SaturdaySat, August 15th Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- Assumption Day is being celebrated in most countries
- Assumption Day (BY, SL) is being celebrated in Germany
- Assumption of Mary is being celebrated in Belgium, Mauritius, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin
- Constitution Day is being celebrated in Equatorial Guinea
- Feast of the Assumption is being celebrated in Malta
- Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin is being celebrated in Lebanon, Lebanon
- Founding of Asuncion is being celebrated in Paraguay
- Independence Day is being celebrated in India
- Liberation Day is being celebrated in North Korea, South Korea
- Mother's Day is being celebrated in Costa Rica
- National Day is being celebrated in Liechtenstein
- National Mourning Day is being celebrated in Bangladesh
- The Assumption of Mary is being celebrated in Greece, Romania
- People born on this day are Leo as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2023
- EVENTS
- Young activists win landmark case, Held v. Montana, judge ruling state of Montana must consider climate change when deciding to approve or renew fossil fuel projects.
- BIRTHS
- Claudia Molina, Fitness Instructor, born in Colombia.
- Hayden James, DJ, born in Sydney, Australia.
- DEATHS
- Joel Eric Suben, American conductor and composer, who died at 77.
- GAMING: PC
- Hammerwatch II for PC is released. Blight the Horrible and his dragon army have succeeded in the sinister plot to overthrow King Roland and bring destruction across the Kingdom of Herian.Not all is lost as hope hides deep within the sewer system, where the King's resistance movement holds strong. On the King's order, a select few of mighty and skilled heroes have been entrusted with defeating Blight's dragons and restoring the Kingdom.Adventure alone or gather your party to aid King Roland's resistance, all while helping villagers along the way. Battle beasts, finish off hordes of the undead, and face the forces of evil in this epic ode to classic ARPG.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 5
- Moving Out 2 for PlayStation 5 is released. Moving Out 2 is the wacky sequel to the world-famous physics-based moving simulator. Working as a solo F.A.R.T, or with up to three friends, slip into your Smooth Moves uniform and help the residents of Packmore, and beyond, to pack up and ship out!Moving Out 2 features an entire new cast of extra lovable characters because Smooth Moves have signed up some new F.A.R.T recruits! Not to worry though, Rye Yu and Sidney are still on the payroll...
- EVERSPACE 2 for PlayStation 5 is released. EVERSPACE 2 is a fast-paced single-player spaceship shooter with deep exploration in space and on planets, tons of loot, RPG elements, mining, and crafting. Experience a thoughtful story, set in a vivid, handcrafted open world full of secrets, puzzles, and perils.In the campaign, you will make some friends with their own story to tell. They will join you on side missions and provide certain benefits in the endgame, where vicious encounters and brutal challenges will stand between you and that next epic loot drop.
- GAMING: XBOX SERIES X
- Madden NFL 24 for Xbox Series X is released. The newest iteration of FieldSENSE™ provides an enhanced gameplay foundation giving you greater control and delivering realism to all the ways you play. Here are some of the gameplay features you can experience on the PS5™, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions: Hit Everything 2.0 - Hit Everything expands with new contested catch tackle types that provide more control and tackle variety on defense. Tackle animations are selected more dynamically, which unlocks new and more fluid tackle interactions like Wrap and Scoop tackles. Skill-Based Passing 2.0 - Dive for a winning one-hander with improved catching AI, thread the needle with surgical accuracy using new throw animations, and anticipate more authentic defensive reactions with enhanced DB behavior introduced in Skill-Based Passing 2.0.
On this day in 2022
- GAMING: PC
- Fashion Police Squad for PC is released. Calling all officers! I've got a Fashion Crime in Progress and I'm mobilizing all Fashion Police Squad members. Grab your Belt of Justice and your Tailormade Sewing Machine, we've got some Fashion Justice to dispense!Fashion Police Squad is a humorous Retro FPS where you fight against fashion crime using attire enhancing weaponry. Clean the streets of socks in sandals as Sergeant Des, and experience a single-player story full of fabulous characters, dazzling encounters, and fierce runway shows!
- POLITICS
- Deputy President William Ruto declared winner of Kenyan Presidential election won with just 50.5% of the vote, defeating former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
- SPORTS
- Pete Carril, American basketball coach (13 × Ivy League champion, Princeton University), who died at 92.
