February 15 » The battleship USSMaine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
March 16 » In Melbourne the representatives of five colonies adopted a constitution, which would become the basis of the Commonwealth of Australia.
April 22 » Spanish–American War: The USSNashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.
May 1 » Spanish–American War: Battle of Manila Bay: The Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy destroys the Pacific Squadron of the Spanish Navy after a seven-hour battle. Spain loses all seven of its ships, and 381 Spanish sailors die. There are no American vessel losses or combat deaths.
August 23 » The Southern Cross Expedition, the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, departs from London.
August 28 » Caleb Bradham's beverage "Brad's Drink" is renamed "Pepsi-Cola".
Day of death August 15, 1983
The temperature on August 15, 1983 was between 10.5 °C and 24.4 °C and averaged 17.4 °C. There was 12.4 hours of sunshine (84%). The average windspeed was 1 Bft (weak wind) and was prevailing from the south. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from Thursday, November 4, 1982 to Monday, July 14, 1986 the cabinet Lubbers I, with Drs. R.F.M. Lubbers (CDA) as prime minister.
May 20 » Church Street bombing: A car bomb planted by Umkhonto we Sizwe explodes on Church Street in South Africa's capital, Pretoria, killing 19 people and injuring 217 others.
August 21 » Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. is assassinated at the Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor).
October 21 » The metre is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
October 22 » Two correctional officers are killed by inmates at the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois. The incident inspires the Supermax model of prisons.
November 5 » Byford Dolphin diving bell accident kills five and leaves one severely injured.
December 7 » An Iberia Airlines Boeing 727 collides with an Aviaco DC-9 in dense fog while the two airliners are taxiing down the runway at Madrid–Barajas Airport, killing 93 people.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Dirk Knoeff, "Family tree Knoeff", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/stamboom-knoeff/I265.php : accessed March 15, 2026), "Jan Hendrik Westendorp (1898-1983)".
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