Events on Jun 15
- 1094Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar [El Cid] occupies Valencia on the Moren
- 1215King John signs Magna Carta at Runnymede, England
- 1219King Valdemar brought victory for Denmark
- 1246Battle at Leitha: Hungary-Austrian
- 1389Battle of Kossovo; Turks defeat Serbs, Bosnians
- 1567Battle at Carberry Scot: Protestant troops beat Earl Bothwells army
- 1567Genoa Italy expels Jews
- 1590Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther
- 1626King Charles I disbands English parliament
- 1643Able Tasmania returns to Batavia after discovering Tasmania
- 1741Captain Bering leaves Petropavlovsk, sailing to America
- 1762Austria uses 1st paper currency
- 1775George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of American Army
- 1779General Anthony Wayne captures Stony Point, Bronx
- 180412th amendment ratified; deals with manner of choosing President
- 1808Jozef Napoleon becomes King of Spain
- 1834Rioters in Safed Palestine kills many Jews
- 1836Arkansas becomes 25th state
- 1844Goodyear patents vulcanization of rubber
- 1851Jacob Fussell, Baltimore dairyman, sets up 1st ice-cream factory
- 1857San Francisco Water Works organized
- 18601st White settlement in Idaho (Franklin)
- 1861Johnston evacuates Harpers Ferry
- 1862Gen JEB Stuart completes his "ride around McClellan"
- 18632nd battle at Winchester Va, ends in Federal defeat; 1350 casualities
- 1864Battle for Petersburg begins as General Grant assaults Confederate line
- 1864Captain Mendell begins building 640m long ponton bridge over James River, Virginia
- 1864Congress passes legislation equalizing pay for Black soldiers
- 1866Prussia attacks Austria
- 1869Celluloid patented by John Wesley Hyatt, Albany, New York
Born on Jun 15
- 1221Frederik II [Strijdbare]: Duke of Austria
- 1330Edward [the black prince]: Prince of Wales (1343-1376)
- 1542Richard Grenville: English parliament leader / Vice-Admiral (Roanoke)
- 1553Ernst: Archduke of Austria / Governor of the Netherlands
- 1623Cornelis de Witt: Dutch Statesman (Chatham)
- 1636Johann David Mayer: Composer
- 1638Samuel Apostool: Dutch vicar / theologist (The Sun)
- 1728Pietro Alessandro Pavona: Composer
- 1734Johann Ernst Altenburg: Composer
- 1749George Joseph Vogler: Composer
- 1763Franz Danzi: Composer
- 1767Rachel Donelson Jackson: Wife of President Andrew (1828-37) died in 1828
- 1821Nikolay Ivanovich Zaremba: Composer
- 1833Edward Moody McCook: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1909
- 1843Edvard Hagerup Grieg: Bergen, Norway -- Composer (Bewitched One)
- 1864Joseph Guy Marie Ropartz: Composer
- 1865L H Perquin: Dutch religious radio speaker
- 1865Paul Gilson: Composer
- 1867K Balmont: Writer
- 1878Eduard R Verkade: Dutch actor / director / critic (Pygmalion)
- 1880Mahlon Hamilton: Virginia, United States -- Actor (Honky Tonk, High School Girl, Mississippi)
- 1884Harry Langdon: Council Bluffs, Iowa -- Comic / director (Strong Man)
- 1886Charles Wood: Composer
- 1893Jacob HA van Coeverden: Boer / edelman
- 1894Robert Russell Bennett: Kansas City, United States -- Composer / arranger (Oklahoma!)
