| Pope Leo X issued the Bull Exsurge Domine (Arise, O Lord), condemning Martin Luther for forty-one doctrinal errors and threatening him with excommunication if he would not recant. |
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| When 40 English barons, angry at King John for usurping their rights and privileges, prepared to dethrone their monarch, John compromised. He met with them in a meadow at Runnymede and signed the "Articles of the Barons." In return, the barons renewed their oaths of fealty to King John on June 19, 1215. A formal document to record the agreement was created by the royal chancery on July 15: this was the original Magna Carta. The Magna Carta, which would eventually serve as the blueprint for English common law. |
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| Pope Leo X issued the Bull Exsurge Domine (Arise, O Lord), condemning Martin Luther for forty-one doctrinal errors and threatening him with excommunication if he would not recant. |
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| The entire region was claimed by England for the Duke of York (later King James II) in 1664. The name New Jersey was introduced, which honored the isle of Jersey in the English Channel. The Duke's claim was passed along to two of his supporters, Lord John Berkeley and Sir John Carteret. These enterprising businessmen offered land at bargain prices and full religious toleration to attract settlers. |
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| In 1752, Franklin, along with his son William, performed his famous kite-flying experiment which proved that lightning is a naturally-occurring electrical phenomenon. The kite was constructed with a sharp metallic wire situated on top and at the end of the kite string, and a key tied to the end of the string with a silk ribbon. When Franklin saw loose threads on the kite string stand up, he grounded the makeshift insulated conductor by touching his knuckle to the metal key on the string. Consequently, he observed a passing spark between his knuckle and the key, which presented the final proof of lightning's electrical nature. |
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| Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier died during an attempted crossing of the English Channel when his balloon, a combination hydrogen and hot air balloon, exploded on 15 June 1785. Thus, he and his companion, Pierre Romain, became the first known victims of an air crash. The term "pilot" is sometimes erroneously thought to derive from his first name, Pilatre. |
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| In 1844, Charles Goodyear received another patent for "An Improvement in India-Rubber Fabrics." This way of processing india-rubber added white lead to the sulphur and heating method he patented February 24, 1839. He had spent several years, since going bankrupt in hardware, trying to improve natural rubber, which became sticky in summer heat and brittle in the winter. He had experimented to coat it with a powder to make it less sticky when he accidentally dropped a mixture of natural rubber and powdered sulphur on a hot stove in Woburn, Massachusetts. The heat completed the process. |
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| The first wholesale ice cream business in the United States was opened in Baltimore, Maryland by Jacob Fussell, a milk dealer who was searching for a way to keep a steady demand for his cream. Fussell sold his ice cream at less than half the price charged by others (twenty-five cents a quart against sixty-five cents a quart charged by others in the city). By 1856 he had opened manufacturing operations and parlors in Washington, D.C., and Boston. |
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| Arlington National Cemetery was established by Brig. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, who commanded the garrison at Arlington House, appropriated the grounds June 15, 1864, for use as a military cemetery. His intention was to render the house uninhabitable should the Lee family ever attempt to return. A stone and masonry burial vault in the rose garden, 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep, and containing the remains of 1,800 Bull Run casualties, was among the first monuments to Union dead erected under Meigs' orders. Meigs himself was later buried within 100 yards of Arlington House with his wife, father and son; the final statement to his original order. |
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| In 1869, John Wesley Hyatt and Isaiah Hyatt were issued a U.S. patent for the first plastic, which they called "Improved Method of Making Solid Collodion." In their method, soluble cotton, pyroxyline, or prepared cellulose was placed into a strong cylinder or suitably-shaped mold. Then "the employment of a very small quantity of ether or other appropriate solvent, and dissolving pyroxyline therewith, under a heavy pressure, so that a comparatively hard and solid product is obtained, with great economy of solvents and saving of time." A filler may be mixed with the pyroxyline such as ivory-dust, bone-dust, asbestos, flake-white, or any other desirable substance, according to the nature of the product required. |
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| Eadweard Muybridge had successfully photographed a horse in fast motion using a series of fifty cameras. The cameras were arranged along a track parallel to the horse's, and each of the camera shutters was controlled by a trip wire which was triggered by the horse's hooves. This series of photos showed that the hooves all leave the ground. The photographs also show that each hoof hits the ground just as another is leaving it, so a horse at full gallop is indeed deriving traction from only one hoof at a time. |
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| On Sunday, June 15, Corsicana met Texarkana in a home game that was played in nearby Ennis because of Corsicana's blue laws and drubbed the Casketmakers by the unheard of score of 51-3. Corsicana catcher Justin "Nig" Clarke made baseball history by hitting eight home runs in 10 AB with 16 RBI. The team made 53 hits, 29 for extra bases including 21 homers. Every Corsicana batter except Wright, the pitcher, had at least one homer and five hits. The batting records for the June 15th game are somewhat tainted. Some published reports indicate the right field fence, over which all of Clarke's were hit, was only 210 feet from home plate. |
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| Shibe's objective was to produce a playing ball of said class having a resilient central core that is less yielding than rubber upon which the layers of yarn may be wound under greater tension, whereby greater compactness results, perfect concentric formation is attained and a more durable and rigid structure secured and uniform resiliency acquired and maintained.A baseball stadium (Shibe Park in Philadelphia) was named for him. |
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| The Exposition commemorated the completion of the Panama Canal and marked the 400th anniversary of the voyage to the Pacific of Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The first octagonal $50 gold pieces were struck during a special ceremony at the San Francisco Mint on June 15, 1915, including the one in this set. A total of 1,509 octagonal pieces eventually were struck, but because of a lack of sales 855 of them were melted in November 1916. | |
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| In 1919, Capt. John Alcock (pilot) and Lt. Arthur W. Browne (navigator) successfully completed the first, non-stop, transatlantic, airplane flight. They flew from Newfoundland to Clifden, Ireland in 16 hr 12 min and won the prize offered by the London Daily Mail. Their aircraft was a Vickers Vimy (which was originally designed as a bomber to be used during WW I.) Their radio broke down shortly after take off. Fog and drizzle prevented the fliers from seeing anything for much of the journey. They aimed to land in a green field but instead it turned out to be a bog. The plane suffered some damage when it hit the ground and sank into the bog. Both Alcock and Brown came away unhurt. |
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| The Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The park was officially established on June 15, 1934. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Works Progress Administration, and other federal organizations made trails, fire watchtowers, and other infrastructure improvements to the park. |
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| With a story line that sounds remarkably like several of Jolson's movies, this one hour broadcast was heard at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 15, 1936. The story is that of a burlesque comic who leaves the love of his life to make it big on Broadway. She drifts toward another on the rebound, but, by the end of the program, they reunite in mutual success. Along the way, Al Jolson sings "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goo'bye," and "Is It True What They Say About Dixie?" |
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| Johnny Vander Meer stuns baseball by pitching his 2nd successive no-hitter, defeating the Dodgers and Max Butcher, 6-0. Brooklyn plays the first night game ever at Ebbets Field. In front of 38,748 fans, including spectators Babe Ruth and several hundred fans from Vandy's home town of Midland Park, NJ. Vandy strikes out seven and walks 8, including three one-out walks in the 9th. A force out at home on a grounder by Ernie Koy and a fly ball by Leo Durocher ends the game. In a pregame event, Koy, with a 10-yard start but running in his Reds' uniform, beats Olympic champion Jesse Owens in the 100-yard dash. |
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| On June 15, 1944, the first B-29 raid flew from China to strike at a factory in Japan. This was the precision target bombing that the United State Army Air Forces (USAAF) had practiced for years. This policy would be abandoned shortly for area bombing of civilian targets. |
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| This was night was to be last hurrah of greatest that had been Joe Louis as fighter. Firing devastating combinations as the Brown Bomber of old, Louis literally was beating Lee Savold to a pulp, when mercifully Savold went down under a barrage of punches in round six and was counted out. |
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| This two-hour program is a look back at the history of the United States and the world up to 1953. Presented by Ford Motor Company on the occasion of their 50th Anniversary. Hosted by Edward R. Murrow and Oscar Hammerstein who discuss historic events, trends, and personalities that have changed the world in the past 50 years. Musical numbers by Ethel Merman and Mary Martin, who together sing a great medley of tunes near the program's end. Marian Anderson also appears and sings. Several musical dance numbers. Mary Martin and Oscar Hammerstein appear in an excerpt from Thorton Wilder's play "Our Town". Lowell Thomas appears in a segment about old-time radio. Brief musical appearances by Rudy Vallee, Bing Crosby (on film), Frank Sinatra (on film) and Eddie Fisher. Wally Cox appears in several comedic skits. Kukla and Ollie, Burr Tilstrom's puppets, also appear and introduce segments. Produced by Leland Hayward who introduces the program and appears in the end to introduce Henry Ford II, who closed the program with a hope for peace and prosperity in the future. |
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| In more fallout over the Copacabana incident, the Yankees trade Billy Martin to Kansas City with SS Woodie Held and OF Bob Martyn for P Ryne Duren, 2B Milt Graff and OFs Harry Simpson and Jim Pisoni. |
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| Pat Boone had a smooth style, a clean-cut image, and of course, his white bucks. He appeared in 15 films, including Bernardine, April Love, and State Fair. From 1957 to 1960 he hosted his own television series The Pat Boone/Chevy Showroom. He somehow managed to finish his degree, graduating from Columbia University in New York City in 1958. And all the while, the hits kept coming: Why Baby Why, Love Letters In The Sand, which held the number one spot for seven weeks, and April Love [number one for six weeks] were huge hits in 1957. |
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| The Beach Boys" leader Brian Wilson co-wrote "Surf City", Jan & Dean's first US number 1 hit; this glorious 1963 summer hit evokes fun, sunshine and "two girls for every boy". Wilson also made telling contributions to several other notable Jan & Dean classics, including "Drag City", "Dead Man's Curve", "The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)" and "Ride The Wild Surf". "Surf City" became the first "surf" song in history to hit number one on the Billboard charts. |
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| Kyu Sakamoto has the distinction of being the only Japanese artist to ever to score a #1 hit internationally. His song "Ue o Muite Aruko", known outside Japan as "Sukiyaki", went to #1 in the US Billboard charts, in 1963, and no Japanese act has managed to crack the top 40 since. |
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| Juan Marichal becomes the first Giants P to hurl a no-hitter since Carl Hubbell (on May 8, 1929), and the first Latin American to toss one in the ML. Eighth-inning doubles by Jim Davenport and Chuck Hiller provide the only score in the Giants 1-0 win at Candlestick. |
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| "Mrs Robinson" was written for the movie The Graduate, starring Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, a middle age woman who seduces the much younger Dustin Hoffman. Although Bancroft has had a long and successful film career, she is still best known for her part in this movie. |
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| The Cornfield Jokes, Pickin-&-Grinnin, Archie's Barbershop, Empty Arms Hotel, KORN Radio, Lulu's Truck Stop, Minnie's School, The Naggers (Gordie Tapp & Ronnie Stoneman) and much more. The cast also frequently asked Grandpa Jones, "What's For Supper?" And then, there was the comedic Burma-Shave style signs - all on Hee-Haw! |
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| "American Graffiti" tells the story of a group of middle-class American teenagers in small-town California, on the last night the summer vacation after their graduation from high school. It is set in 1962 against the backdrop of commentary and music spun by disc jockey Wolfman Jack. The commentary is from his U.S. broadcasting studio that is supposedly linked to the transmitter of border-blaster XERB in Mexico. |
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| The first single, "Special Someone", hit the charts in 1972 with another single the following year ABC Records called "Deeper and Deeper". Their next release, "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" was all that was necessary to shoot Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods up to the #1 spot for two weeks, sell more than three million copies and earn a gold record. |
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| The Commander was Vladimir Kovalyonok, and the flight engineer was Aleksandr Ivanchenkov. During their stay on board of Salyut 6 two visiting crews docked with the station. The second one exchanged the Soyuz spacecraft, allowing the crew to stay in space longer than the designated lifetime of the spacecraft. |
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| The Hearns-Duran clash of June 15th 1984 offered a compelling style contrast. In Duran you had an unrelenting swarmer who was a tremendous puncher at Lightweight, but lost some of his punch as he moved up in weight. On the other hand, Thomas Hearns was a tall long boxer-puncher who carried knockout power in both his left-hook and his right hand.The prize for the victor in the Hearns-Duran fight was a future date with 5 year undisputed Middleweight Champ Marvin Hagler. The fight was all Hearns and it became apparent that it was just a matter of time. The fight ended when Hearns backed Duran against the ropes because he was trying to get away in round two. Duran landed face first on the canvas. |
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| "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was the first US #1 hit for Tears For Fears. "Shout" went to #1 2 months later. Curt Smith, one of the 2 members of Tears For Fears, did a solo, acoustic version of this for the soundtrack to The Private Public, a 2001 movie where he made his acting debut. |
