952

  • July 17 – History, Events, Births, Deaths Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 180 – Twelve inhabitants of Scillium (near Kasserine, modern-day Tunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
    • 1048 – Damasus II is elected pope.
    • 1203 – The Fourth Crusade captures Constantinople by assault. The Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos flees from his capital into exile.
    • 1402 – Zhu Di, better known by his era name as the Yongle Emperor, assumes the throne over the Ming dynasty of China.
    • 1429 – Hundred Years’ War: Charles VII of France is crowned the King of France in the Reims Cathedral after a successful campaign by Joan of Arc.
    • 1453 – Battle of Castillon: The last battle of Hundred Years’ War, the French under Jean Bureau defeat the English under the Earl of Shrewsbury, who is killed in the battle in Gascony.
    • 1717 – King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians, where George Frideric Handel’s Water Music is premiered.
    • 1762 – Catherine II becomes tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III of Russia.
    • 1771 – Bloody Falls massacre: Chipewyan chief Matonabbee, traveling as the guide to Samuel Hearne on his Arctic overland journey, massacres a group of unsuspecting Inuit.
    • 1791 – Members of the French National Guard under the command of General Lafayette open fire on a crowd of radical Jacobins at the Champ de Mars, Paris, during the French Revolution, killing scores of people.
    • 1794 – The 16 Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne are executed ten days prior to the end of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
    • 1867 – Harvard School of Dental Medicine is established in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the first dental school in the U.S. that is affiliated with a university.
    • 1821: The Kingdom of Spain cedes the territory of Florida to the United States.
    • 1899 – NEC Corporation is organized as the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital.
    • 1902 – Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner in Buffalo, New York.
    • 1917 – King George V issues a Proclamation stating that the male line descendants of the British Royal Family will bear the surname Windsor.
    • 1918 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his immediate family and retainers are executed by Bolshevik Chekists at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
    • 1918 – The RMS Carpathia, the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic, is sunk off Ireland by the German SM U-55; five lives are lost.
    • 1932 – Altona Bloody Sunday: A riot between the Nazi Party paramilitary forces, the SS and SA, and the German Communist Party ensues.
    • 1936 – Spanish Civil War: An Armed Forces rebellion against the recently elected leftist Popular Front government of Spain starts the civil war.
    • 1938 – Douglas Corrigan takes off from Brooklyn to fly the “wrong way” to Ireland and becomes known as “Wrong Way” Corrigan.
    • 1944 – Port Chicago disaster: Near the San Francisco Bay, two ships laden with ammunition for the war explode in Port Chicago, California, killing 320.
    • 1944 – World War II: At Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery. in Normandy Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was strafed by allied aircraft while returning to his headquarters.
    • 1945 – World War II: The main three leaders of the Allied nations, Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin, meet in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany.
    • 1953 – The largest number of United States midshipman casualties in a single event results from an aircraft crash in Florida, killing 44.
    • 1955 – Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt Disney in Anaheim, California.
    • 1962 – Nuclear weapons testing: The “Small Boy” test shot Little Feller I becomes the last atmospheric test detonation at the Nevada National Security Site.
    • 1968 – Abdul Rahman Arif is overthrown and the Ba’ath Party is installed as the governing power in Iraq with Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr as the new Iraqi President.
    • 1973 – King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan, while having surgery in Italy, is deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan.
    • 1975 – Apollo–Soyuz Test Project: An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock with each other in orbit marking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
    • 1976 – East Timor is annexed, and becomes the 27th province of Indonesia.
    • 1976 – The opening of the Summer Olympics in Montreal is marred by 25 African teams boycotting the games because of New Zealand’s participation. Contrary to rulings by other international sports organizations, the IOC had declined to exclude New Zealand because of their participation in South African sporting events during apartheid.
    • 1979 – Nicaraguan dictator General Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigns and flees to Miami, Florida, United States.
    • 1981 – A structural failure leads to the collapse of a walkway at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.
    • 1984 – The national drinking age in the United States was changed from 18 to 21.
    • 1985 – Founding of the EUREKA Network by former head of states François Mitterrand (France) and Helmut Kohl (Germany).
    • 1989 – First flight of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber.
    • 1989 – Holy See–Poland relations are restored.
    • 1996 – TWA Flight 800: Off the coast of Long Island, New York, a Paris-bound TWA Boeing 747 explodes, killing all 230 on board.
    • 1998 – The 7.0 Mw  Papua New Guinea earthquake triggers a tsunami that destroys ten villages in Papua New Guinea, killing up to 2,700 people, and leaving several thousand injured.
    • 1998 – A diplomatic conference adopts the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, establishing a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
    • 2000 – During approach to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport, Alliance Air Flight 7412 suddenly crashes into a residential neighborhood in Patna, killing 60 people.
    • 2001 – Concorde is brought back into service nearly a year after the July 2000 crash.
    • 2006 – The 7.7 Mw  Pangandaran tsunami earthquake severely affects the Indonesian island of Java, killing 668 people, and leaving more than 9,000 injured.
    • 2007 – TAM Airlines Flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes into a warehouse after landing too fast and missing the end of the São Paulo–Congonhas Airport runway, killing 199 people.
    • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes near the border of Ukraine and Russia after being shot down. All 298 people on board are killed.
    • 2014 – A French regional train on the Pau-Bayonne line crashes into a high-speed train near the town of Denguin, resulting in at least 25 injuries.
    • 2015 – At least 120 people are killed and 130 injured by a suicide bombing in Diyala Governorate, Iraq.
    • 2018 – 12 new moons are discovered orbiting. Jupiter

    Births on July 17

    • 1487 – Ismail I of Iran (d. 1524)
    • 1499 – Maria Salviati, Italian noblewoman (d. 1543)
    • 1531 – Antoine de Créqui Canaples, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1574)
    • 1674 – Isaac Watts, English hymnwriter and theologian (d. 1748)
    • 1695 – Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim (d. 1766)
    • 1698 – Pierre Louis Maupertuis, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1759)
    • 1708 – Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (d. 1769)
    • 1714 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher and academic (d. 1762)
    • 1744 – Elbridge Gerry, American merchant and politician, 5th Vice President of the United States (d. 1814)
    • 1763 – John Jacob Astor, German-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1848)
    • 1774 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (d. 1856)
    • 1797 – Paul Delaroche, French painter and academic (d. 1856)
    • 1823 – Leander Clark, American businessman, judge, and politician (d. 1910)
    • 1831 – Xianfeng Emperor of China (d. 1861)
    • 1837 – Joseph-Alfred Mousseau, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 7th Secretary of State for Canada (d. 1886)
    • 1839 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, invented the Shay locomotive (d. 1916)
    • 1853 – Alexius Meinong, Ukrainian-Austrian philosopher and academic (d. 1920)
    • 1868 – Henri Nathansen, Danish director and playwright (d. 1944)
    • 1870 – Charles Davidson Dunbar, Scottish soldier and bagpipe player (d. 1939)
    • 1871 – Lyonel Feininger, German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
    • 1879 – Jack Laviolette, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1960)
    • 1882 – James Somerville, English admiral and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset (d. 1949)
    • 1888 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1970)
    • 1889 – Erle Stanley Gardner, American lawyer and author (d. 1970)
    • 1894 – Georges Lemaître, Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (d. 1966)
    • 1896 – Rupert Atkinson, English RAF officer (d. 1919)
    • 1898 – Berenice Abbott, American photographer (d. 1991)
    • 1898 – Osmond Borradaile, Canadian soldier and cinematographer (d. 1999)
    • 1899 – James Cagney, American actor and dancer (d. 1986)
    • 1900 – Marcel Dalio, French actor (d. 1983)
    • 1901 – Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver (d. 1994)
    • 1901 – Bruno Jasieński, Polish poet and author (d. 1938)
    • 1901 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 1982)
    • 1902 – Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (d. 1983)
    • 1905 – William Gargan, American actor (d. 1979)
    • 1910 – James Coyne, Canadian lawyer and banker, 2nd Governor of the Bank of Canada (d. 2012)
    • 1910 – Frank Olson, American chemist and microbiologist (d. 1953)
    • 1911 – Lionel Ferbos, American trumpet player (d. 2014)
    • 1911 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1912 – Erwin Bauer, German race car driver (d. 1958)
    • 1912 – Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television host (d. 2010)
    • 1913 – Bertrand Goldberg, American architect, designed the Marina City Building (d. 1997)
    • 1914 – Eleanor Steber, American soprano and educator (d. 1990)
    • 1915 – Bijon Bhattacharya, Indian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1978)
    • 1915 – Arthur Rothstein, American photographer and educator (d. 1985)
    • 1917 – Lou Boudreau, American baseball player and manager (d. 2001)
    • 1917 – Phyllis Diller, American actress, comedian, and voice artist (d. 2012)
    • 1917 – Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (d. 2015)
    • 1917 – Christiane Rochefort, French author (d. 1998)
    • 1918 – Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, Guatemalan soldier and politician, President of Guatemala (d. 2003)
    • 1918 – Red Sovine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1980)
    • 1920 – Gordon Gould, American physicist and academic, invented the laser (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish businessman, 7th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 2010)
    • 1921 – George Barnes, American guitarist, producer, and songwriter (d. 1977)
    • 1921 – Louis Lachenal, French mountaineer (d. 1955)
    • 1921 – Mary Osborne, American guitarist (d. 1992)
    • 1921 – Toni Stone, American baseball player (d. 1996)
    • 1921 – František Zvarík, Slovak actor (d. 2008)
    • 1923 – Jeanne Block, American psychologist (d. 1981)
    • 1923 – John Cooper, English car designer, co-founded the Cooper Car Company (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Garde Gardom, Canadian lawyer and politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (d. 2013)
    • 1925 – Jimmy Scott, American singer and actor (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Mohammad Hasan Sharq, Afghan politician
    • 1926 – Édouard Carpentier, French-Canadian wrestler (d. 2010)
    • 1926 – Willis Carto, American activist and theorist (d. 2015)
    • 1928 – Vince Guaraldi, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
    • 1929 – Sergei K. Godunov, Russian mathematician and academic
    • 1932 – Niccolò Castiglioni, Italian composer (d. 1996)
    • 1932 – Red Kerr, American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Wojciech Kilar, Polish pianist and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1932 – Karla Kuskin, American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
    • 1932 – Slick Leonard, American basketball player and coach
    • 1932 – Quino, Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist
    • 1932 – Hal Riney, American businessman, founded Publicis & Hal Riney (d. 2008)
    • 1933 – Keiko Awaji, Japanese actress (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Maltese politician, 9th Prime Minister of Malta
    • 1933 – Tony Pithey, Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1934 – Lucio Tan, Chinese-Filipino billionaire businessman and educator
    • 1935 – Diahann Carroll, American actress and singer (d. 2019)
    • 1935 – Peter Schickele, American composer and educator
    • 1935 – Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor and producer
    • 1938 – Hermann Huppen, Belgian author and illustrator
    • 1939 – Andrée Champagne, Canadian actress and politician
    • 1939 – Spencer Davis, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1939 – Ali Khamenei, Iranian cleric and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran
    • 1940 – Tim Brooke-Taylor, English actor and screenwriter (d. 2020)
    • 1941 – Daryle Lamonica, American football player
    • 1941 – Bob Taylor, English cricketer
    • 1941 – Achim Warmbold, German race car driver and manager
    • 1942 – Don Kessinger, American baseball player and manager
    • 1942 – Gale Garnett, New Zealand–born Canadian singer
    • 1942 – Connie Hawkins, American basketball player (d. 2017)
    • 1942 – Zoot Money, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
    • 1943 – LaVyrle Spencer, American author and educator
    • 1944 – Mark Burgess, New Zealand cricketer and footballer
    • 1944 – Catherine Schell, Hungarian-English actress
    • 1944 – Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
    • 1945 – Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
    • 1945 – John Patten, Baron Patten, English politician, Secretary of State for Education
    • 1946 – Chris Crutcher, American novelist and short story writer
    • 1946 – Ted Sampley, American POW/MIA activist (d. 2009)
    • 1947 – Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John’s, English educator and politician
    • 1947 – Robert Begerau, German footballer and manager
    • 1947 – Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
    • 1947 – Wolfgang Flür, German musician (Kraftwerk)
    • 1947 – Mick Tucker, English rock drummer (Sweet) (d. 2002)
    • 1948 – Ron Asheton, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
    • 1948 – Luc Bondy, Swiss director and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1949 – Geezer Butler, English bass player and songwriter
    • 1949 – Charley Steiner, American journalist and sportscaster
    • 1950 – Phoebe Snow, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
    • 1950 – Tengku Sulaiman Shah, Malaysian corporate figure
    • 1950 – Sadhan Chandra Majumder, Bangladeshi politician
    • 1951 – Lucie Arnaz, American actress and singer
    • 1951 – Mark Bowden, American journalist and author
    • 1951 – Andrew Robathan, English soldier and politician, Minister of State for the Armed Forces
    • 1952 – David Hasselhoff, American actor, singer, and producer
    • 1952 – Nicolette Larson, American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
    • 1952 – Thé Lau, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
    • 1952 – Robert R. McCammon, American author
    • 1954 – António Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal
    • 1954 – Angela Merkel, German chemist and politician, 8th Chancellor of Germany
    • 1954 – Edward Natapei, Vanuatuan politician, 6th Prime Minister of Vanuatu (d. 2015)
    • 1954 – J. Michael Straczynski, American author, screenwriter, and producer
    • 1955 – Sylvie Léonard, Canadian actress and screenwriter
    • 1955 – Paul Stamets, American mycologist and author
    • 1956 – Julie Bishop, Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
    • 1956 – Bryan Trottier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1957 – Bruce Crump, American drummer and songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1957 – Wendy Freedman, Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer
    • 1958 – Wong Kar-wai, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1958 – Suzanne Moore, English journalist
    • 1958 – Susan Silver, American music manager
    • 1958 – Thérèse Rein, Australian businesswoman, founded Ingeus
    • 1959 – Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin, Bangladeshi-English politician
    • 1960 – Kim Barnett, English cricketer and coach
    • 1960 – Mark Burnett, English-American screenwriter and producer
    • 1960 – Nancy Giles, American journalist and actress
    • 1960 – Robin Shou, Hong Kong martial artist and actor
    • 1960 – Dawn Upshaw, American soprano
    • 1960 – Jan Wouters, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1961 – António Costa, Portuguese politician, 119th Prime Minister of Portugal
    • 1961 – Jeremy Hardy, English comedian and actor (d. 2019)
    • 1963 – Regina Belle, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1963 – Letsie III of Lesotho
    • 1963 – Matti Nykänen, Finnish ski jumper and singer (d. 2019)
    • 1965 – Craig Morgan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1965 – Alex Winter, English-American actor, film director and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Lou Barlow, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1966 – Sten Tolgfors, Swedish lawyer and politician, 30th Swedish Minister of Defence
    • 1969 – Scott Johnson, American cartoonist
    • 1969 – Jaan Kirsipuu, Estonian cyclist
    • 1971 – Calbert Cheaney, American basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Cory Doctorow, Canadian author and activist
    • 1971 – Nico Mattan, Belgian cyclist
    • 1972 – Elizabeth Cook, American singer and guitarist
    • 1972 – Donny Marshall, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1972 – Jason Rullo, American drummer
    • 1972 – Jaap Stam, Dutch footballer and manager
    • 1972 – Eric Williams, American basketball player
    • 1973 – Eric Moulds, American football player
    • 1974 – Claudio López, Argentine footballer
    • 1975 – Andre Adams, New Zealand cricketer
    • 1975 – Elena Anaya, Spanish actress
    • 1975 – Darude, Finnish DJ and producer
    • 1975 – Harlette, Australian-English fashion designer
    • 1975 – Loretta Harrop, Australian triathlete
    • 1976 – Luke Bryan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1976 – Gino D’Acampo, Italian chef and author
    • 1976 – Dagmara Domińczyk, Polish-American actress
    • 1976 – Marcos Senna, Brazilian-Spanish footballer
    • 1976 – Anders Svensson, Swedish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1977 – Andrew Downton, Australian cricketer
    • 1977 – Leif Hoste, Belgian cyclist
    • 1977 – Marc Savard, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1978 – Ricardo Arona, Brazilian mixed martial artist
    • 1978 – Panda Bear, American musician and songwriter
    • 1978 – Jason Jennings, American baseball player
    • 1979 – Mike Vogel, American actor
    • 1980 – Javier Camuñas, Spanish footballer
    • 1980 – Ryan Miller, American ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Hely Ollarves, Venezuelan runner
    • 1982 – Omari Banks, Anguillan cricketer
    • 1982 – Natasha Hamilton, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
    • 1983 – Ryan Guettler, Australian motocross racer
    • 1983 – Adam Lind, American baseball player
    • 1985 – Loui Eriksson, Swedish ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Tom Fletcher, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1985 – Neil McGregor, Scottish footballer
    • 1986 – DeAngelo Smith, American football player
    • 1986 – Lacey Von Erich, American wrestler
    • 1987 – Darius Boyd, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Jan Charouz, Czech race car driver
    • 1987 – Jeremih, American singer, songwriter, and record producer
    • 1994 – Benjamin Mendy, French footballer
    • 1994 – Kali Uchis, American singer-songwriter
    • 1998 – Rosana Serrano, Cuban rower

    Deaths on July 17

    • 521 – Magnus Felix Ennodius, Gallo-Roman bishop
    • 855 – Leo IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 790)
    • 924 – Edward the Elder, English king (b. 877)
    • 952 – Wu Hanyue, Chinese noblewoman (b. 913)
    • 961 – Du, empress dowager of the Song Dynasty
    • 1070 – Baldwin VI, count of Flanders (b. 1030)
    • 1085 – Robert Guiscard, Norman adventurer
    • 1119 – Baldwin VII, count of Flanders (b. 1093)
    • 1210 – Sverker II, king of Sweden (b. 1210)
    • 1304 – Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer (b. 1251)
    • 1399 – Jadwiga, queen of Poland (b. 1374)
    • 1453 – Dmitry Shemyaka, Grand Prince of Moscow
    • 1453 – John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, English commander and politician (b. 1387)
    • 1531 – Hosokawa Takakuni, Japanese commander (b. 1484)
    • 1571 – Georg Fabricius, German poet and historian (b. 1516)
    • 1588 – Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect and engineer, designed the Sokollu Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Süleymaniye Mosque (b. 1489)
    • 1603 – Mózes Székely, Hungarian noble (b. 1553)
    • 1645 – Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, English-Scottish politician, Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom (b. 1587)
    • 1704 – Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, French fur trader and explorer (b. 1657)
    • 1709 – Robert Bolling, English planter and merchant (b. 1646)
    • 1725 – Thomas King, English and British soldier, MP for Queenborough, lieutenant-governor of Sheerness (b. before 1660?).
