On This Day for August 15 - Independence for India, Napoleon I is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. August 15 [The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, oil on canvas by Jacques-Louis David, 1812; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.]( FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1769 Napoleon I [READ MORE]( [India]( FEATURED EVENT 1947 Independence for India [READ MORE]( Advertisement Advertisement [Earth's To-Do List]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2013: Scientists at the [Smithsonian]( announced the discovery of the [olinguito]( “the first carnivore species to be discovered in the American continents in 35 years”; the small arboreal animals live in the [cloud forests]( of [Colombia]( and [Ecuador](. 1998: A [car bomb]( exploded in [Omagh]( Northern Ireland, killing 29 people and leaving more than 200 injured; the [Real Irish Republican Army]( (Real IRA), an [IRA]( splinter group, claimed responsibility for the bombing, which was the deadliest attack in Northern Ireland since the eruption of violence there in the late 1960s. 1914: After some 10 years of work, the [Panama Canal]( opened to ships. 1879: Actress [Ethel Barrymore](, who was considered the “first lady” of the American theatre, was born in Philadelphia. 1971: [Bahrain]( proclaimed independence from the [United Kingdom](. 1960: The [Republic of the Congo]( gained independence from [France](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1990 [Jennifer Lawrence]( American actress 1963 [Alejandro González Iñárritu]( Mexican director and producer 1972 [Ben Affleck]( American actor, writer, and director 1950 [Anne, the Princess Royal]( British royal 1964 [Melinda Gates]( American businesswoman and philanthropist [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( Advertisement FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2019 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](