- What happened on August 15th?
Current Calendar Page for August 15, 2024
Name Day
Mechthild, Rupert
Historical Events
2014 - The owner of Karstadt, Nicolas Berggruen, sells the struggling Karstadt department store to Austrian real estate investor René Benko for one euro.
1994 - One day after his arrest in Sudan, international terrorist "Carlos" (Ilich Ramírez Sánchez) is extradited to France, where he is serving multiple life sentences for numerous attacks and murders.
1969 - The Woodstock Festival begins in Bethel, New York. Originally expected to attract 60,000 visitors, the three-day open-air concert draws up to 500,000 rock fans.
1944 - Ten weeks after the Allied landings in Normandy, around 200,000 Allied soldiers reach the French Riviera as part of Operation Dragoon.
1914 - The Panama Canal is opened to shipping traffic. The first cargo ship passes through the canal.
Birthdays
1994 - Lina Magull (30), German footballer (FC Bayern Munich, 2018-2024)
1964 - Melinda Gates (60), American philanthropist, wife of Bill Gates (1994-2021)
1954 - Stieg Larsson, Swedish crime author ("Millennium Trilogy": "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played with Fire", "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"), died in 2004
1944 - Sylvie Vartan (80), French singer ("Si je chante", "Ne t'en vas pas")
Deaths
1989 - Heinrich Krone, German politician, Federal Minister for Special Tasks (1961-1966), Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group (1955-1961), born in 1895
The current owners of Karstadt, following Nicolas Berggruen's sale in 2014, are René Benko and his associates.
Despite numerous financial troubles and changes in ownership, Karstadt department store continues to be a significant retail entity in Germany.
