June 15



Events

Up to 1900 
763 BC  The Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
923  Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and Charles the Simple is arrested by supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.
1184  King Magnus V of Norway is killed in battle.
1215  King John of England puts his seal to the Magna Carta.
1219  Northern Crusades: Danish victory at Battle of Lyndanisse (present-day Tallinn) leads to the Danish Duchy of Estonia being established. In Legend, it was also the first time that the Dannebrog was used.
1300  The city of Bilbao in the Basque Country is founded.
1389  Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats the Serbs and Bosnians.
1502  Christopher Columbus reaches the island of Martinique.
1520  Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther.
1580  Philip II of Spain declares William the Silent an outlaw.
1667  The first blood transfusion is administered by Doctor Jean-Baptiste Denys.
1741  Vitus Bering sets sail on his voyage from Petropavlovsk, Russia that will lead him to Alaska.
1775  American Revolutionary War: George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
1776  Delaware votes to suspend government under the British crown, and separates from Pennsylvania.
1785  Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (in 1783), and his companion, Pierre Romain, become the first-ever air crash casualties when their hot-air balloon explodes during their attempt to cross the English Channel.
1804  New Hampshire ratifies the United States Constitution, after approving the 12th Amendment.
1808  Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain.
1836  Arkansas becomes the 25th State of the United States.
1844  Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
1846  The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as being the longest part of the Canada-United States border.
1859  The shooting of a pig in the San Juan Islands on the Pacific Ocean coast of North America leads to the so-called "Pig War" between the United States and Canada, which was then under British control.
1862  Australian bushranger Frank Gardiner and his gang, hold up a coach carrying gold at Eugowra, New South Wales. This is the biggest robbery in Australian history.
1864  Arlington National Cemetery is established in the United States.
1877  Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy.
1878  Eadward Muybridge takes a series of photographs that prove that all four of a horse's legs leave the ground when it is running. This is also a key milestone in the development of moving pictures.
1888  Wilhelm II becomes Kaiser of Germany.
1896  A tsunami in Japan kills more than 22,000 people.

1901  2000 
1904  The paddle stramer General Slocum sinks on the East River in New York City, killing 1,388 people.
1910  Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to Antarctica leaves Cardiff.
1916  Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America.
1919  John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown complete the first trans-Atlantic flight when they land in Ireland.
1920  A border treaty between Germany and Denmark gives northern Schleswig to Denmark.
1934  Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established in the Appalachian Mountains.
1937  A German expedition led by Karl Wien loses 16 members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat in the Himalayas.
1940  World War II: Allied troops start to evacuate Paris, following the German take-over.
1944  World War II: The US invades the Japanese-occupied island of Saipan.
1954  UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is founded.
1969  Georges Pompidou is elected President of France.
1970  Charles Manson goes on trial for the Sharon Tate murders.
1972  Red Army Faction co-founder Ulrike Meinhof is captured by police in Langenhagen.
1977  In the first Spanish election since the Francisco Franco dictatorship, Adolfo Suarez is elected Prime Minister of Spain.
1978  King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby, who chooses to be known as Queen Noor of Jordan.
1991  After showing activity since April 2, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines enters its most destructive phase.
1994  Formal relations between Israel and Vatican City are officially established.
1996  The Provisional IRA explode a large bomb in the centre of Manchester.

From 2001 
2002  A near-Earth asteroid misses the Earth by 121,000 kilometres.
2006  Microsoft announces the resignation of its "Chief Software Architect" Bill Gates.
2008  Kosovo's Constitution takes effect, following the declaration of independence in February, which Serbia disagrees with.
2011  2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot: Rioting occurs in Vancouver, Canada, following the Vancouver Canucks ice hockey team's defeat in the final of the Stanley Cup.
2012  Nik Wallenda successfully walks on a tightrope across Niagara Falls.
2013  The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup begins with the Brazil national football team defeating the Japan national football team 3-0.
2018  The Glasgow School of Art's Mackintosh building is hit by a second fire in just over four years, causing a lot of damage to it.

Births

Up to 1900 
 1330  Edward, the Black Prince, heir to the throne of England (d. 1376)
 1479  Lisa del Giocondo, Italian model (d. 1542)
 1519  Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, son of Henry VIII of England (d. 1536)
 1534  Henri I de Montmorency, French nobleman (d. 1614)
 1542  Richard Grenville, English captain and explorer (d. 1591)
 1594  Nicolas Poussin, French painter (d. 1665)
 1623  Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (d. 1672)
 1640  Bernard Lamy, French mathematician (d. 1715)
 1749  Georg Joseph Vogler, German composer, organist and theorist (d. 1814)
 1763  Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer and conductor (d. 1826)
 1765  Martin Baum, American businessman and politician (d. 1831)
 1765  Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bonnenberger, German mathematician (d. 1831)
 1767  Rachel Jackson, wife of Andrew Jackson before he became US President (d. 1828)
 1792  Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, Australian explorer (d. 1855)
 1798  Alexander Gorchakov, Russian diplomat (d. 1883)
 1801  Benjamin Wright Raymond, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1883)
 1805  William Butler Ogden, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1877)
 1835  Adah Isaacs Menken, American actress, painter and poet (d. 1868)
 1843  Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (d. 1907)
 1848  Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, Indian bishop and saint (d. 1902)
 1867  Konstantin Balmont, Russian songwriter (d. 1942)
 1875  Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-born cross country skier and supercentenarian (d. 1987)
 1876  Margaret Abbott, American golfer (d. 1955)
 1882  Ion Antonescu, Romanian military leader (d. 1946)
 1882  Morgan Foster Larson, Governor of New Jersey (d. 1961)
 1884  Harry Langdon, American actor (d. 1944)
 1888  Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet (d. 1921)
 1890  Wilhelm Leuschner, German political activist and member of the Resistance (d. 1944)
 1894  Trygve Gulbranssen, Norwegian writer (d. 1962)
 1894  Robert Russell Bennett, American composer and arranger (d. 1981)
 1894  Nikolai Chebotaryov, Ukrainian mathematician (d. 1947)
 1900  Otto Luening, German-born American composer (d. 1996)

1901  1950 
 1902  Erik Erikson, German-born psychoanalyst (d. 1994)
 1906  Gordon Welchman, British mathematician (d. 1985)
 1908  Sam Giancana, American mafioso (d. 1975)
 1910  David Rose, American songwriter, composer and orchestra leader (d. 1990)
 1911  Wilbert Awdry, British children's writer (d. 1997)
 1914  Yuri Andropov, Soviet political leader (d. 1984)
 1915  Thomas Huckle Weller, American virologist (d. 2008)
 1916  Horacio Salgan, Argentine pianist, composer, orchestra leader and arranger
 1916  Herbert Simon, American economist (d. 2001)
 1917  John Bennett Fenn, American chemist (d. 2010)
 1920  Alberto Sordi, Italian actor and director (d. 2003)
 1923  Erland Josephson, Swedish actor (d. 2012)
 1923  Ninian Stephen, 20th Governor-General of Australia (d. 2017)
 1923  Erroll Garner, American jazz pianist and composer (d. 1977)
 1924  Ezer Weizman, President of Israel (d. 2005)
 1925  Richard Baker, English broadcaster (d. 2018)
 1926  Shigeru Kayano, Japanese activist (d. 2006)
 1927  Hugo Pratt, Italian writer and artist (d. 1995)
 1930  John Fretwell, English diplomat (d. 2017)
 1930  Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2015)
 1932  Mario Cuomo, American politician, former Governor of New York (d. 2015)
 1933  Mohammad-Ali Rajai, 2nd President of Iran (d. 1981)
 1933  Yasukazu Tanaka, Japanese footballer
 1934  Rubén Aguirre, Mexican actor (d. 2016)
 1934  Mikel Laboa, Basque singer and songwriter (d. 2008)
 1936  Claude Brasseur, French actor
 1936  William Levada, American cardinal (d. 2019)
 1937  Waylon Jennings, American musician (d. 2002)
 1937  Anna Hazare, Indian activist
 1938  Billy Williams, American baseball player
 1939  Brian Jacques, British writer (d. 2011)
 1941  Harry Nilsson, American singer and composer (d. 1994)
 1942  John E. McLaughlin, American deputy director of the CIA
 1943  Johnny Hallyday, French rock musician and singer (d. 2017)
 1943  Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark
 1943  Muff Winwood, English musician
 1945  Robert Sarah, Guinean cardinal
 1945  Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipina politician (d. 2016)
 1946  Brigitte Fossey, French actress
 1946  Noddy Holder, British singer (Slade)
 1946  Demis Roussos, Greek singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
 1948  Henry McLeish, 2nd First Minister of Scotland
 1948  Alan Huckle, English politician and diplomat, Governor of Anguilla
 1948  José Huerta, Peruvian politician (d. 2019)
 1949  Simon Callow, English actor
 1949  Simone Rethel, German actress
 1949  Jim Varney, American actor (d. 2000)
 1950  Lakshmi Mittal, Indian industrialist

