June 15
Birthdays:
1964 ~ Courteney Cox (née Courteney Bass Cox), American actress. She is best known for her role as Monica Geller on the television sit-com Friends. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
1963 ~ Helen Hunt (née Helen Elizabeth Hunt), American actress. She was born in Culver City, California.
1958 ~ Wade Boggs (né Wade Anthony Boggs), American baseball player. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska.
1957 ~ Julie Butler (d. Apr. 4, 2020), African-American veterinarian who for many years ran the only full-service animal clinic in Harlem. She earned her degree at Cornell University. She hired and mentored many aspiring vets and technicians in the largely African-American neighborhood. She was born in Washington, D.C. She died of Covid-19 at age 62.
1955 ~ Polly Draper (née Polly Carey Draper), American actress best known for her role in the 1980s television drama Thirtysomething. She was born in Gary, Indiana.
1955 ~ Julie Hagerty (née Julie Beth Hagerty), American actress best known for her role in the 1980 movie Airplane! She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1954 ~ Jim Belushi (né James Adam Belushi) American actor and brother of John Belushi. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.
1953 ~ Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party and President of China. He assumed the office of General Secretary in November 2012; and became President in March 2013. In October 2022, he secured a third term as head of the ruling Communist Party, making him the most dominant figure in Chinese politics since Mao Zedong. He had previously eliminated the two-term limit that had been written into the country’s constitution to prevent such power in one person. He was born in Beijing, China.
1943 ~ Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark. He served in that Office from January 1993 until November 2001. He served during the reign of Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark. He was born in Esbjerg, Occupied Denmark.
1941 ~ Harry Nilsson (né Harry Edward Nilsson, III; d. Jan. 15, 1994), American singer-songwriter and musician. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 52 in Agoura Hills, California.
1939 ~ Brian Jacques (né James Brian Jacques; d. Feb. 5, 2011), British milkman and writer who sold 20 million books. He was born and died in Liverpool, United Kingdom. He died at age 71.
1932 ~ Mario Cuomo (né Mario Matthew Cuomo; d. Jan. 1, 2015), American politician and 52nd Governor of New York. He was governor from January 1983 until December 1994. He was considered the liberal who flirted with a presidential run. He was born and died in New York, New York. He died at age 82.
1924 ~ Ezer Weizman (d. Apr. 24, 2005), 7th President of Israel. He served in that Office from May 1993 until July 2000. He was born in Tel Aviv before the creation of the State of Israel. He died of respiratory failure at age 80 in Caesarea, Israel.
1923 ~ Johnny Most (né John M. Most; d. Jan. 3, 1993), American sports announcer. He was the radio voice of the Boston Celtics. He was born in New York, New York. He died of a heart attack at age 69 in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
1923 ~ Erland Josephson (d. Feb. 25, 2012), Swedish actor who stood for Ingmar Bergman. He and Bergman collaborated on more than 40 plays and films over 60 years. In Bergman’s films, he often became something of a Bergman surrogate and a thinly veiled stand-in for the director in many of the movies. He was born and died in Stockholm, Sweden. He died at age 88.
1922 ~ Mo Udall (né Morris King Udall; d. Dec. 12, 1998), American Democrat politician and member of the United States Representative from Arizona. He was born in St. Johns, Arizona. He died at age 76 in Washington, D.C.
1917 ~ John Fenn (né John Bennett Fenn; d. Dec. 10, 2010), American chemist and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 93 in Richmond, Virginia.
1916 ~ Herbert Simon (né Herbert Alexander Simon; d. Feb. 9, 2001), American economist and recipient of the 1978 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He died at age 84 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1915 ~ Thomas Huckle Weller (d. Aug. 23, 2008), American virologist and recipient of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He died at age 93 in Needham, Massachusetts.
1914 ~ Yuri Andropov (d. Feb. 9, 1984), Russian politician. He died at age 69 of kidney failure in Moscow, Russia.
1906 ~ Gordon Welchman (né William Gordon Welchman; d. Oct. 8, 1985), British-born mathematician and code-breaker during World War II. He worked at Bletchley Park during the War. He died at age 79 in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
1894 ~ Nikolai Chebotaryov (d. July 2, 1947), Ukrainian mathematician. He died 17 days after his 53rd birthday in Moscow, Russia.
1882 ~ Ion Antonescu (d. June 1, 1946), Romanian Marshal and 43rd Prime Minister of Romania. He served in that Office from September 1940 until August 1944. After World War II, he was convicted of war crimes and was executed 14 days before his 64th birthday.
1843 ~ Edvard Grieg (né Edvard Hagerup Grieg; d. Sept. 4, 1907), Norwegian composer. He is best known for Peer Gynt. He was born and died in Bergen, Norway. He died of heart failure at age 64.
1805 ~ William B. Ogden (né William Butler Ogden, d. Aug. 3, 1877), 1st Mayor of Chicago. He was a railroad executive before becoming Mayor. He was Mayor from 1837 until 1838. He was born in Walton, New York. He died at age 72 in New York, New York.
1801 ~ Benjamin Wright Raymond (d. Apr. 6, 1883), Mayor of Chicago. He served first from 1839 to 1840 and served his second term from 1842 until 1843. He was born in Rome, New York. He died at age 81 in Chicago, Illinois.
1767 ~ Rachel Jackson (née Rachel Donelson, d. Dec. 22, 1828), wife of President Andrew Jackson. She died after Jackson had been elected President, but before his inauguration, hence, she never served as First Lady. She was born in Pittsvylvania County, Virginia, British America. She died at age 61 in Davidson County, Tennessee.
1765 ~ Martin Baum (d. Dec. 14, 1831), Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born in Hagerstown, Maryland. He died at age 66 during an influenza epidemic in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1640 ~ Bernard Lamy (d. Jan. 29, 1715), French mathematician and theologian. He was born in Le Mans, France. He died at age 74, in Rouen, France.
1553 ~ Ernest, Archduke of Austria (d. Feb. 20, 1595), member of the ruling family. He was of the House of Habsburg. He never married and had no known children. He was of the House of Habsburg. He was the son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and Infanta of Spain. He died at age 41.
1594 ~ Nicolas Poussin (d. Nov. 19, 1665), French painter. He was a leader in the classical French Baroque style. He died in Rome at age 71.
1519 ~ Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset (d. July 23, 1536), illegitimate son of Henry VIII, King of England and Elizabeth Blount. At age 14, he was married to Lady Mary Howard. The marriage was never consummated. The exact date of his birth is not known, but it is generally considered to have been on June 15. He died at age 17. He is believed to have died of tuberculosis.
1479 ~ Lisa del Giocondo (d. July 15, 1542), Italian woman believed to be the subject of diVinci’s Mona Lisa. She died a month after her 63rd birthday.
1330 ~ Edward of Woodstock (d. June 8, 1376), member of the British royal family and heir apparent to the British throne. He was known as the Black Prince. In 1337, he was made the Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom. In 1361, he married Joan of Kent (1320s ~ 1385). He was her third husband. They were the parents of Richard II, King of England. He was the son of Edward III, King of England and Philippa of Hainault. He died of dysentery 7 days before his 46th birthday. He predeceased his father; thus the throne was inherited by his son, Richard II, King of England.
Events that Changed the World:
2014 ~ Father’s Day in the United States.
1994 ~ Israel and the Vatican City established full diplomatic relations.
1991 ~ Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines began to erupt, killing over 800 people.
1978 ~ King Hussein of Jordan (1935 ~ 1999) married American Lisa Halaby (b. 1951). She became known as Queen Noor following her marriage.
1977 ~ The first democratic elections took place in Spain since the death of dictator Francisco Franco (1892 ~ 1874).
1970 ~ The trial of Charles Manson (1934 ~ 2017) for the murder of actress Sharon Tate (1943 ~ 1969) and others began.
1934 ~ The United States Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dedicated.
1921 ~ Bessie Coleman (1892 ~ 1926) became the first female African-American to receive a pilot’s license.
1916 ~ President Woodrow Wilson (1856 ~ 1924) signed the bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America. This is the only American youth organization with a federal charter.
1905 ~ Princess Margaret of Connaught (1882 ~ 1920), granddaughter of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom, married Gustaf, Crown Prince of Sweden (1882 ~ 1973).
1896 ~ A deadly tsunami killed more than 22,000 people in Japan.
1888 ~ Crown Prince Wilhelm became Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859 ~ 1941). He was the last emperor of the German Empire. He was the grandson of Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1819 ~ 1901).
1878 ~ Eadweard Muybridge (1830 ~ 1904) took a series of photographs, which proved that all four feet of the horse leave the ground when it runs. This series of photographs became the basis of motion pictures.
1877 ~ Henry Ossian Flipper (1856 ~ 1940), a former slave, became the first African-American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
1864 ~ Arlington National Cemetery was established after 200 acres surrounding the Arlington Mansion, which had formerly been owned by General Robert E. Lee (1807 ~ 1870), was set aside as a military cemetery by United States Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814 ~ 1869).
1844 ~ Charles Goodyear (1800 ~ 1860) was granted a patent for rubber vulcanization, which strengthens rubber.
1836 ~ Arkansas became the 25th State of the Union.
1804 ~ New Hampshire approved the 12th Amendment to the United States Constitution. It refined the procedure for electing the President and Vice President of the United States.
1752 ~ The traditional date ascribed to Benjamin Franklin’s experimentation proving that lightning is electricity. The actual date is unknown.
1667 ~ The first human blood transfusion was administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys (1643 ~ 1704). He is said to have transfused sheep’s blood into a 15-year-old boy. The boy survived the transfusion.
1648 ~ Margaret Jones (1613 ~ 1648) was hanged in Boston for witchcraft. She was supposedly one of the first persons to be executed for witchcraft in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1520 ~ In papal bull Exsurge Domine, Pope Leo X (1475 ~ 1521) threatened to excommunicate Martin Luther (1483 ~ 1546).
1389 ~ In the Battle of Kosovo, the Ottoman Empire defeated the Serbs and Bosnians.
1300 ~ The city of Bilbao in northern Spain was founded.
1215 ~ John, King of England (1166 ~ 1216) signed and sealed the Magna Carta, guaranteeing that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges and maintain the nation’s laws.
Good-Byes:
2019 ~ Charles A. Reich (né Charles Alan Reich; b. May 20, 1928), American academic and hippy professor who promised The Greening of America, a book of the counterculture of the 1960s. He was born in New York, New York. He died 26 days after his 91st birthday in San Francisco, California.
2019 ~ Franco Zeffirelli (né Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli; b. Feb. 12, 1923), Italian opera and film director who embraced grandeur. He is best known for his 1968 rendition of Romeo and Juliet. He was born in Florence, Italy. He died at age 96 in Rome, Italy.
2016 ~ Lois Duncan (née Lois Duncan Steinmenz; b. Apr. 28, 1934), American author who thrilled young readers. She was a pioneering writer in the development of young-adult fiction, particularly in the genres of thriller and suspense. She was the author of the 1973 novel I Know What You Did Last Summer. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She died at age 82 in Brandenton, Florida.
2015 ~ Blaze Starr (née Fannie Belle Fleming; b. April 10, 1932), American burlesque star and stripper who had a long affair with Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long. She was known as the Hottest Blaze in Burlesque. She was born and died in Wilsondale, West Virginia. She was 83 years old.
2015 ~ Kirk Kerkorian (né Kerkor Kerkorian; b. June 6, 1917), American businessman and high-rolling investor who shook up Las Vegas. He is known for having been one of the most important figures in shaping Las Vegas. He built the world’s largest hotels in Las Vegas, including the International Hotel, the MGM Grand Hotel and the MGM Grand. He was instrumental in producing the movie, The Promise, about the Armenian genocide, however, he died before the film was released. He was born in Fresno, California. He died a week before his 98th birthday in Beverly Hills, California.
2014 ~ Casey Kasem (né Kemal Amin Kasem; b. Apr. 27, 1932), American radio disc jockey and personality, best known for being the host of American Top 40. He democratized rock ‘n roll. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. He died at age 82 in Gig Harbor, Washington.
2013 ~ Kenneth G. Wilson (né Kenneth Geddes Wilson; b. June 8, 1936), American physicist and recipient of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. He died in Saco, Maine 7 days after his 77th birthday.
2013 ~ Paul Soros (né Pál Schwartz b. June 5, 1926), Hungarian-born holocaust survivor who fled to the United States and went on to make millions in the cargo shipping industry. His younger brother is George Soros. He was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary. He died 10 days after his 87th birthday in New York, New York.
2013 ~ Edgar Gilbert (né Edgar Nelson Gilbert; b. July 25, 1923), American mathematician. He was born in New York, New York. He died at age 89 following a fall in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
2011 ~ Bill Haast (b. Dec. 30, 1910), American snake handler who charmed tourists and saved lives. He learned how to extract venom from poisonous snakes for medical and research use. He was the director of the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories in Florida. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He died in Punta Gorda, Florida at age 100.
2003 ~ Hume Cronyn (né Hume Blake Cronyn, Jr.; b. July 18, 1911), Canadian actor. He was born in London, Ontario, Canada. He died of prostate cancer about a month before his 92nd birthday in Fairfield, Connecticut.
1996 ~ Ella Fitzgerald (née Ella Jane Fitzgerald; b. Apr. 25, 1917), American jazz singer. She was born in Newport News, Virginia. She died of diabetes at age 79 in Beverly Hills, California.
1993 ~ John Connally, Jr. (né John Bowden Connally, Jr.; b. Feb. 27, 1917), 61st Secretary of the Treasury. He served under President Richard Nixon from February 1971 until June 1972. He was also the 55th United States Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy from January 1961 until December 1961. He has also served as the 39th Governor of Texas and was in the motorcade when President Kennedy was killed. He was born in Floresville, Texas. He died at age 76 in Houston, Texas.
1992 ~ Chuck Menville (né Charles David Menville; b. Apr. 17, 1940), American animator and screenwriter. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 52 in Malibu, California.
1991 ~ Sir Arthur Lewis (né William Arthur Lewis; b. Jan. 23, 1915), San Lucian economist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He died at age 76.
1984 ~ Meredith Willson (né Robert Meredith Willson; b. May 18, 1902), American playwright and composer. He is best known for writing the music and lyrics of the Broadway musical The Music Man. He was born in Mason City, Iowa. He died less than a month after his 82nd birthday in Santa Monica, California.
1971 ~ Wendell Meredith Stanley (b. Aug. 16, 1904), American biochemist and virologist. He was the recipient of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for or his work in the purification and crystallization of viruses, thus demonstrating their molecular structure. He was born in Ridgeville, Indiana. He died of a heart attack at age 66 while attending a conference on viruses in Salamanca, Spain.
1971 ~ Hillel Oppenheimer (né Heinz Reinhard Oppenheimer; b. Apr. 4, 1899), German-Israeli botanist. He was born in Berlin, Germany but emigrated to what is now Israel in 1925. He died at age 72 in Rehovot, Israel.
1971 ~ Lene Schneider-Kainer (né Lene Schneider; b. May 16, 1885), Austrian painter. In 1926, she set off on a two-year trip visiting Russia, Persia, India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Tibet, China and Hong Kong. During this trip, she continued to paint and photograph her impressions. She was born in Vienna, Austria. She died at a month after her 86thbirthday in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
1970 ~ Henri Queuille (b. Mar. 31, 1884), French politician and Prime Minister during the Third and Fourth Republics. He died at age 86 in Paris, France.
1962 ~ Grace Marie Bareis (b. Dec. 19, 1875), American mathematician. She was the first woman to earn a doctorate degree in mathematics from Ohio State University. She was born in Canal Winchester, Ohio. She died at age 86 in Columbus, Ohio.
1888 ~ Frederick III, Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia (b. Oct. 18, 1831). He ruled over Germany from March 1888 until his death less than 3 months later. In 1858, he married Victoria, Princess Royal (1840 ~ 1901). They were the parents of Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany. He was of the House of Hohenzollern. He was the son of William I, Emperor of Germany and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He was Lutheran. He died at age 56 of cancer of the larynx.
1881 ~ Marie Laveau (née Marie Catherine Laveau; b. Sept. 10, 1794), Louisiana Creole practitioner of VooDoo in New Orleans. She was born and died in New Orleans, Louisiana. She died at age 86.
1849 ~ James K. Polk (né James Knox Polk; b. Nov. 2, 1795), 11th President of the United States. He served as President from March 1854 through March 1849. He had previously served as the 13th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, from December 1835 until March 1839. He was born in Pineville, North Carolina. He died at age 53 shortly after his term as President ended in Nashville, Tennessee.
1545 ~ Elizabeth of Austria (b. July 9, 1526), Queen consort of Poland and first wife of Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland (1520 ~ 1572). They married in 1543. It was not a happy marriage. There were no children of the marriage. She was of the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. She died about 3 weeks before her 19th birthday of epileptic seizures.
1467 ~ Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b. July 31, 1396). He was known as Philip the Good. He ruled as the Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in June 1467. He was married three times. His first wife was Princess Michele of France (1395 ~ 1422). They married in 1409. After her death, he married Bonne of Artois (1396 ~ 1425) in 1424. In 1430, he married Isabella, Infanta of Portugal (1397 ~ 1471). He was of the House of Valois-Burgundy. He was the son of John I, Duke of Burgundy, known as John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria. He was Roman Catholic. He died at age 70.
1416 ~ John, Duke of Berry (b. Nov. 30, 1340), member of the French royal family. He is best known for collecting illuminated manuscripts. He was known as John the Magnificant. He was married twice. His first wife was Joan of Armagnac (1346 ~ 1387). His second wife was Joan II, Countess of Auvergne (1378 ~ 1424). He was of the House of Valois. He was the son of John II, King of France and Princess Bonne of Bohemia. He died at age 75.
1184 ~ Magnus V, King of Norway Erlingsson (b. 1156). He ruled from 1161 until his death 13 years later. He was also known as Magnus Erlingsson. He was married to Estrid Bjørnsdotter. Little is known of her life other than Magnus was her second husband. He was of the House of Hardrada. He was the son of Erling Skakke and Kristin Sigurdsdatter. The exact date of his birth is not known. He was killed in battle at age 27 or 28.
923 ~ Robert I, King of West Francia (b. 866). He ruled from June 922 until his death a year later. He was married twice. His first wife was Aelis. Little is known of her life. His second wife was Béatrice of Vermandois (880 ~ 931). He was of the House of Robertian. He wa the son of Robert the Strong and Adelaide of Tours. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but he is believed to have been about 56 or 57 years old at the time of his death.
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