- 1898Thomas Henry Wait Armstrong: Organist
- 1898Willem Scheps: Dutch journalist
- 1900Otto Clarence Luening: Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- Composer (Sonority Canon)
- 1900Paul J Mares: United States -- Jazz trumpetist / composer (Farewell blues)
- 1901Peter Shankland: Film maker / writer
Died on Jun 15
- 0923Robert I: King of France (922-23), dies in battle
- 0948Romanus I Lecapenus: Armenian Emperor of Byzantium (919-44)
- 0991Theophano: German Empress / Wife of Emperor Otto II
- 1246Frederik II "the Strijdbare": Duke of Austria, dies in battle at 25
- 1337Angelus Clarenus / da Cingoli: Italian leader
- 1341Andronicus III Paleologus: Byzantine Emperor (1328-41)
- 1389Lazar I: Serbian prince, dies in battle
- 1389Murad I: Osmaans Sultan, dies in battle
- 1397Count of Eu: French knight, dies in Turkish captivity
- 1467Philip the Good: Duke of Burgundy, dies at 70
- 1557Sebastiaan Van Noyen: Military master builder
- 1580Nicolaas van Nieuwland: Corrupt 1st Bishop of Haarlem, dies at 70
- 1666Pieter de Bitter: Dutch Admiral (Colombo, Goa)
- 1677Giovanni Battista Chinelli: Composer, dies at 67
- 1702Georg E Rumphius: German nature explorer
- 1703Gillis Schey: Dutch Admiral (battle at Lowestoft), dies at 58
- 1708Romeyn de Hooghe: Painter / goldsmith, buried at 62
- 1760Antoine Court: French reformed theologist, dies at 69
- 1772Louis-Claude Daquin: French Organist / Composer (La Rose), dies at 77
- 1814Charles Palissot de Montenoy: French writer / politician, dies at 84
- 1828Brizio Petrucci: Composer, dies at 91
- 1831Peter Fuchs: Composer, dies at 78
- 1839Hans Skramstad: Composer, dies at 41
- 1844Thomas Campbell: Poet (Ye Mariners of England), dies at 66
- 1845Francesco Capaccini: Italian Cardinal / diplomat, dies at 60
- 1849James Knox Polk: 11th President (1845-1849), dies at 53 in Nashville, Tennessee
- 1856David Cox: English Painter (Treatise on Landscape Paint), dies at 73
- 1858Ary Scheffer: Painter / etcher / sculptor, dies at 63
- 1865Edmun Ruffin: US secessionist / writer, commits suicide
- 1865Jakob Zeugheer: Composer, dies at 61
Historical events on June 16
- 0632Origin of Persian [Yezdegird] Era
- 1487Battle at Stoke: Henry VII beats John de la Pole and Lord Lovell
- 1567Mary, Queen of Scots, imprisoned in Lochleven Castle prison Scotland
- 1624Judge directs US colony Virginia to English crown
- 1673Peace of Vossem: French King Louis XIV and Frederik Willem of Brandenburg
- 1745English fleet occupies Cap Breton on St. Lawrence River
- 1746Battle at Piacenza: Austria and Sardinia beat Spanish and French army
- 1775Liberty Bell rang for the 2nd Continental Congress
- 1779In support of the US, Spain declares war on England
- 1779Vice-adm Hardy sails out of Isle of Wright against Spanish Armada
- 1784Holland forbids orange clothes
- 17941st stone layed at Dutch biggest grain windmill (De Walvisch)
- 1815Battle at Ligny: French army under Napoleon beats Prussia
- 1815Battle at Quatre-Bras: allies strike French
- 1822Denmark Vessy leads slave rebellion in South Carolina
- 1823King Willem I opens shipyard at Rotterdam-Antwerp
- 1842Natchex Mississippi, hit by tornado; about 500 die
- 1858Abraham Lincoln says "A house divided against itself cannot stand"
- 1861Battle of Vienna, VA and Secessionville, SC (James Island)
- 1864Battle of Lynchburg, Virginia
- 1864Skirmish at Golgotha, Georgia
- 1864Union General Grant begin siege of Petersburg, Virginia
- 1871Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of Mystic Shrine founded, New York City
- 1880Salvation Army forms in Londo
- 1881Austria-Hungary and Serbia sign military treaty
- 188217" hailstones weighing 1.75 lbs fall in Dubuque, Iowa
- 1884On Coney Island, the 1st roller coaster begins operating
- 1893RW Rueckheim invents Cracker Jack
- 19031st Highlander (Yankee) shut-out victory 1-0 over White Sox
- 1903Ford Motors incorporates
Born on June 16
- 1583Axel Gustafson Oxenstierna: Swedish Earl / chancellor / regent
- 1633Nathaniel Schnittelbach: Composer
- 1637Giovanni Paulo Colonna: Composer
- 1752Meingosus Gaelle: Composer
- 1834Wesley Merritt: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1910
- 1837Eli Long: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1903
- 1843David Popper: Composer
- 1843Jan Malat: Composer
- 1853Johan Gustaf Emil Sjogren: Composer
- 1858Eugene Ysaye: Composer
- 1858Gustav V: King of Sweden (1907-50)
- 1861Scato Gocko de Vries: Dutch paleographer / librarian
- 1863Paul Antonin Vidal: Composer
- 1874Arthur Meighen: (C) 9th Prime Minister of Canada (1920-21, 1926)
- 1879Fritz Schulz: German law historian (Classical Novel Law)
- 1879Theo[dorus J] Thijssen: Dutch writer (Kees the boy)
- 1892Lupino Lane: London, England -- Actress (Love Parade)
- 1894Norman Kerry: Rochester, New York -- Actor (Phantom of the Opera)
- 1896Jean Peugeot: Frans auto manufacturer (Peugeot)
- 1896William Fitzgerald Jenkins: Author (Time Tunnel, Land of Giants)
- 1900Jan van Tilburg: Governor Suriname (PVDA, 1955-62)
- 1901Arthur Pierson: Oslo, Norway -- Actor / director (Hat Check Girl)
- 1901Conrad Beck: Composer
- 1902Barbara McClintock: United States -- Cytogeneticist (Jumping Genes, Nobel 1983)
- 1902Kornelis Posthumus: Dutch chemist
- 1903Huldreich Georg Fruh: Composer
- 1904Gerard Holt: Dutch architect
- 1907Jack Albertson: Malden, Massachusetts -- Actor (Thin Man, Chico & the Man)
- 1907John Hadfield: Author / publisher (Love on a Branch Line)
- 1909Willi Boskovsky: Austria -- Conductor (new years concert)
Died on June 16
- 0956Hugo [the Great]: Duke of France
- 1246Lutgardis / Ludgardis: Flemish mystic / saint, dies at about 64
- 1361John Tauler: German mystic (Gottesfreunde) dies at about 61
- 1492Jan Coppenhole: Flemish rebel leader, beheaded
- 1575Hadrianus Junius [Adriaen the Jonghe]: Medical / historian, dies at 63
- 1620Carlo Saraceni [Carlo Veniziano]: Italian Painter (Judith)
- 1644Johannes a Sancto Thoma [Poinset]: Portuguese theologist, dies at 54
- 1651Marsilio Casentini: Composer, dies at 74
- 1671Stenka Razin: Cossack rebel leader, tortured and executed in Moscow
- 1722John Churchill up Marlborough: English General strategist, dies at 72
- 1752Giulio Alberoni: Spanish / Italian Minister / cardinal, dies at 88
- 1804Johann Adam Hiller: Composer, dies at 75
- 1808Georg Wenzel Ritter: Composer, dies at 60
- 1812Franz Pforr: German Painter / cartoonist (Lukasbund), dies at 23
- 1815Frederik Willem: Duke of Brunswick (1813-15), dies in battle
- 1831Joseph Ignaz Schnabel: Composer, dies at 64
- 1837Valentino Fioravanti: Composer, dies at 72
- 1892Victor Tesch: Belgian lawyer / Minister of Justice, dies at 80
- 1901Hermann Grimm: German writer / Poet / historian
- 1910Wendelin Weissheimer: Composer, dies at 72
- 1930Elmer Ambrose Sperry: US inventor (gyroscope compass)
- 1932Frederik W Van Oaths: Psychiatrist / writer (Blades of Grass)
- 1936Leib Malach: Yiddish writer
- 1940Vitezslava Kapralova: Composer, dies at 25
- 1941Lodo of Hamel: 1st Dutch secret affiliate
- 1946Ludwig Winder: Writer
- 1946Miloje Milojevic: Composer, dies at 61
- 1947Jean-Francois Capart: Belgian egyptologist (Memphis), dies at 86
- 1958Jose Pablo Moncayo Garcia: Composer, dies at 45
- 1959George Reeves: Actor (Superman, Gone with the Wind), shoots self at 45
Events on Jun 17
- 0653St. Martin I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 0656Ali ibn Abu Talib chosen kalief of Islam
- 0676Deusdedit III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1091Floris II de Vette becomes Earl of Holland
- 1119Charles the Good becomes Earl of Flanders
- 1291Akko reconquered after 200 years by French crusaders, and destroyed
- 1397Union of Kalmar established between Denmark, Sweden and Norway
- 1535English Catholic Cardinal John Fischer state rights
- 1579Anti-English uprising in Ireland
- 1579Francis Drake entered SF Bay
- 1579Sir Francis Drake lands on coast of California
- 1580Battle at Hardenberg: Spanish troops beat rebels
- 1583Brabant: Duke of Parma beats French mercenaries
- 1609Netherlands, England and France sign 12 year Covenant
- 1665Battle at Viciosa: English and Portuguese army beat Spain
- 1700Mass orders priest to leave the colony
- 1734French troops occupy Philipsburg at Rhine
- 1745American colonials capture Louisburg, Cape Breton I from French
- 17893rd Estate in France declared itself a national assembly
- 1815Stephen Decatur conquerors Algerian frigate Mashouda
- 1837Charles Goodyear obtains his 1st rubber patent
- 1850Paddle-wheeler "G P Griffith" burns off Mentor Ohio (206 die)
- 1855Heavy French / British bombing of Sebastopol, 2000+ killed
- 1856Republican Party opens its 1st national convention in Philadelphia
- 1861Battle of Boonville, MI - Brigadier General Lyon defeats Confederate forces
- 1863Battle of Aldie, Confederates fail to drive back Union in Virginia
- 1863Naval Engagement at Warsaw Sound GA-USS Weehawken vs. CSS Atlanta
- 1863Travelers Insurance Co of Hartford chartered (1st accident insurer)
- 1864640m long ponton bridge over James River Virginia finished
- 1864General John B Hood replaces General Johnston
Born on Jun 17
- 1239Edward I: King of England (1272-1307) / chased Jews out of England
- 1604Johan Maurits: Count of Nassau-Siegen (Maurits House)
- 1682Charles XII: King of Sweden (1697-1718)
- 1703John B Wesley: England, United Kingdom -- Religion co-founder (Methodists)
- 1714Cesar F Cassini de Thury: French astronomer (geodesic labor)
- 1725Joseph Anton Bauer: Composer
- 1742William Hooper: US attorney (signed Declaration of Independence)
- 1750Michel Woldemar: Composer
- 1756Pierre-Joseph Cambon: French member of Committee of Salut Public
- 1810F Freiligrath: Writer
- 1811Jon Sigurdsson: Iceland -- Leader / collects Icelandic legends
- 1817Thomas Maley Harris: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1906
- 1818Charles Francois Gounod: Paris, France -- Opera composer (Faust)
- 1818Sophia Frederika Mathilde: Queen of the Netherlands / Wife of William III
- 1823John Henry Hobart Ward: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
- 1828Jan K J de Jonge: Dutch historian
- 1830Rochard Montgomery Gano: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1913
- 1832William Crookes: English chemist / physicist (Crookes-pipe, thallium)
- 1837Vincent Strong: Civil war fighter, died in 1863
- 1838Bankim C Chattopadhyaya: Writer (Kapala-Kundala)
- 1838Chattopadhyaya / Bankim Chandra: Bengalese writer (Monastery of Delight)
- 1845Hendrik P Staal: Dutch banker
- 1855Fritz Steinbach: Composer
- 1858Eben Sumner Draper: (Gov-Massachusetts)
- 1861Sidney James Jones: Composer
- 1867John Robert Gregg: Ireland -- Inventor (shorthand)
- 1870George Cormack: Cereal inventor (Wheaties)
- 1871James Weldon Johnson: Lawyer (1st black admitted to Florida Bar)
- 1871Nicolae Iorga: Writer / poet / literature historian / President of Romania
- 1874Grant Mitchell: Columbus, Ohio -- Actor (Man Who Came to Dinner)
Died on Jun 17
- 0656Osman ibn Affan: 3rd kalief of Islam (644-56) murdered
- 0676Adeodatus II: Italian Pope (672-76)
- 0855Leo IV: Italian Pope (847-55)
- 1091Dirk V: Count of Holland (1061-91)
- 1119Boudouin VII with the Axe: Earl of Flanders (1111-19)
- 1501Jan I Olbracht: King of Poland
- 1672Orazio Benevoli: Italian composer, dies at 67
- 1678Giacomo Torelli: Composer, dies at 69
- 1696Jan III Sobieski: King of Poland (1674-96), dies at 72
- 1696Johannes II Sobieski: King of Poland (1674-96)
- 1719Joseph Addison: English Poet / writer / Secretary of State, dies at 47
- 1734Duke of Berwick: French General strategist, dies in battle
- 1797Aga Mohammed Khan: Cruel ruler of Persia, castrated and killed
- 1815Hammida: Algerian Admiral, dies in battle
- 1862Charles J Canning: English 1st Viceroy of British-Indies, dies at 49
- 1863Isham W Garrott: US attorney / Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle
- 1906Harry N Pillsbury: US chess player
- 1906William Dale: International legal consultant
- 1910Lady Mosley: Biographer
- 1918Derek Barber: CEO (Countryside Commission)
- 1928Ramon de Basterra: Spanish writer / diplomat (Virulo, mocedades)
- 1936Kenneth Loach: TV director (Singing the Blues in Red)
- 1938Peter Michael: CEO (Cray Electronics)
- 1939Eugene Weldman: Last guillotined in France
- 1941Johan Wagenaar: Dutch Composer (Cyrano de Bergerac), dies at 78
- 1951Carl Vogler: Composer, dies at 77
- 1952Alberto Williams: Argentine Composer (Etrerno Reposo), dies at 89
- 1953Walter Niemann: Composer, dies at 76
- 1957D Richardson: Writer, dies at 84
- 1959Abdul Mouse: Indonesian nationalist foreman / author, dies at about 68