    • 1762 – Peter III of Russia (b. 1728)
    • 1790 – Adam Smith, Scottish economist and philosopher (b. 1723)
    • 1791 – Martin Dobrizhoffer, Austrian missionary and author (b. 1717)
    • 1793 – Charlotte Corday, French murderer (b. 1768)
    • 1794 – John Roebuck, English chemist and businessman (b. 1718)
    • 1845 – Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1764)
    • 1871 – Karl Tausig, Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer (b. 1841)
    • 1878 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet and politician (b. 1812)
    • 1879 – Maurycy Gottlieb, Ukrainian-Polish painter (b. 1856)
    • 1881 – Jim Bridger, American scout and explorer (b. 1804)
    • 1883 – Tự Đức, Vietnamese emperor (b. 1829)
    • 1885 – Jean-Charles Chapais, Canadian farmer and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Agriculture (b. 1811)
    • 1887 – Dorothea Dix, American nurse and activist (b. 1802)
    • 1893 – Frederick A. Johnson, American banker and politician (b. 1833)
    • 1894 – Leconte de Lisle, French poet and translator (b. 1818)
    • 1894 – Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist and biologist (b. 1810)
    • 1900 – Thomas McIlwraith, Scottish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Queensland (b. 1835)
    • 1907 – Hector Malot, French author and critic (b. 1830)
    • 1912 – Henri Poincaré, French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1854)
    • 1918 – Victims of the Shooting of the Romanov family
      • Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1901)
      • Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1899)
      • Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1895)
      • Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia (b. 1897)
      • Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia (b. 1872)
      • Aleksei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia (b. 1904)
      • Nikolai II of Russia (b. 1868)
      • Anna Demidova (b. 1878)
      • Ivan Kharitonov (b. 1872)
      • Alexei Trupp (b. 1858)
      • Yevgeny Botkin (b. 1865)
    • 1925 – Lovis Corinth, German painter (b. 1858)
    • 1928 – Giovanni Giolitti, Italian politician, 13th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1842)
    • 1928 – Álvaro Obregón, Mexican general and politician, 39th President of Mexico (b. 1880)
    • 1932 – Rasmus Rasmussen, Norwegian actor, singer, and director (b. 1862)
    • 1935 – George William Russell, Irish poet and painter (b. 1867)
    • 1942 – Robina Nicol, New Zealand photographer and suffragist (b. 1861)
    • 1944 – William James Sidis, American mathematician and anthropologist (b. 1898)
    • 1945 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (b. 1885)
    • 1946 – Florence Fuller, South African-born Australian artist (b. 1867)
    • 1946 – Draža Mihailović, Serbian general (b. 1893)
    • 1950 – Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1865)
    • 1950 – Antonie Nedošinská, Czech actress (b. 1885)
    • 1959 – Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915)
    • 1959 – Eugene Meyer, American businessman and publisher (b. 1875)
    • 1960 – Maud Menten, Canadian physician and biochemist (b. 1879)
    • 1961 – Ty Cobb, American baseball player and manager (b. 1886)
    • 1961 – Emin Halid Onat, Turkish architect and academic (b. 1908)
    • 1967 – John Coltrane, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 1974 – Dizzy Dean, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1910)
    • 1975 – Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Georgian author (b. 1893)
    • 1980 – Don “Red” Barry, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1912)
    • 1980 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1890)
    • 1988 – Bruiser Brody, American football player and wrestler (b. 1946)
    • 1989 – Itubwa Amram, Nauruan pastor and politician (b. 1922)
    • 1991 – John Patrick Spiegel, American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
    • 1994 – Jean Borotra, French tennis player (b. 1898)
    • 1995 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1911)
    • 1996 – Victims of TWA Flight 800
      • Michel Breistroff, French ice hockey player (b. 1971)
      • Marcel Dadi, Tunisian-French guitarist (b. 1951)
      • David Hogan, American composer (b. 1949)
      • Jed Johnson, American interior designer and director (b. 1948)
    • 1996 – Chas Chandler, American bass player and producer (b. 1938)
    • 1998 – Lillian Hoban, American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
    • 2001 – Katharine Graham, American publisher (b. 1917)
    • 2002 – Joseph Luns, Dutch politician and Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1911)
    • 2003 – David Kelly, Welsh weapons inspector (b. 1944)
    • 2003 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (b. 1914)
    • 2003 – Walter Zapp, Latvian-Swiss inventor, invented the Minox (b. 1905)
    • 2005 – Geraldine Fitzgerald, Irish-American actress (b. 1913)
    • 2005 – Edward Heath, English colonel and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)
    • 2005 – Joe Vialls, Australian journalist and theorist (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Sam Myers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
    • 2006 – Mickey Spillane, American crime novelist (b. 1918)
    • 2007 – Grant Forsberg, American actor and businessman (b. 1959)
    • 2007 – Júlio Redecker, Brazilian politician (b. 1956)
    • 2007 – Paulo Rogério Amoretty Souza, Brazilian lawyer and businessman (b. 1945)
    • 2009 – Walter Cronkite, American journalist and actor (b. 1916)
    • 2009 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish historian and philosopher (b. 1927)
    • 2010 – Larry Keith, American actor (b. 1931)
    • 2011 – David Ngoombujarra, Australian actor (b. 1967)
    • 2012 – Richard Evatt, English boxer (b. 1973)
    • 2012 – Forrest S. McCartney, American general (b. 1931)
    • 2012 – İlhan Mimaroğlu, Turkish-American composer and producer (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – William Raspberry, American journalist and academic (b. 1935)
    • 2012 – Marsha Singh, Indian-English politician (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – Henri Alleg, English-French journalist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Peter Appleyard, English-Canadian vibraphone player and composer (b. 1928)
    • 2013 – Vincenzo Cerami, Italian screenwriter and producer (b. 1940)
    • 2013 – Don Flye, American tennis player (b. 1933)
    • 2013 – Ian Gourlay, English general (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – David White, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1933)[18]
    • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 victims:
      • Liam Davison, Australian author and critic (b. 1957)
      • Shuba Jay, Malaysian actress (b. 1976)
      • Joep Lange, Dutch physician and academic (b. 1954)
      • Willem Witteveen, Dutch scholar and politician (b. 1952)
    • 2014 – Henry Hartsfield, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (b. 1928)
    • 2014 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
    • 2015 – Bill Arnsparger, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
    • 2015 – Jules Bianchi, French race car driver (b. 1989)
    • 2015 – Owen Chadwick, English rugby player, historian, and academic (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Van Miller, American sportscaster (b. 1927)
    • 2015 – John Taylor, English pianist and educator (b. 1942)

    Holidays and observances on July 17

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexius of Rome (Western Church)
      • Andrew Zorard
      • Cynehelm
      • Cynllo
      • Inácio de Azevedo
      • Jadwiga of Poland
      • Magnus Felix Ennodius
      • Marcellina
      • Martyrs of Compiègne
      • Blessed Pavel Peter Gojdič (Greek Catholic Church)
      • Pope Leo IV
      • Romanov sainthood (Russian Orthodox Church)
      • Speratus and companions
      • William White (Episcopal Church))
      • July 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Constitution Day (South Korea)
    • Gion Matsuri (Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto)
    • Independence Day (Slovakia)
    • International Firgun Day (international)
    • King’s Birthday (Lesotho)
    • U Tirot Sing Day (Meghalaya, India)
    • World Day for International Justice (International)
    • World Emoji Day (International)

  • June 15 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 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 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed.
    • 1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta.
    • 1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia.
    • 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 Exsurge Domine.
    • 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).
    • 1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania.
    • 1800 – The Provisional Army of the United States is dissolved.
