This Day In History : June 15

1667 France

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys does the first human blood transfusion

Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys, a French physician, performed the first fully documented human blood transfusion on June 15, 1667, in France. He successfully transfused blood from a sheep into a 15-year-old boy, marking a significant milestone in medical history.

Also on This Day in History June 15

Discover what happened on June 15 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, June 15
  • 1479 Lisa del Giocondo

    Italian model who was the subject of the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci which has become the most famous painting in the world

  • 1330 Edward, the Black Prince of England

    Country: United Kingdom

  • 1932 Einar Enevoldson

    American test pilot for NASA

  • 1805 William Butler Ogden

    American real estate investor, politician (1st Mayor of Chicago, 1837-38), railroad executive (president of Union Pacific, 1862-63), and philanthropist

  • 1890 Georg Wüst

    German Oceanographer (provided first complete understanding of the temperature, salinity and deep-current structure of the Atlantic Ocean)

Deaths on This Day, June 15
  • 2017 Aleksey Batalov

    Russian actor named a People's Artist of the USSR (1976) and a Hero of Socialist Labour (1989)

  • 1954 William Ewart Berry

    British peer and newspaper publisher (The War Illustrated, The Sunday Times)

  • 2002 Choi Hong Hi

    South Korean general and martial artist who founded Taekwondo

  • 1849 James K. Polk

    American lawyer and politician who became the 11th President of the U.S. in 1845-1849

  • 1864 Haller Nutt

    American rich Southern Plantation owner (Longwood house - largest octagonal house in the US)

2022

Microsoft retires its Internet Explorer after 25 years with Microsoft Edge taking its place.

Internet Explorer 11 has officially retired and is now out of support. As of June 15, 2022, Internet Explorer (IE) is no longer actively maintained. After more than 25 years of helping people use and experience the web, it has been replaced by Microsoft Edge.
2012

Nik Wallenda is the first person to successfully tightrope walk over Niagara Falls

On the night of June 15, 2012, daredevil Nik Wallenda famously walked into a wall of mist on a wire cable from Goat Island in Niagara Falls, New York, to Table Rock Centre on the Canadian side of the Horseshoe Falls.
1836

Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. State

Arkansas became the 25th state to join the United States on June 15, 1836. It was previously part of French Louisiana and the Louisiana Purchase. With an inaugural population of slightly more than 50,000, Arkansas entered the Union as the 13th slave state.
1934

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded in Tennessee and North Carolina

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was officially established on June 15, 1934. It spans parts of both North Carolina and Tennessee.
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