| 15th 
            July, on this day  1099 The city of 
            Jerusalem is captured by the Crusaders - ending centuries of Muslim 
            rule1207 John 
            of England expels Canterbury monks for supporting Archbishop of 
            Canterbury Stephen Langton.
 1240 A Novgorodian 
            army led by Alexander 
            Nevsky defeats the Swedes in the Battle 
            of the Neva.
 1381 John 
            Ball, a leader in the Peasants' Revolt, hanged, drawn and quartered 
            in the presence of Richard II of England.
 1410 Poland 
            and Lithuania defeat Teutonic Knights at Tannenberg
 1662 Charles II grants charter to establish Royal Society in London
 1685 James 
            Scott, Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, is 
            executed for leading rebellion against uncle, James II
 1741 Alexei 
            Chirikov sights land in Southeast Alaska. He sends some men aboard 
            in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska
 1795 The Marseillaise, written by Rouget 
            De Lisle, is officially adopted as the French National Anthem
 1799 Rosetta 
            Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta, by French Captain 
            Pierre-François Bouchard.
 1806 Pike 
            expedition: Near St. Louis, Missouri, United States Army Lieutenant 
            Zebulon Pike begins an expedition from Fort Belle Fountaine to explore 
            the west.
 1815 French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders to Captain Maitland 
            aboard the English ship Bellerophon, 
            at Rochefort before being sent into exile on the island of St Helena
 1823 A fire destroys the ancient Basilica 
            of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
 1856 Natal established as a British colony separate from Cape Colony
 1864 Troop train loaded with Confederate prisoners collided with a
 coal train killing 65 and injuring 109 of 955 aboard
 1869 Margarine is patented in France by Hippolyte Mege Mouries of 
            Pariss, for use by French Navy
 1870 Georgia becomes last confederate to be readmitted to US
 1870 Hudson's Bay and Northwest Territories transferred to Canada
 1870 The Kingdom 
            of Prussia and the Second 
            French Empire commence the Franco-Prussian 
            War
 1870 Manitoba becomes 5th Canadian province and NW Territories created
 1881 American outlaw 'Billy 
            The Kid' - William Bonney - is shot dead by Sheiff Pat Garrett 
            in New Mexico.
 1888 Bandai 
            volcano (Japan) erupts for 1st time in 1,000 years approximately 
            500 people are killed
 1893 Commodore 
            Perry arrives in Japan
 1904 1st Buddhist temple in US established, Los Angeles
 1912 British National Health Insurance Act goes into effect
 1916 In Seattle, Washington, William 
            Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific 
            Aero Products (later renamed Boeing).
 1918 2nd Battle 
            of Marne began during WW I
 1922 1st duck-billed platypus publicly exhibited in US, at NY zoo
 1927 Massacre 
            of July 15, 1927: 89 protesters are killed by the Austrian police 
            in Vienna.
 1929 1st airport hotel opens-Oakland, Ca
 1931 Kid 
            Chocolate becomes Cuba's first world boxing champion.
 1933 Wiley 
            Post began 1st solo flight around the world
 1937 Japanese attack Marco 
            Polo Bridge, invade China
 1940 1st betatron 
            placed in operation, Urbana, 
            Il
 1941 Florey 
            and Heatley 
            present freeze dried mold cultures (Pencillin)
 1944 Greenwich 
            Observatory damaged by WW II flying bomb
 1946 British 
            North Borneo Co transfers rights to British crown
 1948 President Truman nominated for another term
 1948 The self-help American anti-drink group, Alcoholics 
            Annoymous, is introduced into Britain with a branch being formed 
            in London.
 1949 Czech tennis stars Jaroslav 
            Drobny and Vladimir Cernik, defect to US
 1952 1st transatlantic helicopter flight begins 1953 Murderer 
            John 
            Christie, responsible for the deaths of at least six women in 
            his home at 10, Rillington Place, London is hanged.
 1954 1st coml jet transport plane built in US tested (Boeing 
            707)
 1955 Eighteen Nobel laureates signed the Mainau 
            Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by thirty-four 
            others.
 1958 President Eisenhower sends US troops to Lebanon; they stay 3 
            months
 1959 The steel 
            strike of 1959 begins, leading to significant importation of foreign 
            steel for the first time in United States history.
 1963 Paul 
            McCartney is fined for speeding
 1965 The American Mariner 
            IV satellite, launched in November 1964, begins transmitting close-up 
            pictures of the surface of Mars back to earth.
 1968 Both Pan American and Aeroflot begin direct air services between 
            New York, USA and Moscow, USSR.
 1970 Denmark beats Italy 2-0 in 1st world female soccer championship
 1971 President 
            Nixon announces he would visit People's Rep of China
 1973 Ray Davies, announces retirement from Kinks then attempts suicide
 1974 On the island of Cyprus, Archbishop 
            Makarios is overthrown in a coup led by Greek officers in the 
            National Guard. Nikos Sampson, a former EOKA leader, is appointed 
            President.
 1975 Soyuz 
            19 and Apollo 18 launched; rendezvous 2 days later
 1976 36-hr kidnap of 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver in California
 1979 U.S. President Jimmy 
            Carter gives his famous "malaise" speech, where he characterizes 
            the greatest threat to the country as "this crisis in the growing 
            doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity 
            of purpose for our nation."
 1982 Body of Wendy Caulfield, 1st Green 
            River victim, found near Seattle
 1983 8 killed, 54 wounded, by Armenian extremists bomb at Orly, France
 1987 John 
            Poindexter testifies at Iran-Contra hearings
 1991 US troops leave northern Iraq
 1997 Italian fashion designer Gianni 
            Versace is shot dead in Miami by serial killer Andrew Cunanan 
            who is already wanted by the FBI in connection with four other murders. 
            Cunanan is later found dead after committing suicide.
 1997 In Miami, Florida, serial killer Andrew 
            Phillip Cunanan guns down Gianni 
            Versace outside his home.
 2002 "American Taliban" John 
            Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and for 
            the possession of explosives during the commission of a felony.
 2002 Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan gave the death sentence to British 
            born Ahmed 
            Omar Saeed Sheikh and life terms to three other suspects in murdering 
            Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel 
            Pearl.
 2003 AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape 
            Communications Corporation. The Mozilla 
            Foundation is established on the same day.
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        | Birthdates which 
            occurred on 15th July : 1573 Inigo Jones 
            London, architect; restored St Paul's cathedral 1606 Rembrandt van Rijn Leiden, Netherlands, painter (Night Watch)
 1701 Pierre Joubert became oldest known Canadian (113 y 124 d at death)
 1704 August Gottlieb Spangenberg founder of Moravian Church in N America
 1779 Clement Clarke Moore US, author ('Twas the Night Before Xmas)
 1796 Thomas Bulfinch mythologist (Bulfinch's Mythology)
 1850 St Frances Xavier Cabrini [Mother Cabrini], 1st US saint
 1872 Jos‚ Enrique Rod¢ Montevideo, philosopher/educator/essayist
 1875 Frank "Pop" Morgenweck basketball hall of famer (elected 
            1962)
 1889 Marjorie Rambeau SF Calif, actress (Primrose Path, Torch Song)
 19-- Franklyn Seales St Vincent, actor (Dexter-Silver Spoons)
 19-- Leonard Stabb actor (Hunter Guthrie-One Life to Live)
 19-- Mark McMurtry rock bassist (Every Mother's Nightmare-Hard to 
            Hold)
 1902 Jean Rey Belgium, pres of European Commission (1967-70)
 1913 Murvyn Vye Quincy Mass, actor (Bob Cummings Show)
 1919 Iris Murdoch Ireland, novelist (Severed Head)
 1925 Phil Carey Hackensack NJ, actor (Asa Buchanan-One Life to Live)
 1927 Carmen Zapata NYC, actress (Hagen, Viva Valdez, Man & the 
            City)
 1932 Nina Van Pallandt Coopenhagen Denmark, actress (American Gigolo)
 1934 Harrison Birtwistle Accringto, Lancashire, composer (Trombeau)
 1935 Alex Karras Gary Ind, NFLer (Detroit Lions)/actor (George-Webster)
 1935 Ken Kercheval Wolcottville Ind, actor (Cliff Barnes-Dallas)
 1939 Patrick Wayne LA Calif, actor (Rounder, Shirley, Beyond Atlantis)
 1943 Diligenti quintuplets Buenos Aires, Argentina
 1944 Jan-Michael Vincent Denver, actor (Hooper, Tribes, Buster & 
            Billie)
 1945 Gene Upshaw NFL offensive tackle (Oakland Raider)
 1946 Linda Ronstadt Tucson Az, singer (Different Drum)
 1948 Enrique Basilio hurler, 1st lady to light Olympic flame (Mexico-1968)
 1949 Trevor Horn rock producer (Buggles-Video Killed, Yes, Frankie)
 1956 Kathy Kreiner Canada, giant slalom (Olympic-gold-1976)
 1960 Kim Alexis Lockport NY, model (Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover)
 1960 Willie Aames Newport Beach Ca, actor (8 is Enough, Paradise, 
            Zapped)
 1961 Forest Whitaker actor (Bloodsport, Platoon, Stakeout)
 1962 Brigitte Nielsen Eisinore Denmark, actress (Red Sonja, Rocky 
            IV)
 1963 Shari Headley Brooklyn NY, actress (Mimi Reed-All My Children)
 1966 Kristoff St John NYC, actor (Adam-Generations, Young & Restless)
 1973 Brian Austin Green N Hollywood Cal, actor (David-Beverly Hills 
            90210)
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deaths which occurred 
            on July 15th:
 1869 A J Hayne black captain of Arkansas militia, assassinated
 1881 William "Billy the Kid" Bonney killed by Pat Garrett
 1940 Robert Wadlow world's tallest man (8'11.1"), dies at 32
 1948 John J Persing US General (WW I), dies at 87
 1957 George Cleveland actor (Grampa-Lassie), dies at 74
 1958 Julia Lennon mother of Beatle John, dies in an auto accident
 1980 Eddie Jackson comedian (Jimmy Durante Show), dies at 84
 1982 Wendy Caulfield 1st Green River victim, found near Seattle
 1983 Eddie Foy Jr actor (Eddie-Fair Exchange), dies of cancer at 78
 1986 Benny Rubin actor/comedian (Benny Rubin Show), dies at 87
 1986 Florence Halop actress (Florence-Night Court), dies at 63
 1988 Eleanor Estes author (Ginger Pye, Moffats), dies at 82
 1990 Troy Dixon rapper (Trouble T-Roy of Heavy D), dies at 22 from 
            a fall
 1991 Bert Convy actor (Snoop Sisters, Win Lose or Draw), dies at 57
 
 
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