On this day in 2021
- EVENTS
- Petrol tanker explosion kills 27 and injures 79 in al-Tleil, Lebanon, amid the country's continuing economic crisis.
- DEATHS
- Gerd Muller, Soccer Player.
- Ernie Sigley, TV Show Host.
- TV SERIES
- Heels: Season 1 is released. Set in Georgia, wrestler Jack Spade (Stephen Amell) acts as the villainous antagonist to the hero played by younger brother Ace (Alexander Ludwig) as they seek to continue their late father's dream of an independent wrestling league in this drama series created by Michael Waldron.
- POLITICS
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flees the country as Taliban forces enter the capital Kabul and take control.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls a snap election for 20 September, two years ahead of schedule.
- SPORTS
- Gerd Müller "Der Bomber", German soccer striker (62 caps; FIFA World Cup 1974; Bayern Munich 453 games,398 goals), who died from Alzheimer's disease at 75.
- Joe Walton, American football coach (New York Jets 1983-89; Robert Morris University), who died at 85.
On this day in 2020
- EVENTS
- Taylor Swift was at No.1 on the UK album chart her eighth studio album Folklore. Upon release, Folklore broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest opening day on Spotify for an album by a female act. Three of its tracks reached the top 10 of the official charts in eight countries. It was Swift's seventh consecutive No.1 album on the US Billboard 200 and became the best-selling album of 2020..
- DEATHS
- Henk Wullems, Dutch soccer manager (NAC Breda, SBV Vitesse, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ; Indonesia 1996-98), who died from a Cerebral infarction at 84.
On this day in 2019
- EVENTS
- Israel bars US Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from entering for supporting Palestinian-led boycott movement.
- 60th annual finger wrestling (Fingerhakeln) championships takes place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, part of Partenkirchner Festival week.
- American Michael Gargiulo, found guilty of stabbing three women, killing two in Los Angeles, while awaiting trial for third killing.
- Whistleblower releases damaging report on General Electric titled "General Electric, a Bigger Fraud Than Enron" claiming $38 billion accountancy fraud.
- DEATHS
- Vb Chandrasekhar, Cricket Player.
- TV SERIES
- Why Women Kill: Season 1 is released. Beth Ann, a 1960s housewife (Ginnifer Goodwin); Simone, a socialite in the '80s (Lucy Liu); and in 2019, lawyer Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) discover they each have been cheated on by their respective partners in the Marc Cherry dark comedy-drama.
- GAMING: PC
- DARQ for PC is released. DARQ tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who becomes aware of the fact that he is dreaming. The dream quickly turns into a nightmare and all attempts to wake up end in failure. Lloyd learns how to survive the nightmare by bending the laws of physics and manipulating the fluid fabric of the dream world.
- Ion Fury for PC is released. 3D Realms, creators of Duke Nukem 3D, Prey, and Max Payne, are excited to team up with Voidpoint to bring back the legendary Build Engine, famously known for classic first-person shooters like Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, and Blood.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Vasara Collection for Switch is released. For the very first time, highly acclaimed Japanese Arcade Shoot’em Ups, Vasara and Vasara 2, are made available to the whole world via this package: VASARA Collection. Science Fiction meets History in these arcade classics which take place in an alternate timelime Feudal Japan where technologically advanced weaponry and equipment are a reality, and heroes use flying motorcycles with amazing firepower and fierce melee weapons to destroy their enemies.
- SPORTS
- Disney Studios is the first studio to have five films earn over $1 billion each in one year with "Toy Story 4", "Avengers: Endgame", "Captain Marvel", "Aladdin"and "The Lion King".
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- First ever US execution by fentanyl of Carey Dean Moore at Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.
- Australian Senator Fraser Anning evokes Nazi euphemism "a final solution to the immigration problem", in proposing outlawing Muslim immigration into Australia in parliament speech.
- Bar-hopping for pintxos (Basque tapas) in San Sebastián, Spain, named world's best food experience in Lonely Planet's Ultimate Eatlist.
- Boat overturns in floods near the Nile in Northern Sudan, leaving 25 dead, most of them school children.
- Italian PM Giuseppe Conte declares a 12-month state of emergency in Liguria after the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.
- Record 72,000 Americans (up 10%) killed by drug overdoses in 2017 in new figures by Centers for Disease Control.
- Suicide bomber attacks tuition centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 48 and injuring 67.
- BIRTHS
- Andrea Saccone-Joly, YouTube Star, born in London, England.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Cielo is released. Cielo is a cinematic reverie on the crazy beauty of the night sky, as experienced in the Atacama Desert, Chile, one of the best places on our planet to explore and contemplate its splendor. Director Alison McAlpine’s sublime nonfiction film drifts between science and spirituality, the arid land, desert shores and lush galaxies, expanding the limits of our earthling imaginations. Planet Hunters in the Atacama's astronomical observatories and the desert dwellers who work the land and sea share their evocative visions of the stars and planets, their mythic stories and existential queries with remarkable openness and a contagious sense of wonder. A love poem for the night sky, Cielo transports us to a space, quiet and calm, within which we can ponder the infinite and unknown.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Crazy Rich Asians is released. Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life. It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors. Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim. And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.
- GAMING: PC
- Graveyard Keeper for PC is released. Build and manage a medieval graveyard while facing ethical dilemmas and making questionable decisions. Welcome to Graveyard Keeper, the most inaccurate medieval cemetery sim of the year.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- State of Mind for Switch is released. State of Mind is a futuristic thriller game delving into transhumanism. The game explores themes of separation, disjuncture and reunification, in a world that is torn between a dystopian material reality and a utopian virtual future.
- GAMING: XBOX ONE
- Hero Defense for Xbox One is released. To destroy the world’s most powerful vampire, your team of slayers must impale, slash, tear and burn through legions of undead hell-bent on world domination.
- POLITICS
- US President Donald Trump revokes security clearance of former CIA Director and Trump critic John Brennan.
- SPORTS
- Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricket batsman and captain (37 Tests; top score 143), who died at 77.
On this day in 2017
- EVENTS
- Barack Obama's tweet "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion..."in response to Charlottesville violence becomes most-liked tweet ever.
- Falling tree kills 13, injures 49 at a religious festival in Funchal, on Portuguese island of Madeira.
- Daniel Craig confirms he will play James Bond one more time.
- Scientists genetic study of the apple reveal its origin was in Kazakhstan, published in "Nature Communications".
- GAMING: PC
- Nidhogg 2 for PC is released. The rules are simple. Reach the other side and kill anyone that stands in your way. Deftly parry and rend their throats, riddle their bowels with arrows, or squish their brains between your toes. The wurm cares not for chivalry.
- Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two - Episode 2: Giant Consequences for PC is released. Now that Jesse and the gang have vanquished the Wither Storm, saved the world, and become totally super famous heroes, life has gotten a bit more...complicated. With more responsibilities and less time for adventure, old friendships have started to fade -- at least until Jesse's hand gets stuck in a creepy gauntlet that belongs to an ancient underwater temple. Together with old pals and new comrades alike, Jesse embarks on a brand new journey filled with tough choices, good times, and at least one temperamental llama.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- Observer for PlayStation 4 is released. What would you do if your fears were hacked? The year is 2084. You are Daniel Lazarski, an elite neural detective known as an Observer, whose purpose is to hack and invade suspects’ minds. To gather evidence, you must relive their darkest fears, and, finally, face your own. From Bloober Team, the creators of Layers of Fear, >observer_ is a cyberpunk horror game designed to disturb you.
- Sudden Strike 4 for PlayStation 4 is released. Sudden Strike is back! The beloved Real Time Strategy series returns, this time with bigger battlefields, more units, better graphics, new scenarios and legendary commanders with individual abilities all of which makes Sudden Strike 4 more tactical and realistic than ever before!Sudden Strike 4 sends you off on three extensive campaigns set amongst the battlefields of World War 2. Commanding the British and American, German or Soviet troops, you will lead over 100 different units into battle; like the German bomber Heinkel He111, the Russian T-34 tank, the British Hawker Typhoon fighter plane and the notorious German PanzerkampfwagenVI Tiger. In a first for the Sudden Strike series, you can now choose from one of nine individual commanders, such as George Patton or Bernard Montgomery, who will each allow for different approaches to combat and boast unique abilities.Prove your strategic expertise in over 20 demanding single player scenarios, the challenge-focused skirmish mode and the ultra-competitive multiplayer mode. Excellence will be rewarded through a unique reward system, where successfully completing missions will unlock exclusive content, such as historical film footage from the era.Sudden Strike 4 offers countless ways to vanquish your opponents. Exploit the weak spots of tanks, set up an ambush, occupy buildings with infantry, outmaneuver the enemy with clever positioning or unleash devastating air strikes how you approach each mission is up to you!
