# What happened on May 15 in history?

**Date:** May 15  
**Events recorded:** 56  
**Years spanned:** 221 – 2024  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/may/15/

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## Featured Event

**2010** — Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Watson)

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## Events on this date

- **221** — Liu Bei, Chinese warlord, proclaims himself emperor of Shu Han, the successor of the Han dynasty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liu_Bei))
- **392** — Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinian_II))
- **589** — King Authari marries Theodelinda, daughter of the Bavarian duke Garibald I. A Catholic, she has great influence among the Lombard nobility. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authari))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abd_al-Rahman_I))
- **908** — Constantine VII is crowned Byzantine co-emperor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_VII))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_the_Syrian))
- **1252** — Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Innocent_IV))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurgency))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_England))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Mary%2C_Queen_of_Scots%2C_and_the_Earl_of_Bothwell))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Venice))
- **1602** — Cape Cod is sighted by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Cod))
- **1648** — The Peace of Münster is ratified, by which Spain acknowledges Dutch sovereignty. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_M%C3%BCnster))
- **1725** — Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach))
- **1791** — French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution))
- **1836** — Francis Baily observes "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Baily))
- **1849** — The Sicilian revolution of 1848 is finally extinguished. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_revolution_of_1848))
- **1850** — The Arana–Southern Treaty is ratified, ending "the existing differences" between Great Britain and Argentina. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arana%E2%80%93Southern_Treaty))
- **1851** — The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the discovery had been made three months earlier. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_gold_rushes))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_New_Market))
- **1891** — Pope Leo XIII defends workers' rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_XIII))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Oil_Co._of_New_Jersey_v._United_States))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre%C3%B3n_massacre))
- **1916** — A seventeen-year-old farmworker, Jesse Washington, is infamously lynched in Waco, Texas, USA, after being convicted of rape and murder. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmworker))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Civil_War))
- **1919** — The Winnipeg general strike begins. By 11:00, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg_general_strike))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_Smyrna))
- **1929** — A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio kills 123. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Clinic_fire_of_1929))
- **1932** — In an attempted coup d'état, the Prime Minister of Japan, Inukai Tsuyoshi, is assassinated. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d'%C3%A9tat))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Aviation_(Nazi_Germany)))
- **1934** — A self coup by prime minister Kārlis Ulmanis succeeds in Latvia, suspending its constitution and dissolving its Saeima. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_Latvian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat))
- **1940** — USS Sailfish is recommissioned. It was originally the USS Squalus. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sailfish_(SS-192)))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1940** — Richard and Maurice McDonald open the first McDonald's restaurant. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_and_Maurice_McDonald))
- **1941** — First flight of the Gloster E.28/39, the first British and Allied jet aircraft. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_E.28%2F39))
- **1942** — World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) is signed into law. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_Army_Corps))
- **1943** — Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin))
- **1945** — World War II: The Battle of Poljana, the final skirmish in Europe, is fought near Prevalje, Slovenia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poljana))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandatory_Palestine))
- **1957** — At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malden_Island))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Mercury))
- **1970** — President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon))
- **1972** — The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since their conquest in 1945, revert to Japanese control. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryukyu_Islands))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma'alot_massacre))
- **1976** — Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashes near Viktorivka, Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, killing 52. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_1802))
- **1988** — Soviet–Afghan War: After more than eight years of fighting, the Soviet Army begins to withdraw 115,000 troops from Afghanistan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War))
- **1991** — Édith Cresson becomes France's first female Prime Minister. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89dith_Cresson))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laotian_Civil_War))
- **1997** — The Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-84 to dock with the Russian space station Mir. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSX_Transportation))
- **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". ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenal_F.C.))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_California))
- **2010** — Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Watson))
- **2013** — An upsurge in violence in Iraq leaves more than 389 people dead over three days. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2013_Iraq_attacks))
- **2024** — Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and critically injured while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Slovakia))

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## Notable births on May 15

- **2006** — **Haerin** — Korean singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haerin))
- **2002** — **Chase Hudson** — American internet celebrity, singer, actor ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddy_(musician)))
- **2000** — **Dayana Yastremska** — Ukrainian tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayana_Yastremska))
- **1999** — **Anastasia Gasanova** — Russian tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia_Gasanova))
- **1998** — **Lucrezia Stefanini** — Italian tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucrezia_Stefanini))
- **1997** — **Ousmane Dembélé** — French footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ousmane_Demb%C3%A9l%C3%A9))
- **1997** — **Scott Drinkwater** — Australian rugby league player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Drinkwater))
- **1996** — **Birdy** — English singer-songwriter ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_(singer)))
- **1993** — **Jeremy Hawkins** — New Zealand rugby league player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Hawkins))
- **1993** — **Tomáš Kalas** — Czech international footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%C3%A1%C5%A1_Kalas))

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## Notable deaths on May 15

- **2025** — **Robert Walls** — Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (born 1950) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Walls))
- **2024** — **Kamla Beniwal** — Indian politician (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamla_Beniwal))
- **2022** — **Frank Curry** — Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Curry))
- **2022** — **Kay Mellor** — English actress (born 1951) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Mellor))
- **2021** — **Oliver Gillie** — British journalist and scientist (born 1937) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Gillie))
- **2020** — **Fred Willard** — American actor, comedian, and writer (born 1933) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Willard))
- **2017** — **Herbert R. Axelrod American tropical fish expert** — publisher of pet books, and entrepreneur (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_R._Axelrod))
- **2016** — **Jelesko Grancharoff** — Bulgarian-Australian resistance fighter and anarchist (born 1925) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Anarchist))
- **2015** — **Elisabeth Bing** — German-American physical therapist and author (born 1914) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Bing))
- **2015** — **Jackie Brookner** — American sculptor and educator (born 1945) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Brookner))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/may/15/](https://thisday.info/events/may/15/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.