1. On August 15, 1876, the town of St. Peter was devastated by a tornado that killed nine people and destroyed many buildings. This event marked one of the deadliest tornadoes in Minnesota history.

2. The Minnesota State Fair, which attracts over 2 million visitors annually, has been held in St. Paul every year since 1859. The fair typically runs from late August through Labor Day, with August 15 often falling within its timeframe.

3. August 15, 1911, saw the birth of Julia Child, a renowned chef, author, and television personality who spent years living in Minnesota. Child graduated from Katherine Gibbs School in St. Paul and worked at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis before eventually moving to France and starting her culinary career.

4. On August 15, 2007, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis collapsed suddenly, killing 13 people and injuring over 145 others. The tragedy drew national attention and sparked a renewed focus on infrastructure safety.

5. August 15, 1914, marked the day when the Panama Canal officially opened for commercial use. Minnesota played a role in this historic feat of engineering, as many of the steam shovels used in the canal's construction were manufactured by the Marion Steam Shovel Company of Marion, Ohio, which had a branch office in Minneapolis.