- Matterfall for PlayStation 4 is released. As a hero-for-hire, survive high-intensity side-scrolling war zones in vertical cities overrun by mysterious smart matter. Weaponize alien tech to destroy enemies infected by deadly Red Matter -- and control Blue Matter to manipulate the world and forge the path forward.
- Agents of Mayhem for PlayStation 4 is released. In the wake of a global assault, the world has fallen under the rule of LEGION, a supervillainous cabal of criminal masterminds and costumed megalomaniacs. The only people who are capable of turning the tide are the Agents of MAYHEM. Led by Persephone Brimstone, these uniquely skilled agents are going to take down this New World Disorder by any means necessary. Take the fight to LEGION in Seoul: The City of Tomorrow, an open world chock full of world-shaking missions, city-spanning doomsday devices, and evil underground lairs. Take your team of three Agents into the field and swap between them on the fly for maximum mayhem. Upgrade and customize your Agents to create your personal dream team of gadget-wielding anti-heroes. Upgrade the ARK–MAYHEM HQ–to unlock even more mayhem-making means. [Deep Silver]
- Cities: Skylines - PlayStation 4 Edition for PlayStation 4 is released. Developed by Colossal Order, Cities: Skylines offers sprawling landscapes and maps with endless sandbox gameplay and new ways to expand your city. Key to progression is the ability to influence your city’s policy by incorporating taxation into districts. All this including the ability to mod the game to suit your play style makes this the definitive city building simulation.
- Undertale for PlayStation 4 is released. Welcome to UNDERTALE. In this RPG, you control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters. Now you must find your way out... or stay trapped forever.((Healthy Dog's Warning: Game contains imagery that may be harmful to players with photosensitive epilepsy or similar condition.))features:* Killing is unnecessary: negotiate out of danger using the unique battle system.* Time your attacks for extra damage, then dodge enemy attacks in a style reminiscent of top-down shooters.* Original art and soundtrack brimming with personality.* Soulful, character-rich story with an emphasis on humor.* Created mostly by one person.* Become friends with all of the bosses!* At least 5 dogs.* You can date a skeleton.* Hmmm... now there are 6 dogs...?* Maybe you won't want to date the skeleton.* I thought I found a 7th dog, but it was actually just the 3rd dog.* If you play this game, can you count the dogs for me...? I'm not good at it.
- GAMING: XBOX ONE
- Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth for Xbox One is released. Based on Ken Follett’s world-bestseller, The Pillars of the Earth retells the story of the village of Kingsbridge in a whole new way. Play as Jack, Aliena, and Philip and change the events of the book through exploration, decision-making and dialogues.
- Sonic Mania for Xbox One is released. Experience the ultimate celebration of past and future in Sonic Mania, an all-new 2D Sonic adventure running at a crisp 60FPS with stunning HD retro-style graphics. Multiple playable characters give you the ability to go explosively fast as Sonic, soar as Tails, or power through tough obstacles with Knuckles’ brute strength. You can re-live the Sonic of the past with an exciting new twist on classic zones while fighting against new bosses and Dr. Eggman’s evil robot army. Go head to-head with players in Competition Mode or play in Co-Op Mode with a friend.
- POLITICS
- Vernon "Vern" Ehlers, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives), who died of complications from Alzheimers disease at 83.
On this day in 2016
- DEATHS
- Bobby Hutcherson, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (" Little B's Poem" ; SFJAZZ Collective), who died of emphysema at 75.
- Bob Glass, Race Car Driver.
- SPORTS
- Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland sets a world record 82.29m to win the women's hammer throw gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; Zhang Wenxiu (China) silver, and Sophie Hitchon (Great Britain) bronze..
- Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas dives at the line to win the women's 400m gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; beats American 6-time Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix by 0.07.
- Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil sets an Olympic record 6.03m to win the men's pole vault gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- North Korea creates its own time zone -moving its clocks back half an hour to GMT+8.5.
- BIRTHS
- Rafathar Malik Ahmad, Family Member, born in Jakarta, Indonesia.
- DEATHS
- Gordon "Jazz" Summers, British music manager (Wham, Snow Patrol), who died at 71.
- POLITICS
- Julian Bond, American civil rights leader and politician (D-Ga), who died at 75.
On this day in 2014
- DEATHS
- Licia Albanese, Italian-American operatic soprano (NY Metropolitan Opera,1940-66), who died at 105.
- Jay Adams, American skateboarder (Z-Boys; Skateboarding HOF), who died of a heart attack at 53.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Jealousy is released. The film opens with a man leaving his wife and daughter and, in a series of brief conversations, observed gestures, chance encounters and impulsive acts, tells the story of the relationships that flounder and thrive in the wake of this decision. [DistribFilms]
- Coldwater is released. Brad Lunders (P.J. Boudousqué) is a teenager forcefully abducted from his home in the middle of the night by his mother’s consent to a harsh wilderness reform facility. There is no contact with the outside world and the retired war colonel in charge prides himself on breaking an inmate’s spirit in order to correct delinquent behavior. As we learn of the tragic events that led to Brad’s arrival, unforeseen circumstances threaten to tear the already eroding reform facility apart, forcing Brad to confront not only his fellow inmates and the personnel in charge, but finally his own sense of what is right and what is wrong.
- Abuse of Weakness is released. A stroke-afflicted filmmaker (Isabelle Huppert) is manipulated by a notorious con man.
- Cheatin' is released. In a fateful bumper car collision, Jake and Ella meet and become the most loving couple in the long history of romance. But when a scheming "other"woman drives a wedge of jealousy into their perfect courtship, insecurity and hatred spell out an untimely fate. With only the help of a disgraced magician and his forbidden "soul machine", Ella takes the form of Jake's numerous lovers, desperately fighting through the malfunction and deceit as they try to reclaim their destiny.
- The Trip to Italy is released. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon reunite for a new culinary road trip, retracing the steps of the Romantic poets’ grand tour of Italy and indulging in some sparkling banter and impersonation-offs. Rewhetting our palates from the earlier film, the characters enjoy mouthwatering meals in gorgeous settings from Liguria to Capri while riffing on subjects as varied as Batman’s vocal register, the artistic merits of “Jagged Little Pill, ” and, of course, the virtue of sequels. [IFC FIlms]
- MOVIES: PG
- Dinosaur 13 is released. When Paleontologist Peter Larson and his team from the Black Hills Institute made the world's greatest dinosaur discovery in 1990, they knew it was the find of a lifetime; the largest, most complete T. rex ever found. But during a ten-year battle with the U.S. government, powerful museums, Native American tribes, and competing paleontologists they found themselves not only fighting to keep their dinosaur but fighting for their freedom as well.
- MOVIES: PG13
- The Expendables 3 is released. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill... or so he thought. In order to defeat Stonebanks, Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables' most personal battle yet. [Lionsgate]
- The Giver is released. Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.
- MOVIES: R
- Septic Man is released. Jack, a sewage worker who’s determined to uncover the cause of the town’s water contamination crisis, gets trapped underground in a septic tank and undergoes a hideous transformation. In order to escape the tank, he must team up with a docile Giant and confront a murdering madman.
- Life After Beth is released. Zach (Dane DeHaan) is devastated after his girlfriend, Beth (Aubrey Plaza), unexpectedly dies. When she suddenly rises from the dead, he sees it as a second chance and decides to do and say every thing he wishes he had while she was still alive.
- Frank is released. A young wannabe musician, Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), finds himself out of his depth when he joins an avant-garde pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender), a musical genius who hides himself inside a large fake head, and his terrifying bandmate Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
- SPORTS
- Jerry Lumpe, American baseball player, who died at 81.