Updated June 14, 2012, 2:28 pm
On June 15, 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York City’s East River.
On June 15, 1902, Erik Erikson, the psychoanalyst who reshaped views of human development, was born. Following his death on May 12, 1994, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
By The Associated Press
1775 George Washington was appointed head of the Continental Army. 1836 Arkansas became the 25th state. 1844 Charles Goodyear received a patent for a process to strengthen rubber. 1849 James Polk, the 11th president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn., at age 53. 1864 Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton signed an order establishing a military burial ground, which became Arlington National Cemetery. 1902 The 20th Century Limited, an express passenger train between New York and Chicago, began service. 1904 More than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York City’s East River. 1923 Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig made his major league debut with the New York Yankees. 1969 The variety show “Hee Haw” premiered on CBS. 1978 King Hussein of Jordan married 26-year-old American Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor. 1991 Mount Pinatubo in the northern Philippines exploded in one of the biggest volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing about 800 people. 1992 Vice President Dan Quayle erroneously instructed a Trenton, N.J., elementary school student to spell potato as “potatoe” during a spelling bee. 1994 Israel and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations. 1995 During his murder trial, O.J. Simpson struggled to don a pair of gloves that prosecutors said were worn by the killer of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. 1996 Singer Ella Fitzgerald died at age 78. 2003 A jury in Houston convicted accounting firm Arthur Andersen of obstruction of justice. 2006 A divided Supreme Court made it easier for police to barge into homes and seize evidence without knocking or waiting. 2006 Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said he would transition from day-to-day responsibilities at the company to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 2007 Bob Barker ended his 35-year run as host of the CBS game show “The Price Is Right.” Current Birthdays
By The Associated Press
Actor Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) turns 39 years old today.
AP Photo/Matt Sayles
San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum turns 28 years old today.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
1932 Mario Cuomo, Former governor of New York, turns 80 1938 Billy Williams, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 74 1948 Mike Holmgren, Football coach, turns 64 1949 Russell Hitchcock, Singer (Air Supply), turns 63 1951 Steve Walsh, Rock singer (Kansas), turns 61 1954 Jim Belushi, Actor, comedian (“According to Jim”), turns 58 1954 Robert McDonnell, Governor of Virginia, turns 58 1955 Julie Hagerty, Actress (“Airplane!”), turns 57 1958 Wade Boggs, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 54 1963 Helen Hunt, Actress (“Mad About You”), turns 49 1964 Courteney Cox, Actress (“Friends,” “Cougar Town”), turns 48 1969 Ice Cube, Actor, rapper, turns 43 1970 Leah Remini, Actress (“King of Queens”), turns 42 1972 Andy Pettitte, Baseball player, turns 40 1972 T-Bone Willy, Rock musician (Save Ferris), turns 40 1975 Elizabeth Reaser, Actress, turns 37
Historic Birthdays
Erik Erikson 6/15/1902 – 5/12/1994 German-born American psychoanalyst.Go to obituary »
62 Franz Danzi 6/15/1763 – 4/13/1826
German composer of operas, lieder and symphonies67 Hablot Knight Browne 6/15/1815 – 7/8/1882
English illustrator; depicted Dickens’ characters33 Adah Isaacs Menken 6/15/1835 – 8/10/1868
American actress and poet64 Edvard Grieg 6/15/1843 – 9/4/1907
Norwegian composer75 Ernestine Schumann-Heink 6/15/1861 – 11/17/1936
Austrian contralto66 Nagano Osami 6/15/1880 – 1/5/1947
Japanese admiral; planned the Pearl Harbor attack79 Malvina Hoffman 6/15/1887 – 7/10/1966
American sculptor69 Yury Andropov 6/15/1914 – 2/9/1984
Russian head of the KGB (1967-82)84 Saul Steinberg 6/15/1914 – 5/12/1999
Romanian-born American cartoonist and illustrator