1951  1975 
 1951  John Redwood, English politician
 1953  Rita Lee, American model
 1953  Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
 1954  James Belushi, American actor
 1954  Beverley Whitfield, Australian swimmer (d. 1996)
 1955  Julie Hagerty, American actress
 1955  David Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy (d. 1984)
 1955  Mauril Bélanger, Canadian politician
 1956  Robin Curtis, American actress
 1956  Yevgeny Kiselyov, Russian journalist
 1958  Wade Boggs, American baseball player
 1958  Riccardo Paletti, Italian racing driver (d. 1982)
 1959  Alan Brazil, Scottish footballer
 1959  Eileen Davidson, American actress
 1961  Laurent Cantet, French director
 1963  Mario Gosselin, Canadian ice hockey player
 1963  Helen Hunt, American actress
 1963  Blanca Portillo, Spanish actress
 1963  Nigel Walker, Welsh rugby player
 1964  Courteney Cox, American actress
 1964  Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer
 1964  Gavin Greenaway, English composer and conductor
 1965  Karim Massimov, 7th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
 1966  Raimonds Vejonis, 9th President of Latvia
 1968  Samira Ahmed, British journalist and presenter
 1969  Oliver Kahn, German goalkeeper
 1969  Ice Cube, American rapper
 1969  Bashar Warda, Iraqi archbishop
 1970  Leah Remini, American actress
 1971  Edwin Brienen, Dutch-German actor, director and producer
 1971  Bif Naked, Indian-Canadian singer-songwriter, actress and poet
 1972  Marcus Hahnemann, American goalkeeper
 1973  Neil Patrick Harris, American actor, singer and director
 1973  Tore André Flo, Norwegian footballer
 1973  Greg Vaughan, American actor 
 1974  Chakri, Indian movie composer and singer (d. 2014)

From 1976 
 1976  Gary Lightbody, Northern Irish singer (Snow Patrol)
 1977  Michael Doleac, American basketball player
 1978  Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
 1979  Danielle Lineker, British model
 1979  Yulia Nesterenko, Belarussian athlete
 1980  Iker Romero, Spanish handball player
 1980  Almudena Cid Tastado, Spanish rhythmic gymnast
 1980  Mary Carey, American pornographic actress
 1981  John Paintsil, Ghanaian footballer
 1981  Emma Snowsill, Australian triathlete
 1981  Billy Martin, American musician (Good Charlotte)
 1982  Mike Delany, New Zealand rugby player
 1982  Katie Chapman, English footballer
 1982  Atli Gregersen, Faroese footballer
 1983  Laura Imbruglia, Australian musician
 1984  Amber Coffman, American musician
 1984  Tim Lincecum, American baseball player
 1985  Nadine Coyle, Northern Irish singer (Girls Aloud)
 1986  Stoya, American pornographic actress, writer and model
 1988  Barakat Al-Hartini, Omani sprinter
 1988  Miku Ishida, Japanese singer and actress
 1990  Miwa, Japanese singer-songwriter and musician
 1990  Denzel Whitaker, American actor
 1992  Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer
 1992  Dafne Schippers, Dutch heptathlete and sprinter
 1993  Kanna Arihara, Japanese singer (Cute)
 1994  Rina Hidaka, Japanese voice actress
 1994  Iñaki Williams, Spanish footballer

Deaths

Up to 1900 
 707  Emperor Mommu of Japan
 923  King Robert I of France  (b. 866)
 991  Theophanu, consort of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 960)
 1073  Emperor Go-Sanjo of Japan (b. 1073)
 1184  King Magnus V of Norway (b. 1156)
 1189  Minamoto no Yoritomo, Japanese warrior (b. 1159)
 1246  Frederick II of Austria (b. 1219)
 1381  Wat Tyler, English peasant leader (b. 1341)
 1383  John VI Cantacuzenus, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1292)
 1389  Murad I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1326)
 1389  Lazar of Serbia, Serbian saint (b. 1329)
 1416  John, Duke of Berry (b. 1340)
 1467  Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1396)
 1586  Primoz Trubar, Slovenian religious reformer (b. 1508)
 1768  James Short, Scottish mathematician and optician (b. 1710)
 1772  Louis-Claude Daguin, French composer (b. 1694)
 1785  Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier, French physicist and balloonist (b. 1757)
 1849  James K. Polk, 11th President of the United States (b. 1795)
 1888  Kaiser Friedrich III of Germany (b. 1831)
 1889  Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (b. 1850)
 1890  Unryu Kyukichi, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1822)

