Summary of the Day ✨ 15 July (15/07)
France claimed their second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia as Turkish military factions attempted a coup. The same day saw tragedy with a Moscow Metro train derailment killing 24, Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 crashing in Iran killing 168, and South Korean rapper Psy releasing the viral hit “Gangnam Style.”
Historical Events 📜
- 2018: France win their second World Cup title, defeating Croatia 4–2.
- 2016: Factions of the Turkish Armed Forces attempt a coup.
- 2014: A train derails on the Moscow Metro, killing at least 24 and injuring more than 160 others.
- 2012: South Korean rapper Psy releases his hit single Gangnam Style.
- 2009: Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 crashes near Jannatabad, Qazvin, Iran, killing 168.
- 2009: Space Shuttle program: Endeavour is launched on STS-127 to complete assembly of the International Space Station’s Kibō module.
- 2006: Twitter, later one of the largest social media platforms in the world, is launched.
- 2003: AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape. The Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day.
- 2002: “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to supplying aid to the enemy and possession of explosives during the commission of a felony.
- 2002: The Anti-Terrorism Court of Pakistan sentences British born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to death, and three others suspected of murdering The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl to life.
- 1998: Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil MP S. Shanmuganathan is killed by a claymore mine.
- 1996: A Belgian Air Force C-130 Hercules carrying the Royal Netherlands Army marching band crashes on landing at Eindhoven Airport.
- 1983: An attack at Orly Airport in Paris is launched by Armenian militant organisation ASALA, leaving eight people dead and 55 injured.
- 1983: Nintendo and Sega enter the console market with the respective releases of the Famicom and SG-1000 in Japan.
- 1979: U.S. president Jimmy Carter gives his “malaise speech”.
Famous Births 👶
- 2008: Iain Armitage, American actor
- 2005: JuJu Watkins, American basketball player
- 1999: Mohamed Sobhy, Egyptian footballer
- 1998: Noah Gragson, American racing driver
- 1997: Jil Teichmann, Swiss tennis player
- 1996: Vivianne Miedema, Dutch football player
- 1993: Håvard Nielsen, Norwegian footballer
- 1993: Harrison Rhodes, American racing driver
- 1993: Masataka Yoshida, Japanese baseball player
- 1992: Tobias Harris, American basketball player
- 1992: Wayde van Niekerk, South African sprinter
- 1991: Danilo, Brazilian footballer
- 1991: Derrick Favors, American basketball player
- 1991: Evgeny Tishchenko, Russian boxer
- 1991: Nuria Párrizas Díaz, Spanish tennis player
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2021: Peter R. de Vries, Dutch investigative journalist and crime reporter (born 1956)
- 2017: Martin Landau, American film and television actor (born 1928)
- 2015: Masahiko Aoki, Japanese-American economist and academic (born 1938)
- 2015: Wan Li, Chinese politician, 4th Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China (born 1916)
- 2015: Aubrey Morris, British actor (born 1926)
- 2015: Dave Somerville, Canadian singer (born 1933)
- 2014: Óscar Acosta, Honduran author, poet, and diplomat (born 1933)
- 2014: James MacGregor Burns, American historian, political scientist, and author (born 1918)
- 2014: Edward Perl, American neuroscientist and academic (born 1926)
- 2014: Robert A. Roe, American soldier and politician (born 1924)
- 2013: Ninos Aho, Syrian-American poet and activist (born 1945)
- 2013: Henry Braden, American lawyer and politician (born 1944)
- 2013: Tom Greenwell, American lawyer and judge (born 1956)
- 2013: Earl Gros, American football player (born 1940)
- 2013: Noël Lee, Chinese-American pianist and composer (born 1924)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Abhai (Syriac Orthodox Church) - Christian feast day:
Anne-Marie Javouhey - Christian feast day:
Bernhard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden - Christian feast day:
Bonaventure - Christian feast day:
Dispersion of the Apostles (formerly by the Catholic Church) - Christian feast day:
Donald of Ogilvy - Christian feast day:
Edith of Polesworth - Christian feast day:
Edith of Wilton - Christian feast day:
Plechelm - Christian feast day:
Quriaqos and Julietta (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox) - Christian feast day:
Swithun - Christian feast day:
Vladimir the Great (Eastern Orthodox; Catholic Church) - Christian feast day:
July 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis (European Union, worldwide)
- Festival of Santa Rosalia (Palermo, Sicily)

