June 15

June 15 is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 199 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday (58 in 400 years each) than on Saturday or Sunday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Thursday (56).

Events

• 763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
• 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II.
• 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 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lyndanisse (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia. According to legend, this battle also marks the first use of the Dannebrog, the world's first national flag still in use, as the national flag of Denmark.
• 1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria.
• 1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded.
• 1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba.
• 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians.
• 1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor.
• 1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage.
• 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in papal bull Exsurge Domine.
• 1580 – Philip II of Spain declares William the Silent to be an outlaw.
• 1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys.
• 1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta.
• 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown).
• 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.
• 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 United States and British/Canadian settlers.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Second Battle of Petersburg begins.
• 1864 – Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.81 km²) around Arlington Mansion (formerly owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee) 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.
• 1878 – Eadweard Muybridge takes a series of photographs to prove that all four feet of a horse leave the ground when it runs; the study becomes the basis of motion pictures.
• 1888 – Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II; he will be the last Emperor of the German Empire. Due to the death of his predecessors Wilhelm I and Frederick III, 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors.
• 1896 – The deadliest tsunami in Japan's history kills more than 22,000 people.
• 1904 – A fire aboard the steamboat SS General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1,000.
• 1909 – Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.
• 1913 – The Battle of Bud Bagsak in the Philippines ends.
• 1916 – United States 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 the first nonstop transatlantic flight when they reach Clifden, County Galway, Ireland.
• 1920 – A new border treaty between Germany and Denmark gives northern Schleswig to Denmark.
• 1921 – Bessie Coleman earns her pilot's license, becoming the first female pilot of African-American descent.
• 1934 – The United States Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded.
• 1936 – First flight of the Vickers Wellington bomber.
• 1937 – A German expedition led by Karl Wien loses sixteen members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat. It is the worst single disaster to occur on an 8000m peak.
• 1940 – World War II: Operation Ariel begins: Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany's takeover of Paris and most of the nation.
• 1944 – World War II: Battle of Saipan: The United States invade Japanese-occupied Saipan.
• 1944 – In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government in North America.
• 1945 – The General Dutch Youth League (ANJV) is founded in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• 1954 – UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is formed in Basel, Switzerland.
• 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.
• 1978 – King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor.
• 1985 – Rembrandt's painting Danaë is attacked by a man (later judged insane) who throws sulfuric acid on the canvas and cuts it twice with a knife.
• 1991 – In the Philippines, Mount Pinatubo erupts in the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th Century. In the end, over 800 people die.
• 1992 – The United States Supreme Court rules in United States v. Álvarez-Machaín that it is permissible for the United States to forcibly extradite suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the United States for trial, without approval from those other countries.
• 1994 – Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations.
• 1996 – The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people.
• 2001 – Leaders of the People's Republic of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
• 2012 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first person to successfully tightrope walk directly over Niagara Falls.
• 2013 – A bomb explodes on a bus in the Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 25 people and wounding 22 others.
• 2014 – Pakistan formally launches military operation against the insurgents in North Waziristan.

