On This Day:
Monday July 15, 2013

This is the 196th day of the year, with 169 days remaining in 2013.

Fact of the Day: Master Charge credit card

The first MasterCharge (renamed to MasterCard in 1979) credit cards were issued in 1967.

Holidays

Feast day of St. Swithin, St. Athanasius of Naples, St. Bonaventure, St. Donald, St. Edith of Polesworth, St. Barhadbesaba, St. David of Munktorp, St. Vladimir of Kiev, and St. Pompilio Pirrotti.

Events

1795 - The "La Marseillaise," written by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792, was officially adopted as the French national anthem.
1806 - Zebulon Pike set off with an expedition to explore the American Southwest.
1870 - Georgia became the last Confederate state readmitted to the Union. 
1870 - Manitoba, a province, and the Northwest Territories, a legislative assembly, entered the confederation of Canada.
1904 - The first Buddhist temple in the United States was established in Los Angeles, California.
1916 - The Boeing Company, originally Pacific Aero Products, was founded in Seattle. 
1918 - The Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.
1965 - The American space probe Mariner 4 sent first photos of Mars and made its closest approach to the planet, 9,486 km.
2003 - AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape Communications Corporation - the Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day.
2004 - The Las Vegas Monorail begins service.
2006 - Mogadishu International Airport in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu reopens after an eleven-year closure.

Births

1606 - Rembrandt (van Rijn), Dutch painter.
1779 - Clement Moore, American poet, author of "T'was the Night Before Christmas."
1796 - Thomas Bulfinch, American historian and mythologist.
1850 - Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, first American saint.
1946 - Linda Ronstadt, American singer.
1951 - Jesse Ventura, professional wrestler and former Governor of Minnesota.
1956 - Marky Ramone (born Marc Bell), American drummer.
1961 - Forest Whitaker, American actor.

Deaths

1883 - General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), U.S. circus midget, showman.
1929 - Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Austrian dramatist and poet.
1948 - John J. Pershing, officer in the U.S. Army.
1979 - Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, President of Mexico from 1964 to 1970.
1997 - Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer.