June 15

763 BC – Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history. 844 – Louis II is crowned as king of Italy at Rome by pope Sergius II. 923 – Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy. 1184 – The naval Battle of Fimreite is won by the Birkebeiner pretender Sverre Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson takes the Norwegian throne and King Magnus V of Norway is killed. 1215 – King John of England puts his seal to Magna Carta. 1219 – Northern Crusades: Danish victory at the Battle of Lindanise (modern-day Tallinn) establishes the Danish Duchy of Estonia. 1246 – With the death of Frederick II, Duke of Austria, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria. 1300 – The city of Bilbao is founded. 1312 – At the Battle of Rozgony, King Charles I of Hungary wins a decisive victory over the family of Palatine Amade Aba. 1389 – Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians. 1410 – In a decisive battle at Onon River, the Mongol forces of Oljei Temur were decimated by the Chinese armies of the Yongle Emperor. 1410 – Ottoman Interregnum: Süleyman Çelebi defeats his brother Musa Çelebi outside the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. 1502 – Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Martinique on his fourth voyage. 1520 – Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther in Exsurge Domine. 1607 – Virginia Colonists finished building James's Fort, to defend against Spanish and Indian attacks. 1648 – Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. 1667 – The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys. 1670 – The first stone of Fort Ricasoli is laid down in Malta. 1752 – Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity (traditional date, the exact date is unknown). 1776 – Delaware Separation Day: Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania.