On This Day: July 15

Updated July 14, 2012, 2:28 pm

Go to Index »

See larger version »

Buy a reproduction »

On July 15, 1918, the Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.

Go to article »

On July 15, 1919, Dame Iris Murdoch, the British writer and philosopher, was born. Following her death on Feb. 8, 1999, her obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1606 The painter Rembrandt was born in Leiden, Netherlands.

1870 Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.

1964 Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona was nominated for president at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco.

1971 President Richard Nixon announced he would visit the People’s Republic of China.

1979 President Jimmy Carter delivered a speech in which he lamented what he called a “crisis of confidence” in America. Though he didn’t use the word, it became known as the “malaise” speech.

1992 Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton claimed the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention in New York City.

1996 MSNBC, a 24-hour all-news network, made its debut on cable TV and the Internet.

1997 Fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot to death outside his home in Miami; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan was found dead eight days later.

2002 John Walker Lindh, an American who had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to two felonies in a deal sparing him life in prison.

2002 A Pakistani judge convicted four Islamic militants in the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl.

2007 The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles announced it was settling clergy sex-abuse cases for $660 million.

2007 The Philadelphia Phillies lost for the 10,000th time in franchise history, a 10-2 defeat at the hands of the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.

2010 BP stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after 85 days using a 75-ton cap lowered onto the well earlier in the week.

2011 Rupert Murdoch accepted the resignation of The Wall Street Journal’s publisher, Les Hinton, and the chief of his British operations, Rebekah Brooks, as the once-defiant media mogul struggled to control an escalating phone hacking scandal.

2011 Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced they were breaking up after seven years of marriage.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actress Diane Kruger turns 36 years old today.

AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau

The Huffington Post editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington turns 62 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

1935 Alex Karras, Actor, turns 77

1936 George Voinovich, Former Ohio governor, U.S. senator, turns 76

1939 Patrick Wayne, Actor, turns 73

1944 Millie Jackson, R&B singer, turns 68

1944 Jan-Michael Vincent, Actor, turns 68

1946 Linda Ronstadt, Singer, turns 66

1948 Artimus Pyle, Rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd), turns 64

1952 Terry O’Quinn, Actor (“Lost”), turns 60

1952 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman, R-Fla., turns 60

1952 John Stallworth, Football Hall of Famer, turns 60

1956 Joe Satriani, Rock musician, turns 56

1960 Kim Alexis, Model, turns 52

1960 Willie Aames, Actor (“Eight is Enough”), turns 52

1961 Lolita Davidovich, Actress, turns 51

1961 Forest Whitaker, Actor, turns 51

1963 Brigitte Nielsen, Actress, turns 49

1968 Eddie Griffin, Actor, comedian, turns 44

1972 Scott Foley, Actor (“The Unit,” “Felicity”), turns 40

1973 Brian Austin Green, Actor (“Beverly Hills 90210”), turns 39

Historic Birthdays

Dame Iris Murdoch 7/15/1919 – 2/8/1999 British novelist and philosopher.Go to obituary »

78 Inigo Jones 7/15/1573 – 6/21/1652
English architect, painter and designer

63 Rembrandt Van Rijn 7/15/1606 – 10/4/1669
Dutch painter, draftsman and etcher

83 Clement Moore 7/15/1779 – 7/10/1863
American scholar; wrote “The Night Before Christmas”

73 Sir Henry Cole 7/15/1808 – 4/18/1882
English art patron and educator

67 Mother Cabrini 7/15/1850 – 12/22/1917
Italian-born American founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart; canonized in 1946

57 Alfred Northcliffe 7/15/1865 – 8/14/1922
English newspaper publisher

38 Jacques Riviere 7/15/1886 – 2/14/1925
French writer, critic and editor

69 Thomas Francis, Jr. 7/15/1900 – 10/1/1969
American microbiologist and epidemiologist

62 Philly Joe Jones 7/15/1923 – 8/30/1985
American jazz percussionist

1606	The painter Rembrandt was born in Leiden, Netherlands.
1870	Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.
1964	Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona was nominated for president at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco.
1971	President Richard Nixon announced he would visit the People’s Republic of China.
1979	President Jimmy Carter delivered a speech in which he lamented what he called a “crisis of confidence” in America. Though he didn’t use the word, it became known as the “malaise” speech.
1992	Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton claimed the Democratic presidential nomination at the party’s convention in New York City.
1996	MSNBC, a 24-hour all-news network, made its debut on cable TV and the Internet.
1997	Fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot to death outside his home in Miami; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan was found dead eight days later.
2002	John Walker Lindh, an American who had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to two felonies in a deal sparing him life in prison.
2002	A Pakistani judge convicted four Islamic militants in the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl.
2007	The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles announced it was settling clergy sex-abuse cases for $660 million.
2007	The Philadelphia Phillies lost for the 10,000th time in franchise history, a 10-2 defeat at the hands of the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
2010	BP stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after 85 days using a 75-ton cap lowered onto the well earlier in the week.
2011	Rupert Murdoch accepted the resignation of The Wall Street Journal’s publisher, Les Hinton, and the chief of his British operations, Rebekah Brooks, as the once-defiant media mogul struggled to control an escalating phone hacking scandal.
2011	Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced they were breaking up after seven years of marriage.

1935	Alex Karras, Actor, turns 77
1936	George Voinovich, Former Ohio governor, U.S. senator, turns 76
1939	Patrick Wayne, Actor, turns 73
1944	Millie Jackson, R&B singer, turns 68
1944	Jan-Michael Vincent, Actor, turns 68
1946	Linda Ronstadt, Singer, turns 66
1948	Artimus Pyle, Rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd), turns 64
1952	Terry O’Quinn, Actor (“Lost”), turns 60
1952	Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman, R-Fla., turns 60
1952	John Stallworth, Football Hall of Famer, turns 60
1956	Joe Satriani, Rock musician, turns 56
1960	Kim Alexis, Model, turns 52
1960	Willie Aames, Actor (“Eight is Enough”), turns 52
1961	Lolita Davidovich, Actress, turns 51
1961	Forest Whitaker, Actor, turns 51
1963	Brigitte Nielsen, Actress, turns 49
1968	Eddie Griffin, Actor, comedian, turns 44
1972	Scott Foley, Actor (“The Unit,” “Felicity”), turns 40
1973	Brian Austin Green, Actor (“Beverly Hills 90210”), turns 39

78	Inigo Jones 7/15/1573 – 6/21/1652 English architect, painter and designer
63	Rembrandt Van Rijn 7/15/1606 – 10/4/1669 Dutch painter, draftsman and etcher
83	Clement Moore 7/15/1779 – 7/10/1863 American scholar; wrote “The Night Before Christmas”
73	Sir Henry Cole 7/15/1808 – 4/18/1882 English art patron and educator
67	Mother Cabrini 7/15/1850 – 12/22/1917 Italian-born American founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart; canonized in 1946
57	Alfred Northcliffe 7/15/1865 – 8/14/1922 English newspaper publisher
38	Jacques Riviere 7/15/1886 – 2/14/1925 French writer, critic and editor
69	Thomas Francis, Jr. 7/15/1900 – 10/1/1969 American microbiologist and epidemiologist
62	Philly Joe Jones 7/15/1923 – 8/30/1985 American jazz percussionist