On This Day in History — May 15

Highlights of May 15

• 2024 — Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is hospitalised after an assassination attempt. Read more
• 2010 — Three days before her seventeenth birthday, Jessica Watson arrived in Sydney after sailing non-stop and unassisted around the world. Read more
• 2004 — Arsenal became the first football team in England's top flight to finish a season undefeated since Preston North End did so in 1888–1889. Read more
• 2001 — A runaway train loaded with hazardous chemicals traveled driverless for 66 miles (106 km) through Ohio before being stopped near Kenton. Read more
• 1990 — Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet was sold at auction at Christie's in New York for US$82.5 million, making it the world's most expensive painting at the time. Read more
• 1972 — The Ryukyu Islands were returned to Japan by the United States, and the U.S. occupation government was abolished. Read more
• 1970 — Police opened fire during a confrontation with a group of Jackson State College students, killing two students and injuring twelve others. Read more
• 1966 — Disapproving of General Tôn Thất Đính's handling of the Buddhist Uprising, South Vietnamese prime minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ ordered an attack on his forces and ousted Đính from his post. Read more
• 1957 — The United Kingdom tested its first hydrogen bomb over Malden Island in Operation Grapple. Read more
• 1953 — Don Murphy organized the first pinewood derby, an event for Cub Scouts of the Boy Scouts of America where wooden cars built by the scouts are raced. Read more
• 1945 — The British Army directed fleeing Croatian soldiers to surrender to the Yugoslav Partisans, beginning the Bleiburg repatriations. Read more
• 1928 — Mickey and Minnie Mouse made their film debuts in the animated cartoon Plane Crazy. Read more
• 1916 — Jesse Washington, a teenage African-American farmhand, was lynched in Waco, Texas. Read more
• 1912 — During a match, baseball star Ty Cobb enters the stands and assaults a fan who had heckled him, leading to his suspension. Read more
• 1911 — Mexican Revolution: A force of Maderistas captured Torreón and proceeded to massacre 303 of the city's Chinese residents. Read more
• 1904 — Russo-Japanese War: The Japanese battleships Hatsuse and Yashima sank after striking several mines off Port Arthur, China. Read more
• 1891 — Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum novarum, which addressed the condition of the working classes and is considered to be the foundation of modern Catholic social teaching. Read more
• 1869 — Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, breaking away from the American Equal Rights Association which they had also previously founded. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: A small Confederate force, which included cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, forced the Union army out of the Shenandoah Valley. Read more
• 1862 — Fertilisation of Orchids, the first book by Charles Darwin which demonstrated the power of natural selection in detail, was published. Read more
• 1855 — Thieves stole 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold from a train travelling from London to Folkestone, England. Read more
• 1836 — English astronomer Francis Baily observed Baily's beads (example pictured), a phenomenon during a solar eclipse in which the rugged topography of the lunar limb allows sunlight to shine through. Read more
• 1725 — Bach led the first performance of his cantata Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Read more
• 1602 — Early English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold arrived on Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts. Read more
• 1252 — Pope Innocent IV issued the papal bull Ad extirpanda, authorizing the use of torture on heretics during the Medieval Inquisition. Read more
• 392 — Roman emperor Valentinian II (pictured) was found hanged in his residence in Vienne, in present-day France. Read more

Events

• 2024 — Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and critically injured while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová. Read more
• 2013 — An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days. Read more
• 2010 — Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo. Read more
• 2008 — California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state's own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional. Read more
• 2004 — Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C. with the right to claim the title "The Invincibles". Read more
• 2001 — A CSX EMD SD40-2 8888 rolls out of a train yard in Walbridge, Ohio, with 47 freight cars, including some tank cars with flammable chemical, after its engineer fails to reboard it after setting a yard switch. It travels south driverless for 66 miles (106 km) until it is brought to a halt near Kenton. The incident became the inspiration for the 2010 film Unstoppable. Read more
• 1997 — The United States government acknowledges the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans. Read more
• 1997 — The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir. Read more
• 1991 — Édith Cresson becomes France's first female Prime Minister. Read more
• 1988 — Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan. Read more
• 1976 — Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashes near Viktorivka, Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, killing 52. Read more
• 1974 — Ma'alot massacre: Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack and take hostages at an Israeli school; a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren. Read more
• 1972 — The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since their conquest in 1945, revert to Japanese control. Read more
• 1970 — President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals. Read more
• 1963 — Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut Gordon Cooper on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone. Read more
• 1957 — At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple. Read more
• 1948 — Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia invade Israel, thus starting the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Read more
• 1945 — World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe, is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia. Read more
• 1943 — Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International). Read more
• 1942 — World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law. Read more
• 1941 — First flight of the Gloster E.28/39, the first British and Allied jet aircraft. Read more
• 1940 — USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus. Read more
• 1940 — World War II: The Battle of the Netherlands: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation. Read more
• 1940 — Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant. Read more
• 1934 — A self coup by prime minister Kārlis Ulmanis succeeds in Latvia, suspending its constitution and dissolving its Saeima. Read more
• 1933 — All military aviation organizations within or under the control of the RLM of Germany are officially merged in a covert manner to form its Wehrmacht military's air arm, the Luftwaffe. Read more
• 1932 — In an attempted coup d'état, the Prime Minister of Japan, Inukai Tsuyoshi, is assassinated. Read more
• 1929 — A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123. Read more
• 1919 — The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job. Read more
• 1919 — Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades. Read more
• 1918 — The Finnish Civil War ends when the Whites take over Fort Ino, a Russian coastal artillery base on the Karelian Isthmus, from Russian troops. Read more
• 1916 — A seventeen-year-old farmworker, Jesse Washington, is lynched in Waco, Texas, USA, after being convicted of rape and murder. Read more
• 1911 — In Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States, the United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable" monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be broken up. Read more
• 1911 — More than 300 Chinese immigrants are killed in the Torreón massacre when the forces of the Mexican Revolution led by Emilio Madero take the city of Torreón from the Federales. Read more
• 1891 — Pope Leo XIII defends workers' rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia: Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley. Read more
• 1851 — The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier. Read more
• 1850 — The Arana–Southern Treaty is ratified, ending "the existing differences" between Great Britain and Argentina. Read more
• 1849 — The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished. Read more
• 1836 — Francis Baily observes "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse. Read more
• 1791 — French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance. Read more
• 1725 — Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Read more
• 1648 — The Peace of Münster is ratified, by which Spain acknowledges Dutch sovereignty. Read more
• 1602 — Cape Cod is sighted by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold. Read more
• 1571 — Venice, Spain, Naples, the Papal States, and other Italian states establish the Holy League to fight the Ottomans, resulting in the victory at Lepanto later that year. Read more
• 1567 — The wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Earl of Bothwell, the chief instigator of the murder of her previous husband Lord Darnley, takes place. Read more
• 1536 — Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest; she is condemned to death by a specially-selected jury. Read more
• 1532 — The English church submits to the king of England in passing a convocation in which it surrenders a number of rights, such as to make provincial ecclesiastic laws independently of the king. Read more
• 1525 — Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer are defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants' War in the Holy Roman Empire. Read more
• 1252 — Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition. Read more
• 1194 — Michael the Syrian reconsecrates the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery, which he reconstructed after its destruction by a fire. The monastery stays a center of the Syriac Orthodox Church until the end of the thirteenth century. Read more
• 908 — Constantine VII is crowned Byzantine co-emperor. Read more
• 756 — Abd al-Rahman I, the founder of the Arab dynasty that ruled the greater part of Iberia for nearly three centuries, becomes emir of Cordova, Spain. Read more
• 589 — King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility. Read more
• 392 — Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne. Read more
• 221 — Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. Read more

Born on May 15

• 2006 — Haerin, Korean singer Read more
• 2002 — Chase Hudson, American internet celebrity, singer, actor Read more
• 2000 — Dayana Yastremska, Ukrainian tennis player Read more
• 1999 — Anastasia Gasanova, Russian tennis player Read more
• 1998 — Lucrezia Stefanini, Italian tennis player Read more
• 1997 — Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer Read more
• 1997 — Scott Drinkwater, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1996 — Birdy, English singer-songwriter Read more
• 1993 — Jeremy Hawkins, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1993 — Tomáš Kalas, Czech international footballer Read more
• 1990 — Jordan Eberle, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1990 — Lee Jong-hyun, Korean guitarist Read more
• 1990 — Stella Maxwell, New Zealand model Read more
• 1989 — Susan Soonkyu Lee, Korean-American singer and entertainer Read more
• 1989 — Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, French footballer Read more
• 1988 — Indrek Kajupank, Estonian basketball player Read more
• 1988 — Scott Laird, English footballer Read more
• 1987 — David Adams, American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Michael Brantley, American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Brian Dozier, American baseball player Read more
• 1987 — Mark Fayne, American ice hockey player Read more
• 1987 — Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player Read more
• 1987 — Leonardo Mayer, Argentinian tennis player Read more
• 1987 — Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player Read more
• 1986 — Thomas Brown, American football player Read more
• 1986 — Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer Read more
• 1986 — Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1985 — Cristiane, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1985 — Tania Cagnotto, Italian diver Read more
• 1985 — Laura Harvey, English football coach Read more
• 1985 — Tathagata Mukherjee, Indian actor Read more
• 1985 — Denis Onyango, Ugandan football goalkeeper Read more
• 1985 — Justine Robbeson, South African javelin thrower Read more
• 1984 — Jeff Deslauriers, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1984 — Sérgio Jimenez, Brazilian race car driver Read more
• 1984 — Samantha Noble, Australian actress Read more
• 1984 — Beau Scott, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1984 — Mr Probz, Dutch singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer Read more
• 1982 — Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter Read more
• 1982 — Segundo Castillo, Ecuadorian footballer Read more

Died on May 15

• 2025 — Robert Walls, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (born 1950) Read more
• 2024 — Kamla Beniwal, Indian politician (born 1927) Read more
• 2022 — Frank Curry, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950) Read more
• 2022 — Kay Mellor, English actress (born 1951) Read more
• 2021 — Oliver Gillie, British journalist and scientist (born 1937) Read more
• 2020 — Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (born 1933) Read more
• 2017 — Herbert R. Axelrod American tropical fish expert, publisher of pet books, and entrepreneur (born 1927) Read more
• 2016 — Jelesko Grancharoff, Bulgarian-Australian resistance fighter and anarchist (born 1925) Read more
• 2015 — Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (born 1914) Read more
• 2015 — Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (born 1945) Read more
• 2015 — Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (born 1928) Read more
• 2015 — Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (born 1944) Read more
• 2014 — Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (born 1940) Read more
• 2014 — Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (born 1933) Read more
• 2013 — Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (born 1946) Read more
• 2012 — Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist (born 1928) Read more
• 2012 — Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (born 1924) Read more
• 2012 — Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (born 1918) Read more
• 2010 — Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (born 1987) Read more
• 2010 — Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (born 1950) Read more
• 2009 — Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (born 1923) Read more
• 2009 — Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (born 1964) Read more
• 2008 — Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (born 1956) Read more
• 2008 — Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (born 1919) Read more
• 2008 — Will Elder, American illustrator (born 1921) Read more
• 2007 — Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (born 1933) Read more
• 2006 — Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (born 1961) Read more
• 2003 — June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (born 1929) Read more
• 1998 — Earl Manigault, American basketball player (born 1944) Read more
• 1998 — Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th Prime Minister of Turkey (born 1919) Read more
• 1996 — Charles B. Fulton, American lawyer and judge (born 1910) Read more
• 1995 — Eric Porter, English actor (born 1928) Read more
• 1994 — Gilbert Roland, American actor (born 1905) Read more
• 1993 — Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (born 1933) Read more
• 1991 — Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (born 1956) Read more
• 1991 — Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Malian ethnologist and author (born 1901) Read more
• 1991 — Fritz Riess, German race car driver (born 1922) Read more
• 1989 — Johnny Green, American composer and conductor (born 1908) Read more
• 1989 — Luc Lacourcière, Canadian ethnographer and author (born 1910) Read more
• 1986 — Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (born 1958) Read more

Holidays & observances

Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto); Army Day (Slovenia); Christian feast day: Achillius of Larissa; Christian feast day: Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Church); Christian feast day: Hallvard Vebjørnsson (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Hilary of Galeata; Christian feast day: Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid.; Christian feast day: Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Kaleb of Axum; Christian feast day: Peter, Andrew, Paul, and Denise (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Reticius (Roman Catholic Church); Christian feast day: Sophia of Rome (Roman Catholic church); Christian feast day: May 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar); Constituent Assembly Day (Lithuania); Independence Day (Paraguay), celebrates the independence of Paraguay from Spain in 1811. Celebrations for the anniversary of the independence begin on Flag Day, May 14.; International Conscientious Objectors Day; International Day of Families (International); La Corsa dei Ceri begins on the eve of the feast day of Saint Ubaldo. (Gubbio); Mother's Day (Paraguay); Nakba Day (Palestinian communities); Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States); Republic Day (Lithuania); Teachers' Day (Colombia, Mexico, and South Korea)

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