August 15 belongs to Sara Bou

On August 15, 1947, India proclaimed its independence from the British Empire after nearly two centuries of colonial rule. Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his famous "Tryst with Destiny" speech in New Delhi at midnight as millions of Indians celebrated in the streets. With 330 million inhabitants, it was the world's largest democracy at the moment of its birth.

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito broadcast his surrender message on the radio, officially ending World War II in Asia. The announcement came six days after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and marked the end of four years of war in the Pacific. The formal surrender was signed on September 2 on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri.

On August 15, 1945, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule, which had lasted since 1910. However, liberation came with the division of the country: the north fell under Soviet influence and the south under American control. That provisional partition became permanent and led to the Korean War of 1950.