Today in History 08/15 (India Independence)

Founded: Aug 15, 1947
GDP: $2.85 trillion USD (2018)
Population: 1.34 billion (2017)
Calling code: 91
Area: 1.27 million sq miles
Travel tip: From the beaches of sun-soaked Goa to the frenetic bazaars of Mumbai, India offers wealth of vastly different, yet equally enthralling, experiences. Explore the sparkling lakes and palaces of Udaipur, watch traditional Indian dance in Kochi, or buy brilliantly-colored silk saris at a market in Varanasi… no matter how much you … @tripadvisor

Area controlled by India shown in dark green;claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green
wiki/India
(1947) British Empire’s former ‘jewel in the crown’ breaks free.
Also on this day,
1483 | Consecration for a chapel with a heavenly view
Also on this day,
1483 | Consecration for a chapel with a heavenly view
Pope Sixtus IV consecrates a chapel in Rome after painters, including Botticelli, have finished their frescos. The ceiling, however, still needs a little work, and 25 years later a new pope will hire Michelangelo to paint what will be considered one of the greatest artworks of all time.1914 | A channel carved through rock and jungle joins oceans
Thirty-three years of toil comes to a close as one of the greatest engineering achievements in human history, a 51-mile-long channel carved through the Isthmus of Panama, opens to maritime traffic. The new shortcut between the Pacific and Atlantic will speed transport and remake the global economy.1969 | Three days of peace and music begin in Bethel, New York
Max Yasgur’s farm fills with masses of music lovers as the Woodstock Music and Art Fair kicks off its first day. Before the event is through, 400,000 will revel in rainstorms and mud, some of history’s best rock bands will jam, and a counterculture will consider itself transformed.
Today in History 08/15/17

Length: 47.90 miles (77.10 km)
Bridges: Bridge of the Americas · Centennial Bridge, Panama · Atlantic Bridge, Panama
Map of the Panama Canal
wiki/Panama_Canal