August 15th

1040: King Duncan I of Scotland is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth, inspiring Shakespeare's play and dooming millions of American high school students to reading the Cliff's Notes of it forevermore.

1248: The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. Construction is eventually completed in 1880, once the remains really stopped smelling.


1517: Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary. Three weeks later, the Chinese start making knockoffs of the vessels and selling them at half price.


1965: The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City... and 100,000 people stuck in the daly traffic jam on the Grand Central Parkway next to the stadium.