On August 15,...

... 1947 (60 years ago today), India won "long sought independence" from Britain, which transferred sovereignty "to the two dominions into which that land of 400,000,000 persons has been divided, India and Pakistan." Jawaharlal Nehru became the 1st Prime Minister of India. In Pakistan, which had won independence the day before, Mohammed Ali Jinnah was sworn in as Governor General. Violence spawned by the partition continued, however, a fact that the New York Times' reporter feared "cast a grim shadow over future." See an August 1947 newsreel on the events here.
... 1938, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Cal.) was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
... 1937 (70 years ago today), U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) was born in Chicago.