1901  2000 
 1917  Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian physicist (b. 1867)
 1934  Alfred Bruneau, French composer (b. 1857)
 1938  Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter and printmaker (b. 1880)
 1945  Carl Gustaf Ekman, Swedish politician (b. 1872)
 1961  Giulio Cabianca, Italian racing driver (b. 1923)
 1962  Alfred Cortot, French-Swiss pianist (b. 1877)
 1971  Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist (b. 1904)
 1976  Jimmy Dykes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1896)
 1982  Art Pepper, American saxophonist (b. 1925)
 1989  Maurice Bellemare, Canadian politician (b. 1912)
 1991  Arthur Lewis, British economist (b. 1915)
 1991  Happy Chandler, 44th and 49th Governor of Kentucky and Commissioner of Baseball (b. 1898)
 1993  John Connally, Governor of Texas (b. 1917)
 1993  James Hunt, English racing driver (b. 1947)
 1994  Manos Hadjidakis, Greek composer (b. 1925)
 1995  John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (b. 1903)
 1996  Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (b. 1917)
 1996  Fitzroy MacLean, Scottish soldier, writer and politician (b. 1911)

From 2001 
 2001  Jay Moriarty, American surfer (b. 1978)
 2002  Choi Hong Hi, founder of Taekwondo (b. 1918)
 2003  Hume Cronin, Canadian actor (b. 1911)
 2005  Suzanne Flon, French actress (b. 1918)
 2007  Sherri Martel, American professional wrestler (b. 1958)
 2008  Stan Winston, American filmmaker (b. 1946)
 2010  Heidi Kabel, German actress (b. 1914)
 2013  Heinz Flohe, German footballer (b. 1948)
 2013  Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist (b. 1936)
 2013  José Froilán González, Argentine racing driver (b. 1922)
 2014  Ray Fox, American NASCAR engine builder and team owner (b. 1916)
 2014  Casey Kasem, American radio presenter, DJ and voice actor (b. 1932)
 2014  Daniel Keyes, American author (b. 1927)
 2015  Jean Doré, Canadian politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal (b. 1944)
 2015  Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman (b. 1917)
 2015  Blaze Starr, American burlesque dancer, stripper and model (b. 1932)
 2015  Jeanna Friske, Russian actress, singer and socialite (b. 1974)
 2015  Harry Rowohlt, German writer (b. 1945)
 2015  Mighty Sam McClain, American soul-blues singer (b. 1943)
 2016  Lois Duncan, American writer (b. 1934)
 2016  Claude Confortès, French actor (b. 1928)
 2017  Aleksey Batalov, Russian actor (b. 1928)
 2017  Ibrahim Abouleish, Egyptian pharmacologist (b. 1937)
 2017  Ajmer Singh Aulakh, Indian playwright (b. 1942)
 2017  P. N. Bhagwati, Indian judge (b. 1921)
 2017  Wilma de Faria, Brazilian politician (b. 1945)
 2017  Bill Dana, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1924)
 2018  Leslie Grantham, English actor (b. 1947)
 2018  Enoch zu Guttenberg, German conductor (b. 1946)
 2018  Matt Murphy, American blues guitarist (b. 1929)
 2019  Marta Harnecker, Chilean sociologist, political scientist, journalist and activist (b. 1937)
 2019  Wilhelm Holzbauer, Austrian architect (b. 1930)
 2019  Kevin Killian, American poet, author and playwright (b. 1952)
 2019  Franco Zeffirelli, Italian film director (b. 1923)
 2020  Giulio Giorello, Italian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1945)
 2020  Nagendra Nath Jha, Indian politician (b. 1935)
 2020  Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1951)
 2020  Marinho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1957)
 2020  Anton Schlembach, German Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1932)

Observances 
 Separation Day (Delaware)
 Statehood Day (Arkansas)
 Arbor Day (Costa Rica)
 Flag Day (Denmark)
 National Salvation Day (Azerbaijan)
 Engineers' Day (Italy)
 Global Wind Day
 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
 Saint Vitus' Day

Days of the year