June 1915

June 1, 1915 (Tuesday)

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive — German infantry occupied three large forts around Przemyśl after a Russian counterattack failed.

British destroyer HMS Mohawk struck a mine and was damaged in the English Channel with the loss of five of her crew.

British light cruiser HMS Arethusa encountered a German airship on the North Sea and quickly launched a Sopwith seaplane to intercept. However, the pilot mistook smoke from British destroyers as a recall signal and abandoned the chase, ending one of the most promising early opportunities for the interception of an airship by a shipborne aircraft.

The 107th Infantry Division of the Imperial German Army was established.

The United States Department of the Navy awarded its first contract for an airship to the Connecticut Aircraft Company.

Born: Jan Twardowski, Polish poet, known for such poetry collections as Znak Ufności ("The Sign of Trust"), in Warsaw (d. 2006); John Randolph, American actor, Tony Award-winner for Broadway Bound and various other roles, in New York City (d. 2004)

Born: Bart Howard, composer and pianist, composer of the hit "Fly Me To The Moon", in Burlington, Iowa (d. 2004); Johnny Bond, American country music singer, known for country hits such as "Divorce Me C.O.D.", "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed", and "Hot Rod Lincoln", in Enville, Oklahoma (d. 1978)

June 2, 1915 (Wednesday)

Second Battle of Artois — The French bombarded German defenses around Neuville-Saint-Vaast, France for three days before launching an attack.

Shabin-Karahisar uprising — An Armenian militia of 250 began a month-long resistance against the Ottoman Empire in response to the Armenian Genocide using a fort in the Giresun Province of Turkey.

Ceylon Governor Robert Chalmers declared martial law in the colony (now Sri Lanka) after violent unrest between Muslim and Buddhist broke out in Kandy and spread to other towns and cities.

The 83rd Infantry Division of the German Imperial Army was established.

Born: Tapio Wirkkala, Finnish product designer, designed renowned Finnish products such as the Finlandia vodka bottle and the Arabia "icicle" glassware, in Hanko, Finland (d. 1985); Jason Lee, American judge, served on the Oregon Court of Appeals from 1975 to 1980 (d. 1980); Walter Tetley, American voice actor, best known as the voice of "Sherman" in the TV cartoon Mr. Peabody, in New York City (d. 1975)

Died: George Randell, Australian politician, Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1873 to 1875 and 1880 to 1890 (b. 1830)

June 3, 1915 (Thursday)

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive — The Fourth and Seventh armies of Austria-Hungary struck the flank of the Russian Eleventh Army and drove them back to the River Dniester.

Mexican Revolution — Troops of Álvaro Obregón and Pancho Villa clashed at León, Guanajuato in Mexico. Obregón lost his right arm in a grenade attack but Villa was decisively defeated.

The first match of the New Zealand West Coast Rugby League team was held in Victoria Park, Greymouth, New Zealand against Canterbury.

Born: Jim McClelland, Australian politician, Senator for New South Wales from 1971 to 1978, in Melbourne (d. 1999)

June 4, 1915 (Friday)

Third Battle of Krithia — British, French, and Indian forces made a third and last attempt to capture Achi Baba, the main position for Ottoman defenses on the Gallipoli Peninsula but were beaten back, sustaining some 6,500 casualties. Ottoman casualties were higher, ranging between 9,000 and 10,000 men.

The fraternity Alpha Sigma Nu was founded at Marquette University as an honor society for Jesuit colleges.

Born: Modibo Keïta, Malian statesman, first President of Mali, in Bamako, French Sudan (d. 1977); Rafael Hernández Ochoa, Mexician politician, Governor of Veracruz from 1974 to 1980, in Vega de Alatorre, Veracruz, Mexico (d. 1990)

June 5, 1915 (Saturday)

Women's suffrage was introduced in Denmark and Iceland.

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive — German forces recaptured the Austro-Hungarian fortress Przemyśl from the Russians on the Eastern Front after a three-week siege.

Third Battle of Krithia — Ottoman forces counter-attacked after the Allies failed to capture Achi Baba on the Gallipoli Peninsula and drive them back to the sea. The attack nearly broke British defenses, but British officer Lieutenant George Raymond Dallas Moor managed to rally retreating troops and order them to retake a critical lost trench. The action motivated the rest of the force to stand their ground, subsequently Moore was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions.

German submarine SM U-14 was shelled and sunk in the North Sea by Royal Navy ship HMT Oceanic II with the loss of one of her 28 crew.

French destroyer Fantassin was accidentally rammed and damaged in the Ionian Sea by Mameluck. She was consequently scuttled by Fauconneau.

British submarine HMS E11 slipped past the Dardanelles again and returned to Allied water, after a successful mission that infiltrated Istanbul and the sinking of 11 ships over a three-week period. Submarine commander Martin Dunbar-Nasmith was awarded a Victoria Cross for the mission.

Died: Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, French artist and sculptor, member of the Vorticism movement, killed in battle at Neuville-Saint-Vaast (b. 1891); Bull Perrine, American baseball umpire, officiated for the American League from 1909 to 1912 (b. 1877); John C. Rice, American actor, best known for performing the first onscreen kiss with May Irwin in 1896 for the Thomas Edison film The Kiss (b. 1857)

June 6, 1915 (Sunday)

Third Battle of Krithia — British general Aylmer Hunter-Weston managed to reorganize the Allied forces into an effective defense on the coast of Gallipoli Peninsula and beat back the Ottoman defense, inflicting 3,000 casualties and forcing a stalemate.

Second Battle of Artois — The French captured the main road leading to Neuville-Saint-Vaast, France.

British carrier HMS Immingham was lost in the Mediterranean Sea.

Switzerland held a referendum on a war tax with most voters, over 450,000 (94 percent of electorate), in favor on implementing the one-off tax and over 27,000 against (about 6 percent). It was the first time a referendum has passed in every Swiss canton.

The BHP Billiton steelworks opened in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

The Icelandic sports club Þór Akureyri was established, and now encompasses teams for association football, basketball, handball and taekwondo.

Born: Derek Jakeway, British colonial administrator, architect for the independence of the Colony of Fiji (d. 1993)

June 7, 1915 (Monday)

The Dardanelles Committee met in London decided to reinforce the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force of General Sir Ian Hamilton with three divisions from Kitchener's Army in an attempt to reinvigorate the Gallipoli Campaign.

The first German Army Zeppelin airship was destroyed in air-to-air combat by British pilot Reginald Warneford of No. 1 Squadron over Ghent, Belgium. The airship crashed in Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium, killing one person on the ground and all but one of the crew. Warneford received the Victoria Cross for the action.

Died: Charles Reed Bishop, American businessman and philanthropist in Hawaii, founder of the Kamehameha Schools and First Hawaiian Bank (b. 1822); Angus M. Cannon, British-American Mormon leader, founded Callville, Nevada (b. 1834)

June 8, 1915 (Tuesday)

Born: Kayyar Kinhanna Rai, Indian poet, known for his poems and activism work for an independent India, in Kayyar, India (d. 2015); Ruth Stone, American poet, recipient of 2002 National Book Award and 2002 Wallace Stevens Award for the poetry collection In the Galaxy, in Roanoke, Virginia (d. 2011); Jaime Milans del Bosch, Spanish army officer, one of the members of the failed 1981 coup d'état in Spain, in Madrid (d. 1997)

June 9, 1915 (Wednesday)

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sent Germany the second of three letters related to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in May, rejecting Germany's argument the British blockade was illegal and that the Lusitania was carrying munitions.

U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigned over disagreement regarding his nation's handling of the RMS Lusitania sinking.

Second Battle of Garua — After nearly 10 days of siege from British and French forces, close to half of the native colonial troops under German command in forts around Garua, Kamerun (now Cameroon) began to mutiny or desert their posts.

British cruiser HMS Dublin was torpedoed and damaged in the Adriatic Sea off Albania by Austro-Hungarian submarine SM U-4 with the loss of 12 of her 440 crew. HMS Dublin was subsequently repaired and returned to service.

The Georgia Prison Commission denied an application to commute the death sentence of Leo Frank in a 2-1 vote, who was convinced in 1913 for the murder of 13-year old Mary Phagan.

Born: Les Paul, American musician, inventor of the solid body electric guitar, in Waukesha, Wisconsin (d. 2009); Henry LeTang, American choreographer, best known for Broadway work in Shuffle Along and Eubie! as well as Francis Ford Coppola's film The Cotton Club, in New York City (d. 2007)

June 10, 1915 (Thursday)

Francisco Lagos Cházaro became acting president of Mexico under convention of the Convention of Aguascalientes.

Second Battle of Garua — The remaining 249 German and native troops stationed in garrisons around Garua, Kamerun surrendered to British and French forces.

British seaplane carrier HMS Ben-my-Chree arrived at Lesbos to provide a full squadron of fighter planes and bombers for the Allied landing forces at Gallipoli.

The only Vorticist exhibition ever staged opened at the Doré Gallery in London.

The popular Italian sports magazine Hurrà Juventus was first published for players and fans of the Juventus F.C. association football club in Turin.

Born: Saul Bellow, Canadian-American writer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, in Lachine, Quebec (d. 2005); Peride Celal, Turkish writer, author of award-winning novels Üç Yirmi Dört Saat and Kurtlar, in Istanbul (d. 2013); Inia Te Wiata, New Zealand Māori opera singer, known for his performances in The Marriage of Figaro, La bohème, Billy Budd and Gloriana, in Otaki, New Zealand (d. 1971)

Died: William Hayman Cummings, English organist and singer, founder of the Purcell Society and credited for creating the melody known today for the Christmas carol "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" (b. 1831); Tom Nicol, Scottish association football player, played centre forward and fullback with the Burnley F.C., Blackburn Rovers F.C., and Southampton F.C. from 1891 to 1903 (b. 1870)

June 11, 1915 (Friday)

Second Battle of Artois — Despite the Germans inflicting major casualties, French advanced 500 metres (550 yd) on a 300-metre (330 yd) front towards Neuville-Saint-Vaast, France.

Second Battle of Garua — British and French forces formally took control of all garrisons around Garua, Kamerun.

Born: José Caballero, Spanish artist, member of the surrealism movement in Spain (d. 1991); Arnold Jacobs, American musician, tuba player for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1944 to 1988, in Philadelphia (d. 1998); Nicholas Metropolis, American physicist, leading theorist on computational algorithms including the Monte Carlo method, in Chicago (d. 1999)

Born: Buddy Baer, American boxer and actor, main challenger to Joe Louis for the world heavyweight title, brother to Max Baer, in Denver (d. 1986); Magda Gabor, Hungarian actress, eldest sister of the Gabor sisters which included Eva and Zsa Zsa, in Budapest (d. 1997)

June 12, 1915 (Saturday)

British tanker Desabla was torpedoed, shelled, and sunk in the North Sea by German submarine SM U-17.

Georgia Governor John M. Slaton opened hearings on the Leo Frank case in which he accepted both trial and new evidence, which included over 10,000 pages of documents and visits to the crime scene. When the hearing wrapped, Stanton produced a 29-page report that concluded there was sufficient new evidence not available at the original trial that cast doubt on Frank's guilt and ordered the death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.

Tennis pro Molla Mallory won the women's singles at the 1915 U.S. National Championships, beating Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman 4–6, 6–2, 6–0.

Born: David Rockefeller, American banker, chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank from 1969 to 1981, oldest living member of the Rockefeller family, in New York City; Priscilla Lane, American actress and singer, best known for lead roles in The Roaring Twenties, Saboteur, and Arsenic and Old Lace, Indianola, Iowa (d. 1995); William MacVane, American surgeon, assisted in the first open-heart surgery performed in Maine in 1959 (d. 2010)

June 13, 1915 (Sunday)

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive — The Central Powers attacked Lemberg, the Galician capital and sent the Russians into a headlong retreat.

Second Battle of Artois — French forces under command of General Victor d'Urbal launched renewed artillery bombardments and infantry assaults against the German line on the Western Front south of German-held Souchez, France.

Charge of Rokitna — A cavalry squadron of 70 men led by Rittmeister Zbigniew Dunin-Wasowicz with the 2nd Brigade, Polish Legions charged Imperial Russian Army positions at the village of Rokytne in the Austrian-Hungarian province of Bukovina (now part of the Ukraine). The charge broke through three lines of Russian trenches, but resulted in 40 casualties among the squadron including the commanding officer. The Austro-Hungarian infantry failed to capitalize on the break.

Greece held legislative elections under the Old Style calendar, with Eleftherios Venizelos and his Liberal Party winning by a landslide, gaining 187 of the 316 seats in the Greek Parliament.

Legislative elections were held in Portugal, with the Democratic Party winning 106 of the 163 seats in the House of Representatives and 45 of the 69 seats in the Senate.

General elections were held in San Marino to elect the fourth Grand and General Council.

Okaloosa County, Florida was established, with its county seat in Crestview.

Died: Nabeshima Naoyoshi, Japanese noble, 13th and final daimyō (lord) of Kashima Domain in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, Japan, first governor of the Okinawa Prefecture (b. 1844)

June 14, 1915 (Monday)

Second Battle of Artois — Despite advances by French forces on the southern flank of the front towards Souchez, France, it was discovered Germans had put up barbed in front of the entire front line, make it difficult for French soldiers to break through.

The Clallam County Courthouse was officially dedicated to replace an older courthouse in Port Angeles, Washington.

June 15, 1915 (Tuesday)

Second Battle of Artois — In what was referred to as the Second Action of Givenchy, British and Canadian forces attacked northwest of La Bassée, France and captured the front line, but were pushed back by German grenades and a shortage of ammunition.

An official inquiry led by Lord Mersey into the sinking of the RMS Lusitania began at Methodist Central Hall Westminster in Westminster, London.

French airplanes raided Baden and Karlsruhe, Germany.

Armenian Genocide — A group of 20 activists with the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party were hanged in the Sultan Beyazıt Square of Constantinople, becoming known as the The 20 Hunchakian gallows. Among those executed were Armenian leaders Paramaz, Aram Achekbashian, and Kegham Vanigian. Other Armenian leaders who were executed that same day while on route to Severek, Turkey included Harutiun Jangülian, Rupen Zartarian, Sarkis Minassian, Khachatur Malumian, and Nazaret Daghavarian.

Born: Kaiser Matanzima, South African statesman, President of the Transkei bantustan from 1979 to 1986, in Qamata, Eastern Cape, South Africa (d. 2003); Shlomo Shamir, Ukrainian-Israeli naval officer, third commander of the Israeli Navy and third commander of the Israeli Air Force, in Berdychiv, Ukraine (d. 2009); Noah Arthur William Cox-George, Sierra Leonean economist, author of Finance and Development in West Africa: The Sierra Leone Experience, in Degema, Nigeria (d. 2004)

Born: Thomas Huckle Weller, American virologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research into poliomyelitis viruses, in Ann Arbor, Michigan (d. 2008); Helen Cordero, American artist, creator of storyteller pottery, in Cochiti, New Mexico (d. 1994)

Died: Eugène Jansson, Swedish painter, known for his night-time landscapes being painted predominantly in blue (b. 1862)

June 16, 1915 (Wednesday)

The British Women's Institute was founded.

Second Battle of Artois — French soldiers pushed towards Vimy Ridge but were held up as many German defense positions survived bombardment. British and Canadian forces launched a second attack north of La Bassée, France and a new attack on Bellewaarde, France, but failed to reach both objectives.

Bussa rebellion — A revolt broke out in the town of Bussa, Nigeria following British Northern Nigeria Protectorate's decision to replace the Emir of Bussa with a bayt al-mal (native administration). The colonial capital received word that 600 rebels led by a local prince had attacked and killed half of the members of bayt al-mal and occupied the town. Despite a shortage of British colonial troops, the revolt was suppressed quickly with minimal casualties.

The association football club Esporte Clube Lemense was founded in Leme, São Paulo, Brazil. The club was dissolved and revived twice in its history, first in 1967 and again in 2005 where it changed to its present name Clube Atlético Lemense.

Born: Mariano Rumor, Italian politician, Prime Minister of Italy from 1968 to 1970 and 1973 to 1974, in Vicenza, Italy (d. 1990); Raymond A. Curfman, American football coach, head coach of New Mexico State Aggies football team from 1946 to 1947 and Idaho Vandals football team for University of Idaho from 1951 to 1953 (d. 1993)

Died: Nathaniel Barnaby, British ship engineer, Director of Naval Construction 1872 to 1885 (b. 1829); Scotty Davidson, Canadian hockey player, played right wing for the Toronto Blueshirts in 1912 to 1914, helped Toronto win its first Stanley Cup, killed in France (b. 1892); John Graham, Jr., British golfer, three-time top finisher in The Open Championship, killed in France (b. 1877)

June 17, 1915 (Thursday)

Second Battle of Artois — French forces launched a second attack on Vimy Ridge but failed to take it.

British pilot Reginald Warneford died along with American journalist Henry Beach Newman after crashing a new Farman biplane during takeoff from Buc, France, just shortly after a ceremony in Paris in which he received the French Légion d'honneur for shooting down a German airship.

Former U.S. President William Howard Taft became president of the League to Enforce Peace when it was established during a peace convention at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Other founding members of the organization included Elihu Root, Alexander Graham Bell, Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise, U.S. Chamber of Commerce executives James Gibbons and Edward Filene, Harvard University President Abbott Lawrence Lowell, and former U.S. Cabinet member and diplomat Oscar S. Straus.

The baseball stadium Bosse Field officially opened in Evansville, Indiana, the first municipally-owned stadium in the United States. It is the third oldest operating ballpark after Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.

Born: Mario Echandi Jiménez, President of Costa Rica from 1958 to 1962, in San José, Costa Rica (d. 2011); Karl Targownik, Hungarian-American psychiatrist, top specialist with the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, Holocaust survivor of the Dachau concentration camp, in Budapest (d. 1996); Bernard Lander, American academic, founder and first president of Touro College (d. 2010)

Born: Walter J. Zable, American businessman, founder and CEO of Cubic Corporation, in Los Angeles (d. 2012); Gunther Gerzso, Mexican abstract painter, most known for his award-winning set design work in Mexican cinema including the Luis Buñuel films Susana, A Woman Without Love and El rio y la muerte, in Mexico City. (d. 2000); David "Stringbean" Akeman, American country musician, member of band for the TV variety show Hee Haw and a member of the Grand Ole Opry, in Annville, Kentucky (d. 1973)

June 18, 1915 (Friday)

Second Battle of Artois — The Allies halted the main offensive after repeated failures to break through the German line on the Western Front. Despite the French advancing about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) towards Vimy Ridge on an 8-kilometre (5.0 mi) front, it was to the cost of over 2 million in expended shells and loss of 102,500 casualties. The British suffered 27,809 casualties while the Germans lost 73,072 casualties.

An official inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Lusitania wrapped after three days of interviews, including 35 testimonies from survivors. During closed sessions, the First Lord of the Admiralty tried to lay blame on Captain William Thomas Turner for being negligent in protecting the ship. However, testimony from surviving ship officers confirmed Turner had considered all risks of submarine attacks prior to and during the voyage. Lord Mersey, who headed the inquiry, concluded Captain Turner "exercised his judgment for the best" and that the blame for the disaster "must rest solely with those who plotted and with those who committed the crime".

Four-time U.S. Amateur golfing champion Jerome Travers captured his only U.S. Open title at the 1915 U.S. Open, one stroke ahead of runner-up Tom McNamara.

The Motion Picture Directors Association (MPDA) was formed by 26 film directors in Los Angeles.

Born: Red Adair, American firefighter, notable innovator in extinguishing oil well fires and blowouts, noted battles included the infamous "Devil's Cigarette Lighter" oil well fire in Algeria in 1962 and the 1991 Kuwait oil fires, in Houston (d. 2004); Alice T. Schafer, American mathematician, founding member of the Association for Women in Mathematics, in Richmond, Virginia (d. 2009)

June 19, 1915 (Saturday)

A royal decree from Denmark allowed Iceland, still a Danish colony, to get its own flag.

Born: Pat Buttram, American actor, best known for the role of Mr. Haney in the TV series Green Acres, in Addison, Alabama (d. 1994)

Died: Benjamin F. Isherwood, American naval officer, rear admiral and Engineer-in-Chief of the United States Navy, co-founder of the Bureau of Steam Engineering (b. 1822); Sergei Taneyev, Russian pianist and composer, best known for his opera Oresteia (b. 1856)

June 20, 1915 (Sunday)

The town of South Omaha, Nebraska was annexed by the larger city of Omaha, adding 40,000 residents to the city's population.

Born: Terence Young, British film director, directed the James Bond films Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Thunderball, in Shanghai (d. 1994)

June 21, 1915 (Monday)

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive — Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholaevitch ordered Russian forces to abandon Galicia.

Gallipoli Campaign — French artillery bombarded Ottoman 2nd Division holding Kereves Spur (Kervizdere), causing 6,000 casualties. French attacked and captured part of the crest but didn't break through to capture the second part until nine days later, at a cost of 2,500 casualties.

Battle of Bukoba — British colonial forces from Kisumu in British East Africa raided Bukoba, German East Africa in an attempt to destroy its wireless station.

Georgia Governor John M. Slaton released a 29-page report on the hearing of Leo Frank where he concluded there was sufficient new evidence not available at the original trial that cast doubt on Frank's guilt on the murder of Mary Phagan and ordered the death sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment.

Guinn v. United States was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, ruling grandfather clause exemptions to literacy tests for voters to be unconstitutional. The rule improved voting enfranchisement among black voters.

Died: Addai Scher, Turkish clergy, archbishop for the Chaldean Catholic Church in Siirt, killed in the Assyrian genocide (b. 1867)

June 22, 1915 (Tuesday)

Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive — German and Austro-Hungarian forces captured Lemberg, effectively ending the offensive as most of Galacia was now back under control of the Central Powers. The Central Powers sustained between 87,000 and 90,000 casualties while Russia sustained eight times that, including 250,000 soldiers taken prisoner.

BMT Sea Beach Line opened as a New York City Subway line and AB Standard cars entered service. The Kings Highway, Prospect Avenue and Union Street and 86th Street subway stations also opened the same day.

Died: Ferenc Békássy, Hungarian poet, known for his poetry collection Adriatica and other poems published posthumously, killed in action at Bukovina, Galicia (now Ukraine) (b. 1893)

June 23, 1915 (Wednesday)

First Battle of the Isonzo — Italy launched its first major military campaign in World War One with an army of 225,000 under command of Luigi Cadorna attacking Austro-Hungarian defense positions above the Isonzo River (now Soča) in the Alps.

Battle of Bukoba — British colonial troops captured the German fort in Bukoba, German East Africa and destroyed the wireless station.

Two magnitude 6.3 earthquakes struck within an hour of each other in the Imperial Valley, California. Six deaths were reported in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and damage costs were estimated at $900,000.

The Royal Flying Corps decreed all aircraft with covered fuselages were to use the tricolor roundel, previously used on just the wings, on fuselage sides.

Born: João Batista Vilanova Artigas, Brazilian architect, one of the founders of Paulista School, in Curitiba, Brazil (d. 1985); Jens Bolling, Norwegian actor and theatrical director, one of the founders of Studioteatret, in Levanger, Norway (d. 1992)

Born: Aaron Robinson, American baseball player, catcher for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox from 1943 to 1951, in Lancaster, South Carolina (d. 1966); Anna Andreyeva, Russian athlete, four-time gold medalist in shotput at the 1950 European Athletics Championships and first woman to throw more than 15 metres, in Penza, Russia (d. 1997)

June 24, 1915 (Thursday)

The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library was dedicated on Commencement Day at Harvard University, in memory of Harvard graduate and book collector Harry Elkins Widener, who died during the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912.

Born: Fred Hoyle, British astronomer, leading theorist on stellar nucleosynthesis and the rejection of the Big Bang theory, in Gilstead, England (d. 2001); Anthony Giordano, American gangster, boss of the St. Louis crime family, in St. Louis (d. 1980)

June 25, 1915 (Friday)

Juan Luis Sanfuentes won the presidential election in Chile by a single vote - 174-174 - over his rival Javier Ángel Figueroa. However, allegations of fraud and electoral intervention forced the National Congress of Chile to confirm the result, leading to a more decisive decision with 77 votes for Sanfuentes and 41 for Figueroa.

Malay rebel leader Tok Janggut and an army Malay warriors attempted a siege on the Malaysian territory of Pasir Puteh in Kelantan, Malaysia after proclaiming it to be independent from British colonial rule. The siege ended in a battle with colonial forces where Janggut was killed, effectively ended the rebellion.

Born: Peter Lind Hayes, American entertainer, best known for his 1950s TV variety shows including Star of the Family in San Francisco (d. 1998); Whipper Billy Watson, Canadian professional wrestler, heavyweight world champion in 1942 and 1956, in East York, Ontario (d. 1990)

Died: John James Clark, Australian architect, best known for designing major landmarks in Melbourne including the Old Treasury Building and Melbourne City Baths (b. 1838); Rafael Joseffy, Hungarian-American pianist and composer, best known for his performances with the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra (b. 1852); Frederick Manson Bailey, Australian botanist, leading discoverer plant species in Queensland, Australia (b. 1827)

June 26, 1915 (Saturday)

Georgia Governor John M. Slaton and his wife Sarah Frances Grant left the state under security of the U.S. National Guard after a mob of people angered by his decision to commute Leo Frank's sentence to life imprisonment threatened them at their home in Atlanta.

Armenian Genocide — Rafael de Nogales Méndez, a Venezuelan serving with the Ottoman Empire, met with Mehmed Reshid, Governor of the Diyarbekir province, and learned the governor had received telegraphs directly from Interior Minister Talaat Pasha with orders to "Burn-Destroy-Kill" all Armenians in the area.

By drawing 4.8 (32) each with Port Adelaide, South Adelaide ended the Magpies’ run of 29 consecutive victories, including one against Carlton and one against a combined team from the other six SAFL clubs.

The Saturday Evening Post began publishing P. G. Wodehouse's serialized novel Something Fresh, introducing the character Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle.

Born: Paul Castellano, American gangster, head of the Gambino crime family from 1976 to 1984, in New York City (d. 1985); Charlotte Zolotow, American children's author, editor and publisher, author and illustrator of more than 70 children's titles, editor and publisher of Harper & Row (now HarperCollins), in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 2013); Willard Brown, American baseball player, outfielder for the Kansas City Monarchs and the St. Louis Browns from 1936 to 1950, in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 1996)

June 27, 1915 (Sunday)

Born: Grace Lee Boggs, American author and social activist, author of The Invading Socialist Society and The Next American Revolution, in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 2015); John Alexander Moore, American biologist, leading zoology professor at University of California, Riverside, author of Principles of Zoology, in Charles Town, West Virginia (d. 2002)

June 28, 1915 (Monday)

British cargo ship Armenian was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German ship SM U-24 with the loss of 29 crew. Survivors were rescued by a Belgian cargo ship.

Battle of Gully Ravine — British forces attacked and captured key defense positions from the Ottoman Empire in Gallipoli that advanced the left flank of the British line closest to the Aegean Sea.

Rapid snow melt in the Rockies and heavy rain caused the North Saskatchewan River to overflow in Alberta. River levels in Edmonton were reported to be rising over 10 feet. In the order to prevent the Low Level Bridge — the only available crossing over the river at the time — from being broken apart by river debris, Canadian Northern Railway parked several train cars on the bridge to bolster its weight. Some housing and several lumber mills in the river valley were swept away by the flooding.

Born: David "Honeyboy" Edwards, American blues musician, inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame, in Shaw, Mississippi (d. 2011); James Francis Carney, Canadian clergy, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 1964 to 1990, in Vancouver (d. 1990); Henry Adler, American drumming musician, instructor to Buddy Rich, in New York City (d. 2008)

Died: Victor Trumper, Australian cricketer, champions batsman for the New South Wales cricket team from 1894 to 1914 (b. 1877)

June 29, 1915 (Tuesday)

Battle of Ngaundere — British colonial forces captured the German-held town of Ngaoundéré, Kamerun (now Cameroon) during the Kamerun Campaign.

The association football club ABC Futebol Clube was established in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil and remains the oldest active club in the Brazilian state.

The association football Serrano Football Club was formed Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.

Born: Dizzy Trout, American baseball player, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers from 1939 to 1952, in Sandcut, Indiana (d. 1972)

Died: Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa, Irish-American Fenian leader, advocate for Irish independence through the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood (b. 1831)

June 30, 1915 (Wednesday)

Shabin-Karahisar uprising — Out of ammunition, the remaining men of the Armenian militia in the Giresun Province of Turkey engaged Ottoman troops in hand-to-hand combat. Ottoman soldiers defeated the militia and entered the fort the resistance had holed up in to massacre Armenian women, children and elderly inside.

British destroyer HMS Lightning struck a mine in the Thames Estuary of England. She broke in two, the bow section sinking with the loss of fifteen of her crew. The stern section was towed to Sheerness, Kent where it was later scrapped.

French commander Henri Gouraud was wounded at Gallipoli and replaced by his divisional commander, Maurice Bailloud.

Born: Gardner Ackley, American economist, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers from 1964 to 1968, author of Macroeconomic Theory, in Indianapolis (d. 1998); Harry Weese, American architect, designer of the Washington Metro, in Evanston, Illinois (d. 1998)

Born: Alvin Radkowsky, American physicist, leading researcher into the practical use of nuclear energy, in Elizabeth, New Jersey (d. 2002); Robert E. Hopkins, American physicist, considered the "father of optical engineering", in Belmont, Massachusetts (d. 2009)