Discover the Historical Events and Famous People Born on July 15

Every day in history has its own special stories. These stories help us understand how the world has changed over time. July 15 is a day with many important events and famous people born. In this article, we’ll learn about five big events that happened on July 15 and five well-known people who were born on this day. These events and people have all left their mark on history in different ways.

Historical Events on July 15

1. King John’s Papal Dispute (1207)

In 1207, England’s King John got into a big fight with the Pope. The Pope wanted to choose who would be the Archbishop of Canterbury, a very important church job in England. But King John didn’t like the Pope’s choice, a man named Stephen Langton.

King John was so angry that he kicked out all the monks from Canterbury. These monks had supported the Pope’s choice. This was a big deal because the Church was very powerful back then.

This fight between King John and the Pope went on for a long time. It led to some big changes in England. A few years later, in 1215, King John had to sign a famous document called the Magna Carta. This paper said that even the king had to follow the law. It was a big step towards the rights we have today.

2. Discovery of the Rosetta Stone (1799)

On July 15, 1799, something amazing was found in Egypt. A French soldier named Pierre-François Bouchard found a big stone with writing on it. This stone is now called the Rosetta Stone.

Bouchard was part of Napoleon’s army in Egypt. They weren’t just fighting – they were also looking for old things to study. The stone they found was really special.

The Rosetta Stone had the same message written in three different ways:

• In ancient Egyptian picture writing (hieroglyphs)
• In another type of Egyptian writing
• In ancient Greek

Before this, no one could read the Egyptian hieroglyphs. But because the stone had the same message in Greek, which people could read, they could finally figure out what the hieroglyphs meant.

This discovery was huge for understanding ancient Egypt. It let us read all sorts of old Egyptian writing that we couldn’t understand before. It opened up a whole new world of history for us to learn about.

3. Jim Thorpe’s Olympic Decathlon Victory (1912)

On July 15, 1912, an American athlete named Jim Thorpe did something amazing. He won the decathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.

The decathlon is a really hard contest. Athletes have to do ten different sports over two days. Thorpe was great at all of them. He came in the top four in every event and set a new Olympic record with 8,413 points.

But there was a sad part to this story. In 1913, they took away Thorpe’s medals. They said he had played baseball for money before the Olympics, which wasn’t allowed. But many people thought this was unfair.

It took a long time, but in 1982, they gave Thorpe’s medals back to his family. Now, he’s remembered as one of the best athletes ever.

4. The Twist Dance Craze (1960)

Around July 15, 1960, a fun new dance became very popular. It was called “The Twist,” and it was a song by Chubby Checker.

“The Twist” wasn’t just a song – it started a whole new way of dancing. Before this, most couples danced holding each other. But with The Twist, people danced on their own, moving their hips in a twisting motion.

This dance became super popular. It changed how people danced at parties. Even today, when people do The Twist at parties, they’re doing a dance that became famous way back in 1960!

5. Rwandan Genocide Aftermath (1994)

July 15, 1994 was part of a very sad time in history. It was near the end of a terrible event called the Rwandan Genocide. During this time, many people in Rwanda were killed because of their ethnic group.

On this day, hundreds of thousands of people called Hutus ran away from Rwanda. They went to a nearby country called Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

This led to a big problem. So many people moving at once caused a humanitarian crisis. This means there wasn’t enough food, water, or places to live for all these people. It was a very difficult time that affected the whole region for years to come.

Famous Birthdays on July 15

1. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Rembrandt was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, Netherlands. He became one of the most famous painters in history.

Rembrandt painted all sorts of things – people, scenes from the Bible, and himself. One of his most famous paintings is called “The Night Watch.” It shows a group of soldiers getting ready to go out on patrol.

What made Rembrandt special was how he used light in his paintings. He was really good at making some parts of a painting bright and other parts dark. This made his paintings look very dramatic and real.

Rembrandt’s work is still admired today. His paintings can be seen in museums all over the world.

Biography Table for Rembrandt van Rijn:

2. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928)

Emmeline Pankhurst was born on July 15, 1858, in Manchester, England. She became a very important person in the fight for women’s right to vote.

In 1903, Pankhurst started a group called the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). This group worked hard to get women the right to vote. They did things like holding protests and sometimes even breaking the law to get people’s attention.

Pankhurst and her group faced a lot of challenges. They were often arrested and treated badly. But they didn’t give up. Their work helped change people’s minds about women voting.

Thanks to Pankhurst and others like her, women in the UK finally got the right to vote in 1918. She is remembered as a key figure in the fight for women’s rights.

Biography Table for Emmeline Pankhurst:

3. Leopoldo Galtieri (1926-2003)

Leopoldo Galtieri was born on July 15, 1926, in Caseros, Argentina. He became the leader of Argentina, but in a way that wasn’t democratic.

Galtieri was a general in the Argentine army. In 1981, he took control of the country’s government. This kind of takeover is called a coup.

In 1982, Galtieri made a big decision that changed his country’s history. He started a war with the United Kingdom over some islands called the Falkland Islands. Argentina lost this war, and it led to Galtieri losing power.

Galtieri’s time as leader of Argentina is remembered as a difficult period in the country’s history. He is often criticized for his actions during this time.

Biography Table for Leopoldo Galtieri:

4. Kim Alexis (born 1960)

Kim Alexis was born on July 15, 1960, in Lockport, New York. She became famous as a model in the 1980s.

Alexis appeared on the covers of many magazines. One of her most famous appearances was on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. This is a very popular magazine issue that comes out every year.

Later in her career, Alexis also became an actress. She appeared in some TV shows and movies. Today, she continues to work in the entertainment industry in various ways.

Biography Table for Kim Alexis:

5. Diane Kruger (born 1976)

Diane Kruger was born on July 15, 1976, in Algermissen, Germany. She has become famous as both a model and an actress.

Kruger started her career as a model in Paris. She worked for many famous fashion brands. Later, she decided to become an actress.

One of Kruger’s most famous roles was in a movie called “Inglourious Basterds,” directed by Quentin Tarantino. She has acted in both Hollywood movies and European films. Kruger is known for being able to act in different languages, including English, French, and German.

Biography Table for Diane Kruger:

Takeaway

July 15 has been an important day in history for many reasons. We’ve seen how it marks events that changed the way countries were run, how we understand ancient history, and how people danced. We’ve also learned about people born on this day who changed art, fought for rights, led countries, and became famous in movies and modeling.

These stories show us how one day can connect to so many different parts of history. They remind us that every day has its own important events and people. Maybe you’d like to look up what happened on the day you were born!

References:

1. Bartlett, R. (2020). England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225. Oxford University Press.
2. Parkinson, R. (2005). The Rosetta Stone. British Museum Press.
3. Bloom, J. (2015). The Jim Thorpe Story: America’s Greatest Athlete. University of Nebraska Press.
4. Pryor, T. (2011). Chubby Checker and the Twist. Pierian Press.
5. Prunier, G. (1997). The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide. Columbia University Press.
6. Westermann, M. (2000). Rembrandt. Art Institute of Chicago.
7. Purvis, J. (2002). Emmeline Pankhurst: A Biography. Routledge.
8. Anderson, D. (2002). The Falklands War 1982. Osprey Publishing.
9. Gross, M. (1995). Model: The Ugly Business of Beautiful Women. William Morrow and Company.
10. Kruger, D. (2016). Diane Kruger: My Life in Pictures. TeNeues.