Births

• 1330 – Edward, the Black Prince of England (d. 1376)
• 1479 – Lisa del Giocondo, Italian model, subject of the Mona Lisa (d. 1542)
• 1519 – Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1536)
• 1542 – Richard Grenville, English captain and explorer (d. 1591)
• 1553 – Archduke Ernest of Austria (d. 1595)
• 1605 – Thomas Randolph, English poet and playwright (d. 1635)
• 1623 – Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (d. 1672)
• 1624 – Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (d. 1704)
• 1640 – Bernard Lamy, French mathematician and theologian (d. 1715)
• 1749 – Georg Joseph Vogler, German organist, composer, and theorist (d. 1814)
• 1754 – Juan José Elhuyar, Spanish chemist and mineralogist (d. 1796)
• 1755 – Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist and entomologist (d. 1809)
• 1763 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1826)
• 1763 – Kobayashi Issa, Japanese priest and poet (d. 1827)
• 1765 – Martin Baum, American businessman and politician, Mayor of Cincinnati (d. 1831)
• 1765 – Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1831)
• 1767 – Rachel Jackson, American wife of Andrew Jackson (d. 1828)
• 1777 – David Daniel Davis, Welsh physician and academic (d. 1841)
• 1789 – Josiah Henson, American minister, author, and activist (d. 1883)
• 1792 – Thomas Mitchell, Scottish-Australian colonel and explorer (d. 1855)
• 1801 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American merchant and politician, 3rd Mayor of Chicago (d. 1883)
• 1805 – William B. Ogden, American businessman and politician, 1st Mayor of Chicago (d. 1877)
• 1809 – François-Xavier Garneau, Canadian poet and historian (d. 1866)
• 1835 – Adah Isaacs Menken, American actress, painter, and poet (d. 1868)
• 1843 – Edvard Grieg, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 1907)
• 1848 – Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala, Indian bishop and saint (d. 1902)
• 1872 – Thomas William Burgess, English swimmer and water polo player (d. 1950)
• 1875 – Herman Smith-Johannsen, Norwegian-Canadian skier (d. 1987)
• 1878 – Margaret Abbott, Indian-American golfer (d. 1955)
• 1881 – Kesago Nakajima, Japanese lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army (d. 1945)
• 1882 – Ion Antonescu, Romanian field marshal and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1946)
• 1884 – Harry Langdon, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1944)
• 1886 – Frank Clement, British racing driver (d. 1970)
• 1888 – Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet and author (d. 1921)
• 1890 – Georg Wüst, German oceanographer and academic (d. 1977)
• 1894 – Robert Russell Bennett, American composer and conductor (d. 1981)
• 1894 – Nikolai Chebotaryov, Ukrainian-Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1947)
• 1898 – Hubertus Strughold, German-American physiologist and academic (d. 1986)
• 1900 – Gotthard Günther, German philosopher and academic (d. 1984)
• 1900 – Otto Luening, German-American composer and conductor (d. 1996)
• 1901 – Elmar Lohk, Russian-Estonian architect (d. 1963)
• 1902 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1994)
• 1906 – Gordon Welchman, English-American mathematician and author (d. 1985)
• 1906 – Léon Degrelle, Belgian SS officer (d. 1994)
• 1907 – James Robertson Justice, English actor and educator (d. 1975)
• 1909 – Elena Nikolaidi, Greek-American soprano and educator (d. 2002)
• 1910 – David Rose, English-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1990)
• 1911 – Wilbert Awdry, English author, co-created Thomas the Tank Engine (d. 1997)
• 1914 – Yuri Andropov, Russian politician (d. 1984)
• 1914 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist (d. 1999)
• 1914 – Hilda Terry, American cartoonist (d. 2006)
• 1915 – Nini Theilade, Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and educator
• 1915 – Thomas Huckle Weller, American biologist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
• 1916 – Olga Erteszek, Polish-American fashion designer (d. 1989)
• 1916 – Horacio Salgán, Argentinian pianist, composer, and conductor
• 1916 – Herbert A. Simon, American political scientist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
• 1917 – John Fenn, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
• 1917 – Michalis Genitsaris, Greek singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
• 1917 – Lash LaRue, American actor and producer (d. 1996)
• 1918 – Zhang Ruifang, Chinese actress (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Keith Andrews, American racing driver (d. 1957)
• 1920 – Alla Kazanskaya, Russian actress (d. 2008)