    • 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 extends the border between the United States and British North America, established by the Treaty of 1818, westward to the Pacific Ocean.
    • 1859 – Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the “Northwestern Boundary Dispute” between American 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) of the Arlington estate (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.
    • 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 – Following the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, Northern Schleswig is transferred from Germany 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: The United States invades Saipan, capital of Japan’s South Seas Mandate.
    • 1944 – In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government in North America.
    • 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 – After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the first democratic elections took place in Spain.
    • 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, killing over 800 people.
    • 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.

    Births on June 15

    • 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)
    • 1549 – Elizabeth Knollys, English noblewoman (d. 1605)
    • 1553 – Archduke Ernest of Austria (d. 1595)
    • 1605 – Thomas Randolph, English poet and playwright (d. 1635)
    • 1618 – François Blondel, French architect (d. 1686)
    • 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)
    • 1645 – Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, English politician (d. 1712)
    • 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)
    • 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)
    • 1913 – Tom Adair, American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
    • 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 (d. 2018)
    • 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 (d. 2016)
    • 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 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian politician, 1st President of Chad (d. 1975)
    • 1920 – Keith Andrews, American race car 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)
    • 1923 – Erland Josephson, Swedish actor and director (d. 2012)
    • 1923 – Ninian Stephen, English-Australian lieutenant, judge, and politician, 20th Governor-General of Australia (d. 2017)
    • 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 (d. 2018)
    • 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 – 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 – Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Iranian politician, 2nd President of Iran (d. 1981)
    • 1933 – Predrag Koraksić Corax, Serbian political caricaturist
    • 1934 – Ruby Nash Garnett, American R&B singer
    • 1936 – William Levada, American cardinal
    • 1937 – Pierre Billon, Swiss-Canadian author and screenwriter
    • 1937 – Waylon Jennings, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002)
    • 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 (d. 2017)
    • 1943 – Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Danish politician, 38th Prime Minister of Denmark
    • 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 – Noddy Holder, English rock singer-songwriter, musician, and actor
    • 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 – Uğur Erdener, Turkish ophthalmologist and professor
    • 1950 – Juliana Azumah-Mensah, Ghanaian nurse and politician
    • 1950 – Deney Terrio, American choreographer and host of the television musical variety series Dance Fever
    • 1950 – Lakshmi Mittal, Indian-English businessman
    • 1951 – Jane Amsterdam, American magazine and newspaper editor (Manhattan, inc., New York Post)
    • 1951 – Vance A. Larson, American painter (d. 2000)
    • 1951 – John Redwood, English politician, Secretary of State for Wales
    • 1951 – Steve Walsh, American rock singer-songwriter and musician
    • 1952 – Satya Pal Jain, Indian lawyer and politician, Additional Solicitor General of India
    • 1953 – Vilma Bardauskienė, Lithuanian long jumper
    • 1953 – Marc Brickman, American lighting and production designer
    • 1953 – Eje Elgh, Swedish racing 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
    • 1954 – Terri Gibbs, American country music singer and keyboard player
    • 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 – Yevgeny Kiselyov, Russian-Ukrainian journalist
    • 1956 – Lance Parrish, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1958 – Wade Boggs, American baseball player
    • 1958 – Riccardo Paletti, Italian racing driver (d. 1982)
    • 1959 – Alan Brazil, Scottish footballer and sportscaster
    • 1959 – Eileen Davidson, American model and actress
    • 1960 – Michèle Laroque, French actress, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1960 – Marieke van Doorn, Dutch field hockey player and coach
    • 1961 – Dave McAuley, Irish boxer and sportscaster
    • 1961 – Scott Norton, American wrestler
    • 1962 – Brad Armstrong, American wrestler (d. 2012)
    • 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
    • 1964 – Courteney Cox, American actress and producer
    • 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 – Maurice Odumbe, Kenyan cricketer
    • 1969 – Cédric Pioline, French tennis player
    • 1970 – Christian Bauman, American soldier and author
