International On This Day - August 15, 2026

Starting date of the First Crusade as set by Pope Urban II. The campaign successfully captured the state of Jerusalem three years later.

Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the foundation stone of the Cologne Cathedral, which was built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men. The Gothic-style Cathedral took 632 years to build and was finally completed on October 15, 1880.

Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel. The Chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption during the first mass held in the building. The structure was built with dimensions matching the Temple of Solomon.

Panama City, Panama is founded by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Dávila. The city was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas.

The first recorded hurricane hits the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies. The hurricane was a Category 3 with sea swells exceeding 20 feet along the coast.

Tivoli Gardens amusement park opens in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is currently the second oldest amusement park operating in the world.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, the Cathedral is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the U.S.

Law enforcement removes Sioux Indians from the Black Hills in South Dakota after gold was found. The land was a coerced land cession via the newly signed Indian Appropriations Act of 1876. After refusing to sell sacred land, Congress cut off food and rations until a minority of Sioux leaders signed an 1877 act relinquishing the hills.

Procter and Gamble unveils their latest product--Crisco shortening. It was the first fully vegetable-oil-based shortening, derived from hydrogenated cottonseed oil.

The New York World newspaper reveals that the Imperial German government purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison. Phenol, or carbolic acid, could be used to make explosives for the war effort. The chemical was diverted to Bayer for aspirin production.

Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed in their aircraft during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska. The aircraft crashed into a shallow lagoon after developing engine problems, which resulted in engine failure.

The Wizard of Oz premieres at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California. The movie starred Judy Garland as Dorothy and featured vibrant Technicolor and advanced special effects for a movie during that time.

The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. Tickets sold out in less than 20 minutes. The concert event was later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair opens in Bethel, New York. Often referred to as Woodstock, the festival lasted three days and attracted over 460,000 people. It was one of the largest music festivals in history and said to be a defining moment in the 1960s counterculture movement.

Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play professionally in an American football game. She was the holder for her husband, Orlando Panthers place-kicker Steve Palinkas, in preseason game against the Bridgeport Jets.

President Richard Nixon announces Phase One of his New Economic Policy, beginning with a 90-day freeze on wages, prices, and rents. The Policy was intended to be an emergency measure aimed to stop runaway inflation and protect the U.S. dollar.

Apple introduces the iMac computer. The iMac G3 was all-in-one desktop cost $1,299. Some of the changes included removal of the floppy disc and replacing it with USB ports, and a 15-inch display.

The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina). This new carnivorous species was the first species of mammalian order found in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years. A tree-dwelling creature belonging to the raccoon family weighs about two pounds and has rust-colored fur, and eats primarily fruit, plants, and insects.