Major Events
- 763 BC Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history
- 1215 English King John signs the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor in Surrey, places limits on royal authority and puts in writing the principle that the king and his government are not above the law
- 1219 According to legend, Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark and the oldest national flag in the world falls from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) in Estonia and turns the Danes' luck
- 1389 Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe. Large losses on both sides including Sultan Murad and Serbian leader Prince Lazar. (NS date)
- 1775 George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, the day after Congress establishes the force
- 1896 Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku, Japan; 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured and 13,000 houses destroyed
- 1940 German troops occupy Paris as French resistance to the German invasion crumbles
- 1991 Climactic eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines, the second-largest volcanic eruption on Earth of the 20th century
- More June 15 Events
Jun 15 in Film & TV
- 1878 World's first moving pictures caught on camera (used 12 cameras, each taking 1 picture) done to see if all 4 of a horse's hooves leave the ground
Jun 15 in Music
- 1965 Bob Dylan records single "Like a Rolling Stone" (#1 in Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time")
Jun 15 in Sport
- 1980 US Open Men's Golf, Baltusrol GC: Jack Nicklaus sets new tournament scoring record 272 (-8) to win his 4th Open title, 2 strokes ahead of Isao Aoki of Japan
Did You Know?
Edward the Black Prince
Sam Giancana
Yuri Andropov
Herbert A. Simon
François Tombalbaye
Xi Jinping
Helen Hunt
Courteney Cox
Ice Cube
Neil Patrick Harris
Erroll Garner
Waylon Jennings
Harry Nilsson
Wade Boggs
Cedric Pioline
Alex Puccio
Mohamed Salah
Fun Fact About June 15
Water pumped from underground reservoirs has shifted earth's axis at the North Pole by 4.36 cm a year, with over 2 trillion tons of water extracted 1993-2010
Famous Weddings
- 1777 American seamstress Betsy Ross (25) weds (for the 2nd time) mariner Joseph Ashburn
- 1905 Princess Margaret of Connaught marries Gustav, Crown Prince of Sweden.
- 1928 "King Kong" actress Fay Wray (20) weds playwright-screenwriter John Monk Saunders (30)
Famous Divorces
- 1978 US Senator Edward W. Brooke (58) divorces first wife Remigia Ferrari-Scacco after 31 years of marriage
- 1989 Singer-songwriter Courtney Love (24) divorces vocalist James Moreland only 4 months after getting married
- 2011 Actress and model Elizabeth Hurley (45) divorces businessman Arun Nayar due to husband's unreasonable behavior
More June 15 Weddings
Philip the Good
James Knox Polk
Ella Fitzgerald
Casey Kasem
Glenda JacksonArticles, Photos and Quiz
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta, written in iron gall ink on parchment in medieval Latin
June 15, 1215
Dannebrog - World's Oldest National Flag
According to legend the Dannebrog fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse in 1219
June 15, 1219
Poll Tax Triggers the Peasants' Revolt
Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasants' Revolt that rocked England, was stabbed and later beheaded on this day.
June 15, 1381
First Moving Images
The first moving images ever captured, Sallie Gardner at a Gallop, taken in 1878 by Eadweard Muybridge
June 15, 1878
