Timeline August 2015

Events in August 2015 8

• 1933 – 2015 Oliver Sacks (1933-2015) Died 30 August 2015, aged 82 Oliver Sacks was a British neurologist and author who wrote bestselling books recounting the case histories of patients with unusual neurological conditions. His works, including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings, brought neuroscience to a wide popular audience. Awakenings was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film.
• 1939 – 2015 Wes Craven (1939-2015) Died 30 August 2015, aged 76 Wes Craven was an American filmmaker who directed influential horror films including A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream franchise. His work helped define the slasher genre and shaped horror cinema for decades. Craven often used his films to explore social and psychological themes beneath their genre trappings.
• 1940 – 2015 Julian Bond (1940-2015) Died 15 August 2015, aged 75 Julian Bond was an American civil rights leader who co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later served as chairman of the NAACP. He was one of the youngest members ever elected to the Georgia state legislature, though he was initially barred from taking his seat over his opposition to the Vietnam War. Bond remained a prominent voice for civil rights until his death.
• 2015 US Open 2015 Men: Novak Djokovic · Women: Flavia Pennetta
• 2015 Apple becomes most valuable company First $700bn company Apple became the first company in history to reach a market capitalisation of $700 billion in February 2015, cementing its position as the most valuable company in the world.
• 2015 Tianjin Chemical Warehouse Explosions Massive blasts kill over 170 in Chinese port city A series of explosions at a chemical storage warehouse in Tianjin, China killed at least 173 people and injured hundreds more. The blasts, caused by improperly stored hazardous chemicals, leveled surrounding buildings and prompted a nationwide safety crackdown. Investigations revealed widespread regulatory failures and corruption.
• 2015 Islamic State Destroys Temples at Palmyra Ancient Syrian ruins demolished after ISIS captured the city Islamic State militants who had captured the Syrian city of Palmyra destroyed the ancient Temple of Baalshamin and the Temple of Bel, among the best-preserved structures of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The group also beheaded the site's 82-year-old former chief antiquities officer, Khaled al-Asaad, for refusing to reveal the location of hidden artifacts. The destruction drew worldwide condemnation as an act of cultural genocide.
• 2015 Van Morrison plays Cyprus Avenue on his 70th birthday Belfast Two homecoming shows on the street he sang about on Astral Weeks.