Events

Pre-1600

221 __NOTOC__ Year 221 (Roman numerals, CCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Vitellius (or, less frequently, ...

–

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. * 392 – Emperor

Valentinian II Valentinian II ( la, Valentinianus; 37115 May 392) 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 brother, was then sidelined by a usurper, and only after 388 sole rul ...

is assassinated while advancing into

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

against the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.589 – King

Authari Authari (c. 550 – 5 September 590) was king of the Lombards from 584 to his death. He was considered as the first Lombard king to have adopted some level of "Roman-ness" and introduced policies that led to drastic changes particularly in th ...

marries

Theodelinda Theodelinda also spelled ''Theudelinde'' ( 570–628 AD), was a queen of the Lombards by marriage to two consecutive Lombard rulers, Autari and then Agilulf, and regent of Lombardia during the minority of her son Adaloald, and co-regent when he ...

, daughter of the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n duke

Garibald I Garibald I (also Garivald; la, Garibaldus; born 540) was Duke (or King) of Bavaria from 555 until 591. He was the head of the Agilolfings, and the ancestor of the Bavarian dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of the Lombards. Biography After the dea ...

. A

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility. *

756 __NOTOC__ Year 756 ( DCCLVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 756 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...

– Abd al-Rahman I, the founder of the Arab dynasty that ruled the greater part of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

for nearly three centuries, becomes

emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

of Cordova, Spain. *

1252 Year 1252 ( MCCLII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * April 6 – Saint Peter of Verona is assassinated by Carino of Balsamo. * May 15 – P ...

–

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

issues the papal bull ''

ad extirpanda ''Ad extirpanda'' ("To eradicate"; named for its Latin incipit) was a papal bull promulgated on Wednesday, May 15, 1252 by Pope Innocent IV which authorized in limited and defined circumstances the use of torture by the Inquisition as a tool for ...

'', which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of

heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

in the Medieval Inquisition. * 1525 – Insurgent peasants led by Anabaptist pastor

Thomas Müntzer Thomas Müntzer ( – 27 May 1525) was a German preacher and theologian of the early Reformation whose opposition to both Martin Luther and the Roman Catholic Church led to his open defiance of late-feudal authority in central Germany. Müntzer w ...

were defeated at the Battle of Frankenhausen, ending the German Peasants' War in the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

. * 1536 –

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

, Queen of England, stands trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest; she is condemned to death by a specially-selected

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartiality, impartial verdict (a Question of fact, finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty o ...

1601–1900

* 1602 –

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

is sighted by English navigator

Bartholomew Gosnold Bartholomew Gosnold (1571 – 22 August 1607) 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 expeditio ...

. * 1618 –

Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler (; ; 27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws ...

confirms his previously rejected discovery of the

third law of planetary motion In astronomy, Kepler's laws of planetary motion, published by Johannes Kepler between 1609 and 1619, describe the orbits of planets around the Sun. The laws modified the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus, replacing its circular orbit ...

(he first discovered it on

March 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''. *1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bour ...

but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made). * 1648 – The Peace of Münster is ratified, by which Spain acknowledges Dutch sovereignty. * 1791 –

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

proposes the

Self-denying Ordinance The Self-denying Ordinance was passed by the English Parliament on 3 April 1645. All members of the House of Commons or Lords who were also officers in the Parliamentary army or navy were required to resign one or the other, within 40 days fro ...

. * 1817 – Opening of the first private mental health hospital in the United States, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now

Friends Hospital Friends Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1813 by Quakers as The Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason, the institution was later renamed the Frankf ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania). * 1836 –

Francis Baily Francis Baily (28 April 177430 August 1844) was an English astronomer. He is most famous for his observations of "Baily's beads" during a total eclipse of the Sun. Baily was also a major figure in the early history of the Royal Astronomical S ...

observes "

Baily's beads The Baily's beads effect or diamond ring effect is a feature of total and annular solar eclipses. As the Moon covers the Sun during a solar eclipse, the rugged topography of the lunar limb allows beads of sunlight to shine through in some places ...

" during an

annular eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mon ...

. * 1849 – The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished. * 1850 – The

Arana–Southern Treaty In the late 1840s, the Argentine Confederation attempted to regulate traffic on the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, which impacted upon Anglo-French trade with the landlocked Paraguay. As a result, Britain and France took military action in the ...

is ratified, ending "the existing differences" between

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. * 1851 – The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier. * 1864 – American Civil War:

Battle of New Market The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men defeated the larger Army of the Shenandoah under Major General Franz Si ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

: Students from the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

fight alongside the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

army to force

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

General

Franz Sigel Franz Sigel (November 18, 1824 – August 21, 1902) was a German American military officer, revolutionary and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil ...

out of the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

. * 1891 –

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

defends

workers' rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers. These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law. In general, these rights influen ...

and property rights in the encyclical ''

Rerum novarum ''Rerum novarum'' (from its incipit, with the direct translation of the Latin meaning "of revolutionary change"), or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, pass ...

'', the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.

1901–present

* 1905 – The city of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

founded in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States. * 1911 – In '' Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey v. United States'', the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

declares

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

to be an "unreasonable"

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...

under the

Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author. ...

and orders the company to be broken up. * 1911 – More than 300 Chinese immigrants are killed in the

Torreón massacre The Torreón massacre ( es, Matanza de chinos de Torreón) was a racially motivated massacre that took place on 13–15 May 1911 in the Mexican city of Torreón, Coahuila. Over 300 Asian Mexicans were killed by a local mob and the revolutionary fo ...

when the forces of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...

led by Emilio Madero take the city of

Torreón Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2021, the city's population was 735,340. The metropolitan population as of 2015 was 1,497,734, making it the ninth-biggest metropolitan area in ...

from the

Federales ''Federales'' (singular ''Federale'' or, rarely but aligning with Spanish, ''Federal'') is a Spanglish word used in an informal context to denote security forces operating under a federal political system. The term gained widespread usage by E ...

. * 1918 – The

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

ends when the

Whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as ...

took over

Fort Ino Fort Ino or Fort Nikolaevsky (russian: форт «Ино» or форт Николаевский) is an abandoned early 20th-century Russian coastal fortification situated on the northern shore of Neva Bay in the Gulf of Finland. The fort is close t ...

, a Russian

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...

base on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

, from the Russian troops. * 1919 – The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

had walked off the job. * 1919 – Greek occupation of Smyrna. During the occupation, the Greek army kills or wounds 350

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

; those responsible are punished by Greek commander Aristides Stergiades. * 1929 – A

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

at the

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

kills 123. * 1932 – In an attempted

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

, the

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...

Inukai Tsuyoshi Inukai Tsuyoshi ( ja, 犬養毅, 4 June 1855 – 15 May 1932) was a Japanese politician, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1931 to his assassination in 1932. Inukai was Japan's second oldest prime minister while serving, as he ...

is assassinated. * 1933 – All military aviation organizations within or under the control of the RLM of Germany were officially merged in a covert manner to form its

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

military's air arm, the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

. * 1940 – is recommissioned. It was originally the USS ''Squalus''. * 1940 – World War II: The

Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi Ge ...

: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

troops surrender to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, marking the beginning of five years of occupation. * 1940 –

Richard and Maurice McDonald Richard McDonald (February 1909 – July 14, 1998) and Maurice McDonald (1902 – December 11, 1971), together known as the McDonald Brothers, were American entrepreneurs who founded the fast food company McDonald's. They opened the original Mc ...

open the first

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

restaurant. *

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

– First flight of the Gloster E.28/39 the first British and Allied jet aircraft. * 1942 – World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law. * 1943 –

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

dissolves the Comintern (or ''Third International''). * 1945 – World War II: The

Battle of Poljana The Battle of Poljana (Monday May 14 – Tuesday May 15, 1945) was a battle of World War II in Yugoslavia. It started outside of Poljana, near the village of Prevalje in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia), and was the culmination of a series of engageme ...

, the final skirmish in Europe is fought near

Prevalje Prevalje (; German language, German: ''Prävali'') is a settlement in northern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Prevalje. It lies in the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia, Slovenia, Carinthia. Prevalje lies in a valley wh ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. * 1948 – Following the expiration of The British Mandate for Palestine, the

Kingdom of Egypt The Kingdom of Egypt ( ar, المملكة المصرية, Al-Mamlaka Al-Miṣreyya, The Egyptian Kingdom) was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recog ...

Transjordan Transjordan may refer to: * Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River * Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan * Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946) * Hashemite Kingdom of ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

invade

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

thus starting the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

. * 1957 – At

Malden Island Malden Island, sometimes called Independence Island in the 19th century, is a low, arid, uninhabited atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, about in area. It is one of the Line Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati. The lagoon is enti ...

in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in

Operation Grapple Operation Grapple was a set of four series of British nuclear weapons tests of early atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs carried out in 1957 and 1958 at Malden Island and Kiritimati (Christmas Island) in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the P ...

. * 1963 –

Project Mercury Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...

: The launch of the final Mercury mission,

Mercury-Atlas 9 Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final crewed space mission of the U.S. Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963, from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, named ''Faith 7'', completed 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in ...

with astronaut

Gordon Cooper Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004) was an American aerospace engineer, test pilot, United States Air Force pilot, and the youngest of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first human spa ...

on board. He becomes the first American to spend more than a day in

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...

, and the last American to go into space alone. * 1970 – President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

appoints

Anna Mae Hays Anna Mae Violet Hays ( McCabe; February 16, 1920 – January 7, 2018) was an American military officer who served as the 13th chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps. She was the first woman in the United States Armed Forces to be promoted to ...

and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

s. * 1972 – The

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

, under U.S. military governance since its

conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

in 1945, reverts to Japanese control. * 1974 –

Ma'alot massacre The Ma'alot massacreSources describing the event as a "massacre": * "The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as 'an evil outrage…'" Frank Gervasi. ''Thunder Over the Mediterranean'', McKay, 1975 ...

: Members of the

Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP; ar, الجبهة الديموقراطية لتحرير فلسطين, ''al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn'') is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist organi ...

attack and take hostages at an

i school; a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren. * 1988 –

Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...

: After more than eight years of fighting, the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. * 1991 –

Édith Cresson Édith Cresson (; née Campion; born 27 January 1934) is a French politician from the Socialist Party. She served as Prime Minister of France from 1991 to 1992, the first woman to do so. She was the only woman to be prime minister until 2022, whe ...

becomes France's first female

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. * 1997 – The United States government acknowledges the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of

Hmong Hmong may refer to: * Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand * Hmong cuisine * Hmong customs and culture ** Hmong music ** Hmong textile art * Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...

and other "Secret War" veterans. * 1997 – The Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' launches on

STS-84 STS-84 was a crewed spaceflight mission by Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' to the Mir space station. Crew Mission highlights The STS-84 mission was the sixth Shuttle/ ''Mir'' docking mission and is part of the NASA/Mir program which consisted of ...

to dock with the Russian space station ''

Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

''. * 2001 – A

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

EMD SD40-2 The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD from 1972 to 1989. The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's '' Dash 2'' series, competing against the GE U30C and the ALCO Century 630. Although higher-horsep ...

rolls out of a train yard in Walbridge, Ohio, with 47 freight cars, including some

tank car A tank car ( International Union of Railways (UIC): tank wagon) is a type of railroad car (UIC: railway car) or rolling stock designed to transport liquid and gaseous commodities. History Timeline The following major events occurred in t ...

s 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 was brought to a halt near Kenton. The incident became the inspiration for the 2010 film ''

Unstoppable Unstoppable may refer to: Film and television * Unstoppable (2004 film), ''Unstoppable'' (2004 film), an American film directed by David Carson * ''Unstoppable: Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Ossie Davis'', a 2005 America ...

''. * 2004 – Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining

Preston North End F.C. Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

with the right to claim the title " The Invincibles". * 2008 –

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

becomes the second

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

after

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 2004 to legalize

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

after the state's own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional. * 2010 –

Jessica Watson Jessica Watson (born 18 May 1993) is an Australian sailor who was awarded the Order of Australia Medal after attempting a solo global circumnavigation at the age of 16. Departing Sydney on 18 October 2009, Watson headed north-east, crossing the ...

becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo. *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

– An upsurge in violence in

leaves more than 389 people dead over three days.

Births

Pre-1600

* 1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean king of

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

(d. 1450) * 1531 –

Maria of Austria, Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg Archduchess Maria of Austria (15 May 1531 – 11 December 1581) was the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I from the House of Habsburg and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. She married William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg on 18 July 1546 as his se ...

(d. 1581) *

1565 __NOTOC__ Year 1565 ( MDLXV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 3 – In the Tsardom of Russia, Ivan the Terrible originates the opr ...

–

Hendrick de Keyser Hendrick de Keyser (15 May 1565 – 15 May 1621) was a Dutch sculptor, merchant in Belgium bluestone, and architect who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of Mannerism changing into Baroque. Most of his works appeared in Amst ...

, Dutch sculptor and architect (d. 1621) * 1567 –

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string player. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered ...

, Italian priest and composer (d. 1643)

1601–1900

1608 Events January–June * January – In the Colony of Virginia, Powhatan releases Captain John Smith. * January 2 – The first of the Jamestown supply missions returns to the Colony of Virginia with Christopher Newport comman ...

–

René Goupil René Goupil, S.J. (15 May 1608 – 29 September 1642), was a French Jesuit lay missionary (in French "donné", "given" or "one who offers himself") who became a lay brother of the Society of Jesus shortly before his death. He was the first of ...

, French-American missionary and saint (d. 1642) * 1633 – Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, French noble (d. 1707) * 1645 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, British judge (d. 1689) * 1689 –

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, who later served a ...

, English writer (d. 1762) * 1720 –

Maximilian Hell Maximilian Hell ( hu, Hell Miksa) (born Rudolf Maximilian Höll; May 15, 1720 – April 14, 1792) was an astronomer and an ordained Jesuit priest from the Kingdom of Hungary. Biography Born as Rudolf Maximilian Höll in Selmecbánya, Hont Co ...

, Hungarian priest and astronomer (d. 1792) * 1749 –

Levi Lincoln Sr. Levi Lincoln Sr. (May 15, 1749 – April 14, 1820) was an American revolutionary, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A Democratic-Republican, he most notably served as Thomas Jefferson's first attorney general, and played a significant ro ...

, American lawyer and politician, 4th

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

(d. 1820) * 1759 –

Maria Theresia von Paradis Maria Theresia von Paradis (May 15, 1759 – February 1, 1824) was an Austrian musician and composer who lost her sight at an early age, and for whom her close friend Mozart may have written his Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major. She was a ...

, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1824) * 1770 –

Ezekiel Hart Ezekiel Hart (15 May 1770 – 16 September 1843) was an entrepreneur and politician in British North America. He is often said to be the first Jew to be elected to public office in the British Empire,. He was elected three times by the voters of ...

, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1843) * 1773 – Klemens von Metternich, German-Austrian politician, 1st State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire (d. 1859) * 1786 –

Dimitris Plapoutas ) , birth_place = Paloumpa, Morea Eyalet, Ottoman Empire (now Greece) , death_place = Paloumpa, Kingdom of Greece , allegiance = * First Hellenic Republic * Kingdom of Greece , branch = * Filiki Etaireia * , serviceyears = ...

, Greek general and politician (d. 1864) * 1803 –

Juan Almonte Juan Nepomuceno Almonte Ramírez (May 15, 1803 – March 21, 1869) was a Mexican soldier, commander, minister of war, congressman, diplomat, and presidential candidate. He was the natural son of José María Morelos, a leading commander during ...

, son of

José María Morelos José María Teclo Morelos Pérez y Pavón () (30 September 1765 – 22 December 1815) was a Mexican Catholic priest, statesman and military leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of ...

, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (d. 1869) * 1805 – Samuel Carter, English railway solicitor and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) (d. 1878) * 1808 –

Michael William Balfe Michael William Balfe (15 May 1808 – 20 October 1870) was an Irish composer, best remembered for his operas, especially ''The Bohemian Girl''. After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to co ...

, Irish composer and conductor (d. 1870) * 1817 –

Debendranath Tagore Debendranath Tagore (15 May 1817 – 19 January 1905) was an Indian Hindu philosopher and religious reformer, active in the Brahmo Samaj (earlier called Bhramho Sabha) ("Society of Brahma", also translated as ''Society of God''). He joined Brahm ...

, Indian philosopher and author (d. 1905) * 1841 –

Clarence Dutton Clarence Edward Dutton (May 15, 1841 – January 4, 1912) was an American geologist and US Army officer. Dutton was born in Wallingford, Connecticut on May 15, 1841. He graduated from Yale College in 1860 and took postgraduate courses there until ...

, American commander and geologist (d. 1912) * 1845 –

Élie Metchnikoff Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov (russian: Илья Ильич Мечников; – 15 July 1916), also spelled Élie Metchnikoff, was a Russian zoologist best known for his pioneering research in immunology. Belkin, a Russian science historian, explain ...

, Russian zoologist (d. 1916) * 1848 –

Viktor Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (russian: Ви́ктор Миха́йлович Васнецо́в; May 15 ( N.S.), 1848 – July 23, 1926) was a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founde ...

, Russian painter and illustrator (d. 1926) * 1854 –

Ioannis Psycharis Ioannis (Yiannis) Psycharis (Greek: Ιωάννης (Γιάννης) Ψυχάρης; French: ''Jean Psychari''; 1854–1929) was a French philologist of Greek origin, author and promoter of Demotic Greek. Biography Psycharis was born on 15 May 1 ...

, Ukrainian-French philologist and author (d. 1929) * 1856 –

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

, American novelist (d. 1919) * 1856 –

Matthias Zurbriggen Matthias Zurbriggen (15 May 1856 in Saas-Fee – 21 June 1917 in Geneva) was a Swiss mountaineer. He climbed throughout the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas and New Zealand. Ascents He made many first ascents, the best known of which is Aconcag ...

, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1917) * 1857 –

Williamina Fleming (15 May 1857 – 21 May 1911) was a Scottish-American astronomer. She was a single mother, hired by the director of the Harvard College Observatory to help in the photographic classification of stellar spectra. She helped develop a common d ...

, Scottish-American astronomer and academic (d. 1911) * 1859 –

Pierre Curie Pierre Curie ( , ; 15 May 1859 – 19 April 1906) was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity, and radioactivity. In 1903, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife, Marie Curie, and Henri Becqu ...

, French physicist and academic,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

laureate (d. 1906) * 1862 –

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

, Austrian author and playwright (d. 1931) * 1863 –

Frank Hornby Frank Hornby (15 May 1863 – 21 September 1936) was an English inventor, businessman and politician. He was a visionary in toy development and manufacture, and although he had no formal engineering training, he was responsible for the inven ...

, English businessman and politician, invented

Meccano Meccano is a brand of model construction system created in 1898 by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, England. The system consists of reusable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, and plastic parts that are connected using nut ...

(d. 1936) * 1869 – Paul Probst, Swiss target shooter (d. 1945) * 1869 – John Storey, Australian politician, 20th

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislatu ...

(d. 1921) * 1873 –

Oskari Tokoi Antti Oskari Tokoi (15 April 1873 – 4 April 1963) was a Finnish people, Finnish socialist who served as a leader of the Social Democratic Party of Finland. In 1917 Tokoi acted as a Chairman of the Senate of Finland and thus he was the world’s ...

, Finnish socialist and the Chairman of the Senate of Finland (d. 1963) * 1882 –

Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...

, Scottish international footballer (d. 1950) *

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

–

Katherine Anne Porter Katherine Anne Porter (May 15, 1890 – September 18, 1980) was an American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel '' Ship of Fools'' was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her sh ...

, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist (d. 1980) * 1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian novelist and playwright (d. 1940) * 1891 – Hjalmar Dahl, Finnish journalist, translator and writer (d. 1960) * 1891 –

Fritz Feigl Fritz Feigl (15 May 1891 – 23 January 1971) was a Jewish Austrian-born chemist. He taught at the University of Brazil. Biography Feigl was born and studied in Vienna, but owing to his military service in the First World War he had to interr ...

, Austrian-Brazilian chemist and academic (d. 1971) * 1892 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (d. 1977) * 1892 –

Jimmy Wilde William James Wilde (15 May 1892 – 10 March 1969) was a Welsh professional boxer who competed from 1911 to 1923. He held the IBU world flyweight title in 1916, the EBU European flyweight title twice; firstly in 1914 and again from 1916 to 1 ...

, Welsh boxer (d. 1969) * 1893 –

José Nepomuceno José Zialcita Nepomuceno ( May 15, 1893 – December 1, 1959) was one of the pioneering directors and producers of Philippine cinema. He is also known as the ''"founder of Philippine movies"'', and he had his own production company Jose Nepomuc ...

, Filipino filmmaker, founder of Philippine cinema (d. 1959) * 1894 –

Feg Murray Frederic Seymour Murray (May 15, 1894 – July 16, 1973), known as Fred Murray or Feg Murray, was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 110 meter hurdles. He won a bronze medal in the 1920 Summer Olympics. After his athletic ca ...

, American hurdler and cartoonist (d. 1973) * 1895 – Prescott Bush, American captain, banker, and politician (d. 1972) * 1895 – William D. Byron, American lieutenant and politician (d. 1941) * 1898 –

Arletty Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat (15 May 1898 – 23 July 1992), known professionally as Arletty, was a French actress, singer, and fashion model. As an actress she is particularly known for classics directed by Marcel Carné, including '' Hotel du N ...

, French model, actress, and singer (d. 1992) * 1899 –

Jean Étienne Valluy Jean Etienne Valluy (15 May 1899 – 4 January 1970) was a French general. Early life He was born in Rive-de-Gier, Loire, on 15 May 1899 to Claude (Claudius) Valluy and Jeanne, Adrienne Cossanges. Military career World War I In 1917 he en ...

, French general (d. 1970) *1900 – Ida Rhodes, American mathematician, pioneer in computer programming (d. 1986)

1901–present

*1901 – Xavier Herbert, Australian author (d. 1984) * 1901 – Luis Monti, Argentinian-Italian footballer and manager (d. 1983) *1902 – Richard J. Daley, American lawyer and politician, 48th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1976) * 1902 – Sigizmund Levanevsky, Soviet aircraft pilot of Polish origin (d. 1937) *1903 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998) *1904 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host and author (d. 1999) * 1905 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (d. 1994) * 1905 – Albert Dubout, French cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and sculptor (d. 1976) * 1905 – Abraham Zapruder, American businessman and amateur photographer, filmed the Zapruder film (d. 1970) *1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (d. 1931) *1909 – James Mason, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1984) * 1909 – Clara Solovera, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1992) *1910 – Constance Cummings, British-based American actress (d. 2005) * 1911 – Max Frisch, Swiss playwright and novelist (d. 1991) * 1911 – Herta Oberheuser, German physician (d. 1978) *1912 – Arthur Berger (composer), Arthur Berger, American composer and educator (d. 2003) *1914 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972) * 1914 – Angus MacLean, Canadian farmer and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (d. 2000) * 1914 – Norrie Paramor, English composer, producer, and conductor (d. 1979) *1915 – Hilda Bernstein, English-South African author and activist (d. 2006) * 1915 – Paul Samuelson, American economist and academic, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009) * 1915 – Henrik Sandberg, Danish production manager and producer (d. 1993) *1916 – Vera Gebuhr, Danish actress (d. 2014) * 1918 – Eddy Arnold, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2008) * 1918 – Arthur Jackson (sport shooter), Arthur Jackson, American lieutenant and target shooter (d. 2015) * 1918 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009) *1920 – Michel Audiard, French director and screenwriter (d. 1985) *1921 – Federico Krutwig, Basque writer, member of ETA and translator (d. 1998) *1922 – Sigurd Ottovich Schmidt, Russian historian and ethnographer (d. 2013) * 1922 – Jakucho Setouchi, Japanese nun and author (d. 2021) *1923 – Richard Avedon, American sailor and photographer (d. 2004) * 1923 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (d. 2003) *1924 – Maria Koepcke, German-Peruvian ornithologist and zoologist (d. 1971) *1925 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian pianist and composer (d. 2015) * 1925 – Mary F. Lyon, English geneticist and biologist (d. 2014) * 1925 – Carl Sanders, American soldier, pilot, and politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (d. 2014) * 1925 – Roy Stewart, Jamaican-English actor and stuntman (d. 2008) *1926 – Clermont Pépin, Canadian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2006) * 1926 – Anthony Shaffer (writer), Anthony Shaffer, English author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2001) * 1926 – Peter Shaffer, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2016) *1930 – Jasper Johns, American painter and sculptor *1931 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2013) * 1931 – James Fitz-Allen Mitchell, Vincentian politician and agronomist, 2nd Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (d. 2021) *1935 – Don Bragg, American pole vaulter (d. 2019) * 1935 – Ted Dexter, Italian-English cricketer (d. 2021) * 1935 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008) * 1935 – Akihiro Miwa, Japanese singer, actor, director, composer, author and drag queen *1936 – Anna Maria Alberghetti, Italian-American actress and singer * 1936 – Mart Laga, Estonian basketball player (d. 1977) * 1936 – Ralph Steadman, English painter and illustrator * 1936 – Paul Zindel, American playwright and novelist (d. 2003) *1937 – Madeleine Albright, Czech-American politician and diplomat, 64th United States Secretary of State (d. 2022) * 1937 – Karin Krog, Norwegian singer * 1937 – Trini Lopez, American singer, guitarist, and actor (d. 2020) *1938 – Mireille Darc, French actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2017) * 1938 – Nancy Garden, American author (d. 2014) *1939 – Dorothy Shirley, English high jumper and educator * 1940 – Roger Ailes, American businessman (d. 2017) * 1940 – Lainie Kazan, American actress and singer * 1940 – Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach *

– Jaxon (cartoonist), Jaxon, American illustrator and publisher, co-founded the ''Rip Off Press'' (d. 2006) * 1942 – Lois Johnson, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014) * 1942 – Jusuf Kalla, Indonesian businessman and politician, 10th Vice President of Indonesia * 1942 – Doug Lowe (Australian politician), Doug Lowe, Australian politician, 35th Premier of Tasmania * 1942 – K. T. Oslin, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2020) * 1943 – Paul Bégin, Canadian lawyer and politician * 1943 – Freddie Perren, American songwriter, producer, and conductor (d. 2004) *1944 – Bill Alter, American police officer and politician * 1944 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist and academic (d. 2015) * 1945 – Michael Dexter, English hematologist and academic * 1945 – Jerry Quarry, American boxer (d. 1999) *1946 – Thadeus Nguyễn Văn Lý, Vietnamese priest and activist *1947 – Graeham Goble, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer * 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author, playwright, performance artist, and gender theorist * 1948 – Yutaka Enatsu, Japanese baseball player * 1948 – Brian Eno, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer * 1948 – Kathleen Sebelius, American politician, 44th Governor of Kansas *1949 – Frank L. Culbertson Jr., American captain, pilot, and astronaut * 1949 – Robert Stephen John Sparks, Robert S.J. Sparks, English geologist and academic *1950 – Jim Bacon (politician), Jim Bacon, Australian politician, 41st Premier of Tasmania (d. 2004) * 1950 – Jim Simons (golfer), Jim Simons, American golfer (d. 2005) *1951 – Dennis Frederiksen, American singer-songwriter (d. 2014) * 1951 – Chris Ham, English political scientist and academic * 1951 – Frank Wilczek, American mathematician and physicist,

laureate *1952 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter *1953 – George Brett, American baseball player and coach * 1953 – Athene Donald, English physicist and academic * 1953 – Mike Oldfield, English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer *1954 – Diana Liverman, English-American geographer and academic * 1954 – Caroline Thomson, English journalist and broadcaster *1955 – Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian politician (d. 2013) * 1955 – Lia Vissi, Cypriot singer-songwriter and politician *1956 – Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician, Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity (Greece), Greek Minister of Labour * 1956 – Dan Patrick (sportscaster), Dan Patrick, American television anchor and sportscaster * 1956 – Kevin Greenaugh, American nuclear engineer * 1957 – Meg Gardiner, American-English author and academic * 1957 – Juan José Ibarretxe, Spanish politician * 1957 – Kevin Von Erich, American football player and wrestler *1958 – Jason Graae, American musical theater actor * 1958 – Ruth Marcus (journalist), Ruth Marcus, American journalist * 1958 – Ron Simmons, American football player and wrestler *1959 – Khaosai Galaxy, Thai boxer and politician * 1959 – Luis Pérez-Sala, Spanish race car driver * 1959 – Beverly Jo Scott, American-Belgian singer-songwriter *1960 – Rhonda Burchmore, Australian actress, singer, and dancer * 1960 – Rob Bowman (director), Rob Bowman, American director and producer * 1960 – R. Kuhaneswaran, Sri Lankan politician * 1960 – Rimas Kurtinaitis, Lithuanian basketball player and coach *1961 – Giselle Fernández, Mexican-American television journalist. *1962 – Lisa Curry, Australian swimmer * 1963 – Gavin Nebbeling, South African footballer *1964 – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Denmark *1965 – André Abujamra, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1965 – Scott Tronc, Australian rugby league player *1966 – Jiří Němec, Czech footballer *1967 – Simen Agdestein, Norwegian chess grandmaster and football player * 1967 – Laura Hillenbrand, American journalist and author * 1967 – John Smoltz, American baseball player and sportscaster * 1967 – Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress *1968 – Cecilia Malmström, Swedish academic and politician, 15th European Commissioner for Trade * 1968 – Sophie Raworth, English journalist and broadcaster *1969 – Hideki Irabu, Japanese-American baseball player (d. 2011) * 1969 – Emmitt Smith, American football player and sportscaster * 1970 – Frank de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager * 1970 – Ronald de Boer, Dutch footballer and manager * 1970 – Desmond Howard, American football player and sportscaster * 1970 – Alison Jackson (artist), Alison Jackson, English photographer, director, and screenwriter * 1970 – Rod Smith (wide receiver), Rod Smith, American football player * 1970 – Ben Wallace (politician), Ben Wallace, English captain and politician *1971 – Karin Lušnic, Slovenian tennis player * 1972 – Danny Alexander, Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland * 1972 – David Charvet, French actor and singer * 1974 – Vasilis Kikilias, Greek basketball player and politician * 1974 – Matthew Sadler, English chess player and author * 1974 – Marko Tredup, German footballer and manager * 1974 – Ahmet Zappa, American musician and writer *1975 – Ray Lewis, American football player and sportscaster * 1975 – Ales Michalevic, Belarusian lawyer and politician * 1975 – Janne Seurujärvi, Sami people, Finnish Sami politician, and the first Sami ever to be elected to the Parliament of Finland, Finnish Parliament. *1976 – Torraye Braggs, American basketball player * 1976 – Mark Kennedy (footballer, born 1976), Mark Kennedy, Irish footballer * 1976 – Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer * 1976 – Ryan Leaf, American football player and coach * 1976 – Anže Logar, Slovenian politician * 1976 – Tyler Walker (baseball), Tyler Walker, American baseball player *1978 – Amy Chow, American gymnast and pediatrician * 1978 – Dwayne De Rosario, Canadian soccer player * 1978 – Edu (footballer, born 1978), Edu, Brazilian footballer * 1978 – David Krumholtz, American actor *1979 – Adolfo Bautista, Mexican footballer * 1979 – Daniel Caines, English sprinter * 1979 – Chris Masoe, New Zealand rugby player * 1979 – Ryan Max Riley, American skier * 1979 – Robert Royal, American football player * 1979 – Dominic Scott, Irish guitarist *1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player *1981 – Patrice Evra, French footballer * 1981 – Paul Konchesky, English international footballer * 1981 – Justin Morneau, Canadian baseball player * 1981 – Zara Phillips, English equestrian * 1981 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress and singer *1982 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter * 1982 – Segundo Castillo (footballer, born 1982), Segundo Castillo, Ecuadorian footballer * 1982 – Rafael Pérez (baseball), Rafael Pérez, Dominican baseball player * 1982 – Layal Abboud, Lebanese singer *1984 – Jeff Deslauriers, Canadian ice hockey player * 1984 – Sérgio Jimenez, Brazilian race car driver * 1984 – Samantha Noble, Australian actress * 1984 – Beau Scott, Australian rugby league player * 1984 – Mr Probz, Dutch singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer *1985 – Cristiane Rozeira, Cristiane, Brazilian footballer * 1985 – Tania Cagnotto, Italian diver * 1985 – Laura Harvey, English football coach * 1985 – Tathagata Mukherjee, Indian actor * 1985 – Denis Onyango, Ugandan football goalkeeper * 1985 – Justine Robbeson, South African javelin thrower *1986 – Thomas Brown (running back), Thomas Brown, American football player * 1986 – Matías Fernández (footballer, born 1986), Matías Fernández, Chilean footballer * 1986 – Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer *1987 – David Adams (baseball), David Adams, American baseball player * 1987 – Michael Brantley, American baseball player * 1987 – Brian Dozier, American baseball player * 1987 – Mark Fayne, American ice hockey player * 1987 – Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player * 1987 – Leonardo Mayer, Argentinian tennis player * 1987 – Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player * 1988 – Indrek Kajupank, Estonian basketball player * 1988 – Scott Laird, English footballer * 1989 – Sunny (singer), Susan Soonkyu Lee, Korean-American singer and entertainer *1989 – Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, French footballer *1990 – Jordan Eberle, Canadian ice hockey player * 1990 – Lee Jong-hyun, Korean guitarist * 1990 – Stella Maxwell, New Zealand model *1993 – Jeremy Hawkins, New Zealand rugby league player * 1993 – Tomáš Kalas, Czech international footballer *1996 – Birdy (singer), Birdy, English singer-songwriter * 1997 – Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer * 1997 – Scott Drinkwater, Australian rugby league player *1998 – Lucrezia Stefanini, Italian tennis player *1999 – Anastasia Gasanova, Russian tennis player *2000 – Dayana Yastremska, Ukrainian tennis player *2002 – Lil Huddy, Chase Hudson, American internet celebrity, singer, actor

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 392 –

, Roman emperor (b. 371) * 558 – Hilary of Galeata, Christian monk (b. 476) * 884 – Pope Marinus I, Marinus I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 830) * 913 – Hatto I (archbishop of Mainz), Hatto I, German archbishop (b. 850) * 926 – Li Cunxu, Zhuang Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 885) * 973 – Byrhthelm (bishop of Wells), Byrhthelm, bishop of Wells *1036 – Emperor Go-Ichijō, Go-Ichijō, emperor of Japan (b. 1008) *1157 – Yuri Dolgorukiy, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1099) *1175 – Mleh, Prince of Armenia, Mleh, prince of Armenia *1174 – Nur ad-Din (died 1174), Nur ad-Din, Seljuk emir of Syria (b. 1118) *1268 – Peter II, Count of Savoy, Peter II, count of Savoy (b. 1203) *1461 – Domenico Veneziano, Italian painter (b. c. 1410) *1464 – Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (b. 1436) *1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden, Charles VIII, king of Sweden (b. 1409) *1585 – Niwa Nagahide, Japanese samurai (b. 1535)

1601–1900

*1609 – Giovanni Croce, Italian composer and educator (b. 1557) *1615 – Henry Bromley (died 1615), Henry Bromley, English politician (b. 1560) *1634 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (b. 1585) *1698 – Marie Champmeslé, French actress (b. 1642) *1699 – Sir Edward Petre, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1631) *1700 – John Hale (minister), John Hale, American minister (b. 1636) *1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English publisher (b. 1680) * 1773 – Alban Butler, English priest and hagiographer (b. 1710) * 1845 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican lawyer and politician, List of Presidents of Costa Rica, Head of State of Costa Rica (b. 1800) *1879 – Gottfried Semper, German architect and educator, designed the Semperoper, Semper Opera House (b. 1803) *1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet and author (b. 1830)

1901–present

*1914 – Ida Freund, Austrian-born chemist and educator (b. 1863) * 1919 – Hasan Tahsin, Turkish journalist (b. 1888) *1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat and politician, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1852) *1926 – Joseph James Fletcher, Australian biologist (b. 1850) *1928 – Umegatani Tōtarō I, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 15th Yokozuna (b. 1845) *1935 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian-Russian painter and theoretician (b. 1878) *1937 – Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden, English politician, Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1864) * 1945 – Kenneth J. Alford, English soldier, bandmaster, and composer (b. 1881) * 1945 – Charles Williams (British writer), Charles Williams, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1886) * 1948 – Edward J. Flanagan, Irish-American priest, founded Boys Town (organization), Boys Town (b. 1886) *1954 – William March, American soldier and author (b. 1893) *1956 – Austin Osman Spare, English painter and magician (b. 1886) * 1957 – Keith Andrews (racing driver), Keith Andrews, American race car driver (b. 1920) * 1957 – Dick Irvin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1892) * 1963 – John Aglionby (bishop), John Aglionby, English-born Bishop of Accra and soldier (b. 1884) *1964 – Vladko Maček, Croatian lawyer and politician (b. 1879) *1965 – Pio Pion, Italian businessman (b. 1887) *1967 – Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882) * 1967 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (b. 1892) *1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890) *1971 – Tyrone Guthrie, English director, producer, and playwright (b. 1900) *1978 – Robert Menzies, Australian lawyer and politician, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894) *1980 – Gordon Prange, American historian and author (b. 1910) *1982 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (b. 1946) *1984 – Francis Schaeffer, American pastor, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1912) *1985 – Jackie Curtis, American actress and writer (b. 1947) *1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian race car driver (b. 1958) * 1986 – Theodore H. White, American historian, journalist, and author (b. 1915) *1989 – Johnny Green, American composer and conductor (b. 1908) * 1989 – Luc Lacourcière, Canadian ethnographer and author (b. 1910) * 1991 – Andreas Floer, German mathematician and academic (b. 1956) * 1991 – Amadou Hampâté Bâ, Malian ethnologist and author (b. 1901) * 1991 – Fritz Riess, German race car driver (b. 1922) *1993 – Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (b. 1933) *1994 – Gilbert Roland, American actor (b. 1905) *1995 – Eric Porter, English actor (b. 1928) *1996 – Charles B. Fulton, American lawyer and judge (b. 1910) *1998 – Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944) * 1998 – Naim Talu, Turkish economist, banker, politician, 15th List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1919) *2003 – June Carter Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (b. 1929) *2006 – Nizar Abdul Zahra, Iraqi footballer (b. 1961) *2007 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor, founded Liberty University (b. 1933) * 2008 – Tommy Burns (footballer), Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956) * 2008 – Alexander Courage, American composer and conductor (b. 1919) * 2008 – Will Elder, American illustrator (b. 1921) *2009 – Bud Tingwell, Australian actor, director, and producer (b. 1923) * 2009 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player and bass player (b. 1964) * 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (b. 1987) * 2010 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (b. 1950) *2012 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist and essayist (b. 1928) * 2012 – Arno Lustiger, German historian and author (b. 1924) * 2012 – Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian soldier and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1918) *

– Henrique Rosa, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1946) *2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, French-Belgian politician, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940) * 2014 – Noribumi Suzuki, Japanese director and screenwriter (b. 1933) *2015 – Elisabeth Bing, German-American physical therapist and author (b. 1914) * 2015 – Jackie Brookner, American sculptor and educator (b. 1945) * 2015 – Flora MacNeil, Scottish Gaelic singer (b. 1928) * 2015 – Garo Yepremian, Cypriot-American football player (b. 1944) *2020 – Fred Willard, American actor, comedian, and writer (b. 1933) *2021 – Oliver Gillie, British journalist and scientist (b. 1937) *2022 – Frank Curry, Australian rugby league player and coach (b. 1950) * 2022 – Kay Mellor, English actress (b. 1951)

Holidays and observances

*Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto) *Army Day (Slovenia) *Christian feast day: **Achillius of Larissa **Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Coptic Church) **Dymphna **Hallvard Vebjørnsson (Roman Catholic Church) **Hesychius of Cazorla **Hilary of Galeata **Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid. **Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (Roman Catholic Church) **Peter, Andrew, Paul, and Denise (Roman Catholic Church) **Reticius (Roman Catholic Church) **Sophia of Rome (Roman Catholic church) **May 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *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. *Conscientious objector, International Conscientious Objectors Day *International Day of Families (International observance, International) *Saint Ubaldo Day, La Corsa dei Ceri begins on the eve of the feast day of Ubald, Saint Ubaldo. (Gubbio) *Mother's Day (Paraguay) *Nakba Day (Palestinian people, Palestinian communities) *Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States) *Republic Day (Lithuania) *Teachers' Day (Colombia, Mexico and South Korea)

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
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Historical Events on May 15
{{months Days of the year May