Catholic churches in the United States mark the feast of the Assumption on August 15 each year to celebrate the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s body into heaven upon her death. Assumption Day is considered a Holy Day of Obligation, but if it falls on a Saturday or on a Monday, it is not obligatory by the church to attend mass.
Daily Calendar for Friday, August 15, 2025
Born
- Napoleon Bonaparte (Emperor of France) –
- Walter Scott (Scottish novelist and poet) –
- Florence Kling Harding (U.S. First Lady) –
- Ethel Barrymore (actress) –
- Edna Ferber (author) –
- Julia Child (culinary expert) –
- Rose Marie (actress) –
- Oscar Peterson (jazz pianist) –
- Linda Ellerbee (journalist) –
- Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise Windsor (Princess Anne) –
- Debra Messing (actress) –
- Ben Affleck (actor) –
- Jennifer Lawrence (actress) –
Died
- Will Rogers (humorist) –
- Wiley Post (first pilot to fly solo around the world) –
Events
- Christopher Columbus first saw cacao beans –
- Thomas Edison suggested using “Hello” when answering phones –
- First ship passed through the Panama Canal –
- The colony of British India was divided into two independent nations, India and Pakistan –
- The Beatles opened their United States tour at Shea Stadium In New York City. Over 50,000 fans attended the concert. At the time, this was a world record attendance for a rock concert –
- The Woodstock Music and Art Festival opened on a field near Yasgur’s Farm at Bethel, NY. The three day concert drew a crowd of more than 400,000 people –
- On duty at the Big Ear Radio Observatory at The Ohio State University, Dr. Jerry Ehman heard radio noise that lasted 37 seconds and came from the direction of a star nearly 220 light-years away. The signal traveled at a frequency whose use is prohibited by international agreement and that is unlike those of most natural radio sources. It is known as the Wow signal and hasn’t been heard since –
- Discovery of second planet orbiting a star in Big Dipper announced –
- A magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck Peru and at least 15 aftershocks followed, some as strong as magnitude-6.3 –
- American gymnast Nastia Liukin won an Olympic gold medal in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around competition. Her teammate, Shawn Johnson, won the silver medal. –
- Nils Olav, a penguin at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland, was knighted by British Maj. Gen. Euan Loudon on behalf of Norway’s King Harald V –
- A 1,224-pound cupcake, baked by Ryan Abood, from Manchester, New Hampshire, was entered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest cupcake/fairy cake. Guinness representative Carl Saville inspected the cupcake, making sure that it met several criteria: it must be edible, cooked throughout, and resemble a cupcake. The cupcake was 4 feet tall and 10 feet wide. About 200 pounds of flour, 200 pounds of sugar, 200 pounds of butter and oil, and 1,000 eggs were used. It was baked in a specially designed 8 ft. x 8 ft. x 10 ft. oven for about 8 1/2 hours. The cupcake judging took place at an event in Royal Oak, Michigan. The attempt had been for a 7,000-pound cupcake, but due to a malfunction in baking equipment, a smaller version was hurriedly put together overnight for the Guinness event. –
- Rare Eliasberg 1913 Liberty Head nickel sold for $4,560,000 at a Philadelphia auction, making it the most valuable non-precious metal coin. It was one of only five known to be made, with this one being of the finest grade. –
Weather
- This was the hottest day of a dry period that caused the Great Tillamook Fire in Oregon –
- A tremendous storm triggered flooding in the Mojave Desert that killed at least two people and forced the closure of Death Valley National Park –