• 1920 – Sam Sniderman, Canadian businessman, founded Sam the Record Man (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Alberto Sordi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1921 – Erroll Garner, American pianist and composer (d. 1977)
• 1922 – Jaki Byard, American pianist and composer (d. 1999)
• 1922 – Ronald King Murray, Lord Murray, Scottish judge and politician
• 1922 – John Veale, English composer and educator (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Erland Josephson, Swedish actor and director (d. 2012)
• 1923 – Ninian Stephen, English-Australian lieutenant, judge, and politician, 20th Governor-General of Australia
• 1924 – Hédi Fried, Swedish author and psychologist
• 1924 – Ezer Weizman, Israeli general and politician, 7th President of Israel (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Richard Baker, English journalist and author
• 1925 – Attilâ İlhan, Turkish poet, author, and critic (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Alfred Duraiappah, Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician (d. 1975)
• 1927 – Ross Andru, American illustrator (d. 1993)
• 1927 – Ibn-e-Insha, Indian-Pakistani poet and author (d. 1978)
• 1927 – Hugo Pratt, Italian author and illustrator (d. 1995)
• 1930 – John Fretwell, English soldier and diplomat, British Ambassador to France
• 1930 – Victor Lundin, American actor and singer (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Miguel Méndez, American author and academic (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
• 1931 – Joseph Gilbert, English air marshal
• 1931 – Brian Sewell, English art dealer and critic (d. 2015)
• 1932 – David Alliance, Baron Alliance, Iranian-English businessman and politician
• 1932 – Mario Cuomo, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New York (d. 2015)
• 1932 – Zia Fariduddin Dagar, Indian singer (d. 2013)
• 1932 – Bernie Faloney, American-Canadian football player and sportscaster (d. 1999)
• 1933 – Sergio Endrigo, Italian singer-songwriter (d. 2005)
• 1933 – Mark Jones, English footballer (d. 1958)
• 1933 – Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iranian politician, 2nd President of Iran (d. 1981)
• 1934 – Mikel Laboa, Spanish singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
• 1936 – William Levada, American cardinal
• 1937 – Pierre Billon, Swiss-Canadian author and screenwriter
• 1937 – Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
• 1938 – Tony Oxley, English drummer
• 1938 – Billy Williams, American baseball player and coach
• 1939 – Ward Connerly, American activist and businessman, founded the American Civil Rights Institute
• 1941 – Neal Adams, American illustrator
• 1941 – Harry Nilsson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1994)
• 1942 – Ian Greenberg, Canadian broadcaster, founded Astral Media
• 1942 – John E. McLaughlin, American diplomat
• 1942 – Peter Norman, Australian sprinter (d. 2006)
• 1943 – Johnny Hallyday, French singer and actor
• 1943 – Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Danish politician, 38th Prime Minister of Denmark
• 1943 – Lee Shallat-Chemel, American director and producer
• 1943 – Muff Winwood, English record producer, songwriter, and bass player
• 1944 – Robert D. Keppel, American police officer and academic
• 1945 – Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipino judge and politician (d. 2016)
• 1945 – Robert Sarah, Guinean cardinal
• 1945 – Lawrence Wilkerson, American colonel
• 1946 – John Horner, American paleontologist and academic
• 1946 – Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2015)
• 1947 – John Hoagland, American photographer and journalist (d. 1984)
• 1948 – Mike Holmgren, American football player and coach
• 1948 – Alan Huckle, English politician and diplomat, Governor of Anguilla
• 1948 – Henry McLeish, Scottish footballer, academic, and politician, 2nd First Minister of Scotland
• 1949 – Dusty Baker, American baseball player and manager
• 1949 – Simon Callow, English actor and director
• 1949 – Russell Hitchcock, Australian singer-songwriter
• 1949 – Jim Varney, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
• 1950 – Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Ghanaian nurse and politician
• 1950 – Lakshmi Mittal, Indian-English businessman
• 1951 – Vance A. Larson, American painter (d. 2000)
• 1951 – John Redwood, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
• 1951 – Steve Walsh, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1952 – Dirceu, Brazilian footballer (d. 1995)
• 1952 – Satya Pal Jain, Indian lawyer and politician, Additional Solicitor General of India
• 1953 – Vilma Bardauskienė, Lithuanian long jumper
• 1953 – Eje Elgh, Swedish race car driver and sportscaster
• 1953 – Xi Jinping, Chinese engineer and politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China
• 1953 – Raphael Wallfisch, English cellist and educator
• 1954 – Jim Belushi, American actor and singer
• 1954 – Paul Rusesabagina, Rwandan humanitarian
• 1954 – Zdeňka Šilhavá, Czech discus thrower and shot putter
• 1954 – Beverley Whitfield, Australian swimmer (d. 1996)
• 1955 – Polly Draper, American actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 – Julie Hagerty, American model and actress
• 1956 – Ava Cadell, Hungarian-American actress and therapist
• 1956 – Yevgeny Kiselyov, Russian-Ukrainian journalist
• 1956 – Lance Parrish, American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1957 – Brad Gillis, American guitarist
• 1957 – Stephen Lloyd, Kenyan-English businessman and politician
• 1958 – Wade Boggs, American baseball player
• 1958 – Scott Norton, American wrestler
• 1958 – Riccardo Paletti, Italian race car driver (d. 1982)
• 1959 – Alan Brazil, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
• 1959 – Eileen Davidson, American model and actress
• 1959 – Vicki Genfan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960 – Michèle Laroque, French actress, producer, and screenwriter
• 1960 – Marieke van Doorn, Dutch field hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Brad Armstrong, American wrestler (d. 2012)
• 1961 – Laurent Cantet, French director and screenwriter
• 1961 – Kai Eckhardt, German-American bass player and songwriter
• 1961 – Dave McAuley, Irish boxer and sportscaster
• 1962 – Chris Morris, English actor, satirist, director, and producer
• 1962 – Andrea Rost, Hungarian soprano
• 1963 – Marina Azyabina, Russian hurdler
• 1963 – Mario Gosselin, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1963 – Helen Hunt, American actress, director, and producer
• 1963 – Igor Paklin, Kyrgyzstani high jumper
• 1963 – Scott Rockenfield, American drummer
• 1964 – Courteney Cox, American actress and producer
• 1964 – Gavin Greenaway, English composer and conductor
• 1964 – Michael Laudrup, Danish footballer and manager
• 1965 – Annelies Bredael, Belgian rower
• 1965 – Karim Massimov, Kazakhstani politician, 7th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
• 1965 – Adam Smith, American lawyer and politician
• 1966 – Raimonds Vējonis, Latvian politician, 9th President of Latvia
• 1968 – Károly Güttler, Hungarian swimmer
• 1969 – Jesse Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1969 – Ice Cube, American rapper, producer, and actor
• 1969 – Idalis DeLeón, American singer and actress
• 1969 – Nasos Galakteros, Greek basketball player
• 1969 – Oliver Kahn, German footballer and sportscaster
• 1969 – Jeff Neal, American drummer
• 1969 – Maurice Odumbe, Kenyan cricketer
• 1969 – Cédric Pioline, French tennis player
• 1970 – Christian Bauman, American soldier and author
• 1970 – Gaëlle Méchaly, French soprano
• 1970 – Leah Remini, American actress and producer
• 1970 – Žan Tabak, Croatian basketball player and coach
• 1971 – Edwin Brienen, Dutch-German actor, director, and producer
• 1971 – Isménia do Frederico, Cape Verdean sprinter
• 1971 – Christos Myriounis, Greek basketball player
• 1972 – Chloe Dao, American fashion designer
• 1972 – Marcus Hahnemann, American soccer player
• 1972 – Justin Leonard, American golfer
• 1972 – Andy Pettitte, American baseball player
• 1972 – Hank von Helvete, Norwegian singer and guitarist
• 1973 – Tore André Flo, Norwegian footballer and coach
• 1973 – Neil Patrick Harris, American actor and singer
• 1976 – Gary Lightbody, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1976 – Jiří Ryba, Czech decathlete
• 1977 – Michael Doleac, American basketball player and manager
• 1978 – Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
• 1978 – Zach Day, American baseball player
• 1979 – Yulia Nestsiarenka, Belarusian sprinter
• 1979 – Christian Rahn, German footballer
• 1979 – Charles Zwolsman, Jr., Dutch race car driver
• 1980 – David Lyons, Australian rugby player
• 1980 – Craig Dietrich, Digital artist, scholar, and educator
• 1981 – Billy Martin, American guitarist, songwriter, and illustrator
• 1981 – John Paintsil, Ghanaian footballer
• 1981 – Jeremy Reed, American baseball player
• 1982 – Katie Chapman, English footballer
• 1982 – Mike Delany, New Zealand rugby player
• 1982 – Abdur Razzak, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1983 – Derek Anderson, American football player
• 1983 – Julia Fischer, German violinist and pianist
• 1983 – Laura Imbruglia, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1983 – Josh McGuire, Canadian fencer
• 1984 – Luke Hodge, Australian footballer
• 1984 – Eva Hrdinová, Czech tennis player
• 1984 – Tim Lincecum, American baseball player
• 1984 – Mauro Rizzo, Italian footballer
• 1984 – Edison Toloza, Colombian footballer
• 1985 – Nadine Coyle, Irish singer
• 1986 – Stjepan Hauser, Croatian cellist
• 1986 – James Maloney, Australian rugby league player
• 1987 – Ani Mijačika, Croatian tennis player
• 1987 – Rohullah Nikpai, Afghan martial artist
• 1989 – Víctor Cabedo, Spanish cyclist (d. 2012)
• 1989 – Bryan Clauson, American racing driver (d. 2016)
• 1990 – Miwa, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1991 – Kristina Bannikova, Estonian footballer
• 1991 – Emily Harman, American tennis player
• 1992 – Michał Kopczyński, Polish footballer
• 1992 – Dafne Schippers, Dutch heptathlete and sprinter
• 1993 – Kanna Arihara, Japanese singer
• 1993 – Jacopo Galimberti, Italian footballer
• 1993 – Irfan Hadžić, Bosnian footballer
• 1995 – Tucker West, American luger
• 1997 – Madison Kocian, American gymnast
• 1998 – Hachim Mastour, Italian-born Moroccan footballer

Deaths

• 923 – Robert I of France (b. 866)
• 991 – Theophanu, Byzantine wife of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 960)
• 1073 – Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (b. 1034)
• 1189 – Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159)
• 1246 – Frederick II, Duke of Austria (b. 1219)
• 1341 – Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1297)
• 1381 – John Cavendish, English lawyer and judge (b. 1346)
• 1381 – Wat Tyler, English rebel leader (b. 1341)
• 1383 – John VI Kantakouzenos, Byzantine emperor (b. 1292)
• 1389 – Murad I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1326)
• 1389 – Lazar of Serbia (b. 1329)
• 1416 – John, Duke of Berry (b. 1340)
• 1467 – Philip the Good, French son of Margaret of Bavaria (b. 1396)
• 1521 – Tamás Bakócz, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1442)
• 1560 – William Sommers, English jester (b.1525)
• 1614 – Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English courtier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1540)
• 1679 – Guillaume Courtois, French painter and illustrator (b. 1628)
• 1724 – Henry Sacheverell, English minister and politician (b. 1674)
• 1768 – James Short, Scottish mathematician and optician (b. 1710)
• 1772 – Louis-Claude Daquin, French organist and composer (b. 1694)
• 1844 – Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet and academic (b. 1777)
• 1849 – James K. Polk, American lawyer and politician, 11th President of the United States (b. 1795)
• 1858 – Ary Scheffer, Dutch-French painter and academic (b. 1795)
• 1888 – Frederick III, German Emperor (b. 1831)
• 1889 – Mihai Eminescu, Romanian journalist, author, and poet (b. 1850)
• 1890 – Unryū Kyūkichi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 10th Yokozuna (b. 1822)
• 1917 – Kristian Birkeland, Norwegian physicist and academic (b. 1867)
• 1934 – Alfred Bruneau, French cellist and composer (b. 1857)
• 1938 – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German painter and illustrator (b. 1880)
• 1941 – Otfrid Foerster, German neurologist and physician (b. 1873)
• 1941 – Evelyn Underhill, English mystic and author (b. 1875)
• 1945 – Count Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, Austrian diplomat
• 1961 – Giulio Cabianca, Italian race car driver (b. 1923)
• 1961 – Peyami Safa, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1899)
• 1962 – Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1877)
• 1965 – Steve Cochran, American actor (b. 1917)
• 1965 – Ephraim Avigdor Speiser, Polish-American archaeologist and scholar (b. 1902)
• 1967 – Tatu Kolehmainen, Finnish runner (b. 1885)
• 1968 – Sam Crawford, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1880)
• 1968 – Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1925)
• 1971 – Wendell Meredith Stanley, American biochemist and virologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
• 1976 – Jimmy Dykes, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1896)
• 1983 – Sri Sri, Indian poet and songwriter (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Meredith Willson, American playwright, composer, and conductor (b. 1902)
• 1985 – Andy Stanfield, American sprinter (b. 1927)
• 1985 – Robert Stethem, American sailor and diver (b. 1961)
• 1989 – Maurice Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1912)
• 1989 – Victor French, American actor (b. 1934)
• 1989 – Ray McAnally, Irish actor (b. 1926)
• 1991 – Happy Chandler, American businessman and politician, 49th Governor of Kentucky (b. 1898)
• 1991 – Arthur Lewis, Saint Lucian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
• 1992 – Chuck Menville, American animator, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
• 1992 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (b. 1939)
• 1993 – John Connally, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 61st United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1917)
• 1993 – James Hunt, English race car driver and sportscaster (b. 1947)
• 1994 – Manos Hatzidakis, Greek composer and theorist (b. 1925)
• 1995 – John Vincent Atanasoff, American physicist and inventor, invented the Atanasoff–Berry computer (b. 1903)
• 1996 – Ella Fitzgerald, American singer and actress (b. 1917)
• 1996 – Sir Fitzroy Maclean, 1st Baronet, Egyptian-Scottish general and politician (b. 1911)
• 1996 – Dick Murdoch, American wrestler (b. 1946)
• 1999 – Omer Côté, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1906)
• 2000 – Jules Roy, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1907)
• 2001 – Henri Alekan, French cinematographer (b. 1909)
• 2002 – Choi Hong Hi, South Korean general and martial artist, founded Taekwondo (b. 1918)
• 2003 – Hume Cronyn, Canadian-American actor (b. 1911)
• 2004 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician and mayor of İzmir (b. 1952)
• 2005 – Suzanne Flon, French actress (b. 1918)
• 2006 – Raymond Devos, Belgian-French comedian and clown (b. 1922)
• 2006 – Herb Pearson, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1910)
• 2007 – Claudia Cohen, American journalist (b. 1950)
• 2007 – Sherri Martel, American wrestler and manager (b. 1958)
• 2008 – Ray Getliffe, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)
• 2011 – Bill Haast, American herpetologist and academic (b. 1910)
• 2012 – Phillip D. Cagan, American economist and author (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Capitola Dickerson, American pianist and educator (b. 1913)
• 2012 – Rune Gustafsson, Swedish guitarist and composer (b. 1933)
• 2012 – Barry MacKay, American tennis player and sportscaster (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Israel Nogueda Otero, Mexican economist and politician, 10th Governor of Guerrero (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Jerry Tubbs, American football player and coach (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Peride Celal, Turkish author (b. 1916)
• 2013 – Heinz Flohe, German footballer and manager (b. 1948)
• 2013 – José Froilán González, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1922)
• 2013 – Stan Lopata, American baseball player (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Dennis O'Rourke, Australian director and producer (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Kenneth G. Wilson, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Jacques Bergerac, French actor and businessman (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Sardar Fazlul Karim, Bangladeshi philosopher and academic (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Casey Kasem, American radio host, producer, and actor, co-created American Top 40 (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Daniel Keyes, American short story writer and novelist (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Andrei Kharlov, Russian chess player (b. 1968)
• 2014 – Moise Safra, Brazilian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Banco Safra (b. 1934)
• 2015 – Jean Doré, Canadian politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal (b. 1944)
• 2015 – Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman, founded the Tracinda Corporation (b. 1917)
• 2015 – Mighty Sam McClain, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
• 2015 – Harry Rowohlt, German author and translator (b. 1945)
• 2016 – Lois Duncan, American author (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances

• Arbor Day (Costa Rica)
• Christian feast day:
  • Augustine of Hippo (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Blessed Albertina Berkenbrock
  • Blessed Clement Vismara
  • Edburga of Winchester
  • Evelyn Underhill (Church of England and the The Episcopal Church)
  • Germaine Cousin
  • Maria Micaela of the Blessed Sacrament
  • Trillo
  • Vitus, Modestus and Crescentia
  • June 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of Valdemar and Reunion Day (Flag Day) (Denmark)
• Earliest day on which Father's Day can fall, while June 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday in June. (United States, and most other countries.)
• Engineer's Day (Italy)
• Global Wind Day (international)
• National Beer Day (United Kingdom)
• National Salvation Day (Azerbaijan)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to June 15.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada