Today in history: July 15
In 1975, three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit, and more events that happened on this day in history.
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1916: Boeing
In 1916, Boeing Co., originally known as Pacific Aero Products Co., was founded in Seattle.
1975: Apollo Spaceship
In 1975, three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit.
1976: Kidnapping
In 1976, a 36-hour kidnap ordeal began for 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver as they were abducted near Chowchilla, California, by three gunmen and imprisoned in an underground cell. (The captives escaped unharmed; the kidnappers were caught.)
1985: Rock Hudson
In 1985, a visibly gaunt Rock Hudson appeared at a news conference with frequent co-star Doris Day (it was later revealed Hudson was suffering from AIDS).
1997: Gianni Versace
In 1997, fashion designer Gianni Versace (ver-SAH’-chay), 50, was shot dead outside his Miami Beach home; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan (koo-NAN’-an), 27, was found dead eight days later, a suicide. (Investigators believed Cunanan killed four other people before Versace in a cross-country rampage that began the previous March.)
2011: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony
Ten years ago: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced they were breaking up after seven years of marriage.
2011: Rupert Murdoch
Ten years ago: Rupert Murdoch accepted the resignation of The Wall Street Journal’s publisher, Les Hinton, and the chief of his British operations, Rebekah Brooks, as the once-defiant media mogul struggled to control an escalating phone hacking scandal.
2016: Donald Trump and Mike Pence
Five years ago: Donald Trump chose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, an experienced politician with deep Washington connections, as his running mate.
2018: Donald Trump
In 2018, President Donald Trump arrived in Finland for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, in an interview with CBS News, Trump named the European Union as a top adversary of the United States.
2019: James Alex Fields Jr.
In 2019, avowed white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years for killing one and injuring dozens of others when he deliberately drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
2020: Bristol Motor Speedway
One year ago: Thousands of auto racing fans gathered at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for a NASCAR All-Star race, the nation’s largest sporting event since the pandemic began; it was won by Chase Elliott.
2020: George Floyd
One year ago: George Floyd’s family filed a lawsuit against the city of Minneapolis and the four police officers charged in his death, alleging the officers violated Floyd’s rights when they restrained him and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force. (The city would agree to pay $27 million to settle the lawsuit in March 2021.)