is officially first opened. |
August 15 | 1901βpresent | 1901βpresent
1907 β Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, the first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.
1914 β A servant of American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, sets fire to the living quarters of Wright's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, and murders seven people there.
1914 β The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship .
1914 β World War I: The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.
1914 β World War I: Beginning of the Battle of Cer, the first Allied victory of World War I.
1915 β A story in New York World newspaper reveals that the Imperial German government had purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison that could be used to make explosives for the war effort and diverted it to Bayer for aspirin production.
1920 β PolishβSoviet War: Battle of Warsaw, so-called Miracle at the Vistula.
1935 β Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.
1939 β Twenty-six Junkers Ju 87 bombers commanded by Walter Sigel meet unexpected ground fog during a dive-bombing demonstration for Luftwaffe generals at Neuhammer. Thirteen of them crash and burn.
1939 β The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California.
1940 β An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the at Tinos harbor during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October.
1941 β Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 07:12, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower for espionage.
1942 β World War II: Operation Pedestal: The oil tanker reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses.
1943 β World War II: Battle of Trahili: Superior German forces surround Cretan partisans, who manage to escape against all odds.
1944 β World War II: Operation Dragoon: Allied forces land in southern France.
1945 β Emperor Hirohito broadcasts his declaration of surrender following the effective surrender of Japan in World War II; Korea gains independence from the Empire of Japan.
1947 β India gains independence from British rule after near 190 years of British company and crown rule and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
1947 β Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi.
1948 β The First Republic of Korea (South Korea) is established in the southern half of the peninsula.
1950 β Measuring 8.6, the largest earthquake on land occurs in the Assam-Tibet-Myanmar border, killing 4,800.
1952 β A flash flood drenches the town of Lynmouth, England, killing 34 people.
1954 β Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.
1959 β American Airlines Flight 514, a Boeing 707, crashes near the Calverton Executive Airpark in Calverton, New York, killing all five people on board.
1960 β Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.
1961 β Border guard Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.
1962 β James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok died in 2016.
1963 β Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland.
1963 β President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
1965 β The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.
1969 β The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York, featuring some of the top rock musicians of the era.
1970 β Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game.
1971 β President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.
1971 β Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom.
1973 β Vietnam War: The USAF bombing of Cambodia ends.
1974 β Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President Park Chung Hee.
1975 β Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.
1975 β Takeo Miki makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.
1976 β SAETA Flight 011 crashes into the Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador, killing all 59 people on board; the wreckage is not discovered until 2002.
1977 β The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal" from the notation made by a volunteer on the project.
1984 β The Kurdistan Workers' Party in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish Armed Forces with an attack on police and gendarmerie bases in Εemdinli and Eruh.
1985 β Signing of the Assam Accord, an agreement between representatives of the Government of India and the leaders of the Assam Movement to end the movement.
1989 β China Eastern Airlines Flight 5510 crashes after takeoff from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, killing 34 of the 40 people on board.
1995 β In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).
1995 β Tomiichi Murayama, Prime Minister of Japan, releases the Murayama Statement, which formally expresses remorse for Japanese war crimes committed during World War II.
1998 β Northern Ireland: Omagh bombing takes place; 29 people (including a woman pregnant with twins) killed and some 220 others injured.
1998 β Apple introduces the iMac computer.
1999 β Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria: Some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions with Morocco.
2005 β Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins.
2005 β The Helsinki Agreement between the Free Aceh Movement and the Government of Indonesia was signed, ending almost three decades of fighting.
2007 β An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.
2013 β At least 27 people are killed and 226 injured in an explosion in southern Beirut near a complex used by Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. A previously unknown Syrian Sunni group claims responsibility in an online video.
2013 β The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito, the first new carnivorous species found in the Americas in 35 years.
2015 β North Korea moves its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time, 8 hours ahead of UTC.
2020 β Russia begins production on the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine.
2021 β Kabul falls into the hands of the Taliban as Ashraf Ghani flees Afghanistan along with local residents and foreign nationals, effectively reestablishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. |
August 15 | Births | Births |
August 15 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
1013 β Teishi, empress of Japan (d. 1094)
1171 β Alfonso IX, king of LeΓ³n and Galicia (d. 1230)
1195 β Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (d. 1231)
1385 β Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (d. 1417)
1432 β Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (d. 1484)
1455 β George, duke of Bavaria (d. 1503)
1507 β George III, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, German prince (d. 1553)
1575 β Bartol KaΕ‘iΔ, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1650)
1589 β Gabriel BΓ‘thory, Prince of Transylvania (d. 1613) |
August 15 | 1601β1900 | 1601β1900
1607 β Herman IV, landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg (d. 1658)
1608 β Henry Howard, 22nd Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1652)
1613 β Gilles MΓ©nage, French lawyer, philologist, and scholar (d. 1692)
1615 β Marie de Lorraine, duchess of Guise (d. 1688)
1652 β John Grubb, American politician (d. 1708)
1702 β Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian painter and Royal Academician (d. 1788)
1717 β Blind Jack, English engineer (d. 1810)
1736 β Johann Christoph Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1803)
1740 β Matthias Claudius, German poet and author (d. 1815)
1769 β Napoleon Bonaparte, French general and emperor (d. 1821)
1771 β Walter Scott, Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet (d. 1832)
1785 β Thomas De Quincey, English journalist and author (d. 1859)
1787 β Eliza Lee Cabot Follen, American writer, editor, abolitionist (d. 1860)
1798 β Sangolli Rayanna, Indian warrior (d. 1831)
1807 β Jules GrΓ©vy, French lawyer and politician, 4th President of the French Republic (d. 1891)
1810 β Louise Colet, French poet (d. 1876)
1824 β John Chisum, American businessman (d. 1884)
1839 β AntonΓn Petrof, Czech piano maker (d. 1915)
1844 β Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (d. 1908)
1845 β Walter Crane, English artist and book illustrator (d. 1915)
1856 β Keir Hardie, Scottish politician and trade unionist (d. 1915)
1857 β Albert Ballin, German businessman (d. 1918)
1858 β E. Nesbit, English author and poet (d. 1924)
1859 β Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1931)
1860 β Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (d. 1924)
1863 β Aleksey Krylov, Russian mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)
1865 β Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader, founded Reiki (d. 1926)
1866 β Italo Santelli, Italian fencer (d. 1945)
1872 β Sri Aurobindo, Indian guru, poet, and philosopher (d. 1950)
1873 β Ramaprasad Chanda, Indian archaeologist and historian (d. 1942)
1875 β Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English pianist, violinist, and composer (d. 1912)
1876 β Stylianos Gonatas, Greek colonel and politician, 111th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1966)
1877 β Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22nd Yokozuna (d. 1941)
1879 β Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)
1881 β Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist and politician (d. 1956)
1882 β Marion Bauer, American composer and critic (d. 1955)
1882 β Gisela Richter, English archaeologist and art historian (d. 1972)
1883 β Ivan MeΕ‘troviΔ, Croatian sculptor and architect (d. 1962)
1885 β Edna Ferber, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1968)
1886 β Bill Whitty, Australian cricketer (d. 1974)
1890 β Jacques Ibert, French composer and educator (d. 1962)
1892 β Louis de Broglie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
1892 β Abraham Wachner, New Zealand politician, 35th Mayor of Invercargill (d. 1950)
1893 β Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer and academic (d. 1950)
1896 β Gerty Cori, Czech-American biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
1896 β Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (d. 1985)
1896 β Paul Outerbridge, American photographer and educator (d. 1958)
1898 β Jan Brzechwa, Polish author and poet (d. 1966)
1900 β Estelle Brody, American silent film actress (d. 1995)
1900 β Jack Tworkov, Polish-American painter and educator (d. 1982) |
August 15 | 1901βpresent | 1901βpresent
1901 β Arnulfo Arias Madrid, Panamanian politician, 21st President of PanamΓ‘ (d. 1988)
1901 β Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1975)
1902 β Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (d. 1943)
1904 β George Klein, Canadian inventor, invented the motorized wheelchair (d. 1992)
1909 β Hugo Winterhalter, American composer and bandleader (d. 1973)
1912 β Julia Child, American chef and author (d. 2004)
1912 β Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003)
1914 β Paul Rand, American graphic designer and art director (d. 1996)
1915 β Signe Hasso, Swedish-American actress (d. 2002)
1916 β Aleks ΓaΓ§i, Albanian journalist and author (d. 1989)
1917 β Jack Lynch, Irish footballer and politician, 5th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1999)
1917 β Γscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (d. 1980)
1919 β Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)
1919 β Benedict Kiely, Irish journalist and author (d. 2007)
1920 β Judy Cassab, Austrian-Australian painter (d. 2008)
1921 β August Kowalczyk, Polish actor and director (d. 2012)
1922 β Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2000)
1922 β Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek trumpet player and composer (d. 2005)
1922 β Sabino Barinaga, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 1988)
1923 β Rose Marie, American actress and singer (d. 2017)
1924 β Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995)
1924 β Hedy Epstein, German-American Holocaust survivor and activist (d. 2016)
1924 β YoshirΕ Muraki, Japanese production designer, art director, and fashion designer (d. 2009)
1924 β Phyllis Schlafly, American lawyer, writer, and political activist (d. 2016)
1925 β Mike Connors, American actor and producer (d. 2017)
1925 β Rose Maddox, American singer-songwriter and fiddle player (d. 1998)
1925 β Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2007)
1925 β Bill Pinkney, American singer (d. 2007)
1925 β Erik Schmidt, Swedish-Estonian painter and author (d. 2014)
1926 β Julius Katchen, American pianist and composer (d. 1969)
1926 β Eddie Little Sky, American actor (d. 1997)
1926 β Sami Michael, Iraqi-Israeli author and playwright (d. 2024)
1926 β John Silber, American philosopher and academic (d. 2012)
1926 β Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Greek lawyer and politician, 6th President of Greece (d. 2016)
1927 β Eddie Leadbeater, English cricketer (d. 2011)
1927 β Oliver Popplewell, English cricketer and judge (d. 2024)
1928 β Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (d. 2013)
1928 β Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (d. 2014)
1928 β Nicolas Roeg, English director and cinematographer (d. 2018)
1931 β Ernest C. Brace, American captain and pilot (d. 2014)
1931 β Richard F. Heck, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
1932 β Abby Dalton, American actress (d. 2020)
1932 β Robert L. Forward, American physicist and engineer (d. 2002)
1932 β Jim Lange, American game show host and DJ (d. 2014)
1932 β Johan Steyn, Baron Steyn, South African-English lawyer and judge (d. 2017)
1933 β Bobby Helms, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
1933 β Stanley Milgram, American social psychologist (d. 1984)
1933 β Mike Seeger, American folk musician and folklorist (d. 2009)
1934 β Bobby Byrd, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2007)
1934 β Purushottam Upadhyay, Indian musician, singer and composer (d. 2024)
1934 β Reginald Scarlett, Jamaican cricketer and coach (d. 2019)
1934 β Darrell K. Sweet, American illustrator (d. 2011)
1934 β Valentin Varlamov, Soviet pilot and cosmonaut instructor (d. 1980)
1935 β Jim Dale, English actor, narrator, singer, director, and composer;
1935 β RΓ©gine Deforges, French author, playwright, and director (d. 2014)
1936 β Pat Priest, American actress
1936 β Rita Shane, American soprano and educator (d. 2014)
1938 β Stephen Breyer, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
1938 β Stix Hooper, American jazz drummer
1938 β Pran Kumar Sharma, Indian cartoonist (d. 2014)
1938 β Maxine Waters, American educator and politician
1938 β Janusz Zajdel, Polish engineer and author (d. 1985)
1940 β Gudrun Ensslin, German militant leader, founded Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
1941 β Jim Brothers, American sculptor (d. 2013)
1941 β Don Rich, American country musician (d. 1974)
1942 β Pete York, English rock drummer
1943 β Eileen Bell, Northern Irish civil servant and politician, 2nd Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
1944 β Dimitris Sioufas, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister of Health (d. 2019)
1945 β Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
1946 β Jimmy Webb, American singer-songwriter and pianist
1947 β Rakhee Gulzar, Indian film actress
1948 β Patsy Gallant, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
1948 β Tom Johnston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1949 β Phyllis Smith, American actress
1950 β Tommy Aldridge, American drummer
1950 β Tess Harper, American actress
1950 β Tom Kelly, American baseball player
1950 β Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom
1951 β Ann Biderman, American screenwriter and producer
1951 β Bobby Caldwell, American singer-songwriter (d. 2023)
1951 β John Childs, English cricketer
1952 β Chuck Burgi, American drummer
1953 β Carol Thatcher, English journalist and author
1953 β Mark Thatcher, English businessman
1953 β Wolfgang Hohlbein, German author
1954 β Stieg Larsson, Swedish journalist and author (d. 2004)
1956 β Lorraine Desmarais, Canadian pianist and composer
1956 β Freedom Neruda, Ivorian journalist
1956 β Robert Syms, English businessman and politician
1957 β Ε½eljko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor
1958 β Simon Baron-Cohen, English-Canadian psychiatrist and author
1958 β Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
1958 β Simple Kapadia, Indian actress and costume designer (d. 2009)
1958 β Victor Shenderovich, Russian journalist and radio host
1958 β Rondell Sheridan, American actor and comedian
1959 β Scott Altman, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
1961 β Ed Gillespie, American political strategist
1961 β Matt Johnson, English singer-songwriter and musician
1961 β Gary Kubiak, American football player and coach
1961 β Suhasini Maniratnam, Indian actress and screenwriter
1962 β Tom Colicchio, American chef and author
1962 β RΔ±dvan Dilmen, Turkish footballer and manager
1962 β InΓͺs Pedrosa, Portuguese writer
1962 β Vilja Savisaar-Toomast, Estonian lawyer and politician
1963 β Alejandro GonzΓ‘lez IΓ±Γ‘rritu, Mexican director, producer, and screenwriter
1963 β Simon Hart, Welsh soldier and politician
1963 β Jack Russell, England cricketer and coach
1964 β Jane Ellison, English lawyer and politician
1964 β Melinda Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Gates Foundation
1965 β Rob Thomas, American author, screenwriter, and producer
1966 β Scott Brosius, American baseball player and coach
1966 β Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player and coach
1967 β Tony Hand, Scottish ice hockey player and coach
1967 β Peter Hermann, American actor
1968 β Debra Messing, American actress
1969 β Bernard Fanning, Australian singer-songwriter
1969 β Carlos Roa, Argentine footballer
1970 β Anthony Anderson, American comedian, actor, and producer
1970 β Ben Silverman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter, founded Electus Studios
1971 β Adnan Sami, Indian singer, musician, music composer, pianist and actor
1972 β Ben Affleck, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1972 β Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballerina (d. 2007)
1972 β Mikey Graham, Irish singer
1974 β Natasha Henstridge, Canadian model and actress
1974 β Tomasz Suwary, Polish footballer
1975 β Bertrand Berry, American football player and radio host
1975 β Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer and coach
1975 β Brendan Morrison, Canadian ice hockey player
1975 β Kara Wolters, American basketball player
1976 β Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer and manager
1977 β Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
1977 β Anthony Rocca, Australian footballer and coach
1978 β Waleed Aly, Australian journalist and television hostWaleed Aly, profile , Gallery of Australian Biographies, Civics and Citizenship Education, Education Services Australia; "Waleed Aly: why all the haters?" by John Lyons, The Australian, 23 April 2016
1978 β Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast
1978 β Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer
1978 β Kerri Walsh Jennings, American volleyball player
1979 β Carl Edwards, American race car driver
1980 β Fiann Paul, Icelandic explorer
1981 β Brendan Hansen, American swimmer
1981 β Γliver PΓ©rez, American baseball player
1982 β Casey Burgener, American weightlifter
1982 β GermΓ‘n Caffa, Argentine footballer
1982 β David Harrison, American basketball player
1983 β Siobhan Chamberlain, English association football goalkeeper
1983 β Rachel Haot, American businesswoman
1984 β Jarrod Dyson, American baseball player
1984 β Emily Kinney, American actress and singer-songwriter
1985 β Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (d. 2019)
1987 β Ryan D'Imperio, American football player
1987 β Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist
1987 β Sean McAllister, English footballer
1988 β Oussama Assaidi, Moroccan footballer
1989 β Joe Jonas, American singer-songwriter
1989 β Ryan McGowan, Australian footballer
1989 β Carlos PenaVega, American actor and singer
1989 β Jordan Rapana, New Zealand rugby league player
1990 β Jennifer Lawrence, American actress
1991 β Petja Piiroinen, Finnish snowboarder
1992 β Baskaran Adhiban, Indian chess player
1992 β Matthew Judon, American football player
1993 β Rieah Holder, Barbadian netball player
1993 β Clinton N'Jie, Cameroonian footballer
1993 β Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer
1994 β Lasse Vigen Christensen, Danish footballer
1994 β Kosuke Hagino, Japanese swimmer
1995 β Chief Keef, American rapper
1995 β Setyana Mapasa, Indonesian-Australian badminton player
1999 β Paola Reis, BMX rider |
August 15 | Deaths | Deaths |
August 15 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
398 β Lan Han, official of the Xianbei state Later Yan
423 β Honorius, Roman emperor (b. 384)
465 β Libius Severus, Roman emperor (b. 420)
698 β Theodotus of Amida, Syrian Orthodox holy man
767 β Abu Hanifa, Iraqi scholar and educator (b. 699)
778 β Roland, Frankish military leader
873 β Yi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 833)
874 β Altfrid, bishop of Hildesheim
912 β Han Jian, Chinese warlord (b. 855)
932 β Ma Xisheng, Chinese governor and king (b. 899)
955 β BulcsΓΊ, Hungarian tribal chieftain (harka)
955 β Lehel, Hungarian tribal chieftain
955 β SΓΊr, Hungarian tribal chieftain
978 β Li Yu, ruler ('king') of Southern Tang
986 β Minnborinus, Irish missionary and abbot
1022 β Nikephoros Phokas Barytrachelos, Byzantine rebel
1038 β Stephen I, Hungarian king (b. 975)
1057 β Macbeth, King of Scotland
1118 β Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1048)
1196 β Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173)
1224 β Marie of France, Duchess of Brabant (b. 1198)
1257 β Saint Hyacinth of Poland
1274 β Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and educator, founded the College of Sorbonne (b. 1201)
1275 β Lorenzo Tiepolo, Doge of Venice
1328 β YesΓΌn TemΓΌr, emperor of the Yuan dynasty (b. 1293)
1369 β Philippa of Hainault, Queen consort of Edward III of England (b. 1314)
1388 β Adalbertus Ranconis de Ericinio, Bohemian theologian and rector of the University of Paris (b. circa 1320)
1399 β Ide Pedersdatter Falk, Danish noblewoman (b. 1358)
1496 β Infanta Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Castile and LeΓ³n (b. 1428)
1506 β Alexander Agricola, Flemish composer (b. c. 1445)
1507 β John V, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1439)
1528 β Odet of Foix, Viscount of Lautrec, French general (b. 1485)
1552 β Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (b. 1477)
1594 β Thomas Kyd, English playwright (b. 1558) |
August 15 | 1601β1900 | 1601β1900
1621 β John Barclay, Scottish poet and author (b. 1582)
1666 β Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (b. 1591)
1714 β Constantin BrΓ’ncoveanu, Romanian prince (b. 1654)
1728 β Marin Marais, French viol player and composer (b. 1656)
1758 β Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician, geophysicist, and astronomer (b. 1698)
1799 β Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet and author (b. 1729)
1844 β JosΓ© MarΓa Coppinger, governor of Spanish East Florida (b. 1733)
1852 β Johan Gadolin, Finnish chemist, physicist, and mineralogist (b. 1760)
1859 β Nathaniel Claiborne, American farmer and politician (b. 1777) |
August 15 | 1901βpresent | 1901βpresent
1907 β Joseph Joachim, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1831)
1909 β Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian sociologist and journalist (b. 1866)
1917 β Thomas J. Higgins, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1831)
1925 β Konrad MΓ€gi, Estonian painter and educator (b. 1878)
1928 β Anatole von HΓΌgel, Italian ethnologist and academic, co-founded St Edmund's College, Cambridge (b. 1854)
1935 β Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898)
1935 β Will Rogers, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (b. 1879)
1935 β Paul Signac, French painter and author (b. 1863)
1936 β Grazia Deledda, Italian novelist and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871)
1942 β Mahadev Desai, Indian activist and author (b. 1892)
1945 β Korechika Anami, Japanese general and politician, 54th Japanese Minister of the Army (b. 1887)
1945 β Fred Hockley, English lieutenant and pilot (b. 1923)
1951 β Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)
1953 β Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist and engineer (b. 1875)
1962 β Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (b. 1940)
1967 β RenΓ© Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)
1971 β Paul Lukas, Hungarian-American actor (b. 1887)
1974 β Clay Shaw, American businessman (b. 1913)
1975 β Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (b. 1920)
1975 β Harun Karadeniz, Turkish political activist and author (b. 1942)
1981 β Carol Ryrie Brink, American author (b. 1895)
1981 β JΓΈrgen LΓΈvset, Norwegian gynaecologist and academic (b. 1896)
1982 β Ernie Bushmiller, American cartoonist (b. 1905)
1982 β Jock Taylor, Scottish motorcycle sidecar racer (b. 1954)
1982 β Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
1989 β Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (b. 1904)
1989 β Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek general and diplomat (b. 1897)
1990 β Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician and actor (b. 1962)
1992 β Linda Laubenstein, American physician and academic (b. 1947)
1994 β Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (b. 1929)
1995 β John Cameron Swayze, American journalist and actor (b. 1906)
1997 β Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet and educator (b. 1905)
1999 β Hugh Casson, English architect and interior designer (b. 1910)
2000 β Lancelot Ware, English barrister and biochemist, co-founder of Mensa (b. 1915)
2001 β Yavuz Γetin, Turkish singer-songwriter (b. 1970)
2001 β Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (b. 1972)
2001 β Kateryna Yushchenko, Ukrainian computer scientist and academic (b. 1919)
2004 β Sune BergstrΓΆm, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
2004 β Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, 8th Chief Minister of Gujarat (b. 1941)
2005 β Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist and academic (b. 1927)
2006 β Te Atairangikaahu, New Zealand queen (b. 1931)
2006 β Rick Bourke, Australian rugby league player (b. 1955)
2006 β Coenraad Bron, Dutch computer scientist and academic (b. 1937)
2006 β Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer and manager (b. 1923)
2007 β Richard Bradshaw, English conductor and director (b. 1944)
2007 β John Gofman, American biologist, chemist, and physicist (b. 1918)
2007 β Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand physician (b. 1908)
2007 β Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (b. 1925)
2008 β Vic Toweel, South African-Australian boxer (b. 1929)
2008 β Jerry Wexler, American journalist and producer (b. 1917)
2011 β Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1984)
2012 β Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (b. 1956)
2012 β Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian flute player and composer (b. 1924)
2012 β Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
2013 β RosalΓa Mera, Spanish businesswoman, co-founded Inditex and Zara (b. 1944)
2013 β SΕawomir MroΕΌek, Polish-French author and playwright (b. 1930)
2013 β Marich Man Singh Shrestha, Nepali politician, 28th Prime Minister of Nepal (b. 1942)
2013 β August Schellenberg, Canadian actor (b. 1936)
2014 β Licia Albanese, Italian-American soprano and actress (b. 1909)
2015 β Julian Bond, American academic, leader of the civil rights movement, and politician (b. 1940)
2015 β Hamid Gul, Pakistani general (b. 1936)
2017 β Gunnar Birkerts, Latvian-American architect (b. 1925)
2020 β Robert Trump, American real-estate developer, business executive (b. 1948)
2021 β Gerd MΓΌller, German footballer (b. 1945)
2024 β Peter Marshall, American game show host, performer, and singer (b. 1926) |
August 15 | Holidays and observances | Holidays and observances
Armed Forces Day (Poland)
Christian feast day:
Altfrid
Alypius of Thagaste
Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, some states in Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu); and its related observances:
Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)
Ferragosto (Italy)
Lady's Day (Ireland)
MΔras (Latvia)
Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)
National Acadian Day (Acadians)
Navy Day (Romania)
Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)
San La Muerte (Paraguayan Folk Catholicism)
Santa Muerte (Mexican Folk Catholicism)
Tarcisius
August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea)
Founding of AsunciΓ³n (Paraguay)
Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945:
Gwangbokjeol, "Independence Day" (South Korea)
Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)
Independence Day, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.
Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.
National Day (Liechtenstein)
National Day of Mourning (Bangladesh)
The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or Wafaa El-Nil (Egypt and Coptic Church)
The main day of Bon Festival (Japan), and its related observances:
Awa Dance Festival (Tokushima Prefecture)
Victory over Japan Day (United Kingdom), and its related observances:
End-of-war Memorial Day, when the National Memorial Service for War Dead is held (Japan) |
August 15 | References | References |
August 15 | External links | External links
Category:Days of August |
August 15 | Table of Content | other uses, Events, Pre-1600, 1601β1900, 1901βpresent, Births, Pre-1600, 1601β1900, 1901βpresent, Deaths, Pre-1600, 1601β1900, 1901βpresent, Holidays and observances, References, External links |
Acacia sensu lato | Short description | Acacia s.l. (pronounced or ), known commonly as mimosa, acacia, thorntree or wattle, is a polyphyletic genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. It was described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773 based on the African species Acacia nilotica. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not. All species are pod-bearing, with sap and leaves often bearing large amounts of tannins and condensed tannins that historically found use as pharmaceuticals and preservatives.
The genus Acacia constitutes, in its traditional circumspection, the second largest genus in Fabaceae (Astragalus being the largest), with roughly 1,300 species, about 960 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the tropical to warm-temperate regions of both hemispheres, including Europe, Africa, southern Asia, and the Americas (see List of Acacia species). The genus was divided into five separate genera under the tribe "Acacieae". The genus now called Acacia represents the majority of the Australian species and a few native to southeast Asia, RΓ©union, and Pacific Islands. Most of the species outside Australia, and a small number of Australian species, are classified into Vachellia and Senegalia. The two final genera, Acaciella and Mariosousa, each contain about a dozen species from the Americas (but see "Classification" below for the ongoing debate concerning their taxonomy).
thumb|Acacia tree near the limit of its range in the Negev Desert of southern Israel
thumb|Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), the floral emblem of Australiathumb|Seed pods of Acacia species from the MHNT |
Acacia sensu lato | Classification | Classification
English botanist and gardener Philip Miller adopted the name Acacia in 1754. The generic name is derived from (), the name given by early Greek botanist-physician Pedanius Dioscorides (middle to late first century) to the medicinal tree A.Β nilotica in his book Materia Medica. This name derives from the Ancient Greek word for its characteristic thorns, (; "thorn"). The species name nilotica was given by Linnaeus from this tree's best-known range along the Nile river. This became the type species of the genus.
The traditional circumscription of Acacia eventually contained approximately 1,300 species. However, evidence began to accumulate that the genus as described was not monophyletic. Queensland botanist Leslie Pedley proposed the subgenus Phyllodineae be renamed Racosperma and published the binomial names. This was taken up in New Zealand but generally not followed in Australia, where botanists declared more study was needed.
Eventually , consensus emerged that Acacia needed to be split as it was not monophyletic. This led to Australian botanists Bruce Maslin and Tony Orchard pushing for the retypification of the genus with an Australian species instead of the original African type species, an exception to traditional rules of priority that required ratification by the International Botanical Congress. That decision has been controversial, and debate continued, with some taxonomists (and many other biologists) deciding to continue to use the traditional Acacia sensu lato circumscription of the genus, in defiance of decisions by an International Botanical Congress. However, a second International Botanical Congress has now confirmed the decision to apply the name Acacia to the mostly Australian plants, which some had been calling Racosperma, and which had formed the overwhelming majority of Acacia sensu lato. Debate continues regarding the traditional acacias of Africa, possibly placed in Senegalia and Vachellia, and some of the American species, possibly placed in Acaciella and Mariosousa.
Acacias belong to the subfamily Mimosoideae, the major clades of which may have formed in response to drying trends and fire regimes that accompanied increased seasonality during the late Oligocene to early Miocene (~25Β mya). Pedley (1978), following Vassal (1972), viewed Acacia as comprising three large subgenera, but subsequently (1986) raised the rank of these groups to genera Acacia, Senegalia (s.l.) and Racosperma, which was underpinned by later genetic studies.
In common parlance, the term "acacia" is occasionally applied to species of the genus Robinia, which also belongs in the pea family. Robinia pseudoacacia, an American species locally known as black locust, is sometimes called "false acacia" in cultivation in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. |
Acacia sensu lato | Description | Description
thumb|Acacia fasciculifera seedling in the transitional stage between pinnate leaves and phyllodes
The leaves of acacias are compound pinnate in general. In some species, however, more especially in the Australian and Pacific Islands species, the leaflets are suppressed, and the leaf-stalks (petioles) become vertically flattened in order to serve the purpose of leaves. These are known as "phyllodes". The vertical orientation of the phyllodes protects them from intense sunlight since with their edges towards the sky and earth they do not intercept light as fully as horizontally placed leaves. A few species (such as Acacia glaucoptera) lack leaves or phyllodes altogether but instead possess cladodes, modified leaf-like photosynthetic stems functioning as leaves.
The small flowers have five very small petals, almost hidden by the long stamens, and are arranged in dense, globular or cylindrical clusters; they are yellow or cream-colored in most species, whitish in some, or even purple (Acacia purpureopetala) or red (Acacia leprosa 'Scarlet Blaze'). Acacia flowers can be distinguished from those of a large related genus, Albizia, by their stamens, which are not joined at the base. Also, unlike individual Mimosa flowers, those of Acacia have more than ten stamens.
The plants often bear spines, especially those species growing in arid regions. These sometimes represent branches that have become short, hard, and pungent, though they sometimes represent leaf-stipules. Acacia armata is the kangaroo-thorn of Australia, and Acacia erioloba (syn. Acacia eriolobata) is the camelthorn of Africa.
Acacia seeds can be difficult to germinate. Research has found that immersing the seeds in various temperatures (usually around 80Β Β°C (176Β Β°F)) and manual seed coat chipping can improve growth to around 80%. |
Acacia sensu lato | Symbiosis | Symbiosis
thumb|Acacia collinsii stipules
thumb|Swollen stipules of Acacia drepanolobium that serve as ant domatia. An entry hole can be seen at the base of one of the spines of the largest domatia. From the MHNT
In the Central American bullthorn acaciasβAcacia sphaerocephala, Acacia cornigera and Acacia collinsii β some of the spiny stipules are large, swollen and hollow. These afford shelter for several species of Pseudomyrmex ants, which feed on extrafloral nectaries on the leaf-stalk and small lipid-rich food-bodies at the tips of the leaflets called Beltian bodies. In return, the ants add protection to the plant against herbivores. Some species of ants will also remove competing plants around the acacia, cutting off the offending plants' leaves with their jaws and ultimately killing them. Other associated ant species appear to do nothing to benefit their hosts.
Similar mutualisms with ants occur on Acacia trees in Africa, such as the whistling thorn acacia. The acacias provide shelter for ants in similar swollen stipules and nectar in extrafloral nectaries for their symbiotic ants, such as Crematogaster mimosae. In turn, the ants protect the plant by attacking large mammalian herbivores and stem-boring beetles that damage the plant.
The predominantly herbivorous spider Bagheera kiplingi, which is found in Central America and Mexico, feeds on nubs at the tips of the acacia leaves, known as Beltian bodies, which contain high concentrations of protein. These nubs are produced by the acacia as part of a symbiotic relationship with certain species of ant, which also eat them.Meehan, Christopher J.; Olson, Eric J.; Curry, Robert L. (21 August 2008): Exploitation of the PseudomyrmexβAcacia mutualism by a predominantly vegetarian jumping spider (Bagheera kiplingi) . The 93rd ESA Annual Meeting. |
Acacia sensu lato | Pests | Pests
In Australia, Acacia species are sometimes used as food plants by the larvae of hepialid moths of the genus Aenetus including A.Β ligniveren. These burrow horizontally into the trunk then vertically down. Other Lepidoptera larvae which have been recorded feeding on Acacia include brown-tail, Endoclita malabaricus and turnip moth. The leaf-mining larvae of some bucculatricid moths also feed on Acacia; Bucculatrix agilis feeds exclusively on Acacia horrida and Bucculatrix flexuosa feeds exclusively on Acacia nilotica.
Acacias contain a number of organic compounds that defend them from pests and grazing animals. |
Acacia sensu lato | Uses | Uses |
Acacia sensu lato | Use as human food | Use as human food
thumb|Acacia dealbata seeds
Acacia seeds are often used for food and a variety of other products.
In Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, the feathery shoots of Acacia pennata (common name cha-om, ΰΈΰΈ°ΰΈΰΈ‘ and su pout ywet in Burmese) are used in soups, curries, omelettes, and stir-fries. |
Acacia sensu lato | Gum | Gum
Various species of acacia yield gum. True gum arabic is the product of Acacia senegal, abundant in dry tropical West Africa from Senegal to northern Nigeria.
Acacia nilotica (syn. Acacia arabica) is the gum arabic tree of India, but yields a gum inferior to the true gum arabic. Gum arabic is used in a wide variety of food products, including some soft drinks and confections.
The ancient Egyptians used acacia gum in paints.
thumb|Sap, from which gum can be made, oozing from an Acacia tree in Phoenix, Arizona
The gum of Acacia xanthophloea and Acacia karroo has a high sugar content and is sought out by the lesser bushbaby. Acacia karroo gum was once used for making confectionery and traded under the name "Cape Gum". It was also used medicinally to treat cattle suffering poisoning by Moraea species. |
Acacia sensu lato | Uses in folk medicine | Uses in folk medicine
Acacia species have possible uses in folk medicine. A 19th-century Ethiopian medical text describes a potion made from an Ethiopian species (known as grar) mixed with the root of the tacha, then boiled, as a cure for rabies.Richard Pankhurst, An Introduction to the Medical History of Ethiopia (Trenton: Red Sea Press, 1990), p. 97
An astringent medicine high in tannins, called catechu or cutch, is procured from several species, but more especially from Senegalia catechu (syn. Acacia catechu), by boiling down the wood and evaporating the solution so as to get an extract. The catechu extract from A. catechu figures in the history of chemistry in giving its name to the catechin, catechol, and catecholamine chemical families ultimately derived from it. |
Acacia sensu lato | Ornamental uses | Ornamental uses
A few species are widely grown as ornamentals in gardens; the most popular perhaps is A. dealbata (silver wattle), with its attractive glaucous to silvery leaves and bright yellow flowers; it is erroneously known as "mimosa" in some areas where it is cultivated, through confusion with the related genus Mimosa.
Another ornamental acacia is the fever tree. Southern European florists use A. baileyana, A. dealbata, A. pycnantha and A. retinodes as cut flowers and the common name there for them is mimosa.
Ornamental species of acacias are also used by homeowners and landscape architects for home security. The sharp thorns of some species are a deterrent to trespassing, and may prevent break-ins if planted under windows and near drainpipes. The aesthetic characteristics of acacia plants, in conjunction with their home security qualities, makes them a reasonable alternative to constructed fences and walls. |
Acacia sensu lato | Perfume | Perfume
thumb|left|Acacia farnesiana
Acacia farnesiana is used in the perfume industry due to its strong fragrance. The use of acacia as a fragrance dates back centuries. |
Acacia sensu lato | Symbolism and ritual | Symbolism and ritual
thumb|upright|Egyptian goddess Isis
Egyptian mythology has associated the acacia tree with characteristics of the tree of life, such as in the Myth of Osiris and Isis.
Several parts (mainly bark, root, and resin) of Acacia species are used to make incense for rituals. Acacia is used in incense mainly in India, Nepal, and China including in its Tibet region. Smoke from acacia bark is thought to keep demons and ghosts away and to put the gods in a good mood. Roots and resin from acacia are combined with rhododendron, acorus, cytisus, salvia, and some other components of incense. Both people and elephants like an alcoholic beverage made from acacia fruit.Naturheilpraxis Fachforum (German)
According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, the acacia tree may be the "burning bush" (Exodus 3:2) which Moses encountered in the desert. Also, when God gave Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle, he said to "make an ark" and "a table of acacia wood" (Exodus 25:10 & 23, Revised Standard Version). Also, in the Christian tradition, Christ's crown of thorns is thought to have been woven from acacia.Dictionary of Symbols.Chevalier and Gheerbrant. Penguin Reference.1996.
Acacia was used for Zulu warriors' iziQu (or isiKu) beads, which passed on through Robert Baden-Powell to the Scout movement's Wood Badge training award.
In Russia, Italy, and other countries, it is customary to present women with yellow mimosas (among other flowers) on International Women's Day (March 8). These "mimosas" may be from A. dealbata (silver wattle).
In 1918, May Gibbs, the popular Australian children's author, wrote the book 'Wattle Babies', in which a third-person narrator describes the lives of imaginary inhabitants of the Australian forests (the 'bush'). The main characters are the Wattle Babies, who are tiny people that look like acacia flowers and who interact with various forest creatures. Gibbs wrote "Wattle Babies are the sunshine of the Bush. In Winter, when the sky is grey and all the world seems cold, they put on their yellowest clothes and come out, for they have such cheerful hearts." Gibbs was referring to the fact that an abundance of acacias flower in August in Australia, in the midst of the southern hemisphere winter. |
Acacia sensu lato | Tannin | Tannin
The bark of various Australian species, known as wattles, is very rich in tannin and forms an important article of export; important species include A. pycnantha (golden wattle), A. decurrens (tan wattle), A. dealbata (silver wattle) and A. mearnsii (black wattle).
Black wattle is grown in plantations in South Africa and South America. The pods of A. nilotica (under the name of neb-neb), and of other African species, are also rich in tannin and used by tanners. In Yemen, the principal tannin substance was derived from the leaves of the salam-tree (Acacia etbaica), a tree known locally by the name qaraαΊ (garadh).R. Moses b. Maimon RESPONSA (ed. Jehoshua Blau), vol. 2, responsum # 253, Rubin Mass Ltd.: Jerusalem 1989, p. 298 (s.v. Judeo-Arabic original, ΧΧΧ§Χ¨Χ₯).James P. Mandaville, Bedouin Ethnobotany β Plant Concepts and Uses in a Desert Pastoral World, University of Arizona Press 2011, p. 140 () A bath solution of the crushed leaves of this tree, into which raw leather had been inserted for prolonged soaking, would take only 15 days for curing. The water and leaves, however, required changing after seven or eight days, and the leather needed to be turned over daily. |
Acacia sensu lato | Wood | Wood
thumb|Acacia koa wood
Some Acacia species are valuable as timber, such as A. melanoxylon (blackwood) from Australia, which attains a great size; its wood is used for furniture, and takes a high polish; and A. omalophylla (myall wood, also Australian), which yields a fragrant timber used for ornaments. A. seyal is thought to be the shittah-tree of the Bible, which supplied shittim-wood. According to the Book of Exodus, this was used in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant. A. koa from the Hawaiian Islands and A. heterophylla from RΓ©union are both excellent timber trees. Depending on abundance and regional culture, some Acacia species (e.g. A. fumosa) are traditionally used locally as firewoods. It is also used to make homes for different animals.
thumb|A. heterophylla wood |
Acacia sensu lato | Pulpwood | Pulpwood
In Indonesia (mainly in Sumatra) and in Malaysia (mainly in Sabah), plantations of A. mangium are being established to supply pulpwood to the paper industry.
Acacia wood pulp gives high opacity and below average bulk paper. This is suitable in lightweight offset papers used for Bibles and dictionaries. It is also used in paper tissue where it improves softness. |
Acacia sensu lato | Land reclamation | Land reclamation
Acacias can be planted for erosion control, especially after mining or construction damage. |
Acacia sensu lato | Ecological invasion | Ecological invasion
For the same reasons it is favored as an erosion-control plant, with its easy spreading and resilience, some varieties of acacia are potentially invasive species. At least fourteen Acacia species introduced to South Africa are categorized as invasive, due to their naturally aggressive propagation. One of the most globally significant invasive acacias is black wattle A. mearnsii, which is taking over grasslands and abandoned agricultural areas worldwide, especially in moderate coastal and island regions where mild climate promotes its spread. Australian/New Zealand Weed Risk Assessment gives it a "high risk, score of 15" rating and it is considered one of the world's 100 most invasive species.
Extensive ecological studies should be performed before further introduction of acacia varieties, as this fast-growing genus, once introduced, spreads quickly and is extremely difficult to eradicate. |
Acacia sensu lato | Phytochemistry | Phytochemistry |
Acacia sensu lato | Cyanogenic glycosides | Cyanogenic glycosides
Nineteen different species of Acacia in the Americas contain cyanogenic glycosides, which, if exposed to an enzyme which specifically splits glycosides, can release hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the "leaves". This sometimes results in the poisoning death of livestock.
If fresh plant material spontaneously produces 200 ppm or more HCN, then it is potentially toxic. This corresponds to about 7.5 ΞΌmol HCN per gram of fresh plant material. It turns out that, if acacia "leaves" lack the specific glycoside-splitting enzyme, then they may be less toxic than otherwise, even those containing significant quantities of cyanic glycosides.
Some Acacia species containing cyanogens include Acacia erioloba, A. cunninghamii, A. obtusifolia, A. sieberiana, and A. sieberiana var. woodiiFAO Kamal M. Ibrahim, The current state of knowledge on Prosopis juliflora... |
Acacia sensu lato | Famous acacias | Famous acacias
The Arbre du TΓ©nΓ©rΓ© in Niger was the most isolated tree in the world, about from any other tree. The tree was knocked down by a truck driver in 1973.Michael Palin, Sahara, Weidenfeld & Nicolson,
In Nairobi, Kenya, the Thorn Tree CafΓ© is named after a Naivasha thorn tree (Acacia xanthophloea) in its centre. Travelers used to pin notes to others to the thorns of the tree. The current tree is the third of the same variety. |
Acacia sensu lato | References | References |
Acacia sensu lato | Further reading | Further reading
Shulgin, Alexander and Ann, TiHKAL the Continuation. Transform Press, 1997. |
Acacia sensu lato | External links | External links
World Wide Wattle
Acacia-world
Wayne's Word on "The Unforgettable Acacias"
The genus Acacia and Entheogenic Tryptamines, with reference to Australian and related species, by mulga
A description of Acacia from Pomet's 1709 reference book, History of Druggs
Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
Flora identification tools from the State Herbarium of South Australia
Tannins in Some Interrelated Wattles
List of Acacia Species in the U.S.
FAO Timber Properties of Various Acacia Species
FAO Comparison of Various Acacia Species as Forage
Vet. Path. ResultsAFIP Wednesday Slide Conference β No. 21 February 24, 1999
Acacia cyanophylla lindl as supplementary feed/for small stock in Libya
Description of Acacia Morphology
Nitrogen Fixation in Acacias
Acacia Alarm System
Category:Excipients
Category:Medicinal plants
Category:Medicinal plants of Australia |
Acacia sensu lato | Table of Content | Short description, Classification, Description, Symbiosis, Pests, Uses, Use as human food, Gum, Uses in folk medicine, Ornamental uses, Perfume, Symbolism and ritual, Tannin, Wood, Pulpwood, Land reclamation, Ecological invasion, Phytochemistry, Cyanogenic glycosides, Famous acacias, References, Further reading, External links |
Acapulco | Short description | Acapulco de JuΓ‘rez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicircular bay, Acapulco has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico's history. It is a port of call for shipping and cruise lines running between Panama and San Francisco, California, United States. The city of Acapulco is the largest in the state, far larger than the state capital Chilpancingo. Acapulco is also Mexico's largest beach and balneario resort city. Acapulco de JuΓ‘rez, Guerrero is the municipal seat of the municipality of Acapulco, Guerrero.
The city is one of Mexico's oldest beach resorts, coming into prominence in the 1940s through the 1960s as a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires. Acapulco was once a popular tourist resort, but due to a massive upsurge in gang violence and homicide numbers since 2014, Acapulco no longer attracts many foreign tourists, and most now only come from within Mexico itself. It is both the ninth deadliest city in Mexico and the tenth-deadliest city in the world as of 2022; the US government has warned its citizens not to travel there. In 2016 there were 918 murders, and the homicide rate was one of the highest in the world: 103 in every 100,000. In September 2018, the city's entire police force was disarmed by the military, due to suspicions that it had been infiltrated by drug gangs.
The resort area is divided into three parts: the north end of the bay and beyond is the "traditional" area, which encompasses the area from Parque Papagayo through the and onto the beaches of Caleta and Caletilla, the main part of the bay known as "" ('golden zone' in Spanish), where the famous in the mid-20th century vacationed, and the south end, "" ('diamond' in Spanish), which is dominated by newer luxury high-rise hotels and condominiums.
The name "Acapulco, Guerrero" comes from Nahuatl language Aca-pΕl-co, and means "where the reeds were destroyed or washed away" or "at the big reeds",Nahuatl -pΕl- is an augmentative suffix, and it also is a verb root meaning "destroy". which inspired the city's seal, which is an Aztec-type glyph showing two hands breaking reeds.
The "de JuΓ‘rez" was added to the official name in 1885 to honor Benito JuΓ‘rez, former president of Mexico (1806β1872). The island and municipality of Capul, in the Philippines, derives its name from Acapulco, Guerrero. Acapulco, Guerrero was the eastern end of the trans-Pacific sailing route from Acapulco to Manila, in what was then a Spanish colony. |
Acapulco | History | History |
Acapulco | Pre-Columbian | Pre-Columbian
left|thumb|A 1628 relief atlas of Acapulco Bay.
By the 8th century, around the Acapulco Bay area, there was a small culture which would first be dominated by the Olmecs, then by a number of others during the pre-Hispanic period before it ended in the 1520s. At Acapulco Bay itself, there were two Olmec sites, one by Playa Larga and the other on a hill known as El GuitarrΓ³n. Olmec influence caused the small spread-out villages here to coalesce into larger entities and build ceremonial centers.
Later, Teotihuacan influence came to the area via Cuernavaca and Chilpancingo. Then Mayan influence arrived from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and through what is now Oaxaca. This history is known through the archaeological artifacts that have been found here, especially at Playa Hornos, Pie de la Cuesta, and Tambuco.
In the 11th century, new waves of migration of Nahuas, including the Coixcas, came through here. These people were the antecedents of the Aztecs. In the later 15th century, after four years of military struggle, Acapulco became part of the Aztec Empire during the reign of Ahuizotl (1486β1502). It was annexed to a tributary province named Tepecuacuilco. However, this was only transitory, as the Aztecs could only establish an unorganized military post at the city's outskirts. The city was in territory under control of the Yopis, who continued defending it and living there until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1520s. |
Acapulco | 16th century | 16th century
thumb|upright=.95|Codex Tudela: "Acapulco's Yope Indian, at the South Sea".
There are two stories about how Acapulco bay was discovered by Europeans. The first states that two years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, HernΓ‘n CortΓ©s sent explorers west to find gold. The explorers had subdued this area after 1523, and Captain Saavedra CerΓ³n was authorized by CortΓ©s to found a settlement here. The other states that the bay was discovered on December 13, 1526, by a small ship named the El Tepache Santiago captained by Santiago Guevara.
The first encomendero was established in 1525 at Cacahuatepec, which is still part of the modern Acapulco municipality. In 1531, a number of Spaniards, most notably Juan Rodriguez de Villafuerte, left the Oaxaca coast and founded the village of Villafuerte where the city of Acapulco now stands. Villafuerte was unable to subdue the local native peoples, and this eventually resulted in the Yopa Rebellion in the region of Cuautepec. HernΓ‘n CortΓ©s was obligated to send Vasco Porcayo to negotiate with the indigenous people giving concessions. The province of Acapulco became the encomendero of Rodriguez de Villafuerte who received taxes in the form of cocoa, cotton and corn.
CortΓ©s established Acapulco as a major port by the early 1530s, with the first major road between Mexico City and the port constructed by 1531. The wharf, named MarquΓ©s, was constructed by 1533 between Bruja Point and Diamond Point. Soon after, the area was made an "alcadia" (major province or town).
thumb|upright=.95|left|alt=Painting of a sandy beach, sun setting behind it, seen from the water. People sit by a hut with two longboats. A woman carries a basket on her head up the beach toward a tile-roof house. Lush forest is silhouetted against the late sunset.|View of Acapulco, 1879, oil painting by Carl Saltzmann.
Spanish trade in the Far East would give Acapulco a prominent position in the economy of New Spain. In 1550, thirty Spanish families were sent to live here from Mexico City to have a permanent base of European residents. Galleons started arriving in Acapulco from Asia by 1565. Acapulco would become the second most important port, after Veracruz, due to its direct trade with the Philippines. This trade would focus on the yearly Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade, which was the nexus of all kinds of communications between New Spain, Europe and Asia. In 1573, the port was granted the monopoly of the Manila trade. |
Acapulco | 17thβ19th centuries | 17thβ19th centuries
thumb|Hasekura Tsunenaga; the Japanese samurai who led the delegation to Mexico.
thumb|Puerto MarquΓ©s.
On January 25, 1614, a delegation led by samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga, which included over one hundred Japanese Christians as well as twenty-two samurai under the shΕgun Tokugawa Ieyasu, arrived from Japan to Acapulco as part of a mission to form closer relations with Catholic Europe. A fight soon broke out in which a Japanese samurai stabbed a Spanish colonial soldier in Acapulco. This was witnessed and recorded by historian Chimalpahin, who was the grandson of an Aztec nobleman. Some of Tsunenaga's delegation would stay and marry with the locals.
The galleon trade made its yearly run from the mid-16th century until the early 19th. The luxury items it brought to New Spain attracted the attention of English and Dutch pirates, such as Francis Drake, Henry Morgan and Thomas Cavendish, who called it "The Black Ship". A Dutch fleet invaded Acapulco in 1615, destroying much of the town before being driven off. The Fort of San Diego was built the following year to protect the port and the cargo of arriving ships. The fort was destroyed by an earthquake in 1776 and was rebuilt between 1778 and 1783.
At the beginning of the 19th century, King Charles IV declared Acapulco a Ciudad Official and it became an essential part of the Spanish Crown. However, not long after, the Mexican War of Independence began. In 1810, JosΓ© MarΓa Morelos y PavΓ³n attacked and burnt down the city, after he defeated royalist commander Francisco ParΓ©s at the Battle of Tres Palos. The independence of Mexico in 1821 ended the run of the Manila Galleon. Acapulco's importance as a port recovered during the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th-century, with ships going to and coming from Panama stopping here. This city was besieged on 19 April 1854 by Antonio LΓ³pez de Santa Anna after Guerrero's leadership had rebelled by issuing the Plan de Ayutla. After an unsuccessful week of fighting, Santa Anna retreated. |
Acapulco | 20th century | 20th century
thumb|upright=1.2|The Bay of Acapulco from the top of Palma Sola.
In 1911, revolutionary forces took over the main plaza of Acapulco. In 1920, the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII) visited the area. Impressed by what he saw, he recommended the place to his compatriots in Europe, making it popular with the elite there. Much of the original hotel and trading infrastructure was built by a businessman named Albert B. Pullen from Corrigan, Texas, in the area now known as Old Acapulco. In 1933, Carlos Barnard started the first section of Hotel El Mirador, with 12 rooms on the cliffs of La Quebrada. Albert Pullen built the Las Americas Hotel. In the late 1930s, βLa Fraccionadora de Acapulco, S.A.β (FASA), consisting of William Pullen, Anacleto MartΓnez, Juan M. Salcedo, and Wolf Schoenburg, who was especially instrumental, started tourism development in earnest.
In the mid-1940s, the first commercial wharf and warehouses were built. In the early 1950s, President Miguel AlemΓ‘n ValdΓ©s upgraded the port's infrastructure, installing electrical lines, drainage systems, roads and the first highway to connect the port with Mexico City.
The economy grew and foreign investment increased with it. During the 1950s, Acapulco became the fashionable place for millionaire Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Fisher and Brigitte Bardot. The 1963 Hollywood movie Fun in Acapulco, starring Elvis Presley, is set in Acapulco although the filming took place in the United States. Former swing musician Teddy Stauffer, the so-called "Mister Acapulco", was a hotel manager ("Villa Vera", "Casablanca"), who attracted many celebrities to Acapulco.
From a population of only 4,000 or 5,000 in the 1940s, by the early 1960s, Acapulco had a population of about 50,000. In 1958, the Diocese of Acapulco was created by Pope Pius XII. It became an archdiocese in 1983.
thumb|left|250px|Acapulco skyline.
During the 1960s and 1970s, new hotel resorts were built, and accommodation and transport were made cheaper. It was no longer necessary to be a millionaire to spend a holiday in Acapulco; the foreign and Mexican middle class could now afford to travel here. However, as more hotels were built in the south part of the bay, the old hotels of the 1950s lost their grandeur. For the 1968 Summer Olympics in neighboring Mexico City, Acapulco hosted the sailing (then yachting) events.
In the 1970s, there was a significant expansion of the port.
The Miss Universe 1978 pageant took place in the city. In 1983, singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel wrote the song "Amor eterno", which pays homage to Acapulco. The song was first and most famously recorded by RocΓo DΓΊrcal. Additionally, Acapulco is the hometown of actress, singer, and comedian AΓda Pierce, who found fame during the 1980s, 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century.
The tollway known as the Ruta del Sol was built during the 1990s, crossing the mountains between Mexico City and Acapulco. The journey takes only about three-and-a-half hours, making Acapulco a favorite weekend destination for Mexico City inhabitants. It was in that time period that the economic impact of Acapulco as a tourist destination increased positively, and as a result new types of services emerged, such as the Colegio Nautilus. This educational project, backed by the state government, was created for the families of local and foreign investors and businessmen living in Acapulco who were in need of a bilingual and international education for their children.
The port continued to grow and in 1996, a new private company, API Acapulco, was created to manage operations. This consolidated operations and now Acapulco is the major port for car exports to the Pacific.
The city was devastated by Hurricane Pauline in 1997. The storm stranded tourists and left more than 100 dead in the city. Most of the victims were from the shantytowns built on steep hillsides that surround the city. Other victims were swept away by thirty-foot (9Β m) waves and winds. The main road, Avenida Costera, became a fast-moving river of sludge in depth. |
Acapulco | 21st century | 21st century
thumb|right|Fountain of the Huntress Diana.
In the 21st century, the Mexican Drug War has had a negative effect on tourism in Acapulco as rival drug traffickers fight each other for the Guerrero coast route that brings drugs from South America as well as soldiers that have been fighting the cartels since 2006.
A major gun battle between 18 gunmen and soldiers took place in the summer of 2009 in the Old Acapulco seaside area, lasting hours and killing 16 of the gunmen and two soldiers. This came after the 2009 swine flu pandemic outbreak earlier in the year nearly paralyzed the Mexican economy, forcing hotels to give discounts to bring tourists back. However, hotel occupancy for 2009 was down five percent from the year before. The death of Arturo BeltrΓ‘n Leyva in December 2009 resulted in infighting among different groups within the BeltrΓ‘n Leyva cartel.
Gang violence continued to plague Acapulco through 2010 and into 2011, most notably with at least 15 dying in drug-related violence on March 13, 2010, and another 15 deaths on January 8, 2011. Among the first incident's dead were six members of the city police and the brother of an ex-mayor. In the second incident, the headless bodies of 15 young men were found dumped near the Plaza Sendero shopping center. On August 20, 2011, Mexican authorities reported that five headless bodies were found in Acapulco, three of which were placed in the city's main tourist area and two of which were cut into multiple pieces.
On February 4, 2013, six Spanish men were tied up and robbed and the six Spanish women with them were gang-raped by five masked gunmen who stormed a beach house on the outskirts of Acapulco, though after these accusations, none of the victims decided to press charges. On September 28, 2014, Mexican politician Braulio Zaragoza was gunned down at the El Mirador hotel in the city. He was the leader of the conservative opposition National Action Party (PAN) in southern Guerrero state. Several politicians have been targeted by drug cartels operating in the area. Investigations are under way, but no arrests have yet been made as of September 29. The insecurity due to individuals involved with drug cartels has cost the city of Acapulco its popularity among national and international tourists. It was stated by the DirecciΓ³n General de AeronΓ‘utica Civil that the number of international flyers coming to Acapulco decreased from 355,760 flyers registered in 2006 to 52,684 flyers in the year 2015, the number of international tourists flying to Acapulco dropped 85% in the interval of nine years. In 2018, the Mexican Armed Forces entered the city, placing it under occupation. The police department was disarmed after allegations of the latter being linked to the cartels. |
Acapulco | Hurricane Otis | Hurricane Otis
On October 25, 2023, Hurricane Otis, a CategoryΒ 5 hurricane with 1-minute sustained winds of , caused widespread devastation throughout the city while making landfall nearby. |
Acapulco | Hurricane John | Hurricane John
Hurricane John struck Acapulco and Mexico's Pacific coast in late September 2024 as a Category 3 hurricane, delivering powerful winds and extreme rainfall that led to widespread flooding and significant damage. Acapulco experienced nearly one meter of rainfall, resulting in submerged neighborhoods and serious disruptions. Roads became impassable due to landslides, and extensive power outages left tens of thousands without electricity across Guerrero and Oaxaca. Around 40,000 homes were damaged impacting over 150,000 residents. |
Acapulco | Geography | Geography
right|thumb|300px|Acapulco International Airport.
The city, located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Guerrero, is classified as one of the state's seven regions, dividing the rest of the Guerrero coast into the Costa Grande and the Costa Chica. Forty percent of the municipality is mountainous terrain; another forty percent is semi-flat; and the other twenty percent is flat. Elevation varies from sea level to . The highest peaks are Potrero, San Nicolas, and Alto CamarΓ³n. One major river runs through the municipality, the Papagayo, along with a number of arroyos (streams). There are also two small lagoons, Tres Palos and Coyuca, along with a number of thermal springs. |
Acapulco | Climate | Climate
Acapulco features a tropical wet and dry climate (KΓΆppen: Aw): hot with distinct wet and dry seasons, with more even temperatures between seasons than resorts farther north in Mexico, but this varies depending on altitude. The warmest areas are next to the sea where the city is. Pacific hurricanes and tropical storms are threats from May through November; notably, the city was struck directly by CategoryΒ 5 Hurricane Otis on October 25, 2023, which caused extensive damage. The forested area tends to lose leaves during the winter dry season, with evergreen pines in the highest elevations. Fauna consists mostly of deer, small mammals, a wide variety of both land and seabirds, and marine animals such as turtles. Oddly enough, January, its coolest month, also features its all-time record high.
+Acapulco mean sea temperatureJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
The temperature of the sea is quite stable, with lows of between January β March, and a high of in August. These sea surface temperatures are much warmer than those further north along the Pacific coast, and indeed warmer than most places further south, as sea surface temperatures begin to decline with proximity to the Southern Hemisphere's Humboldt Current. |
Acapulco | Government | Government
As the seat of a municipality, the city of Acapulco is the government authority for over 700 other communities, which together have a territory of 1,880.60Β km2. This municipality borders the municipalities of Chilpancingo, Juan R Escudero (Tierra Colorada), San Marcos, Coyuca de BenΓtez with the Pacific Ocean to the south.
The metropolitan area is made up of the municipalities of Acapulco de JuΓ‘rez and Coyuca de Benitez. The area has a population () of 786,830.
For the names and terms of some Acapulco mayors, you can check a List of municipal presidents of Acapulco. |
Acapulco | Demographics | Demographics |
Acapulco | Population | Population
Acapulco is the most populated city in the state of Guerrero, according to the results of the II Population and Housing Census 2010 carried out by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) with a census date of June 12, 2010, The city had until then a total population of 673,479 inhabitants, of that amount, 324,746 were men and 348,733 women. It is considered the twenty-second most populous city in Mexico and the tenth most populous metropolitan area in Mexico. It is also the city with the highest concentration of population of the homonymous municipality, representing 85.25 percent of the 789,971 inhabitants. In the 2020 census of 658,609 people where counted in the locality and 779,566 in the municipality of Acapulco, a small drop from the last census.
The metropolitan area of Acapulco is made up of six towns in the municipality of Acapulco de JuΓ‘rez and four in the municipality of Coyuca de BenΓtez. In agreement with the last count and official delimitation realized in 2010 altogether by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the National Council of Population and the Secretariat of Social Development, the metropolitan area of Acapulco grouped a total of 863,431 inhabitants in a surface of 3,538.5Β km2, which placed it as the tenth most populated district in Mexico.
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Notes |
Acapulco | Economy | Economy
Tourism is the main economic activity of the municipality and most of this is centered on Acapulco Bay. About seventy-three percent of the municipality's population is involved in commerce, most of it related to tourism and the port. Mining and manufacturing employ less than twenty percent and only about five percent is dedicated to agriculture. Industrial production is limited mostly to bottling, milk products, cement products, and ice and energy production. Agricultural products include tomatoes, corn, watermelon, beans, green chili peppers, and melons. |
Acapulco | Tourism | Tourism
thumb|Caleta Beach.
thumb|Acapulco Bay.
thumb|Papagayo Park.
Acapulco is one of Mexico's oldest coastal tourist destinations, reaching prominence in the 1950s as the place where Hollywood stars and millionaires vacationed on the beach in an exotic locale. In modern times, tourists in Acapulco have been facing problems with corrupt local police who steal money by extortion and intimidate visitors with threats of jail.
The city is divided into three tourist areas.
Traditional Acapulco is the old part of the port, where hotels like Hotel Los Flamingos, owned by personalities Johnny Weissmuller and John Wayne are located, is on the northern end of the bay. Anchored by attractions such as the beaches of Caleta and Caletilla, the cliff divers of La Quebrada, and the city square, known as El Zocalo. The heyday of this part of Acapulco ran from the late 1930s until the 1960s, with development continuing through the 1980s. This older section of town now caters to a mostly middle-class, almost exclusively Mexican clientele, while the glitzier newer section caters to the Mexican upper classes, many of whom never venture into the older, traditional part of town.
Acapulco Dorado had its development between the 1950s and the 1970s, and is about 25 minutes from the Acapulco International Airport. It is the area that presents the most tourist influx in the port, runs through much of the Acapulco bay, from Icacos, passing through Costera Miguel Aleman Avenue, which is the main one, to Papagayo Park. It has several hotels,
Acapulco Diamante, also known as Punta Diamante, is the newest and most developed part of the port, with investment having created one of the greatest concentrations of luxury facilities in Mexico, including exclusive hotels and resorts of international chains, residential complexes, luxury condominiums and private villas, spas, restaurants, shopping areas and a golf course. Starting at the Scenic Highway in Las Brisas, it includes Puerto MarquΓ©s and Punta Diamante and extends to Barra Vieja Beach. It is 10 minutes from the Acapulco International Airport. In this area, all along Boulevard de las Naciones, almost all transportation is by car, limousine or golf cart.
Acapulco's reputation of a high-energy party town and the nightlife have long been draws of the city for tourists. From November to April, luxury liners stop here daily and include ships such as the , the , Crystal Harmony, and all the Princess line ships. Despite Acapulco's international fame, most of its visitors are from central Mexico, especially the affluent from Mexico City. Acapulco is one of the embarkation ports for the Mexican cruise line Ocean Star Cruises.
For the Christmas season of 2009, Acapulco received 470,000 visitors, most of whom are Mexican nationals, adding 785 million pesos to the economy. Eighty percent arrive by land and eighteen percent by air. The area has over 25,000 condominiums, most of which function as second homes for their Mexican owners. Acapulco is still popular with Mexican celebrities and the wealthy, such as Luis Miguel and PlΓ‘cido Domingo, who maintain homes there. |
Acapulco | Problems | Problems
From the latter 20th century on, the city has also taken on other less-positive reputations. Some consider it a passΓ© resort, eclipsed by the newer CancΓΊn and Cabo San Lucas. Over the years, a number of problems have developed here, especially in the bay and the older sections of the city. The large number of wandering vendors on the beaches, who offer everything from newspapers to massages, are a recognized problem. It is a bother to tourists who simply want to relax on the beach, but the government says it is difficult to eradicate, as there is a lot of unemployment and poverty in the city. Around the city are many small shantytowns that cling to the mountainsides, populated by migrants who have come to the city looking for work. In the last decade, drug-related violence has caused massive problems for the local tourism trade.
Another problem is the garbage that has accumulated in the bay. Although 60.65 tons have recently been extracted from the bays of Acapulco and nearby Zihuatanejo, more needs to be done. Most of trash removal during the off seasons is done on the beaches and in the waters closest to them. However, the center of the bay is not touched. The reason trash winds up in the bay is that it is common in the city to throw it in streets, rivers and the bay itself. The most common items cleaned out of the bay are beer bottles and car tires. Acapulco has seen some success in this area, having several beaches receiving the high "blue flag" certifications for cleanliness and water quality. |
Acapulco | Cuisine | Cuisine
Acapulco's cuisine is very rich. The following are typical dishes from the region: Relleno is baked pork with a variety of vegetables and fruits such as potatoes, raisins, carrots and chiles. It is eaten with bread called bolillo. Pozole is a soup with a salsa base (it can be white, red or green), hominy, meat that can be either pork or chicken and it is accompanied with antojitos (snacks) like tostadas, tacos and tamales. This dish is served as part of a weekly Thursday event in the city and the state, with many restaurants offering the meal with special entertainment, from bands to dancers to celebrity impersonators. |
Acapulco | Attractions | Attractions
thumb|left|Acapulco beach with a in the background.
Acapulco's main attraction is its nightlife, as it has been for many decades. Nightclubs change names and owners frequently.
For example, Baby 'O has been open to the national and international public since 1976 and different celebrities have visited their installations such as Mexican singer Luis Miguel, Bono from U2 and Sylvester Stallone. Another nightclub is Palladium, located in the EscΓ©nica Avenue, the location gives the nightclub a view of the Santa Lucia Bay at night. Various DJs have had performances in Palladium among them DVBBS, Tom Swoon, Nervo and Junkie KID.
Informal lobby or poolside cocktail bars often offer free live entertainment. In addition, there is the beach bar zone, where younger crowds go. These are located along the Costera road, face the ocean and feature techno or alternative rock. Most are concentrated between the Fiesta Americana and Continental Plaza hotels. These places tend to open earlier and have more informal dress. There is a bungee jump in this area as well.
thumb|upright|La Quebrada Cliff Divers.
Another attraction at Acapulco is the La Quebrada Cliff Divers. The tradition started in the 1930s when young men casually competed against each other to see who could dive from the highest point into the sea below. Eventually, locals began to ask for tips for those coming to see the men dive. Today the divers are professionals, diving from heights of into an inlet that is only wide and deep, after praying first at a shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe. On the evening before December 12, the feast day of this Virgin, freestyle cliff divers jump into the sea to honor her. Dives range from the simple to the complicated and end with the "Ocean of Fire" when the sea is lit with gasoline, making a circle of flames which the diver aims for. The spectacle can be seen from a public area which charges a small fee or from the Hotel Plaza Las Glorias/El Mirador from its bar or restaurant terrace.
There are a number of beaches in the Acapulco Bay and the immediate coastline. In the bay proper there are the La Angosta (in the Quebrada), Caleta, Caletilla, Dominguillo, Tlacopanocha, Hornos, Hornitos, Honda, Tamarindo, Condesa, GuitarrΓ³n, Icacos, Playuela, Playuelilla and Playa del Secreto. In the adjoining, smaller Bay of Puerto MarquΓ©s there is Pichilingue, Las Brisas, and Playa Roqueta. Facing open ocean just northwest of the bays is Pie de la Cuesta and southeast are Playa Revolcadero, Playa Aeromar, Playa Encantada and Barra Vieja. Two lagoons are in the area, Coyuca to the northwest of Acapulco Bay and Tres Palos to the southeast. Both lagoons have mangroves and offer boat tours. Tres Palos also has sea turtle nesting areas which are protected.
In addition to sunbathing, the beaches around the bay offer a number of services, such as boat rentals, boat tours, horseback riding, scuba diving and other aquatic sports. One popular cruise is from Caletilla Beach to Roqueta Island, which has places to snorkel, have lunch, and a lighthouse. There is also an underwater statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe here, created in 1958 by Armando Quesado in memory of a group of divers who died here. Many of the scuba-diving tours come to this area as well, where there are sunken ships, sea mountains, and cave rock formations. Another popular activity is deep-sea fishing. The major attraction is sail fishing. Fish caught here have weighed between 89 and 200Β pounds. Sailfish are so plentiful that boat captains have been known to bet with a potential customer that if he does not catch anything, the trip is free.
In the old part of the city, there is a traditional main square called the ZΓ³calo, lined with shade trees, cafΓ©s and shops. At the north end of the square is Nuestra SeΓ±ora de la Soledad cathedral, with blue onion-shaped domes and Byzantine towers. The building was originally constructed as a movie set, but was later adapted into a church. Acapulco's most historic building is the Fort of San Diego, located east of the main square and originally built in 1616 to protect the city from pirate attacks. The fort was built by a Dutch engineer and finished in 1617 then destroyed in 1776 by an earthquake. It was rebuilt by 1783 and this is the building that can be seen today, unchanged except for renovations done to it in 2000. Parts of the moats remain as well as the five bulwarks and the battlements. Today the fort serves as the Museo HistΓ³rico de Acapulco (Acapulco Historical Museum), which shows the port's history from the pre-Hispanic period until independence. There are temporary exhibits as well. For many years tourists could ride around the city in colorful horse-drawn carriages known as calandrias, but the practice ended in February 2020 due to concerns about mistreatment of the animals.
thumb|left|Tlacopanocha, or Tlaco de Panocha, is one of the city's main beaches.
The El Rollo Acapulco is a sea-life and aquatic park located on Costera Miguel Aleman. It offers wave pools, water slides and water toboggans. There are also dolphin shows daily and a swim with dolphins program. The center mostly caters to children. Another place that is popular with children is the Parque Papagayo: a large family park which has a life-sized replica of a Spanish galleon, three artificial lakes, an aviary, a skating rink, rides, go-karts and more.
The Dolores Olmedo House is located in the traditional downtown of Acapulco and is noted for the murals by Diego Rivera that adorn it. Olmedo and Rivera had been friend since Olmedo was a child and Rivera spent the last two years of his life here. During that time, he painted nearly nonstop and created the outside walls with tile mosaics, featuring Aztec deities such as Quetzalcoatl. The interior of the home is covered in murals. The home is not a museum, so only the outside murals can be seen by the public.
There is a small museum called Casa de la MΓ‘scara (House of Masks) which is dedicated to masks, most of them from Mexico, but there are examples from many parts of the world. The collection contains about one thousand examples and is divided into seven rooms called Masks of the World, Mexico across History, The Huichols and the Jaguar, Alebrijes, Dances of Guerrero, Devils and Death, Identity and Fantasy, and Afro-Indian masks.
The Botanical Garden of Acapulco is a tropical garden located on lands owned by the Universidad Loyola del PacΓfico. Most of the plants here are native to the region, and many, such as the Peltogyne mexicana or purple stick tree, are in danger of extinction.
One cultural event that is held yearly in Acapulco is the Festival Internacional de la Nao, which takes place in the Fort of San Diego, located near the ZΓ³calo in downtown of the city. The Festival honors the remembrance of the city's interaction and trades with Oriental territories which started back in the Sixteenth Century. The Nao Festival consists of cultural activities with the support of organizations and embassies from India, China, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. The variety of events go from film projections, musical interpretations and theatre to gastronomical classes, some of the events are specifically for kids.
The annual French Festival takes place throughout Acapulco city and offers a multitude of events that cement cultural links between Mexico and France. The main features are a fashion show and a gourmet food fair. The CinΓ©polis GalerΓas Diana and the Teatro Juan RuΓz de AlarcΓ³n present French and French literary figures who give talks on their specialised subjects. Even some of the local nightclubs feature French DJs. Other festivals celebrated here include Carnival, the feast of San Isidro Labrador on 15 May, and in November, a crafts and livestock fair called the Nao de China.
There are a number of golf courses in Acapulco including the Acapulco Princess and the Pierre MarquΓ©s course, the latter designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1972 for the World Cup Golf Tournament. The Mayan Palace course was designed by Pedro Guericia and an economical course called the Club de Golf Acapulco is near the convention center. The most exclusive course is that of the Tres Vidas Golf Club, designed by Robert von Hagge. It is located next to the ocean and is home to flocks of ducks and other birds.
Another famous sport tournament that has been held in Acapulco since 1993 is the Mexican Open tennis tournament, an ATP 500 event that currently takes place at the Arena GNP Seguros. Initially it was played in clay courts but it changed to hard court. The event has gained popularity within the passing of the years, attracting some of the top tennis players in the world including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic. The total prize money is US$250,000.00 for WTA (women) and US$1,200,000.00 for ATP (men).
Acapulco also has a bullring, called the Plaza de Toros, near Caletilla Beach. The season runs during the winter and is called the Fiesta Brava. |
Acapulco | Spring break | Spring break
Before 2010, over 100,000 American teenagers and young adults traveled to resort areas and balnearios throughout Mexico during spring break each year. The main reason students head to Mexico is the drinking age of 18 years (versus 21 for the United States), something that has been marketed by tour operators along with the sun and ocean. This has become attractive since the 1990s, especially since more traditional spring break places such as Daytona Beach, Florida, have enacted restrictions on drinking and other behaviors. This legislation has pushed spring break tourism to various parts of Mexico, with Acapulco as one of the top destinations.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, CancΓΊn had been favored as the spring break destination of choice. However, CancΓΊn has taken some steps to control the reckless behavior associated with the event, and students have been looking for someplace new. This led many more to choose Acapulco, in spite of the fact that for many travelers, the flight is longer and more expensive than to CancΓΊn. Many were attracted by the glitzy hotels on the south side and Acapulco's famous nightlife. In 2008, 22,500 students came to Acapulco for spring break. Hotels did not get that many in 2009, due mostly to the economic situation in the United States, and partially because of scares of drug-related violence.
In February 2009, the US State Department issued a travel alert directed at college students planning spring break trips to Acapulco. The warningβa result of violent activity springing from Mexico's drug cartel dΓ©bΓ’cleβtook college campuses by storm, with some schools going so far as to warn their students about the risks of travel to Mexico over spring break. Bill O'Reilly devoted a segment of his show, The O'Reilly Factor, to urge students to stay away from Acapulco. In June 2009, a number of incidents occurred between the drug cartel and the government. These included coordinated attacks on police headquarters and open battles in the streets, involving large-caliber weapons and grenades. However, no incidents of violence against travelers on spring break were reported. |
Acapulco | Transportation | Transportation
thumb|right|250px|Cruise liner at the International Transatlantic Port Lieutenant JosΓ© Azueta.
thumb|250px|right|Acapulco's Miguel AlemΓ‘n Coastal Avenue.
Nine passenger airlines, including four international ones, fly to Acapulco International Airport. In the city, there are many buses and taxi services one can take to get from place to place, but most of the locals choose to walk to their destinations. However, an important mode of transportation is the government-subsidized 'Colectivo' cab system. These cabs cost 13 pesos per person to ride, but they are not private. The driver will pick up more passengers as long as seats are available, and will transport them to their destination based on first-come, first-served rules. The colectivos each travel a designated area of the city, the three main ones being Costera, Colosio, Coloso, or a mixture of the three. Coloso cabs travel mainly to old Acapulco. Colosio cabs travel through most of the tourist area of Acapulco. Costera cabs drive up and down the coast of Acapulco, where most of the hotels for visitors are located, but which includes some of old Acapulco. Drivers have discretion over destinations; some are willing to travel to the other designated areas, especially during slow periods of the day.
The bus system is highly complex and can be rather confusing to an outsider. As far as transportation goes, it is the cheapest form, other than walking, in Acapulco. The most expensive buses have air conditioning, while the cheaper buses do not. For tourists, the Acapulco city government has established a system of yellow buses with Acapulco painted on the side of them. These buses are not for tourists only, but are certainly the nicest and most uniform of the bus systems. These buses travel the tourist section of Acapulco, driving up and down the coast. There are buses with specific routes and destinations, generally written on their windshields or shouted out by a barker riding in the front seat. Perhaps the most unusual thing about the privately operated buses is the fact that they are all highly decorated and personalized, with decals and home-made interior designs that range from comic book scenes, to pornography, and even to "Hello Kitty" themes.
The bus network was simplified on 25 June 2016 with the implementation of the . The bus rapid transit system spans , with 16 stations spread throughout the city of Acapulco along five routes. Boarding is sped by pre- payment at stations. |
Acapulco | International relations | International relations
thumb|upright|Hands of Brotherhood and cross, Peace Ecumenical Chapel. |
Acapulco | Consulates | Consulates
CountryTypeRef.CanadaConsular agencyUnited StatesConsular agencyThe Russian FederationHonorary consulFinlandHonorary consulFranceHonorary consulPhilippinesHonorary consulPolandHonorary consulSpainHonorary consulUnited KingdomHonorary consul |
Acapulco | Twin towns and partner cities | Twin towns and partner cities |
Acapulco | International | International
Manila, 1969
Netanya, 1980
Sendai, 1983
Qingdao, 1985
Quebec City, 1986
Naples, 1986
Beverly Hills, 1988
Onjuku, 1988
Cannes, 1994
McAllen, 1997
Santa Marta, 2005
Manta, 2005
Ordizia, 2008
Yalta, 2012
SosΓΊa, 2012
Nassau, 2012
Callao, 2014
Cartagena, 2017
Eilat, 2017 |
Acapulco | Domestic | Domestic
Teocaltiche, 2005
Dolores Hidalgo, 2009
Guanajuato City, 2010
Boca del RΓo, 2012
Morelia, 2013 |
Acapulco | UNESCO World Heritage Site nominations | UNESCO World Heritage Site nominations
thumb|The Manila-Acapulco Galleon Memorial at Plaza Mexico in Intramuros, Manila.
In 2014, the idea to nominate the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade Route was initiated by the Mexican ambassador to UNESCO with the Filipino ambassador to UNESCO.
An Experts' Roundtable Meeting was held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) on April 23, 2015, as part of the preparation of the Philippines for the possible transnational nomination of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade Route to the World Heritage List. The nomination will be made jointly with Mexico.
The following are the experts and the topics they discussed during the roundtable meeting: Dr. Celestina Boncan on the Tornaviaje; Dr. Mary Jane A. Bolunia on Shipyards in the Bicol Region; Mr. Sheldon Clyde Jago-on, Bobby Orillaneda, and Ligaya Lacsina on Underwater Archaeology; Dr. Leovino Garcia on Maps and Cartography; Fr. Rene Javellana, S.J. on Fortifications in the Philippines; Felice Sta. Maria on Food; Dr. Fernando Zialcita on Textile; and Regalado Trota Jose on Historical Dimension. The papers presented and discussed during the roundtable meeting will be synthesized into a working document to establish the route's Outstanding Universal Value.
The Mexican side reiterated that they will also follow suit with the preparations for the route's nomination.
Spain has also backed the nomination of the Manila-Acapulco Trade Route in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list and has also suggested the Archives of the Manila-Acapulco Galleons to be nominated as part of a separate UNESCO list, the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
Type Site Location Description Image Mixed The Historic ManilaAcapulco Galleon Trade Route Philippines Mexico thumb|right|250px|White represents the route of the Manila Galleons in the Pacific. |
Acapulco | See also | See also
Acapulco (municipality)
Acapulco Chair
Triangle of the Sun
Loco in Acapulco |
Acapulco | References | References |
Acapulco | Bibliography | Bibliography |
Acapulco | External links | External links
Category:1550 establishments in the Spanish Empire
Category:Populated coastal places in Mexico
Category:Beaches of Guerrero
Category:Populated places established in 1525
Category:Populated places in Guerrero
Category:Port cities and towns on the Mexican Pacific coast
Category:Seaside resorts in Mexico |
Acapulco | Table of Content | Short description, History, Pre-Columbian, 16th century, 17thβ19th centuries, 20th century, 21st century, Hurricane Otis, Hurricane John, Geography, Climate, Government, Demographics, Population, Economy, Tourism, Problems, Cuisine, Attractions, Spring break, Transportation, International relations, Consulates, Twin towns and partner cities, International, Domestic, UNESCO World Heritage Site nominations, See also, References, Bibliography, External links |
August 16 | pp-pc1 | |
August 16 | Events | Events |
August 16 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
1 BC β Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs.
942 β Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdanids of Mosul and the Baridis of Basra over control of the Abbasid capital, Baghdad.
963 β Nikephoros II Phokas is crowned emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
1328 β The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.
1513 β Battle of the Spurs (Battle of Guinegate): King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.
1570 β The Principality of Transylvania is established after John II ZΓ‘polya renounces his claim as King of Hungary in the Treaty of Speyer.Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation, Viking, 2004, p. 443 |
August 16 | 1601β1900 | 1601β1900
1652 β Battle of Plymouth: Inconclusive naval action between the fleets of Michiel de Ruyter and George Ayscue in the First Anglo-Dutch War.
1777 β American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
1780 β American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden: The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
1792 β Maximilien de Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
1793 β French Revolution: A levΓ©e en masse is decreed by the National Convention.
1812 β War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
1819 β Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.
1841 β U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
1844 β Governor-general of the Philippines Narciso Claveria, signs a decree to reform the country's calendar by skipping Tuesday, December 31, as a solution to anomalies that had existed since Ferdinand Magellan's arrival in 1521.
1858 β U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in a few weeks.
1859 β The Grand Duchy of Tuscany formally deposes the exiled House of Lorraine.
1863 β The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio LuperΓ³n raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized the country.
1869 β Battle of Acosta Γu: A Paraguayan battalion largely made up of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War.Hooker, T.D., 2008, The Paraguayan War, Nottingham: Foundry Books, p. 104
1870 β Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
1876 β Richard Wagner's Siegfried, the penultimate opera in his Ring cycle, is premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
1891 β The Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
1896 β Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
1900 β The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift. |
August 16 | 1901βpresent | 1901βpresent
1906 β The 8.2 ValparaΓso earthquake hits central Chile, killing 3,882 people.
1913 β TΕhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.
1913 β Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser .
1916 β The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed.
1918 β The Battle of Lake Baikal was fought between the Czechoslovak Legion and the Red Army.
1920 β Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees. Next day, Chapman will become the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game.
1920 β The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.
1920 β PolishβSoviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw.
1923 β The United Kingdom gives the name "Ross Dependency" to part of its claimed Antarctic territory and makes the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand its administrator.
1927 β The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.
1929 β The 1929 Palestine riots break out in Mandatory Palestine between Palestinian Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed.
1930 β The first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks.
1930 β The first British Empire Games are opened in Hamilton, Ontario, by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.
1933 β Christie Pits riot takes place in Toronto, Ontario.Cyril H. Levitt and William Shaffir, The Riot at Christie Pits, Toronto: Lester & Orpen Denys, 1987
1942 β World War II: US Navy L-class blimp L-8 drifts in from the Pacific and eventually crashes in Daly City, California. The two-man crew cannot be found.
1943 β World War II: 317 Greek civilians are murdered by soldiers of the German 1st Mountain Division in the village of Kommeno, Greece.
1944 β First flight of a jet with forward-swept wings, the Junkers Ju 287.
1945 β The National Representatives' Congress, the precursor of the current National Assembly of Vietnam, convenes in SΖ‘n DΖ°Ζ‘ng.
1946 β Mass riots in Kolkata begin; more than 4,000 people would be killed in 72 hours.
1946 β The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad.
1954 β The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
1960 β Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1960 β Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico, United States, at , setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
1964 β Vietnam War: A coup d'Γ©tat replaces DΖ°Ζ‘ng VΔn Minh with General Nguyα»
n KhΓ‘nh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
1966 β Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
1972 β In an unsuccessful coup d'Γ©tat attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
1975 β Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam symbolically hands over land to the Gurindji people after the eight-year Wave Hill walk-off, a landmark event in the history of Indigenous land rights in Australia, commemorated in a 1991 song by Paul Kelly and an annual celebration.
1987 β Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes after takeoff in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus two people on the ground.
1989 β A solar particle event affects computers at the Toronto Stock Exchange, forcing a halt to trading.
1991 β Indian Airlines Flight 257, a Boeing 737-200, crashes during approach to Imphal Airport, killing all 69 people on board.
2005 β West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashes in Machiques, Venezuela, killing all 160 people on board.
2008 β The Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago is topped off at , at the time becoming the world's highest residence above ground-level.
2010 β AIRES Flight 8250 crashes at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport in San AndrΓ©s, San AndrΓ©s y Providencia, Colombia, killing two people.
2012 β South African police fatally shoot 34 miners and wound 78 more during an industrial dispute at Marikana near Rustenburg.
2013 β The ferry St. Thomas Aquinas collides with a cargo ship and sinks at Cebu, Philippines, killing 61 people with 59 others missing.
2015 β More than 96 people are killed and hundreds injured following a series of air-raids by the Syrian Arab Air Force on the rebel-held market town of Douma.
2015 β Trigana Air Flight 267, an ATR 42, crashes in Oksibl, Bintang Mountains Regency, killing all 54 people on board.
2020 β The August Complex fire in California burns more than one million acres of land. |
August 16 | Births | Births |
August 16 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
1355 β Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster (d. 1382)
1378 β Hongxi Emperor of China (d. 1425)
1401 β Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut (d. 1436)
1557 β Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and etcher (d. 1602)
1565 β Christina, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (d. 1637)
1573 β Anne of Austria, Queen of Poland (d. 1598) |
August 16 | 1601β1900 | 1601β1900
1637 β Countess Emilie Juliane of Barby-MΓΌhlingen (d. 1706)
1645 β Jean de La BruyΓ¨re, French philosopher and author (d. 1696)
1650 β Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian monk, cosmographer, and cartographer (d. 1718)
1682 β Louis, Duke of Burgundy (d. 1712)
1744 β Pierre MΓ©chain, French astronomer and surveyor (d. 1804)
1761 β Yevstigney Fomin, Russian pianist and composer (d. 1800)
1815 β John Bosco, Italian priest and educator (d. 1888)
1816 β Octavia Taylor, daughter of Zachary Taylor (d. 1820)
1816 β Sara Prinsep, British salon organiser (d. 1959)
1820 β Andrew Rainsford Wetmore, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of New Brunswick (d. 1892)
1821 β Arthur Cayley, English mathematician and academic (d. 1895)
1824 β John Chisum, American cattle baron (d. 1884)https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/chisum-john-simpson
1831 β John Jones Ross, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Premier of Quebec (d. 1901)
1832 β Wilhelm Wundt, German physician, psychologist, and physiologist (d. 1920)
1842 β Jakob Rosanes, Ukrainian-German mathematician, chess player, and academic (d. 1922)
1845 β Gabriel Lippmann, Luxembourger-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1921)
1848 β Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general (d. 1926)
1855 β James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (d. 1922)
1856 β Aparicio Saravia, Uruguayan general and politician (d. 1904)
1858 β Arthur Achleitner, German author (d. 1927)
1860 β Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke, English-Scottish cricketer (d. 1938)
1860 β Jules Laforgue, Uruguayan-French poet and author (d. 1887)
1862 β Amos Alonzo Stagg, American baseball player and coach (d. 1965)
1864 β Elsie Inglis, Scottish surgeon and suffragette (d. 1917)
1865 β Mary Gilmore, Australian socialist, poet and journalist (d. 1962)
1868 β Bernarr Macfadden, American bodybuilder and publisher, founded Macfadden Publications (d. 1955)
1876 β Ivan Bilibin, Russian illustrator and stage designer (d. 1942)
1877 β Roque RuaΓ±o, Spanish priest and engineer (d. 1935)
1882 β DΓ©sirΓ© MΓ©rchez, French swimmer and water polo player (d. 1968)
1884 β Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourger-American author and publisher (d. 1967)
1888 β T. E. Lawrence, British colonel, diplomat, writer and archaeologist (d. 1935)
1888 β Armand J. Piron, American violinist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1943)
1892 β Hal Foster, Canadian-American author and illustrator (d. 1982)
1892 β Otto Messmer, American cartoonist and animator, co-created Felix the Cat (d. 1983)
1894 β George Meany, American plumber and labor leader (d. 1980)
1895 β Albert Cohen, Greek-Swiss author and playwright (d. 1981)
1895 β Liane Haid, Austrian-Swiss actress and singer (d. 2000)
1895 β Arthur Rose Eldred, First Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America (d. 1951)
1900 β Ida Browne, Australian geologist and palaeontologist (d. 1976) |
August 16 | 1901βpresent | 1901βpresent
1902 β Georgette Heyer, English author (d. 1974)
1902 β Wallace Thurman, American author and playwright (d. 1934)
1904 β Minoru Genda, Japanese general, pilot, and politician (d. 1989)
1904 β Wendell Meredith Stanley, American biochemist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
1908 β Orlando Cole, American cellist and educator (d. 2010)
1908 β William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., American editor, novelist, short story writer, and essayist (d. 2000)
1909 β Paul Callaway, American organist and conductor (d. 1995)
1910 β Gloria Blondell, American actress (d. 1986)
1910 β Mae Clarke, American actress (d. 1992)
1911 β E. F. Schumacher, German economist and statistician (d. 1977)
1912 β Ted Drake, English footballer and manager (d. 1995)
1913 β Menachem Begin, Belarusian-Israeli politician, Prime Minister of Israel, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
1915 β Al Hibbler, American baritone singer (d. 2001)
1916 β Iggy Katona, American race car driver (d. 2003)
1917 β Matt Christopher, American author (d. 1997)
1917 β Roque Cordero, Panamanian composer and educator (d. 2008)
1919 β Karl-Heinz Euling, German captain (d. 2014)
1920 β Charles Bukowski, German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1994)
1922 β James Casey, English comedian, radio scriptwriter and producer (d. 2011)
1922 β Ernie Freeman, American pianist and bandleader (d. 2001)
1923 β MillΓ΄r Fernandes, Brazilian journalist and playwright (d. 2012)
1924 β Fess Parker, American actor (d. 2010)
1924 β Inez Voyce, American baseball player (d. 2022)
1925 β Willie Jones, American baseball player (d. 1983)
1925 β Mal Waldron, American pianist and composer (d. 2002)
1927 β Lois Nettleton, American actress (d. 2008)
1928 β Ann Blyth, American actress and singer
1928 β Eydie GormΓ©, American singer (d. 2013)
1928 β Ara GΓΌler, Turkish photographer and journalist (d. 2018)
1928 β Eddie Kirkland, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
1928 β Wyatt Tee Walker, American pastor, theologian, and activist (d. 2018)
1929 β Bill Evans, American pianist and composer (d. 1980)
1929 β Helmut Rahn, German footballer (d. 2003)
1929 β Fritz Von Erich, American wrestler and trainer (d. 1997)
1930 β Robert Culp, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1930 β Frank Gifford, American football player, sportscaster, and actor (d. 2015)
1930 β Leslie Manigat, Haitian educator and politician, 43rd President of Haiti (d. 2014)
1930 β Flor Silvestre, Mexican singer and actress (d. 2020)
1933 β Reiner Kunze, German poet and translator
1933 β Tom Maschler, English author and publisher (d. 2020)
1933 β Julie Newmar, American actress
1933 β Stuart Roosa, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1994)
1934 β Angela Buxton, British tennis player (d. 2020)
1934 β Diana Wynne Jones, English author (d. 2011)
1934 β Douglas Kirkland, Canadian-American photographer (d. 2022)
1934 β Ketty Lester, American singer and actress
1934 β Pierre Richard, French actor, director, and screenwriter
1934 β John Standing, English actor
1934 β Sam Trimble, Australian cricketer (d. 2019)
1935 β Cliff Fletcher, Canadian businessman
1935 β Andreas Stamatiadis, Greek footballer and coach
1936 β Anita Gillette, American actress and singer
1936 β Alan Hodgkinson, English footballer and coach (d. 2015)
1937 β David Anderson, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician
1937 β David Behrman, American composer and producer
1937 β Ian Deans, Canadian politician (d. 2016)
1937 β Boris RΓ΅tov, Estonian chess player (d. 1987)
1939 β SeΓ‘n Brady, Irish cardinal
1939 β Trevor McDonald, Trinidadian-English journalist and academic
1939 β Billy Joe Shaver, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2020)
1939 β Eric Weissberg, American singer, banjo player, and multi-instrumentalist (d. 2020)
1940 β Bruce Beresford, Australian director and producer
1942 β Lesley Turner Bowrey, Australian tennis player
1942 β Barbara George, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
1942 β Robert Squirrel Lester, American soul singer (d. 2010)
1943 β Woody Peoples, American football player (d. 2010)
1944 β Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2013)
1945 β Bob Balaban, American actor, director, and producer
1945 β Russell Brookes, English race car driver (d. 2019)
1945 β Suzanne Farrell, American ballerina and educator
1945 β Gary Loizzo, American guitarist, singer, recording engineer, and record producer (d. 2016)
1945 β Nigel Terry, British stage and film actor (d. 2015)
1946 β Masoud Barzani, Iranian-Kurdish politician, President of Iraqi Kurdistan
1946 β Lesley Ann Warren, American actress
1947 β Carol Moseley Braun, American lawyer and politician, United States Ambassador to New Zealand
1947 β Katharine Hamnett, English fashion designer
1948 β Earl Blumenauer, American politician, U.S. Representative from Oregon
1948 β Barry Hay, Indian-born Dutch rock musician
1948 β Mike Jorgensen, American baseball player and manager
1948 β Pierre Reid, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2021)
1948 β Joey Spampinato, American singer-songwriter and bass player
1949 β Scott Asheton, American drummer (d. 2014)
1949 β Paul Pasqualoni, American football player and coach
1949 β Bill Spooner, American guitarist and songwriter
1950 β Hasely Crawford, Trinidadian runner
1950 β Marshall Manesh, Iranian-American actor
1950 β Jeff Thomson, Australian cricketer
1951 β Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, Nigerian businessman and politician, 13th President of Nigeria (d. 2010)
1952 β Reginald VelJohnson, American actor
1953 β Kathie Lee Gifford, American talk show host, singer, and actress
1953 β James "J.T." Taylor, American R&B singer-songwriter
1954 β James Cameron, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
1954 β George Galloway, Scottish-English politician and broadcaster
1955 β Jeff Perry, American actor
1955 β James Reilly, Irish surgeon and politician, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
1956 β Vahan Hovhannisyan, Armenian soldier and politician (d. 2014)
1957 β Laura Innes, American actress and director
1957 β R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (d. 2015)
1958 β Madonna, American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and director
1958 β Angela Bassett, American actress
1958 β Anne L'Huillier, French physicist
1958 β JosΓ© Luis Clerc, Argentinian tennis player and coach
1959 β Marc Sergeant, Belgian cyclist and manager
1960 β Rosita Baltazar, Belizean choreographer, dancer, and dance instructor (d. 2015)
1960 β Timothy Hutton, American actor, producer and director
1960 β Franz Welser-MΓΆst, Austrian-American conductor and director
1961 β Christian Okoye, American football player
1962 β Steve Carell, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1963 β AloΓsio Pires Alves, Brazilian footballer and manager
1963 β Christine Cavanaugh, American voice artist (d. 2014)
1964 β Jimmy Arias, American tennis player and sportscaster
1966 β Eddie Olczyk, American ice hockey player, coach, and commentator
1967 β Mark Coyne, Australian rugby league player
1967 β Ulrika Jonsson, Swedish journalist, actress, and author
1968 β Arvind Kejriwal, Indian civil servant and politician, 7th Chief Minister of Delhi
1968 β Andy Milder, American actor
1968 β Mateja Svet, Slovenian skier
1968 β Wolfgang Tillmans, German photographer
1970 β Bonnie Bernstein, American journalist and sportscaster
1970 β Manisha Koirala, Nepalese actress in Indian films
1970 β Seth Peterson, American actor
1971 β Stefan Klos, German footballer
1972 β Stan Lazaridis, Australian footballer
1972 β Emily Strayer, American singer and musician
1974 β Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Guyanese cricketer
1974 β Didier Cuche, Swiss skier
1974 β Krisztina Egerszegi, Hungarian swimmer
1974 β IvΓ‘n Hurtado, Ecuadorian footballer and politician
1974 β Ryan Longwell, American football player
1975 β Didier Agathe, French footballer
1975 β Jonatan Johansson, Finnish footballer, coach, and manager
1975 β George Stults, American actor
1975 β Taika Waititi, New Zealand director, screenwriter and actor
1979 β Paul Gallacher, Scottish footballer
1979 β Ian Moran, Australian cricketer
1980 β Vanessa Carlton, American singer-songwriter
1980 β Bob Hardy, English bass player
1980 β Emerson Ramos Borges, Brazilian footballer
1980 β Piet Rooijakkers, Dutch cyclist
1981 β Roque Santa Cruz, Paraguayan footballer
1982 β Cam Gigandet, American actor
1982 β Joleon Lescott, English footballer
1983 β Nikolaos Zisis, Greek basketball player
1984 β Matteo Anesi, Italian speed skater
1984 β Candice Dupree, American basketball player
1984 β Konstantin Vassiljev, Estonian footballer
1985 β Cristin Milioti, American actress
1986 β Yu Darvish, Japanese baseball player
1986 β MartΓn Maldonado, Puerto Rican baseball player
1986 β Shawn Pyfrom, American actor
1987 β Carey Price, Canadian ice hockey player
1987 β Eri Kitamura, Japanese voice actress and singer.
1988 β IsmaΓ―l Aissati, Moroccan footballer
1988 β Ryan Kerrigan, American football player
1988 β Rumer Willis, American actress
1989 β Cedric Alexander, American wrestler
1989 β Wang Hao, Chinese race walker
1989 β Moussa Sissoko, French footballer
1990 β Godfrey Oboabona, Nigerian footballer
1991 β JosΓ© Eduardo de AraΓΊjo, Brazilian footballer
1991 β Evanna Lynch, Irish actress
1991 β Young Thug, American rapper, singer and songwriter
1992 β Diego Schwartzman, Argentinian tennis player
1993 β Cameron Monaghan, American actor and model
1996 β Caeleb Dressel, American swimmer
1997 β Greyson Chance, American musician
1999 β Karen Chen, American figure skater
2001 β Jannik Sinner, Italian tennis player |
August 16 | Deaths | Deaths |
August 16 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
AD 79 β Empress Ma, Chinese Han dynasty consort (b. 40)
856 β Theutbald I, bishop of Langres
963 β Marianos Argyros, Byzantine general (b. 944)
1027 β George I of Georgia (b. 998)
1153 β Bernard de Tremelay, fourth Grand Master of the Knights Templar
1225 β HΕjΕ Masako, Japanese regent and onna-bugeisha (b. 1156)
1258 β Theodore II Laskaris, Byzantine-Greek emperor (b. 1222)
1285 β Philip I, Count of Savoy (b. 1207)
1297 β John II of Trebizond (b. 1262)
1327 β Roch, French saint (b. 1295)
1339 β Azzone Visconti, founder of the state of Milan (b. 1302)
1358 β Albert II, Duke of Austria (b. 1298)
1419 β Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (b. 1361)
1443 β Ashikaga Yoshikatsu, Japanese shΕgun (b. 1434)
1492 β Beatrice of Silva, Dominican nun
1518 β Loyset CompΓ¨re, French composer (b. 1445)
1532 β John, Elector of Saxony (b. 1468) |
August 16 | 1601β1900 | 1601β1900
1661 β Thomas Fuller, English historian and author (b. 1608)
1678 β Andrew Marvell, English poet and author (b. 1621)
1705 β Jacob Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician and theorist (b. 1654)
1733 β Matthew Tindal, English philosopher and author (b. 1657)
1791 β Charles-FranΓ§ois de Broglie, marquis de Ruffec, French soldier and diplomat (b. 1719)
1836 β Marc-Antoine Parseval, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1755)
1855 β Henry Colburn, English publisher (b. 1785)
1861 β Ranavalona I, Queen consort of Kingdom of Madagascar and then sovereign (b. 1778)
1878 β Richard Upjohn, English-American architect (b. 1802)
1886 β Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Indian mystic and philosopher (b. 1836)
1887 β Webster Paulson, English civil engineer (b. 1837)
1888 β John Pemberton, American pharmacist and chemist, invented Coca-Cola (b. 1831)
1893 β Jean-Martin Charcot, French neurologist and academic (b. 1825)
1899 β Robert Bunsen, German chemist and academic (b. 1811)
1900 β JosΓ© Maria de EΓ§a de QueirΓ³s, Portuguese journalist and author (b. 1845) |
August 16 | 1901βpresent | 1901βpresent
1904 β Prentiss Ingraham, American soldier and author (b. 1843)
1911 β Patrick Francis Moran, Irish-Australian cardinal (b. 1830)
1914 β Carl Theodor Schulz, German-Norwegian gardener (b. 1835)
1916 β George Scott, English footballer (b. 1885)
1920 β Henry Daglish, Australian politician, Premier of Western Australia (b. 1866)
1921 β Peter I of Serbia (b. 1844)
1938 β Andrej Hlinka, Slovak priest, journalist, and politician (b. 1864)
1938 β Robert Johnson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1911)
1945 β TakijirΕ Εnishi, Japanese admiral (b. 1891)
1948 β Babe Ruth, American baseball player and coach (b. 1895)
1949 β Margaret Mitchell, American journalist and author (b. 1900)
1952 β Lydia Field Emmet, American painter and academic (b. 1866)
1956 β Bela Lugosi, Hungarian-American actor (b. 1882)
1957 β Irving Langmuir, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
1958 β Jacob M. Lomakin, Soviet Consul General in New York City, journalist and economist (b. 1904)
1959 β William Halsey, Jr., American admiral (b. 1882)
1959 β Wanda Landowska, Polish-French harpsichord player (b. 1879)
1961 β Abdul Haq, Pakistani linguist and scholar (b. 1870)
1963 β Joan Eardley, British artist (b. 1921)
1971 β Spyros Skouras, Greek-American businessman (b. 1893)
1972 β Pierre Brasseur, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1905)
1973 β Selman Waksman, Ukrainian-American biochemist and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
1977 β Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (b. 1935)
1978 β Alidius Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer, Dutch soldier and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1888)
1979 β John Diefenbaker, Canadian lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1895)
1983 β Earl Averill, American baseball player (b. 1902)
1984 β DuΕ‘ko RadoviΔ, Serbian children's writer, poet, journalist, aphorist and TV editor (b. 1922)
1986 β Ronnie Aird, English cricketer and administrator (b. 1902)
1986 β Jaime SΓ‘enz, Bolivian author and poet (b. 1921)
1989 β Amanda Blake, American actress (b. 1929)
1990 β Pat O'Connor, New Zealand wrestler and trainer (b. 1925)
1991 β Luigi Zampa, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1905)
1992 β Mark Heard, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1951)
1993 β Stewart Granger, English-American actor (b. 1913)
1997 β Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani musician and Qawwali singer (b. 1948)
1997 β Sultan Ahmad Nanupuri, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and teacher (b. 1914)
1998 β Phil Leeds, American actor (b. 1916)
1998 β Dorothy West, American journalist and author (b. 1907)
2002 β Abu Nidal, Palestinian terrorist leader (b. 1937)
2002 β Jeff Corey, American actor (b. 1914)
2002 β John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
2003 β Idi Amin, Ugandan field marshal and politician, 3rd President of Uganda (b. 1928)
2004 β Ivan Hlinka, Czech ice hockey player and coach (b. 1950)
2004 β Balanadarajah Iyer, Sri Lankan journalist and poet (b. 1957)
2004 β Carl Mydans, American photographer and journalist (b. 1907)
2004 β Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)
2005 β Vassar Clements, American fiddler (b. 1928)
2005 β Tonino Delli Colli, Italian cinematographer (b. 1922)
2005 β William Corlett, English novelist and playwright (b. 1938)
2005 β FrΓ¨re Roger, Swiss monk and mystic (b. 1915)
2006 β Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan general and dictator; 46th President of Paraguay (b. 1912)
2007 β Bahaedin Adab, Iranian engineer and politician (b. 1945)
2008 β Dorival Caymmi, Brazilian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1914)
2008 β Ronnie Drew, Irish musician, folk singer and actor (b. 1934)
2008 β Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese farmer and author (b. 1913)
2010 β Dimitrios Ioannidis, Greek general (b. 1923)
2011 β Mihri Belli, Turkish activist and politician (b. 1916)
2012 β Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (b. 1954)
2012 β Martine Franck, Belgian photographer and director (b. 1938)
2012 β Abune Paulos, Ethiopian patriarch (b. 1935)
2012 β William Windom, American actor (b. 1923)
2013 β David Rees, Welsh mathematician and academic (b. 1918)
2014 β Patrick Aziza, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Kebbi State (b. 1947)
2014 β Vsevolod Nestayko, Ukrainian author (b. 1930)
2014 β Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, Italian-South African lawyer and politician (b. 1960)
2014 β Peter Scholl-Latour, German journalist, author, and academic (b. 1924)
2015 β Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-American physicist, astronomer, and academic (b. 1947)
2015 β Anna Kashfi, British actress (b. 1934)
2015 β Shuja Khanzada, Pakistani colonel and politician (b. 1943)
2015 β Mile MrkΕ‘iΔ, Serb general (b. 1947)
2016 β JoΓ£o Havelange, Brazilian water polo player, lawyer, and businessman (b. 1916)
2016 β John McLaughlin, American television personality (b. 1927)
2018 β Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
2018 β Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian poet and 12th Prime Minister of India (b. 1924)
2018 β Wakako Yamauchi, American-Japanese writer (b. 1924)
2019 β Peter Fonda, American actor, director, and screenwriter. (b. 1940)
2019 β Richard Williams, Canadian-British animator (b. 1933)
2021 β Sean Lock, English comedian and actor (b. 1963)
2023 β Howard S. Becker, American sociologist (b. 1928) |
August 16 | Holidays and observances | Holidays and observances
Bennington Battle Day (Vermont, United States)
Children's Day (Paraguay)
Christian feast day:
Ana Petra PΓ©rez Florido
Armel (Armagillus)
Diomedes of Tarsus
Roch
Stephen I of Hungary
Translation of the Acheiropoietos icon from Edessa to Constantinople. (Eastern Orthodox Church)
August 16 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Gozan no Okuribi (Kyoto, Japan)
National Airborne Day (United States)
Restoration Day (Dominican Republic)
The first day of the Independence Days, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960.
Xicolatada (Palau-de-Cerdagne, France) |
August 16 | References | References |
August 16 | External links | External links
Category:Days of August |
August 16 | Table of Content | pp-pc1, Events, Pre-1600, 1601β1900, 1901βpresent, Births, Pre-1600, 1601β1900, 1901βpresent, Deaths, Pre-1600, 1601β1900, 1901βpresent, Holidays and observances, References, External links |
Alan Kay | Short description | Alan Curtis Kay (born May 17, 1940) published by the Association for Computing Machinery 2012 is an American computer scientist who pioneered work on object-oriented programming and windowing graphical user interface (GUI) design. At Xerox PARC he led the design and development of the first modern windowed computer desktop interface. There he also led the development of the influential object-oriented programming language Smalltalk, both personally designing most of the early versions of the language and coining the term "object-oriented."
He has been elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society of Arts. He received the Turing Award in 2003. |
Alan Kay | Early life and work | Early life and work
In an interview on education in America with the Davis Group Ltd., Kay said:
Originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, Kay's family relocated several times due to his father's career in physiology before ultimately settling in the New York metropolitan area.
He attended Brooklyn Technical High School. Having accumulated enough credits to graduate, he then attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, where he majored in biology and minored in mathematics.
Kay then taught guitar in Denver, Colorado for a year. He was drafted in the United States Army, then qualified for officer training in the United States Air Force, where he became a computer programmer after passing an aptitude test.
After his discharge, he enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in mathematics and molecular biology in 1966.
In the autumn of 1966, he began graduate school at the University of Utah College of Engineering. He earned a Master of Science in electrical engineering in 1968, then a Doctor of Philosophy in computer science in 1969. His doctoral dissertation, FLEX: A Flexible Extendable Language, described the invention of a computer language named FLEX. While there, he worked with "fathers of computer graphics" David C. Evans (who had recently been recruited from the University of California, Berkeley to start Utah's computer science department) and Ivan Sutherland (best known for writing such pioneering programs as Sketchpad). Kay credits Sutherland's 1963 thesis for influencing his views on objects and computer programming. As he grew busier with research for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), he ended his musical career.
In 1968, he met Seymour Papert and learned of the programming language Logo, a dialect of Lisp optimized for educational purposes. This led him to learn of the work of Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky, and of constructionist learning, further influencing his professional orientation. On December 9 of that same year he was present in San Francisco for the Mother of all Demos, a landmark computer demonstration by Douglas Engelbart. Even though he was sick with a high fever on that day, the event was very influential in Kay's career. He recalled later: "It was one of the greatest experiences in my life".
In 1969, Kay became a visiting researcher at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in anticipation of accepting a professorship at Carnegie Mellon University. Instead, in 1970, he joined the Xerox PARC research staff in Palo Alto, California. Through the decade, he developed prototypes of networked workstations using the programming language Smalltalk.
Along with some colleagues at PARC, Kay is one of the fathers of the idea of object-oriented programming (OOP), which he named. Some original object-oriented concepts, including the use of the words 'object' and 'class', had been developed for Simula 67 at the Norwegian Computing Center. Kay said:
I'm sorry that I long ago coined the term "objects" for this topic because it gets many people to focus on the lesser idea. The big idea is "messaging".
While at PARC, Kay conceived the Dynabook concept, a key progenitor of laptop and tablet computers and the e-book. He is also the architect of the modern overlapping windowing graphical user interface (GUI). Because the Dynabook was conceived as an educational platform, he is considered one of the first researchers into mobile learning; many features of the Dynabook concept have been adopted in the design of the One Laptop Per Child educational platform, with which Kay is actively involved. |
Alan Kay | Subsequent work | Subsequent work
From 1981 to 1984, Kay was Chief Scientist at Atari. In 1984, he became an Apple Fellow. After the closure of the Apple Advanced Technology Group in 1997, he was recruited by his friend Bran Ferren, head of research and development at Disney, to join Walt Disney Imagineering as a Disney Fellow. He remained there until Ferren left to start Applied Minds Inc with Imagineer Danny Hillis, leading to the cessation of the Fellows program.
In 2001, Kay founded Viewpoints Research Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to children, learning, and advanced software development. For their first ten years, Kay and his Viewpoints group were based at Applied Minds in Glendale, California, where he and Ferren worked on various projects. Kay served as president of the Institute until its closure in 2018.
In 2002 Kay joined HP Labs as a senior fellow, departing when HP disbanded the Advanced Software Research Team on July 20, 2005.
He has been an adjunct professor of computer science at the University of California, Los Angeles, a visiting professor at Kyoto University, and an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Kay served on the advisory board of TTI/Vanguard. |
Alan Kay | Squeak, Etoys, and Croquet | Squeak, Etoys, and Croquet
In December 1995, while still at Apple, Kay collaborated with many others to start the open source Squeak version of Smalltalk. As part of this effort, in November 1996, his team began research on what became the Etoys system. More recently he started, with David A. Smith, David P. Reed, Andreas Raab, Rick McGeer, Julian Lombardi, and Mark McCahill, the Croquet Project, an open-source networked 2D and 3D environment for collaborative work. |
Alan Kay | Tweak | Tweak
In 2001, it became clear that the Etoy architecture in Squeak had reached its limits in what the Morphic interface infrastructure could do. Andreas Raab, a researcher in Kay's group then at Hewlett-Packard, proposed defining a "script process" and providing a default scheduling mechanism that avoided several more general problems. The result was a new user interface, proposed to replace the Squeak Morphic user interface. Tweak added mechanisms of islands, asynchronous messaging, players and costumes, language extensions, projects, and tile scripting. Its underlying object system is class-based, but to users (during programming) it acts as if it were prototype-based. Tweak objects are created and run in Tweak project windows. |
Alan Kay | The Children's Machine | The Children's Machine
In November 2005, at the World Summit on the Information Society, the MIT research laboratories unveiled a new laptop computer for educational use around the world. It has many names, including the $100 Laptop, the One Laptop per Child program, the Children's Machine, and the XO-1. The program was founded and is sustained by Kay's friend Nicholas Negroponte, and is based on Kay's Dynabook ideal. Kay is a prominent co-developer of the computer, focusing on its educational software using Squeak and Etoys. |
Alan Kay | Reinventing programming | Reinventing programming
Kay has lectured extensively on the idea that the computer revolution is very new, and all of the good ideas have not been universally implemented. His lectures at the OOPSLA 1997 conference, and his ACM Turing Award talk, "The Computer Revolution Hasn't Happened Yet", were informed by his experiences with Sketchpad, Simula, Smalltalk, and the bloated code of commercial software.
On August 31, 2006, Kay's proposal to the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) was granted, funding Viewpoints Research Institute for several years. The proposal title was "STEPS Toward the Reinvention of Programming: A compact and Practical Model of Personal Computing as a Self-exploratorium". Proposal to NSF β Granted on August 31, 2006 STEPS is a recursive acronym that stands for "STEPS Toward Expressive Programming Systems". A sense of what Kay is trying to do comes from this quote, from the abstract of a seminar at Intel Research Labs, Berkeley: "The conglomeration of commercial and most open source software consumes in the neighborhood of several hundreds of millions of lines of code these days. We wonder: how small could be an understandable practical 'Model T' design that covers this functionality? 1M lines of code? 200K LOC? 100K LOC? 20K LOC?"
thumb|right|Computer scientist Alan Kay |
Alan Kay | Personal life | Personal life
Kay is a former professional jazz guitarist, composer, and theatrical designer.
He also is an amateur classical pipe organist. |
Alan Kay | Awards and honors | Awards and honors
Kay has received many awards and honors, including:
UdK 01-Award in Berlin, Germany for pioneering the GUI; J-D Warnier Prix D'Informatique; NEC C&C Prize (2001)
Telluride Tech Festival Award of Technology in Telluride, Colorado (2002)
ACM Turing Award "For pioneering many of the ideas at the root of contemporary object-oriented programming languages, leading the team that developed Smalltalk, and for fundamental contributions to personal computing" (2003)
Kyoto Prize; Charles Stark Draper Prize with Butler W. Lampson, Robert W. Taylor and Charles P. Thacker (2004)
UPE Abacus Award, for individuals who have provided extensive support and leadership for student-related activities in the computing and information disciplines (2012)
Honorary doctorates:
β Kungliga Tekniska HΓΆgskolan (Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm (2002)
β Georgia Institute of Technology (2005)
β Columbia College Chicago awarded Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa (2005)
β Laurea Honoris Causa in Informatica, UniversitΓ di Pisa, Italy (2007)
β University of Waterloo (2008)
β Kyoto University (2009)
β Universidad de Murcia (2010)
β University of Edinburgh (2017)
Honorary Professor, Berlin University of the Arts
Elected fellow of:
β American Academy of Arts and Sciences
β National Academy of Engineering for inventing the concept of portable personal computing. (1997)
β Royal Society of Arts
β Computer History Museum "for his fundamental contributions to personal computing and human-computer interface development." (1999)
β Association for Computing Machinery "For fundamental contributions to personal computing and object-oriented programming." (2008)
β Hasso Plattner Institute (2011)
His other honors include the J-D Warnier Prix d'Informatique, the ACM Systems Software Award, the NEC Computers & Communication Foundation Prize, the Funai Foundation Prize, the Lewis Branscomb Technology Award, and the ACM SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education. |
Alan Kay | See also | See also
List of pioneers in computer science |
Alan Kay | References | References |
Alan Kay | External links | External links
Viewpoints Research Institute
"There is no information content in Alan Kay" 2012
Programming a problem-oriented language, an unpublished book, by Charles H. Moore, June 1970
Category:1940 births
Category:American computer programmers
Category:American computer scientists
Category:Apple Inc. employees
Category:Apple Fellows
Category:Atari people
Category:American computer science educators
Category:Draper Prize winners
Category:Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Category:2008 fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery
Category:Hewlett-Packard people
Category:Humanβcomputer interaction researchers
Category:Living people
Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
Category:Open source advocates
Category:Scientists from Springfield, Massachusetts
Category:Programming language designers
Category:Scientists at PARC (company)
Category:Turing Award laureates
Category:University of California, Los Angeles faculty
Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni
Category:University of Utah alumni
Category:Kyoto laureates in Advanced Technology
Category:Academic staff of the Berlin University of the Arts |
Alan Kay | Table of Content | Short description, Early life and work, Subsequent work, Squeak, Etoys, and Croquet, Tweak, The Children's Machine, Reinventing programming, Personal life, Awards and honors, See also, References, External links |
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