    • 1970 – David Bayssari, Australian rugby league player
    • 1970 – Gaëlle Méchaly, French soprano
    • 1970 – Leah Remini, American actress and producer
    • 1970 – Žan Tabak, Croatian basketball player and coach
    • 1971 – Christos Myriounis, Greek basketball player
    • 1971 – Jake Busey, American actor, musician, and film producer
    • 1972 – Justin Leonard, American golfer
    • 1972 – Andy Pettitte, American baseball player
    • 1973 – Tore Andre Flo, Norwegian footballer and coach
    • 1973 – Neil Patrick Harris, American actor and singer
    • 1973 – Pia Miranda, Australian actress
    • 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 racing driver
    • 1980 – David Lyons, Australian rugby player
    • 1981 – John Paintsil, Ghanaian footballer
    • 1982 – Mike Delany, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1982 – Abdur Razzak, Bangladeshi cricketer
    • 1983 – Julia Fischer, German violinist and pianist[citation needed]
    • 1983 – Laura Imbruglia, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist[citation needed]
    • 1983 – Josh McGuire, Canadian fencer
    • 1984 – Luke Hodge, Australian footballer
    • 1984 – Eva Hrdinová, Czech tennis player
    • 1984 – Tim Lincecum, American baseball player
    • 1984 – Edison Toloza, Colombian footballer
    • 1985 – Ashley Nicole Black, American comedian, actress, and writer
    • 1986 – James Maloney, Australian rugby league player
    • 1986 – Trevor Plouffe, American baseball player
    • 1989 – Víctor Cabedo, Spanish cyclist (d. 2012)
    • 1989 – Bryan Clauson, American race car driver (d. 2016)
    • 1992 – Michał Kopczyński, Polish footballer
    • 1992 – Mohamed Salah, Egyptian footballer
    • 1992 – Dafne Schippers, Dutch heptathlete and sprinter
    • 1993 – Irfan Hadžić, Bosnian footballer
    • 1994 – Inaki Williams, Basque footballer
    • 1997 – Madison Kocian, American gymnast

    Deaths on June 15

    • 923 – Robert I of France (b. 866)
    • 948 – Romanos I Lekapenos, Byzantine Emperor (b. c. 870)
    • 952 – Murong Yanchao, Chinese general
    • 960 – Eadburh of Winchester, English princess and saint
    • 970 – Adalbert, bishop of Passau
    • 991 – Theophanu, Byzantine wife of Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 960)
    • 1073 – Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (b. 1034)
    • 1184 – Magnus Erlingsson, King of Norway (b. 1156)
    • 1189 – Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159)
    • 1246 – Frederick II, Duke of Austria (b. 1219)
    • 1337 – Angelo da Clareno, Italian Franciscan and leader of a group of Fraticelli (b. 1247)
    • 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)
    • 1383 – Matthew Kantakouzenos, Byzantine emperor
    • 1389 – Lazar of Serbia (b. 1329)
    • 1389 – Murad I, Ottoman Sultan (b. 1319)
    • 1389 – Miloš Obilić, Serbian knight.
    • 1416 – John, Duke of Berry (b. 1340)
    • 1467 – Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1396)
    • 1521 – Tamás Bakócz, Hungarian cardinal (b. 1442)
    • 1614 – Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English courtier and politician, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (b. 1540)
    • 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 racing driver (b. 1923)
    • 1961 – Peyami Safa, Turkish journalist and author (b. 1899)
    • 1962 – Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist and conductor (b. 1877)
    • 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)
    • 1984 – Meredith Willson, American playwright, composer, and conductor (b. 1902)
    • 1985 – Andy Stanfield, American sprinter (b. 1927)
    • 1989 – Maurice Bellemare, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1912)
    • 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 racing 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, 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)
    • 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 – 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 – Heinz Flohe, German footballer and manager (b. 1948)
    • 2013 – José Froilán González, Argentinian racing driver (b. 1922)
    • 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 – Casey Kasem, American radio host, producer, and voice actor, co-created American Top 40 (b. 1932)
    • 2014 – Daniel Keyes, American short story writer and novelist (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Moise Safra, Brazilian businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Banco Safra (b. 1934)
    • 2015 – Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman, founded the Tracinda Corporation (b. 1917)
    • 2016 – Lois Duncan, American author (b. 1934)
    • 2018 – Matt “Guitar” Murphy, American Blues guitarist (The Blues Brothers) (b. 1929)
    • 2019 – Franco Zeffirelli, Italian film director (b. 1923)

    Holidays and observances on June 15

    • Arbor Day (Costa Rica)
    • Christian feast day:
      • Abraham of Clermont (or of St Cyriacus)
      • Alice (or Adelaide) of Schaerbeek
      • Augustine of Hippo (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Blessed Albertina Berkenbrock
      • Blessed Clement Vismara
      • Edburga of Winchester
      • Evelyn Underhill (Church of England and The Episcopal Church)
      • Germaine Cousin
      • Landelin (of Crespin or of Lobbes)
      • Trillo
      • Vitus (Guy), 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)