What happened today in history
May
What happened on May 15
On May 15 history recorded 56 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 94 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 56events
- 160births
- 94deaths
- 23observances
Highlights
Highlights
392Roman emperor Valentinian II (pictured) was found hanged in his residence in Vienne, in present-day France.
Valentinian II was a Roman emperor in the western part of the Roman Empire between AD 375 and 392. He was at first junior co-ruler of his half-brother, then was sidelined by a usurper, and finally became sole ruler after 388, albeit with limited de facto power
1252Pope Innocent IV issued the papal bull Ad extirpanda, authorizing the use of torture on heretics during the Medieval Inquisition.
Pope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.
1602Early English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold arrived on Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts.
Bartholomew Gosnold was an English barrister, explorer and privateer who was instrumental in founding the Virginia Company in London and Jamestown in colonial America. He led the first recorded European expedition to Cape Cod. He is considered by Preservation
May 15
On this day
III century
- 221
221Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty.
IV century
VI century
VIII century
X century
XII century
XIII century
XVI century
- 1525
1525Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer are defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants' War in the Holy Roman Empire. - 1532
1532The 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. - 1536
1536Anne 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. - 1567
1567The 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. - 1571
1571Venice, 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.
XVII century
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1836
1836Francis Baily observes "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse. - 1849
1849The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished. - 1850
1850The Arana–Southern Treaty is ratified, ending "the existing differences" between Great Britain and Argentina. - 1851
1851The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier. - 1864
1864American 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. - 1891
1891Pope Leo XIII defends workers' rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.
XX century
- 1911
1911In 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. - 1911
1911More 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. - 1916
1916A seventeen-year-old farmworker, Jesse Washington, is lynched in Waco, Texas, USA, after being convicted of rape and murder. - 1918
1918The Finnish Civil War ends when the Whites take over Fort Ino, a Russian coastal artillery base on the Karelian Isthmus, from Russian troops. - 1919
1919The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job. - 1919
1919Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350 Turks; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades. - 1929
1929A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123. - 1932
1932In an attempted coup d'état, the Prime Minister of Japan, Inukai Tsuyoshi, is assassinated. - 1933
1933All 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. - 1934
1934A self coup by prime minister Kārlis Ulmanis succeeds in Latvia, suspending its constitution and dissolving its Saeima. - 1940
1940USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus. - 1940
1940World 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. - 1940
1940Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant. - 1941
1941First flight of the Gloster E.28/39, the first British and Allied jet aircraft. - 1942
1942World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law. - 1943
1943Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International). - 1945
1945World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe, is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia. - 1948
1948Following 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. - 1957
1957At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple. - 1963
1963Project 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. - 1970
1970President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals. - 1972
1972The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since their conquest in 1945, revert to Japanese control. - 1974
1974Ma'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. - 1976
1976Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashes near Viktorivka, Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, killing 52. - 1988
1988Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan. - 1991
1991Édith Cresson becomes France's first female Prime Minister. - 1997
1997The 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. - 1997
1997The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
XXI century
- 2001
2001A 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. - 2004
2004Arsenal 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". - 2008
2008California 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. - 2010
2010Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo. - 2013
2013An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days. - 2024
2024Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and critically injured while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová.
Best known
Born on May 15
1935Don Bragg
American pole vaulter
1936Anna Maria Alberghetti
Italian–born American operatic singer and actress (born 1936)
1936Ralph Steadman
Welsh illustrator and cartoonist (born 1936)
1937Madeleine Albright
American diplomat and political scientist
1937Trini Lopez
American singer and guitarist
1938Mireille Darc
French model and actress
Best known
Died on May 15
392Valentinian II
Roman emperor from 375 to 392
558Hilary of Galeata
Christian saint
926Li Cunxu
Emperor of Later Tang from 923 to 926
1157Yuri Dolgorukiy
Prince of Rostov and Suzdal (died 1157)
1174Nur al-Din Zengi
Emir of Aleppo (1146–1174) and Damascus
1464Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
15th-century English noble
Holidays and 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)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on May 15?
56 documented historical events happened on May 15, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Roman emperor Valentinian II (pictured) was found hanged in his residence in Vienne, in present-day France. On the same day, in another year: Pope Innocent IV issued the papal bull Ad extirpanda, authorizing the use of torture on heretics during the Medieval Inquisition. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on May 15?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on May 15, including Don Bragg, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Ralph Steadman. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on May 15?
94 people with a Wikipedia article died on May 15, including Valentinian II, Hilary of Galeata, Li Cunxu. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on May 15?
23 observances are celebrated on May 15 around the world: 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. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar