- 484 BC – Dedication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in ancient Rome
- AD 70 – Titus and his armies breach the walls of Jerusalem. (17th of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar).
- 756 – An Lushan Rebellion: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is ordered by his Imperial Guards to execute chancellor Yang Guozhong by forcing him to commit suicide or face a mutiny. General An Lushan has other members of the emperor’s family killed.
- 1099 – First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege.
- 1149 – The reconstructed Church of the Holy Sepulchre is consecrated in Jerusalem.
- 1207 – King John of England expels Canterbury monks for supporting Archbishop Stephen Langton.
- 1240 – Swedish–Novgorodian Wars: A Novgorodian army led by Alexander Nevsky defeats the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva.
- 1381 – John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hanged, drawn, and quartered in the presence of King Richard II of England.
- 1410 – Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War: Battle of Grunwald: The allied forces of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the army of the Teutonic Order.
- 1482 – Muhammad XII is crowned the twenty-second and last Nasrid king of Granada.
- 1738 – Baruch Laibov and Alexander Voznitzin are burned alive in St. Petersburg, Russia. Vonitzin had converted to Judaism with Laibov’s help, with the consent of Empress Anna Ivanovna.
- 1741 – Aleksei Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska.
- 1789 – Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, is named by acclamation Colonel General of the new National Guard of Paris.
- 1799 – The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign.
- 1806 – Pike Expedition: United States Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike begins an expedition from Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, Missouri, to explore the west.
- 1815 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders aboard HMS Bellerophon.
- 1823 – A fire destroys the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Italy.
- 1834 – The Spanish Inquisition is officially disbanded after nearly 356 years.
- 1838 – Ralph Waldo Emerson delivers the Divinity School Address at Harvard Divinity School, discounting Biblical miracles and declaring Jesus a great man, but not God. The Protestant community reacts with outrage.
- 1862 – The CSS Arkansas, the most effective ironclad on the Mississippi River, battles with Union ships commanded by Admiral David Farragut, severely damaging three ships and sustaining heavy damage herself. The encounter changed the complexion of warfare on the Mississippi and helped to reverse Rebel fortunes on the river in the summer of 1862.
- 1870 – Reconstruction Era of the United States: Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.
- 1870 – Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory are transferred to Canada from the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are established from these vast territories.
- 1888 – The stratovolcano Mount Bandai erupts killing approximately 500 people, in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
- 1910 – In his book Clinical Psychiatry, Emil Kraepelin gives a name to Alzheimer’s disease, naming it after his colleague Alois Alzheimer.
- 1916 – In Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing).
- 1918 – World War I: The Second Battle of the Marne begins near the River Marne with a German attack.
- 1920 – The Polish Parliament establishes Silesian Voivodeship before the Polish-German plebiscite.
- 1922 – Japanese Communist Party is established in Japan.
- 1927 – Massacre of July 15, 1927: Eighty-nine protesters are killed by the Austrian police in Vienna.
- 1946 – State of North Borneo, today in Sabah, Malaysia, annexed by the United Kingdom.
- 1954 – First flight of the Boeing 367-80, prototype for both the Boeing 707 and C-135 series.
- 1955 – Eighteen Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by thirty-four others.
- 1959 – The steel strike of 1959 begins, leading to significant importation of foreign steel for the first time in United States history.
- 1966 – Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam begin Operation Hastings to push the North Vietnamese out of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone.
- 1971 – The United Red Army is founded in Japan.
- 1974 – In Nicosia, Cyprus, Greek junta-sponsored nationalists launch a coup d’état, deposing President Makarios and installing Nikos Sampson as Cypriot president.
- 1975 – Space Race: Apollo–Soyuz Test Project features the dual launch of an Apollo spacecraft and a Soyuz spacecraft on the first joint Soviet-United States human-crewed flight. It was both the last launch of an Apollo spacecraft, and the Saturn family of rockets.
- 1979 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter gives his “malaise speech”.
- 1983 – An attack at Orly Airport in Paris is launched by Armenian militant organisation ASALA, leaving eight people dead and 55 injured.
- 1996 – A Belgian Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying the Royal Netherlands Army marching band crashes on landing at Eindhoven Airport.
- 1998 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP S. Shanmuganathan is killed by a claymore mine.
- 2002 – “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and to possession of explosives during the commission of a felony.
- 2002 – Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan hands down the death sentence to British born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and life terms to three others suspected of murdering The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
- 2003 – AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape. The Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day.
- 2006 – Twitter, later one of the largest social media platforms in the world, is launched.
- 2014 – A train derails on the Moscow Metro, killing at least 24 and injuring more than 160 others.
- 2016 – Factions of the Turkish Armed Forces attempt a coup.
Births on July 15
- 980 – Ichijō, Japanese emperor (d. 1011)
- 1273 – Ewostatewos, Ethiopian monk and saint (d. 1352)
- 1353 – Vladimir the Bold, Russian prince (d. 1410)
- 1359 – Antonio Correr, Italian cardinal (d. 1445)
- 1442 – Boček IV of Poděbrady, Bohemian nobleman (d. 1496)
- 1455 – Queen Yun, Korean queen (d. 1482)
- 1471 – Eskender, Ethiopian emperor (d. 1494)
- 1478 – Barbara Jagiellon, duchess consort of Saxony and Margravine consort of Meissen (d. 1534)
- 1573 – Inigo Jones, English architect, designed the Queen’s House (d. 1652)
- 1600 – Jan Cossiers, Flemish painter (d. 1671)
- 1606 – Rembrandt, Dutch painter and etcher (d. 1669)
- 1611 – Jai Singh I, maharaja of Jaipur (d. 1667)
- 1613 – Gu Yanwu, Chinese philologist and geographer (d. 1682)
- 1631 – Jens Juel, Danish politician and diplomat, Governor-general of Norway (d. 1700)
- 1631 – Richard Cumberland, English philosopher (d. 1718)
- 1638 – Giovanni Buonaventura Viviani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1693)
- 1704 – August Gottlieb Spangenberg, German bishop and theologian (d. 1792)
- 1779 – Clement Clarke Moore, American author, poet, and educator (d. 1863)
- 1793 – Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps, American educator, author, editor (d. 1884)
- 1796 – Thomas Bulfinch, American mythologist (d. 1867)
- 1799 – Reuben Chapman, American lawyer and politician, 13th Governor of Alabama (d. 1882)
- 1800 – Sidney Breese, American jurist and politician (d. 1878)
- 1808 – Henry Edward Manning, English cardinal (d. 1892)
- 1812 – James Hope-Scott, English lawyer and academic (d. 1873)
- 1817 – Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet, English engineer, designed the Forth Bridge (d. 1898)
- 1827 – W. W. Thayer American lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Oregon (d. 1899)
- 1848 – Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist and sociologist (d. 1923)
- 1850 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American nun and saint (d. 1917)
- 1852 – Josef Josephi, Polish-born singer and actor (d. 1920)
- 1858 – Emmeline Pankhurst, English political activist and suffragist (d. 1928)
- 1864 – Marie Tempest, English actress and singer (d. 1942)
- 1865 – Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, Anglo-Irish businessman and publisher, founded the Amalgamated Press (d. 1922)
- 1865 – Wilhelm Wirtinger, Austrian-German mathematician and theorist (d. 1945)
- 1867 – Jean-Baptiste Charcot, French physician and explorer (d. 1936)
- 1871 – Doppo Kunikida, Japanese journalist, author, and poet (d. 1908)
- 1880 – Enrique Mosca, Argentinian lawyer and politician (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Wharton Esherick, American sculptor (d. 1970)
- 1892 – Walter Benjamin, German philosopher and critic (d. 1940)
- 1893 – Enid Bennett, Australian-American actress (d. 1969)
- 1893 – Dick Rauch, American football player and coach (d. 1970)
- 1894 – Tadeusz Sendzimir, Polish-American engineer (d. 1989)
- 1899 – Seán Lemass, Irish soldier and politician, 4th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 1971)
- 1902 – Jean Rey, Belgian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of the European Commission (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Walter D. Edmonds, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
- 1903 – K. Kamaraj, Indian journalist and politician (d. 1975)
- 1904 – Rudolf Arnheim, German-American psychologist and author (d. 2007)
- 1905 – Dorothy Fields, American songwriter (d. 1974)
- 1905 – Anita Farra, Italian actress (d. 2008)
- 1906 – R. S. Mugali, Indian poet and academic (d. 1993)
- 1906 – Rudolf Uhlenhaut, English-German engineer (d. 1989)
- 1909 – Jean Hamburger, French physician and surgeon (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton, English geographer and politician, Secretary of State for Air (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Cowboy Copas, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
- 1913 – Hammond Innes, English journalist and author (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Abraham Sutzkever, Russian poet and author (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Akhtar Hameed Khan, Pakistani economist, scholar, and activist (d. 1999)
- 1914 – Howard Vernon, Swiss-French actor (d. 1996)
- 1915 – Albert Ghiorso, American chemist and academic (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Kashmir Singh Katoch, Indian army officer (d. 2007)
- 1916 – Sumner Gerard, American politician and diplomat (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Robert Conquest, English-American historian, poet, and academic (d. 2015)
- 1917 – Joan Roberts, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
- 1917 – Nur Muhammad Taraki, Afghan journalist and politician (d. 1979)
- 1918 – Bertram Brockhouse, Canadian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)
- 1918 – Brenda Milner, English-Canadian neuropsychologist and academic
- 1919 – Fritz Langanke, German lieutenant (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Iris Murdoch, Anglo-Irish British novelist and philosopher (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Jack Beeson, American pianist and composer (d. 2010)
- 1921 – Henri Colpi, Swiss-French director and screenwriter (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Robert Bruce Merrifield, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Jean Heywood, British actress (d. 2019)
- 1922 – Leon M. Lederman, American physicist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2018)
- 1922 – Jean-Pierre Richard, French writer (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Francisco de Andrade, Portuguese sailor
- 1924 – Jeremiah Denton, American admiral and politician (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Marianne Bernadotte, Swedish actress and philanthropist
- 1925 – Philip Carey, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Taylor Hardwick, American architect, designed Haydon Burns Library and Friendship Fountain Park (d. 2014)
- 1925 – D. A. Pennebaker, American documentary filmmaker (d. 2019)
- 1925 – Evan Hultman, American politician
- 1925 – Antony Carbone, American actor
- 1925 – Pandel Savic, American football player (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Driss Chraïbi, Moroccan-French journalist and author (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Leopoldo Galtieri, Argentinian general and politician, 44th President of Argentina (d. 2003)
- 1926 – Raymond Gosling, English physicist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Sir John Graham, 4th Baronet, English diplomat (d. 2019)
- 1927 – Nan Martin, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1927 – Carmen Zapata, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Håkon Brusveen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1928 – Carl Woese, American microbiologist and biophysicist (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Viramachaneni Vimla Devi, Indian parliamentarian (d. 1967)
- 1929 – Charles Anthony, American tenor and actor (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Francis Bebey, Cameroonian-French guitarist (d. 2001)
- 1929 – Ian Stewart, Scottish race car driver (d. 2017)
- 1930 – Jacques Derrida, Algerian-French philosopher and academic (d. 2004)
- 1930 – Richard Garneau, Canadian journalist and sportscaster (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Stephen Smale, American mathematician and computer scientist
- 1930 – Einosuke Akiya, Japanese Buddhist leader
- 1931 – Clive Cussler, American archaeologist and author (d. 2020)
- 1931 – Joanna Merlin, American actress and casting director
- 1931 – Jacques-Yvan Morin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Deputy Premier of Quebec
- 1932 – Ed Litzenberger, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2010)
- 1933 – Guido Crepax, Italian author and illustrator (d. 2003)
- 1933 – M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Indian author and screenwriter
- 1934 – Harrison Birtwistle, English composer and academic
- 1934 – Eva Krížiková, Czech actress (d. 2020)
- 1934 – Risto Jarva, Finnish director and producer (d. 1977)
- 1935 – Donn Clendenon, American baseball player and lawyer (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Alex Karras, American football player, wrestler, and actor (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Ken Kercheval, American actor and director (d. 2019)
- 1936 – George Voinovich, American lawyer and politician, 65th Governor of Ohio (d. 2016)
- 1937 – Prabhash Joshi, Indian journalist (d. 2009)
- 1938 – Ernie Barnes, American football player, actor, and painter (d. 2009)
- 1938 – Carmen Callil, Australian publisher, founded Virago Press
- 1938 – Barry Goldwater, Jr., American lawyer and politician
- 1939 – Aníbal Cavaco Silva, Portuguese economist and politician, 19th President of the Portuguese Republic
- 1940 – Denis Héroux, Canadian director and producer (d. 2015)
- 1940 – Ronald Gene Simmons, American sergeant and convicted murderer (d. 1990)
- 1940 – Robert Winston, English surgeon, academic, and politician
- 1942 – Vivian Malone Jones, American civil rights activist (d. 2005)
- 1943 – Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Northern Irish astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1944 – Millie Jackson, American singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Jan-Michael Vincent, American actor (d. 2019)
- 1945 – David Arthur Granger, Guyanese politician, 9th President of Guyana
- 1945 – Peter Lewis (musician), American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – Jürgen Möllemann, German soldier and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (d. 2003)
- 1946 – Linda Ronstadt, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1946 – Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
- 1947 – Peter Banks, English guitarist and songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Lydia Davis, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist
- 1947 – Pridiyathorn Devakula, Thai economist and politician, Thai Minister of Finance
- 1947 – Roky Erickson, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2019)
- 1948 – Twinkle, English singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1948 – Dimosthenis Kourtovik, Greek anthropologist and critic
- 1948 – Artimus Pyle, American rock drummer and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- 1949 – Carl Bildt, Swedish politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of Sweden
- 1949 – Trevor Horn, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
- 1949 – Richard Russo, American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter
- 1950 – Colin Barnett, Australian economist and politician, 29th Premier of Western Australia
- 1950 – Arianna Huffington, Greek-American journalist and publisher (The Huffington Post)
- 1951 – Gregory Isaacs, Jamaican-English singer-songwriter (d. 2010)
- 1951 – Jesse Ventura, American wrestler, actor, and politician, 38th Governor of Minnesota
- 1952 – David Pack, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1952 – Celia Imrie, English actress
- 1952 – Terry O’Quinn, American actor
- 1952 – Marky Ramone, American drummer and songwriter
- 1952 – Johnny Thunders, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1991)
- 1953 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haitian priest and politician, 49th President of Haiti
- 1953 – Sultanah Haminah, Malaysian royal consort
- 1953 – Mohamad Shahrum Osman, Malaysian politician
- 1953 – Alicia Bridges, American singer-songwriter
- 1954 – John Ferguson, Australian rugby league player
- 1954 – Jeff Jarvis, American journalist and blogger
- 1954 – Giorgos Kaminis, American-Greek lawyer and politician, 78th Mayor of Athens
- 1954 – Mario Kempes, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1956 – Ashoke Sen, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist
- 1956 – Ian Curtis, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Joy Division) (d. 1980)
- 1956 – Nicholas Harberd, British botanist, educator and academician
- 1956 – Barry Melrose, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1956 – Steve Mortimer, Australian rugby league player, coach, and administrator
- 1956 – Joe Satriani, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1956 – Wayne Taylor, South African race car driver
- 1958 – Gary Heale, English footballer and coach
- 1958 – Mac Thornberry, American lawyer and politician
- 1959 – Vincent Lindon, French actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1960 – Kim Alexis, American fashion model
- 1961 – Lolita Davidovich, Canadian actress
- 1961 – Jean-Christophe Grangé, French journalist and screenwriter
- 1961 – Scott Ritter, American soldier and international weapons inspector
- 1961 – Forest Whitaker, American actor
- 1962 – Nikos Filippou, Greek basketball player and manager
- 1962 – Michelle Ford, Australian swimmer
- 1963 – Brigitte Nielsen, Danish-Italian actress
- 1963 – Steve Thomas, English-Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1965 – Alistair Carmichael, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1965 – Gero Miesenböck, Austrian neuroscientist and educator
- 1965 – David Miliband, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
- 1966 – Jason Bonham, English singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1966 – Irène Jacob, French-Swiss actress
- 1967 – Adam Savage, American actor and special effects designer
- 1967 – Elbert West, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
- 1968 – Eddie Griffin, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1969 – Ain Tammus, Estonian footballer and coach
- 1970 – Tarkan Gözübüyük, Turkish bass player and producer
- 1972 – Scott Foley, American actor
- 1973 – Brian Austin Green, American actor
- 1975 – Cherry, American wrestler and manager
- 1975 – Danny Law, English cricketer
- 1975 – Ben Pepper, Australian basketball player
- 1976 – Steve Cunningham, American boxer
- 1976 – Marco Di Vaio, Italian footballer
- 1976 – Diane Kruger, German actress and model
- 1976 – Gabriel Iglesias, Mexican-American comedian and voice actor
- 1977 – André Nel, South African cricketer
- 1977 – Lana Parrilla, American actress
- 1977 – John St. Clair, American football player
- 1977 – Ray Toro, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1978 – Miguel Olivo, Dominican baseball player
- 1979 – Laura Benanti, American actress and singer
- 1979 – Alexander Frei, Swiss footballer
- 1979 – Edda Garðarsdóttir, Icelandic footballer
- 1979 – Renata Kučerová, Czech tennis player
- 1980 – Reggie Abercrombie, American baseball player
- 1980 – BxB Hulk, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1980 – Jonathan Cheechoo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 – Julia Perez, Indonesian singer and actress (d. 2017)
- 1981 – Alou Diarra, French footballer
- 1981 – Petros Klampanis, Greek bassist and composer
- 1981 – Marius Stankevičius, Lithuanian footballer
- 1982 – Alan Pérez, Spanish cyclist
- 1982 – Neemia Tialata, New Zealand rugby player
- 1982 – Aída Yéspica, Venezuelan model and actress
- 1983 – Nelson Merlo, Brazilian race car driver
- 1983 – Will Rudge, English cricketer
- 1983 – Heath Slater, American wrestler
- 1984 – Angelo Siniscalchi, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Veronika Velez-Zuzulová, Slovak skier
- 1985 – Sanjeev, Tamil actor
- 1985 – Tomer Kapon, Israeli actor
- 1986 – Tyler Kennedy, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Riki Christodoulou, English race car driver
- 1989 – Steven Jahn, German footballer
- 1989 – Alisa Kleybanova, Russian tennis player
- 1989 – Anthony Randolph, American basketball player
- 1990 – Zach Bogosian, American ice hockey player
- 1990 – Damian Lillard, American basketball player
- 1991 – Danilo, Brazilian footballer
- 1991 – Derrick Favors, American basketball player
- 1991 – Evgeny Tishchenko, Russian boxer
- 1992 – Tobias Harris, American basketball player
- 1992 – Hokutōfuji Daiki, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1992 – Wayde van Niekerk, South African sprinter
- 1993 – Håvard Nielsen, Norwegian footballer
Deaths on July 15
- 756 – Yang Guifei, consort of Xuan Zong (b. 719)
- 998 – Abū al-Wafā’ Būzjānī, Persian mathematician and astronomer (b. 940)
- 1015 – Vladimir the Great, Grand prince of Kievan Rus’ (b. c. 958)
- 1274 – Bonaventure, Italian bishop and saint (b. 1221)
- 1291 – Rudolf I of Germany (b. 1218)
- 1299 – King Eric II of Norway (b. c. 1268)
- 1381 – John Ball, English Lollard priest
- 1388 – Agnes of Durazzo, titular Latin empress consort of Constantinople (d. 1313)
- 1397 – Catherine of Henneberg, German ruler (b. c. 1334)
- 1406 – William, Duke of Austria
- 1410 – Ulrich von Jungingen, German Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (b. 1360)
- 1445 – Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scotland
- 1542 – Lisa del Giocondo, subject of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mona Lisa (b. 1479)
- 1544 – René of Châlon (b. 1519)
- 1571 – Shimazu Takahisa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1514)
- 1609 – Annibale Carracci, Italian painter and illustrator (b. 1560)
- 1614 – Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme, French soldier, historian, and author (b. 1540)
- 1655 – Girolamo Rainaldi, Italian architect (b. 1570)
- 1685 – James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, Dutch-English general and politician, Governor of Kingston-upon-Hull (b. 1649)
- 1750 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (b. 1686)
- 1765 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (b. 1705)
- 1767 – Michael Bruce, Scottish poet and composer (b. 1746)
- 1789 – Jacques Duphly, French harpsichord player and composer (b. 1715)
- 1828 – Jean-Antoine Houdon, French sculptor (b. 1741)
- 1839 – Winthrop Mackworth Praed, English poet and politician (b. 1802)
- 1844 – Claude Charles Fauriel, French philologist and historian (b. 1772)
- 1851 – Juan Felipe Ibarra, Argentinian general and politician (b. 1787)
- 1857 – Carl Czerny, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1791)
- 1858 – Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, Russian painter (b. 1806)
- 1883 – General Tom Thumb, American circus performer (b. 1838)
- 1885 – Rosalía de Castro, Spanish author and poet (b. 1837)
- 1890 – Gottfried Keller, Swiss author, poet, and playwright (b. 1819)
- 1898 – Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, French-American archbishop (d. 1825)
- 1904 – Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright and short story writer (b. 1860)
- 1919 – Hermann Emil Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852)
- 1929 – Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1874)
- 1930 – Leopold Auer, Hungarian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1845)
- 1931 – Ladislaus Bortkiewicz, Russian-German economist and mathematician (b. 1868)
- 1932 – Bahíyyih Khánum, Iranian writer and leader in the Baha’i faith (b. 1846)
- 1932 – Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven, South African poet and politician (b. 1873)
- 1933 – Irving Babbitt, American scholar, critic, and academic (b. 1865)
- 1933 – Freddie Keppard, American cornet player (b. 1890)
- 1940 – Eugen Bleuler, Swiss psychiatrist and physician (b. 1857)
- 1940 – Robert Wadlow, American giant, 8″11′ 271 cm (b.1918)
- 1942 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1910)
- 1944 – Marie-Victorin Kirouac, Canadian botanist and academic (b. 1885)
- 1946 – Razor Smith, English cricketer and coach (b. 1877)
- 1947 – Walter Donaldson, American soldier and songwriter (b. 1893)
- 1948 – John J. Pershing, American general (b. 1860)
- 1953 – Geevarghese Mar Ivanios, Indian archbishop, founded the Order of the Imitation of Christ (b. 1882)
- 1957 – James M. Cox, American publisher and politician, 46th Governor of Ohio (b. 1870)
- 1957 – Vasily Maklakov, Russian lawyer and politician (b. 1869)
- 1959 – Ernest Bloch, Swiss-American composer and academic (b. 1880)
- 1959 – Vance Palmer, Australian author and critic (b. 1885)
- 1960 – Set Persson, Swedish politician (b. 1897)
- 1960 – Lawrence Tibbett, American singer and actor (b. 1896)
- 1961 – John Edward Brownlee, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Premier of Alberta (b. 1884)
- 1961. – Nina Bari, Russian mathematician (b. 1901)
- 1965 – Francis Cherry, American lawyer and politician, 35th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1908)
- 1966 – Seyfi Arkan, Turkish architect (b. 1903)
- 1974 – Christine Chubbuck, American journalist (b. 1944)
- 1976 – Paul Gallico, American journalist and author (b. 1897)
- 1977 – Donald Mackay, Australian businessman and activist (b. 1933)
- 1979 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 29th President of Mexico, 1964-1970 (b. 1911)
- 1981 – Frédéric Dorion, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1898)
- 1982 – Bill Justis, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1926)
- 1986 – Billy Haughton, American harness racer and trainer (b. 1923)
- 1988 – Eleanor Estes, American librarian, author, and illustrator (b. 1906)
- 1989 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (b. 1956)
- 1990 – Zaim Topčić, Yugoslav and Bosnian writer (b. 1920)
- 1990 – Margaret Lockwood, English actress (b. 1916)
- 1990 – Omar Abu Risha, Syrian poet and diplomat, 4th Syrian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1910)
- 1991 – Bert Convy, American actor, singer, and game show host (b. 1933)
- 1992 – Hammer DeRoburt, Nauruan educator and politician, 1st President of Nauru (b. 1922)
- 1992 – Chingiz Mustafayev, Azerbaijani journalist and author (b. 1960)
- 1997 – Justinas Lagunavičius, Lithuanian basketball player (b. 1924)
- 1997 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (b. 1946)
- 1998 – S. Shanmuganathan, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1960)
- 2000 – Louis Quilico, Canadian opera singer and educator (b. 1925)
- 2001 – C. Balasingham, Sri Lankan lawyer and civil servant (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Roberto Bolaño, Chilean novelist, short-story writer, poet, and essayist (b. 1953)
- 2003 – Elisabeth Welch, American actress and singer (b. 1904)
- 2006 – Robert H. Brooks, American businessman, founder of Hooters and Naturally Fresh, Inc. (b. 1937)
- 2006 – Alireza Shapour Shahbazi, Iranian archaeologist and academic (b. 1942)
- 2008 – György Kolonics, Hungarian canoe racer (b. 1972)
- 2010 – James E. Akins, American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (b. 1926)
- 2011 – Friedrich Wilhelm Schnitzler, German landowner and politician (b. 1928)
- 2011 – Googie Withers, British-Australian actress (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Boris Cebotari, Moldovan footballer (b. 1975)
- 2012 – Tsilla Chelton, Israeli-French actress (b. 1919)
- 2012 – Grant Feasel, American football player (b. 1960)
- 2012 – David Fraser, English general (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Celeste Holm, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Yoichi Takabayashi, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Ninos Aho, Syrian-American poet and activist (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Henry Braden, American lawyer and politician (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Tom Greenwell, American lawyer and judge (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Earl Gros, American football player (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Noël Lee, Chinese-American pianist and composer (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (b. 1986)
- 2013 – John T. Riedl, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1962)
- 2014 – Óscar Acosta, Honduran author, poet, and diplomat (b. 1933)
- 2014 – James MacGregor Burns, American historian, political scientist, and author (b. 1918)
- 2014 – Saúl Lara, Spanish footballer (b. 1982)
- 2014 – Edward Perl, American neuroscientist and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Masahiko Aoki, Japanese-American economist and academic (b. 1938)
- 2015 – Wan Li, Chinese politician, 4th Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (b. 1916)
- 2015 – Aubrey Morris, British actor (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Dave Somerville, Canadian singer (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Martin Landau, American film and television actor (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on July 15
- Christian feast day:
- Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church)
- Anne-Marie Javouhey
- Bernhard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden
- Bonaventure
- Dispersion of the Apostles (No longer officially celebrated by the Catholic Church)
- Donald of Ogilvy
- Edith of Polesworth
- Edith of Wilton
- Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor
- Plechelm
- Quriaqos and Julietta
- Swithun
- Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox; Catholic Church)
- July 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Puerto Rico)
- Earliest day on which Galla Bayramy can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Sunday of July. (Turkmenistan)
- Earliest day on which Marine Day can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July. (Japan)
- Earliest day on which President’s Day (Botswana) can fall, while July 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday of July.
- Elderly Men Day (Kiribati)
- Festival of Santa Rosalia (Palermo, Sicily)
- Sultan’s Birthday (Brunei Darussalam)