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| Reagan received an honorary British knighthood, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. This entitled him to the use of the post-nominal letters GCB, but did not entitle him to be known as "Sir Ronald Reagan". |
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| On June 15, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were discharged into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the temperature worldwide over the next few years. It was the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century took place on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, a mere 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of the capital city Manila. Up to 800 people were killed and 100,000 became homeless following the eruptions, which climaxed with nine hours of eruption on June 15. |
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| Abdul's Spellbound, contained another string of hits, and went on to sell 6 million copies. Hits included "Rush, Rush" (which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, thanks to its music video and its Rebel Without a Cause motif featuring Keanu Reeves in the James Dean role), "The Promise of a New Day", "Blowing Kisses in the Wind", "Vibeology", and "Will You Marry Me?". The first single, "Rush, Rush", was a ballad, which surprised many, as singers generally release an up-tempo song as a first single. |
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1215 King John signs Magna Carta
at Runnymede, England
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1520 Pope Leo X threatens to ex-communicate Martin
Luther
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1664 New Jersey established
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1752 Ben Franklin's kite is struck by lightning-What
a shock
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1785 Two French balloonists die in world's first
fatal aviation accident
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1844 Goodyear patents vulcanization of rubber
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1851 Jacob Fussell, Baltimore dairyman, sets up
first ice-cream factory
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1864 Robert E Lee's home area (Arlington, VA)
becomes a miltary cemetery
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1869 Celluloid patented by John Wesley Hyatt,
Albany, NY
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1878 Do all 4 of a horse's hooves leave
the ground when running?
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1896 Temperture hits 127øF at Fort Mojave,
CA
1902 Justin Clark of Corsicana - TX minors hits
8 home runs in 1 game
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1909 Benjamin Shibe patented the cork-center
baseball
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1915 US government mints first $50 gold pieces,
for Panama Pacific Expo
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1919 First nonstop Atlantic flight (Alcock &
Brown) lands in Ireland
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1934 Great Smokey Mountains National Park dedicated
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1936 Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler starred in "Burlesque"
on the "Lux Radio Theatre"
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1938 Johnny Vander Meer hurls unprecident 2nd
consecutive no-hitter
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1944 First B-29 raid against mainland Japan
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1947 First night game at Detroit Briggs Stadium
(Tigers 4, Athletics 1)
1951 Joe Louis scored his last knock out victory
More ...
1953 The Ford Motor Company presented one of TV's biggest events
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1957 Yankees trade Billy Martin & Ralph Terry
for Ryne Duran
More ...
1957 "Love Letters in the Sand" by Pat
Boone topped the charts
More ...
1963 Jan & Dean's "Surf City" was
released to Radio
More ...
1963 "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto topped
the charts
More ...
1963 SF Giants Juan Marichal no-hits Houston Colt
45s, 1-0
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1968 "Mrs Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel
topped the charts
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1969 "Hee Haw" with Roy Clark &
Buck Owens premiers on CBS TV
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1973 "American Graffiti" opens in NYC
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1974 "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" by Bo
Donaldson & the Heywoods topped the charts
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1978 Soyuz 29 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6;
they stay 139 days
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1984 Thomas Hearns KOs Roberto Duran
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1985 "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
by Tears for Fears topped the charts
More ...
1989 Ronald Reagan is knighted by Queen Elizabeth
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1991 Philippines volcano Mount Pinatubo errupts
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1991 "Rush, Rush" by Paula Abdul topped
the charts
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