June 15
is the 166th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (167th in
leap years), with 199 days remaining.
*
763 BC -
Assyrians record a
solar eclipse that will be used to fix the
chronology of
Mesopotamian history.
*
923 -
Battle of Soissons: King
Robert I of France is killed and King
Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke
Rudolph of Burgundy.
*
1184 - King
Magnus V of Norway is killed at the battle of
Fimreite.
*
1215 -
King John of England puts his
seal to the
Magna Carta.
*
1219 -
Dannebrog - oldest national flag in the world - and
flag of Denmark. According to legend, fell from the sky during the
Battle of Lyndanisse (now
Tallinn) in
Estonia, and turned the Danes' luck.
*
1246 - With the death of Duke
Frederick II, the
Babenberg dynasty ends in
Austria.
*
1389 -
Battle of Kosovo: The
Ottoman Empire defeats
Serbs and
Bosnians.
*
1520 -
Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate
Martin Luther.
*
1580 -
Phillip II of Spain declares
William the Silent to be an outlaw.
*
1667 - The first human
blood transfusion is administered by Dr.
Jean-Baptiste Denys. He transfuses 12 fluid ounces (350 mL) of
sheep blood to a 15-year-old boy. The boy later dies and Baptiste is accused of murder.
*
1752 -
Benjamin Franklin proves that
lightning is
electricity.
*
1775 -
American Revolutionary War:
George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the
Continental Army.
*
1776 -
Delaware Separation Day -
Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from
Pennsylvania.
*
1785 -
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (
1783), and his companion,
Pierre Romain, become the first-ever
casualties of an air crash when their
hot air balloon explodes during their attempt to cross the
English Channel.
*
1804 -
New Hampshire approves the
Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document.
*
1808 -
Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain.
*
1836 -
Arkansas is admitted as the 25th
U.S. state.
*
1844 -
Charles Goodyear receives a
patent for
vulcanization, a process to strengthen
rubber.
*
1846 - The
Oregon Treaty establishes the
49th parallel as the border between the
United States and
Canada, from the
Rocky Mountains to the
Strait of Juan de Fuca.
*
1859 -
Pig War: Ambiguity in the
Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between
U.S. and
British/
Canadian settlers.
*
1864 -
American Civil War:
Siege of Petersburg begins.
* 1864 -
Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.8 km²) around Arlington Mansion are officially set aside as a military
cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War
Edwin M. Stanton.
*
1877 -
Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first
African American cadet to graduate from the
United States Military Academy.
*
1888 - Prince
Wilhelm II becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II and is the last emperor of the second reich
*
1904 - A fire aboard the steamboat
General Slocum in
New York City's East River kills 1000.
*
1905 -
Princess Margaret of Connaught marries
Gustav, Crown Prince of Sweden.
*
1909 - Representatives from
England,
Australia and
South Africa meet at
Lords and form the
Imperial Cricket Conference.
*
1911 -
Tabulating Computing Recording Corporation (
IBM) is incorporated.
*
1913 - US troops under
General John 'Black Jack' Pershing massacre at least 2,000 Philippine men, women and children at Bud Bagsak.
*
1916 - U.S. President
Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the
Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter.
*
1919 -
John Alcock and
Arthur Brown complete first nonstop
transatlantic flight at
Clifden,
County Galway,
Ireland.
*
1920 -
Duluth lynchings in
Minnesota*
1924 -
Native Americans are proclaimed United States citizens.
*
1934 - The U.S.'s
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded.
*
1944 -
World War II:
Battle of Saipan: The
United States invades
Saipan.
* 1944 - In the
Saskatchewan general election, 1944, the
CCF, led by
Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first
socialist government of
North America.
*
1945 - The
General Dutch Youth League (ANJV) is founded in
Amsterdam,
Netherlands.
*
1954 -
UEFA (the Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is formed in
Basle,
Switzerland.
*
1955 - The
Eisenhower administration stages the first annual "
Operation Alert" (OPAL) exercise, an attempt to assess the USA's preparations for a nuclear attack.
*
1962 -
Students for a Democratic Society complete the
Port Huron Statement.
*
1992 - The
United States Supreme Court rules in
US vs. Alvarez-Machain that it is permissible for the
USA to
abduct suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the USA for trial, without approval from those other countries. No reciprocal right is recognized for the reverse to happen in the USA.
*
1994 -
Israel and
Vatican City establish full
diplomatic relations.
*
1996 - In
Manchester,
UK, a
terrorist bomb injures over 200 people and devastates a large part of the city centre.
*
2005 - After an eight year theatrical hiatus,
Batman returns to theaters in
Batman Begins.
*
1330 -
Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales (d.
1376)
*
1594 -
Nicolas Poussin, French painter (d.
1665)
*
1623 -
Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (d.
1672)
*
1624 -
Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist (d.
1704)
*
1755 -
Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist (d.
1809)
*
1767 -
Rachel Donelson Jackson,
First Lady of the United States*
1789 -
Josiah Henson, American slave and settlement founder (d.
1883)
*
1801 -
Benjamin Raymond, Mayor of Chicago (d.
1883)
*
1805 -
William Butler Ogden, first Mayor of Chicago (d.
1877)
*
1809 -
François-Xavier Garneau, French Canadian poet and historian (d.
1866)
*
1843 -
Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (d.
1907)
*
1875 -
Herman Smith-Johannsen, cross-country skier (d.
1987)
*
1882 -
Ion Antonescu,
Prime Minister of Romania (d.
1946)
*
1884 -
Harry Langdon, American actor (d.
1944)
*
1888 -
Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet (d.
1921)
*
1900 -
Gotthard Günther, German philosopher (d.
1984)
*
1902 -
Erik Erikson, psychoanalyst (d.
1994)
*
1906 -
Léon Degrelle, Belgian SS officer (d.
1994)
*
1910 -
David Rose, American songwriter, composer and orchestra leader (d.
1990)
*
1911 -
W.V. Awdry, British children's writer (d.
1997)
*
1914 -
Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (d.
1984)
* 1914 -
Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist (d.
1999)
*
1915 -
Thomas Huckle Weller, American virologist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1916 -
Herbert Simon, American economist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
2001)
*
1917 -
John Fenn, American chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate
* 1917 -
Lash La Rue, American actor (d.
1996)
*
1918 -
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., owner of the
Buffalo Bills*
1920 -
Alberto Sordi, Italian actor and director (d.
2003)
*
1921 -
Errol Garner, American musician (d.
1977)
*
1924 -
Ezer Weizman, 7th President of Israel (d.
2005)
*
1926 -
Shigeru Kayano,
Japanese
Ainu activist (d.
2006)
*
1930 -
Marcel Pronovost, Professional ice hockey player
*
1932 -
Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York
*
1933 -
Sergio Endrigo, Italian singer (d.
2005)
*
1936 -
William Joseph Levada, American Catholic prelate
*
1937 -
Waylon Jennings, American singer (d.
2002)
*
1938 -
Billy Williams, baseball player
*
1939 -
Brian Jacques, British author
*
1941 -
Harry Nilsson, American singer and composer (d.
1994)
*
1943 -
Xaviera Hollander, Dutch author
* 1943 -
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen,
Prime Minister of Denmark* 1943 -
Johnny Hallyday, French singer
* 1943 -
Muff Winwood, British songwriter, producer and bassist (
Spencer Davis Group)
*
1945 -
Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Philippine senator
*
1946 -
Noddy Holder, English singer (
Slade)
* 1946 -
Demis Roussos, Greek singer
*
1947 -
John Hoagland, American photographer
*
1948 -
Mike Holmgren, American football coach
*
1949 -
Dusty Baker, baseball player and manager
* 1949 -
Simon Callow, British actor
* 1949 -
Russell Hitchcock, Member of pop duo (
Air Supply)
* 1949 -
Jim Varney, American actor (d.
2000)
*
1951 -
Steve Walsh, American rock singer/songwriter (
Kansas)
*
1954 -
James Belushi, American actor
* 1954 -
Paul Rusesabagina, Manager of hotel des diplomates during the
Rwandan genocide *
1958 -
Wade Boggs, baseball player
* 1958 -
Riccardo Paletti, Italian racing driver (d.
1982)
*
1960 -
Michèle Laroque, French actress
*
1961 -
Dave McAuley, Northern Irish boxer
*
1963 -
Helen Hunt, American actress
*
1964 -
Courteney Cox, American actress
* 1964 -
Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer
*
1967 -
Eric Stefani, American musician and animator
* 1967 -
Yuji Ueda, Japanese
seiyu (voice actor)
*
1969 -
Ice Cube, American rapper and actor
* 1969 -
Oliver Kahn, German footballer
*
1970 -
Leah Remini, actress
*
1971 -
Edwin Brienen, Dutch director
*
1972 -
Andy Pettitte, baseball player
*
1973 -
Neil Patrick Harris, American actor
* 1973 -
Tore André Flo, Norwegian footballer
*
1975 -
Elizabeth Reaser, American actress
*
1978 -
Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
* 1978 -
Zach Day, Baseball player
*
1980 -
Cara Zavaleta, American model
* 1980 -
Mary Carey, American actress
*
1981 -
Billy Martin, American musician
*
1983 -
Julia Fischer, German violinist
*
1985 -
Nadine Coyle, Northern Irish singer (
Girls Aloud)
*
923 -
Robert I of France (b. c.
865)
*
1073 -
Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (b.
1034)
*
1246 - Duke
Frederick II of Austria (b.
1219)
*
1341 -
Andronicus III Palaeologus,
Eastern Roman Emperor (b.
1297).
*
1381 -
John Cavendish, Lord Chief Justice of England
* 1381 -
Wat Tyler, English rebel
*
1383 -
John VI Cantacuzenus,
Byzantine Emperor*
1389 -
Prince Lazar, Serbian Orthodox saint (b.
1329)
*
1467 -
Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b.
1396)
*
1521 -
Tamás Bakócz. Hungarian Catholic cardinal and statesman (b.
1442)
*
1614 -
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English politician (b.
1540)
*
1679 -
Guillaume Courtois, French painter (b.
1628)
*
1724 -
Henry Sacheverell, English churchman and politician (b.
1674)
*
1750 -
Marguerite De Launay, Baronne Staal, French writer (b.
1684)
*
1768 -
James Short, Scottish mathematician and optician (b.
1710)
*
1772 -
Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (b.
1694)
*
1849 -
James Knox Polk, 11th
President of the United States (b.
1795)
*
1858 -
Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French painter (b.
1795)
*
1888 - Emperor
Friedrich III of Germany (b.
1831)
*
1889 -
Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (b.
1850)
*
1917 -
Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian physicist (b.
1867)
*
1934 -
Alfred Bruneau, French composer (d.
1857)
*
1941 -
Evelyn Underhill, British writer (b.
1875)
* 1941 -
Otfrid Foerster, German neurologist (b.
1873)
*
1962 -
Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist (b.
1877)
*
1965 -
E. A. Speiser, American Bible scholar (b.
1902)
*
1968 -
Sam Crawford, baseball player (b.
1880)
* 1968 -
Wes Montgomery, American jazz guitarist (b.
1925)
*
1971 -
Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1904)
*
1976 -
Jimmy Dykes, baseball player and manager (b.
1896)
*
1984 -
Meredith Willson, American composer (b.
1902)
*
1985 -
Andy Stanfield, American athlete (b.
1927)
*
1989 -
Victor French, American actor (b.
1934)
*
1991 -
Arthur Lewis, British economist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1915)
*
1993 -
John Connally, American politician (b.
1917)
* 1993 -
James Hunt, English race car driver (b.
1947)
*
1995 -
John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (b.
1903)
*
1996 -
Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (b.
1917)
*
1996 -
Dick Murdoch, Professinal Wrestler (b.
1946)
*
2003 -
Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (b.
1911)
*
2006 -
Raymond Devos,
French humorist (b.
1922)
*Commemoration of
Evelyn Underhill (
Anglican mystic and
poet)
*
Roman Empire – ninth and final day of the
Vestalia in honor of
Vesta*Commemoration of
William Adams (
Miura Anjin 三浦按針) a man shipwrecked in
Japan in the
1600s, and whom
James Clavell's "
Shogun" was based upon
*
Flag Day in
Denmark*
Malawi's Freedom Day
Liturgical feasts
*
Saint Abraham (died 480)
*
Saint Bernard of Aosta (died 1081,
patron saint of alpinists and mountain guides)
*
Saint Vitus' Day –
Vitus Diena held in medieval
Latvia*
Saint Germaine Cousin (died 1601, patron of shepherdesses and of victims of child abuse)
*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On This Day in Canada*
Elder Abuse Awareness DayJune 14 -
June 16 -
May 15 -
July 15 –
listing of all days
