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On This Day in History — March 15

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Highlights of March 15

1990 — Iraqi authorities hanged Iranian freelance reporter Farzad Bazoft on charges of spying for Israel. Read more
1974 — Transvestism and Transsexualism in Modern Society, the UK's first trans-rights conference, opened with an evening reception in Leeds. Read more
1960 — Students from the Atlanta University Center, inspired by similar actions in Greensboro, North Carolina, began occupying lunch counters in Atlanta, Georgia. Read more
1956 — The musical My Fair Lady, based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, debuted at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. Read more
1951 — The Iranian oil industry was nationalized in a movement led by Mohammad Mosaddegh. Read more
1943 — World War II: German forces recaptured Kharkov after four days of house-to-house fighting against Soviet troops, ending the month-long Third Battle of Kharkov. Read more
1943 — The deportation of 50,000 Jews from the Greek city of Thessaloniki began. Read more
1931 — Sing-Song Girl Red Peony (booklet pictured), one of the first sound films produced in China, was released in Shanghai. Read more
1927 — In rowing, Oxford defeated Cambridge in the inaugural edition of the Women's Boat Race. Read more
1921 — Talaat Pasha, the main perpetrator of the Armenian genocide, was assassinated by Soghomon Tehlirian. Read more
1918 — Finnish Civil War: The Battle of Tampere started, leading to the capture of approximately 11,000 Red prisoners, and turning the tide of the war in favour of the Whites. Read more
1917 — Russian Revolution: Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in the February Revolution, ending three centuries of Romanov rule. Read more
1916 — Six days after Pancho Villa and his cross-border raiders attacked Columbus, New Mexico, U.S. general John J. Pershing led a punitive expedition into Mexico to pursue him. Read more
1910 — Prospectors drilled into a pressurized deposit within the Midway-Sunset Oil Field in California, resulting in the largest accidental oil spill in history, which eventually released 9 million barrels (1.4 million m3) of crude oil over 18 months. Read more
1875 — John McCloskey, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, was created the first cardinal from the United States. Read more
1874 — France and Vietnam signed the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina. Read more
1823 — American sailor Benjamin Morrell erroneously reported the existence of New South Greenland, a phantom island, near Antarctica. Read more
1783 — George Washington delivered a speech to Continental Army officers in Newburgh, New York, asking them to support the supremacy of the Congress of the Confederation, defusing a potential coup. Read more
1311 — In the Battle of Halmyros, the Catalan Company defeated the forces of Walter V, Count of Brienne, taking control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in present-day Greece. Read more
1147 — Reconquista: Portuguese troops under King Afonso I captured the city of Santarém from the Almoravids. Read more
856 — Byzantine emperor Michael III overthrew the regency of his mother Theodora (pictured) to assume power for himself. Read more
44 BC — Julius Caesar , the dictator of the Roman Republic, was stabbed to death by a group of senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus. Read more

Events

2026 — Four members of a Palestinian family are shot dead in Tammun by the Israeli military. Read more
2022 — The 2022 Sri Lankan protests begins amidst Sri Lanka's economic collapse. Read more
2019 — Fifty-one people are killed in the Christchurch mosque shootings, which remains the deadliest terror attack in New Zealand history. Read more
2019 — Beginning of the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. Read more
2019 — Approximately 1.4 million young people in 123 countries go on strike to protest climate change. Read more
2011 — Beginning of the Syrian revolution. Read more
2008 — Stockpiles of obsolete ammunition explode at an ex-military ammunition depot in the village of Gërdec, Albania, killing 26 people. Read more
1991 — Cold War: The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany comes into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany. Read more
1990 — Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first and only President of the Soviet Union. Read more
1986 — Collapse of Hotel New World: Thirty-three people die when the Hotel New World in Singapore collapses. Read more
1978 — Somalia and Ethiopia sign a truce to end the Ethio-Somali War. Read more
1974 — Fifteen people are killed when Sterling Airways Flight 901, a Sud Aviation Caravelle, catches fire following a landing gear collapse at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran. Read more
1965 — President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to the Selma crisis, tells the U.S. Congress "We shall overcome" while advocating the Voting Rights Act. Read more
1961 — At the 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, South Africa announces that it will withdraw from the Commonwealth when the South African Constitution of 1961 comes into effect. Read more
1951 — The Iranian oil industry is nationalized. Read more
1943 — World War II: Third Battle of Kharkiv: The Germans retake the city of Kharkiv from the Soviet armies. Read more
1939 — Germany occupies Czechoslovakia. Read more
1939 — Carpatho-Ukraine declares itself an independent republic, but is annexed by Hungary the next day. Read more
1927 — The first Women's Boat Race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge takes place on The Isis in Oxford. Read more
1922 — After Egypt gains nominal independence from the United Kingdom, Fuad I becomes King of Egypt. Read more
1921 — Talaat Pasha, former Grand Vizir of the Ottoman Empire and chief architect of the Armenian genocide, is assassinated in Berlin by a 23-year-old Armenian, Soghomon Tehlirian. Read more
1919 — Ukrainian War of Independence: The Kontrrazvedka is established as the counterintelligence division of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine. Read more
1919 — The American Legion is founded. Read more
1918 — Finnish Civil War: The battle of Tampere begins. Read more
1917 — Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne, ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty. Read more
1907 — The first parliamentary elections of Finland (at the time the Grand Duchy of Finland) are held. Read more
1894 — Madeleine bombing by Désiré Pauwels during the Ère des attentats. Read more
1892 — The Lobau bombing is one of the first attacks of the Ère des attentats (1892-1894). Read more
1888 — Start of the Anglo-Tibetan War of 1888. Read more
1877 — First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia. Read more
1875 — Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States. Read more
1874 — France and Vietnam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina. Read more
1848 — A revolution breaks out in Hungary, and the Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the reform party. Read more
1823 — Sailor Benjamin Morrell erroneously reports the existence of the island of New South Greenland near Antarctica. Read more
1820 — Maine is admitted as the twenty-third U.S. state. Read more
1783 — In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful, and the threatened coup d'état never takes place. Read more
1781 — The British under Charles Cornwallis defeat American forces under Nathanael Greene in the battle of Guilford Court House. Read more
1672 — King Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, granting limited religious freedom to all Christians. Read more
1626 — A dam failure causes the sudden flooding of the mining city of Potosí in present-day Bolivia leading to the death of thousands and the massive release of toxic mercury into the environment. Read more
1564 — Mughal Emperor Akbar abolishes the jizya tax on non-Muslim subjects. Read more
1412 — Treaty of Lublowa: After the Peace of Thorn, Grand Master Heinrich von Plauen asks Sigismund of Hungary for economic aid. Sigismund agrees to mediate reduction to the third installment, demarcation of the Samogitian border, and other matters with a grand tournament. Hunts and lavish feasts were also organized. Sigismund invited, among others, polish king Wladyslaw Jagiello, Heinrich von Plauen and bosnian king Tvrtko II. There were people from 17 countries and languages - 40.000 nobles and 2000 knights were present from all over Europe, even England. Read more
1311 — Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V, Count of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece. Read more
1147 — Afonso I of Portugal captures in a surprise attack the city of Santarem from the Almoravids. Read more
933 — After a ten-year truce, German King Henry the Fowler defeats a Hungarian army at the Battle of Riade near the Unstrut river. Read more
897 — Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya enters Sa'dah and founds the Zaydi Imamate of Yemen. Read more
856 — Michael III, emperor of the Byzantine Empire, overthrows the regency of his mother, empress Theodora (wife of Theophilos) with support of the Byzantine nobility. Read more
493 — Odoacer, the first barbarian King of Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, is slain by Theoderic the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, while the two kings were feasting together. Read more
351 — Constantius Gallus is elevated as Caesar and then sent to Antioch to govern the Roman East. Read more
44 BC — The assassination of Julius Caesar, the dictator of the Roman Republic, by a group of senators takes place on the Ides of March. Read more
200 BC — The Roman Republic under its new consuls Publius Sulpicius Galba and Gaius Aurelius Cotta declares war on Philip V of Macedon, starting the Second Macedonian War. Read more
474 BC — Roman consul Aulus Manlius Vulso celebrates an ovation for concluding the war against Veii and securing a forty years' truce. Read more

Born on March 15

2005 — Rodri Mendoza, Spanish footballer Read more
2004 — Isaiah Bond, American football player Read more
2003 — Quinn Ewers, American football player Read more
2001 — Ellie Leach, English actress Read more
2000 — Kristian Kostov, Russian-Bulgarian singer-songwriter Read more
1996 — Maxwell Jacob Friedman, American professional wrestler Read more
1996 — Seonaid McIntosh, Scottish sports shooter Read more
1996 — Jinjin, South Korean singer and actor Read more
1995 — Jabari Parker, American basketball player Read more
1994 — Matt Gay, American football player Read more
1994 — Scott Seiss, American comedian Read more
1993 — Alia Bhatt, British actress Read more
1993 — Michael Fulmer, American baseball player Read more
1993 — Taylor Heinicke, American football player Read more
1993 — Aleksandra Krunić, Serbian tennis player Read more
1993 — Paul Pogba, French footballer Read more
1993 — Mark Scheifele, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1992 — Devonta Freeman, American football player Read more
1991 — Xavier Henry, American basketball player Read more
1991 — Trayce Thompson, American baseball player Read more
1990 — Nick Ahmed, American baseball player Read more
1990 — Tavon Austin, American football player Read more
1990 — JD McDonagh, Irish professional wrestler Read more
1989 — Sam Baldock, English footballer Read more
1989 — Gil Roberts, American sprinter Read more
1989 — Sandro, Brazilian footballer Read more
1989 — Adrien Silva, Portuguese footballer Read more
1989 — Caitlin Wachs, American actress Read more
1988 — Lil Dicky, American rapper, comedian, and actor Read more
1988 — Éver Guzmán, Mexican footballer Read more
1988 — James Reimer, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
1987 — Eric Decker, American football player Read more
1986 — Jai Courtney, Australian actor Read more
1986 — Jannik Hansen, Danish ice hockey player Read more
1985 — Eva Amurri, American actress Read more
1985 — Jon Jay, American baseball player and coach Read more
1985 — Kellan Lutz, American actor and model Read more
1984 — Badradine Belloumou, French-Algerian footballer Read more
1984 — Olivier Jean, Canadian speed skater Read more
1984 — Kostas Vasileiadis, Greek basketball player Read more

Died on March 15

2025 — Wings Hauser, American actor (born 1947) Read more
2025 — Nita Lowey, American politician (born 1937) Read more
2025 — Rajnikumar Pandya, Indian writer (born 1938) Read more
2022 — Barbara Maier Gustern, American vocal coach and singer (born 1935) Read more
2020 — Vittorio Gregotti, Italian architect (born 1927) Read more
2019 — Larry DiTillio, American film and TV series writer (born 1948) Read more
2016 — Sylvia Anderson, English voice actress and television and film producer (born 1927) Read more
2016 — Asa Briggs, English historian and academic (born 1921) Read more
2016 — Seru Rabeni, Fijian rugby player (born 1978) Read more
2015 — Collins Chabane, South African politician (born 1960) Read more
2015 — Robert Clatworthy, English sculptor and educator (born 1928) Read more
2015 — Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (born 1928) Read more
2015 — Curtis Gans, American political scientist and author (born 1937) Read more
2015 — Mike Porcaro, American bass player (born 1955) Read more
2014 — Scott Asheton, American drummer (born 1949) Read more
2014 — David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (born 1936) Read more
2014 — Bo Callaway, American soldier and politician, United States Secretary of the Army (born 1927) Read more
2014 — Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (born 1947) Read more
2013 — Booth Gardner, American businessman and politician, Governor of Washington (born 1936) Read more
2013 — Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player (born 1935) Read more
2013 — Leverne McDonnell, Australian actress (born 1963) Read more
2013 — Peter Worsley, English sociologist (born 1924) Read more
2012 — Mervyn Davies, Welsh rugby player (born 1946) Read more
2012 — Dave Philley, American baseball player and manager (born 1920) Read more
2011 — Nate Dogg, American rapper (born 1969) Read more
2011 — Smiley Culture, English singer and DJ (born 1963) Read more
2010 — Kazim al-Samawi, Iraqi poet (born 1925) Read more
2009 — Ron Silver, American actor, director, and producer (born 1946) Read more
2008 — Mikey Dread, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (born 1954) Read more
2008 — G. David Low, American astronaut and engineer (born 1956) Read more
2008 — Sarla Thakral, First Indian woman to earn a pilot's license. (born 1914) Read more
2007 — Charles Harrelson, American murderer (born 1938) Read more
2007 — Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (born 1927) Read more
2006 — Georgios Rallis, Greek lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (born 1918) Read more
2006 — Red Storey, Canadian football player and referee (born 1918) Read more
2005 — Otar Korkia, Georgian basketball player (born 1923) Read more
2004 — Philippe Lemaire, French actor (born 1927) Read more
2004 — Bill Pickering, New Zealand-American scientist and engineer (born 1910) Read more
2004 — John Pople, English-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1925) Read more
2003 — Thora Hird, English actress (born 1911) Read more

Holidays & observances

Ancient Roman religious observance: Ides of March; Christian feast day: Aristobulus of Britannia (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Artémides Zatti; Christian feast day: Clement Mary Hofbauer; Christian feast day: Leocritia; Christian feast day: Saint Longinus; Christian feast day: Louise de Marillac; Christian feast day: Blessed William Hart; Christian feast day: March 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Constitution Day (Belarus); International Day To Combat Islamophobia; Joseph Jenkins Roberts' Birthday (Liberia); National Day, celebrating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 (Hungary); World Consumer Rights Day (International); Youth Day (Palau)

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “March 15”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.