Who are famous people born on October 15?

Famous people born on October 15 include: Christian, Melki Sedek Huang, Bailee Madison.

What famous people died on October 15?

Notable historical figures who died on October 15 include: Jim Bolger, Mike Jackson, David Amess.

What was the motive behind Jayme Closs's kidnapping?

Psychological instability of the kidnapper

October 15 in History

Q: What happened on October 15 in history?

On October 15, 2016: One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons.

2016 — One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons

October 15 spans 42 recorded events across recorded history — from 1066 – 2018. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · October 15 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 42 events 1066 – 2018

Did you know

In 2016, One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The Montreal Protocol, officially the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer, is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force on 1 January 1989. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

Since then it has undergone several amendments and adjustments, with revisions agreed to in 1990 (London), 1992 (Copenhagen), 1995 (Vienna), 1997 (Montreal), 1999 (Beijing), 2007 (Montreal), 2016 (Kigali) and 2018 (Quito). This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 2016, One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Following the death of Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, Edgar the Ætheling is proclaimed King of England by the Witan; he is never crowned, and concedes power to William the Conqueror two months later.

Battle between English and Normans in 1066

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 mi (11 km) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

1066

Battle of the Rhyndacus: The Latin emperor Henry of Flanders defeats the Nicaean emperor Theodore I Laskaris.

Part of the Nicaean–Latin Wars

The Battle of the Rhyndacus was fought on 15 October 1211 between the forces of the Latin Empire and the Byzantine Greek Empire of Nicaea, established following the fragmentation of the Byzantine state after the Fourth Crusade.

1211

The Siege of Vienna ends when Austria routs the invading Ottoman forces, ending its European expansion.

Ottoman empire siege

The siege of Vienna, in 1529, was the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire to capture the city of Vienna in the Archduchy of Austria, part of the Holy Roman Empire. Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottomans, attacked the city with over 100,000 men, while the defenders, led by Niklas Graf Salm, numbered no more than 21,000. Nevertheless, Vienna was able to survive the siege, which ultimately lasted just over two weeks, from 27 September to 15 October 1529.

1529

Adoption of the Gregorian calendar begins, eventually leading to near-universal adoption.

The adoption of the Gregorian Calendar has taken place in the history of most cultures and societies around the world, marking a change from one of various traditional dating systems to the contemporary system – the Gregorian Calendar – which is widely used around the world today. Some polities adopted the new calendar in 1582, others not before the early twentieth century, and others at various dates between. A few have yet to do so, but except for these, the Gregorian Calendar is now the universal civil calendar, yet old style calendars remain in use in religious or traditional contexts. During – and for some time after – the transition between systems, it has been common to use the terms "Old Style" and "New Style" in dating to indicate which calendar was used to reckon them.

1582

Qing forces capture the island of Zhoushan.

Zhu Yihai, Prince of Lu, resident of the island and regent of the Southern Ming, flees to Kinmen.

The Qing dynasty, officially the Great Qing, also known as the Qing Empire or Qing China, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia which existed from 1636/1644 to 1912. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. At the height of its power, the empire stretched from the Sea of Japan in the east to the Pamir Mountains in the west, and from the Mongolian Plateau in the north to the South China Sea in the south. Originally emerging from the Later Jin dynasty founded in 1616 and proclaimed in Shenyang in 1636, the dynasty seized control of the Ming capital Beijing and North China in 1644, traditionally considered the start of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty lasted until the Xinhai Revolution of October 1911 led to the abdication of the last emperor in February 1912. The multi-ethnic Qing dynasty assembled the territorial base for modern China. The Qing controlled the most territory of any dynasty in Chinese history, and in 1790 was the fourth-largest empire in world history to that point. It was also the most populous state at the time, with over 426 million citizens in 1907.

1651

The Battle of Raft Swamp marks the last battle fought in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War with a Patriot victory.

It occurred four days before the British surrender at Yorktown.

The Battle of Raft Swamp was fought near Red Springs, North Carolina in Robeson County, on October 15, 1781 during the American War of Independence. Raft Swamp was well known for being a refuge for Loyalists during the American Revolution. On October 15, 1781, in the course of Gen. Griffith Rutherford's expedition against Wilmington, the Patriot cavalry vanguard commanded by Maj. Joseph Graham briefly engaged with some mounted Loyalists of Col. Hector "One-Eyed Hector" McNeill on Rockfish Creek. Major Graham's cavalry charged and broke the Loyalist cavalry and led to fierce combat on the narrow causeway, as well as another clash on a second causeway. A series of charges and confused engagements resulted in the Loyalist forces scattering when darkness brought the action to a conclusion with the Patriots occupying the area. This would be the last battle fought in North Carolina. It took place four days before the British surrender at Yorktown. Today, a state historic marker entitled with the name of the swamp denotes the site of the engagement. It reads as follows: "After the Tory victory at McPhaul's Mill, the Whigs routed the Tories near here on Oct. 15, 1781 and broke their resistance in the area."

1781

The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon makes the first human ascent, piloted by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier.

18th-century French inventors

The Montgolfier brothers – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier – were aviation pioneers, balloonists and paper manufacturers from the commune Annonay in Ardèche, France. They invented the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon, globe aérostatique, which launched the first confirmed piloted ascent by humans in 1783, carrying Jacques-Étienne.

1783

Queen Marie Antoinette of France is tried and convicted of treason.

Queen of France from 1774 to 1792

Marie Antoinette was Queen consort of France as the wife of Louis XVI from 10 May 1774 until the abolition of the French monarchy in 1792 during the French Revolution.

1793

Napoleon begins his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

French general and emperor (1769–1821)

Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was Emperor of the French from 18 May 1804 until his first abdication in 1814, with a brief restoration during the Hundred Days in 1815. He rose to prominence as a general during the French Revolution and led a series of military campaigns across Europe and the Middle East during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. As a statesman, he implemented numerous legal and administrative reforms in France and Europe.

1815

American Civil War: The Union garrison of Glasgow, Missouri surrenders to Confederate forces.

1861–1865 conflict in the United States

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war ended with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

1864

The "From Hell" letter allegedly sent by Jack the Ripper is received by investigators.

Letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper

The "From Hell" letter was a letter sent with half of a preserved human kidney to George Lusk, the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, in October 1888. The author of this letter claimed to be the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, who had murdered and mutilated at least four women in the Whitechapel and Spitalfields districts of London in the two months prior to Lusk receiving this letter, and whose vigilance committee Lusk led in civilian efforts to assist the police in identifying and apprehending the perpetrator.

1888

Airship America is launched from New Jersey in the first attempt to cross the Atlantic by a powered aircraft.

Blimp used by Walter Wellman (1906–10)

The America was a non-rigid airship built by Louis Mutin Godard in France in 1906 for the journalist Walter Wellman's attempt to reach the North Pole by air. Wellman first conceived of using a balloon to fly to the pole during a failed polar attempt by boat and sledge from Svalbard in 1894. He then visited Paris to review the state of balloon technology but left disappointed by the lack of acceptable steering and propulsion capability. A decade later while at the 1905 Portsmouth Peace Conference he learned of recent innovations in French dirigible design and believed a solution might be at hand for his Arctic aerial plan. After receiving the backing of newspaper publisher Victor F. Lawson, the Wellman Chicago Record-Herald Polar Expedition was announced, and Wellman traveled to Paris in search of a suitable design and manufacturer. In the meantime a public company was established to raise the $US 250,000 required for the expedition and airship.

1910

The German Rentenmark is introduced in Germany to counter hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic.

German currency from 1923 to 1924

The Rentenmark was a currency issued on 15 November 1923 to stop the hyperinflation of 1922 and 1923 in Weimar Germany, after the previously used Papiermark had become almost worthless. It was subdivided into 100 Rentenpfennig and was replaced in 1924 by the Reichsmark.

1923

The airship Graf Zeppelin completes its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States.

German rigid airship (1928–1940)

LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship that flew from 1928 to 1937. It offered the first commercial transatlantic passenger flight service. The ship was named after the German airship pioneer Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a count in the German nobility. It was conceived and operated by Hugo Eckener, the chairman of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin.

1928

Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.

National airline of India

Air India is the flag carrier of India, headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. Its primary hub is located at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, with secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The airline is owned by Air India Limited, which is owned by the Tata Group (74.9%) and Singapore Airlines (25.1%). As of November 2025, the airline serves 87 domestic and international destinations, operates a variety of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and is the second-largest airline in India by passenger volume, after IndiGo. Air India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014.

1932

The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed LaGuardia Airport) is dedicated.

Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, U.S.

LaGuardia Airport, colloquially known as LaGuardia or LGA, is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, United States, situated on the northwestern shore of Long Island, bordering Flushing Bay. It covers 680 acres as of January 1, 2026. The facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after Fiorello H. La Guardia, a former mayor of New York City.

1939

President Lluís Companys of Catalonia is executed by the Francoist government.

Spanish lawyer and politician (1882–1940)

Lluís Companys i Jover was a Catalan politician from Spain who served as president of Catalonia from 1934 and during the Spanish Civil War.

1940

World War II: Germany replaces the Hungarian government after Hungary announces an armistice with the Soviet Union.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1944

Mexican chemist Luis E.

Miramontes completes the synthesis of norethisterone, the basis of an early oral contraceptive.

Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas was a Mexican chemist known as co-inventor and the first to synthesize an oral contraceptive, progestin norethisterone.

1951

Hurricane Hazel devastates the eastern seaboard of North America, killing 95 and causing massive floods as far north as Toronto.

Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 1954

Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second-costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before it struck the United States near the border between North and South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane. After causing 95 fatalities in the US, Hazel struck Canada as an extratropical storm, which raised the death toll by 81 people, mostly in Toronto. As a result of the high death toll and the damage caused by Hazel, its name was retired from use for North Atlantic hurricanes.

1954

FORTRAN, the first modern computer language, is first shared with the coding community.

General-purpose programming language

Fortran is a third-generation, compiled, imperative programming language designed for numeric computation and scientific computing.

1956

Vietnam War: A draft card is burned during an anti-war rally by the Catholic Worker Movement, resulting in the first arrest under a new law.

1955–1975 war in Southeast Asia

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian civil wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.

1965

The Black Panther Party is created by Huey P.

Newton and Bobby Seale.

The Black Panther Party was an American Marxist–Leninist and black power political and militant organization founded by college students Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in October 1966 in Oakland, California and active in that area until 1982. Between 1968 and 1971, it was also a nationwide organization with chapters in many major American cities, including San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Philadelphia. Members were active in many prisons and had international chapters in the United Kingdom and Algeria. The party first drew attention for openly carrying firearms in Oakland while monitoring police activity; resultantly, members were involved in multiple fatal firefights with police. Its earliest goal was to challenge the excessive force and misconduct of the Oakland Police Department that affected the African American community during the civil rights movement. It advocated for decent housing, community control of education and police, exemption from military service, and free breakfast for children. The Party also advocated for class struggle, claiming to represent the proletarian vanguard.

1966

During the construction of Australia's West Gate Bridge, a span of the bridge falls and kills 35 workers.

The incident is the country's worst industrial accident to this day.

The West Gate Bridge is a steel, box girder, cable-stayed bridge across the Yarra River, north of its mouth into Port Phillip, and Westgate Park, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The bridge carries the West Gate Freeway and links Melbourne's city centre with its western suburbs and Geelong, 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the south-west. Opened in 1978, the bridge has formed part of one of the busiest road corridors in Australia; and carried 203,000 vehicles per day, as of November 2023.

1970

Supporters of the Malta Labour Party ransack and destroy the Times of Malta building and other locations associated with the Nationalist Party.

1979 rally turned riot in Malta

Black Monday in Malta refers to 15 October 1979 when the Progress Press and the home of Eddie Fenech Adami, then Leader of the Opposition, were ransacked following a rally by the Labour Party.

1979

A coup d'état in El Salvador overthrows President Carlos Humberto Romero and begins the 12 year-long Salvadoran Civil War.

Overthrow of President Carlos Humberto Romero

The 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état occurred on 15 October when junior officers of the Armed Forces of El Salvador's Military Youth Movement (MJM) bloodlessly overthrew General Carlos Humberto Romero, the president of El Salvador. The coup leaders established the Revolutionary Government Junta (JRG) that ruled El Salvador until 1982.

1979

Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 crashes near Conca di Crezzo, Italy, killing all 37 people on board.

1987 aviation accident

Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 was a scheduled passenger flight between Milan Linate Airport in Milan, Italy and Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany on 15 October 1987. The flight was operated by Aero Trasporti Italiani (ATI), a subsidiary of Alitalia, using an ATR-42 turboprop aircraft.

1987

A coup d'état in Burkina Faso overthrows and kills then President Thomas Sankara.

Coup that brought Blaise Compaoré to power

The 1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état was a violent military coup in Burkina Faso, which took place on 15 October 1987. The coup was organized by Captain Blaise Compaoré against incumbent far-left President Captain Thomas Sankara, his former friend, bandmate, and associate during the 1983 upheaval.

1987

Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.

Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1961)

Wayne Douglas Gretzky is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One", he has been called the greatest ice hockey player ever by the NHL based on surveys of hockey writers, ex-players, general managers and coaches. Gretzky is the leading career point scorer and assist producer in NHL history and has more assists than any other player has total career points. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season, a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, Gretzky scored more than 100 points in 15 professional seasons. At the time of his retirement in 1999, he held 61 NHL records: 40 regular season records, 15 playoff records, and six All-Star records.

1989

Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.

Leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988. Ideologically, he initially adhered to Marxism–Leninism, but moved towards social democracy by the early 1990s.

1990

The "Oh-My-God particle", an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray measured at 40,000,000 times that of the highest energy protons produced in a particle accelerator, is observed at the University of Utah HiRes observatory in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.

Ultra-high-energy cosmic ray detected in 1991

The Oh-My-God particle (as physicists dubbed it) was an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray detected on 15 October 1991 by the Fly's Eye camera in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, United States. As of 2026, it is the highest-energy cosmic ray ever observed. Its energy was estimated as (3.2±0.9)×1020 eV (320 exaelectronvolt). The particle's energy was unexpected and called into question prevailing theories about the origin and propagation of cosmic rays.

1991

The leaders of the Baltic States, Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, Anatolijs Gorbunovs of Latvia and Vytautas Landsbergis of Lithuania, signed the OSCE Final Act in Helsinki, Finland.

Three countries east of the Baltic Sea

The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, the Baltic Assembly, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea are sometimes referred to as the "Baltic nations", less often and in historical circumstances also as the "Baltic republics", the "Baltic lands", or simply the Baltics.

1991

The United States, under the Clinton administration, returns Haiti's first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to the island.

1993–2001 U.S. presidential administration

Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office after defeating the Republican incumbent president George H. W. Bush and independent businessman Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election. Four years later, he won re-election in the 1996 presidential election, after defeating the Republican nominee Bob Dole, and also Perot again. Alongside Clinton's presidency, the Democratic Party also held their majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate during the 103rd U.S. Congress following the 1992 elections, thereby attained an overall federal government trifecta. Clinton was constitutionally limited to two terms and was succeeded by Republican George W. Bush, who won the 2000 presidential election against Clinton's preferred successor, vice president Al Gore.

1994

The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.

Mission to Saturn (1997–2017)

Cassini–Huygens, commonly called Cassini, was a joint space-research mission by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to send a space probe to study the planet Saturn and its system, including its rings and natural satellites. The Flagship-class robotic spacecraft comprised both NASA's Cassini space probe and ESA's Huygens lander, which landed on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Cassini was the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter its orbit, where it stayed from 2004 to 2017. The two craft took their names from the astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens.

1997

NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles (180 km) of Jupiter's moon Io.

First NASA mission to orbit Jupiter (1989–2003)

Galileo was an American robotic space probe that studied the planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as the asteroids Gaspra and Ida. Named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, it consisted of an orbiter and an entry probe. It was delivered into Earth orbit on October 18, 1989, by Space Shuttle Atlantis, during STS-34. Galileo arrived at Jupiter on December 7, 1995, after gravitational assist flybys of Venus and Earth, and became the first spacecraft to orbit an outer planet.

2001

China launches Shenzhou 5, its first crewed space mission.

2003 first human spaceflight mission of China

Shenzhou 5 was the first human spaceflight mission of the Chinese space program, launched on 15 October 2003. The Shenzhou spacecraft was launched on a Long March 2F launch vehicle. There had been four previous flights of uncrewed Shenzhou missions since 1999. China became the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight capability after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States. As of June 2026, this mission marks the last recent time an astronaut was launched alone to conduct an entirely solo orbital mission.

2003

The 6.7 Mw Kiholo Bay earthquake rocks Hawaii, causing property damage, injuries, landslides, power outages, and the closure of Honolulu International Airport.

Scales to describe earthquake strength

Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake. These are distinguished from seismic intensity scales that categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) caused by an earthquake at a given location. Magnitudes are usually determined from measurements of an earthquake's seismic waves as recorded on a seismogram. Magnitude scales vary based on what aspect of the seismic waves are measured and how they are measured. Different magnitude scales are necessary because of differences in earthquakes, the information available, and the purposes for which the magnitudes are used.

2006

Seventeen activists in New Zealand are arrested in the country's first post-9/11 anti-terrorism raids.

Series of armed NZ police raids

On 15 and 16 October 2007, the New Zealand Police conducted a series of armed raids in response to alleged paramilitary training camps in the Urewera mountain range near the town of Ruatoki. About 300 police, including members of the Armed Offenders Squad and Special Tactics Group, were involved in the raids, which involved the execution of search warrants at various addresses throughout New Zealand, and the establishment of roadblocks at Ruatoki and Tāneatua. The police seized four guns and 230 rounds of ammunition and arrested eighteen people. According to police, the raids were a culmination of more than a year of surveillance that uncovered and monitored the training camps.

2007

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes down 733.08 points, or 7.87%, the second worst percentage drop in the Dow's history.

American stock market index composed of 30 industry leaders

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones, or simply the Dow, is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States.

2008

The 7.2 Mw Bohol earthquake strikes the Philippines.

At least 215 were killed.

2013

13-year-old American girl, Jayme Closs, is kidnapped from her Barron, Wisconsin home after her parents were both murdered.

2018 double homicide and child abduction in Barron, Wisconsin

On October 15, 2018, 21-year-old Jake Thomas Patterson abducted 13-year-old Jayme Lynn Closs after fatally shooting her parents, James and Denise Closs, at their home just outside of Barron, Wisconsin, at 12:53 a.m. Patterson took Closs to a house 70 miles (110 km) away in rural Gordon, Wisconsin, and held her in captivity for 88 days until she escaped on January 10, 2019, seeking help from neighbors.

2018

Born on October 15

20 people 1989 – 2005

Christian

Crown Prince of Denmark

Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the eldest child of King Frederik X and Queen Mary. He was born during the reign of his paternal grandmother, Queen…

2005

Melki Sedek Huang

Indonesian activist and sex offender

Melki Sedek Huang is an Indonesian activist and politician who was the chairman of the student executive council at University of Indonesia (UI) from 21 January 2023 until his dismissal on 18 December on the same year…

2000

Bailee Madison

American-Canadian actress and singer

Bailee Madison is an American actress and singer. Beginning as a child actress and later expanding to mature roles and into the horror genre, her accolades include three Young Artist Awards, with nominations for a…

1999

Ben Woodburn

Welsh footballer

Benjamin Luke Woodburn is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Salford City. A versatile player, Woodburn can be deployed as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, left winger…

1999

Teuku Wariza Aris Munandar

Indonesian activist and politician

In December 2023, students from various universities in Aceh, Indonesia, protested and rioted against Rohingya refugees. The protests took place at the Balee Meuseuraya Hall in Banda Aceh.

1998

Charly Musonda

Belgian footballer

Charles Musonda is a Belgian former professional footballer. Mainly an attacking midfielder, he also played as a winger.

1996

Grace Van Dien

American actress

Grace Van Dien is an American actress. She is most notably known for playing Chrissy Cunningham in Stranger Things (2022) and starring in "Roost" which premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival. She has…

1996

Zelo

South Korean rapper and dancer

Choi Jun-hong, known professionally as Zelo (젤로), is a South Korean rapper and dancer best known as the former member of the South Korean boy group B.A.P. He made his recording debut with the single "Never Give Up"…

1996

Jack Flaherty

American baseball player

Jack Rafe Flaherty is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles…

1995

Jakob Pöltl

Austrian basketball player

Jakob Pöltl is an Austrian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah Utes.

1995

Lil' Kleine

Dutch rapper

Jorik Scholten, professionally known as Lil' Kleine, is a Dutch rapper, actor and singer. He collaborated with fellow rapper Ronnie Flex to produce the number-one single "Drank & Drugs" and the number-one album Wop!.

1994

Babar Azam

Pakistani cricket player

Mohammad Babar Azam is a Pakistani international cricketer and a former captain of the Pakistan national team in all three formats of the game. A right-handed top-order batter, he captains Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan…

1994

Richaun Holmes

American basketball player

Richaun Diante Holmes is an American professional basketball who last played for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Bowling Green Falcons where he…

1993

Roh Tae-hyun

South Korean singer and dancer

Roh Tae-hyun, is a South Korean singer and dancer. He is a former member of Hotshot and JBJ. He released his debut solo extended play, Birthday, on January 24, 2019. He participated as a member of Mbitious in Street Man…

1993

Ncuti Gatwa

Rwandan-Scottish actor

Mizero Ncuti Gatwa is a Rwandan-Scottish actor. He is best known for playing Eric Effiong in the Netflix series Sex Education (2019–2023) and the Fifteenth Doctor in the BBC series Doctor Who (2023–2025). He won the…

1992

Teoscar Hernández

Dominican baseball player

Teoscar José Hernández, nicknamed "Teo", is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue…

1992

Vincent Martella

American actor

Vincent Michael Martella is an American actor and singer. He is best known for providing the voice of Phineas Flynn on the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb. Martella is also known for his role as Greg…

1992

Brock Nelson

American ice hockey player

Brock Christian Nelson is an American professional ice hockey player who is a center for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nelson was drafted 30th overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL…

1991

Jeon Ji-yoon

South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer

Jeon Ji-yoon, professionally known as Jiyoon or Jenyer, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and songwriter known for her work as a former member of South Korean girl group 4Minute. She debuted as a solo artist on November…

1990

Blaine Gabbert

American football player

Blaine Williamson Gabbert is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, receiving…

1989

See all birthdays on October 15

Died on October 15

20 people 2007 – 2025

Jim Bolger

New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1935)

James Brendan Bolger was a New Zealand politician of the National Party who was the 35th prime minister of New Zealand, serving from 1990 to 1997.

2025

Mike Jackson

English general (born 1944)

General Sir Michael David Jackson was a British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the…

2024

David Amess

British politician, member of Parliament for Southend West (born 1952)

Sir David Anthony Andrew Amess was a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 38 years, serving Southend West from 1997 until his murder in 2021. He previously served as MP for Basildon from 1983…

2021

Paul Allen

co-founder of Microsoft, philanthropist, owner of the Seattle Seahawks (born 1953)

Paul Gardner Allen was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the microcomputer revolution of…

2018

Chinggoy Alonzo

Filipino theater, movie & television actor (born 1950)

Ramón "Chinggoy" Alonzo was a Filipino actor in theater, movies, and television. He was nominated for FAMAS Award Best Supporting Actor in Ikaw Naman ang Iiyak (1996).

2017

Giovanni Reale

Italian philosopher and historian (born 1931)

Giovanni Reale was an Italian historian of philosophy.

2014

Donald Bailey

American drummer (born 1933)

Donald Orlando "Duck" Bailey was an American jazz drummer.

2013

Claude Cheysson

French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1920)

Claude Cheysson was a French Socialist politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of Pierre Mauroy from 1981 to 1984.

2012

Erol Günaydın

Turkish actor and screenwriter (born 1933)

Erol Günaydın was a Turkish theater and film actor, as well as a renowned showman famous particularly for his portrayal of Nasreddin Hoca and his performances in the traditional Turkish meddah.

2012

Maria Petrou

Greek-English computer scientist and academic (born 1953)

Maria Petrou FREng was a Greek-born British scientist who specialised in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine vision. She developed a number of novel image recognition techniques, taught at Surrey…

2012

Norodom Sihanouk

Cambodian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (born 1922)

Norodom Sihanouk was King, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodia. He is known as Samdech Euv. During his lifetime, Cambodia was under various regimes, from French colonial rule, a Japanese puppet state (1945),…

2012

Betty Driver

English actress, singer, and author (born 1920)

Betty Mary Driver was a British actress and singer, best known for her role as Betty Williams in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played for 42 years from 1969 to 2011, appearing in 2,732…

2011

Richard C. Miller

American photographer (born 1912)

Richard Crump Miller was an American photographer best known for his vintage carbro prints, photos of celebrities, and work documenting the Hollywood Freeway.

2010

Mildred Fay Jefferson

American physician and activist (born 1926)

Mildred Fay Jefferson was an American physician and anti-abortion activist. The first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School, the first woman to graduate in surgery from Harvard Medical School, and the…

2010

Johnny Sheffield

American actor (born 1931)

Johnny Sheffield was an American actor who, between 1939 and 1947, portrayed Boy in the Tarzan film series and, between 1949 and 1955, played Bomba, the Jungle Boy.

2010

Heinz Versteeg

Dutch-German footballer (born 1939)

Heinz Versteeg was a Dutch professional footballer active primarily in Germany. Versteeg played as a striker for Meidericher SV and Hamborn 07.

2009

Edie Adams

American actress and singer (born 1927)

Edie Adams was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman who was prominent in the second half of the 1900s. She earned a Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award.

2008

Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca

Turkish soldier and poet (born 1914)

Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca was one of the most prolific Turkish poets of the Turkish Republic with more than 60 collections of his poems published as of 2007. He was a laureate of the Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath…

2008

Jack Narz

American game show host and announcer (born 1922)

John Lawrence Narz Jr. was an American radio personality, television host, and singer.

2008

Piet Boukema

Dutch jurist and politician (born 1933)

Pieter Jan (Piet) Boukema was a Dutch jurist and politician. He was a member of the Provinciale Staten of North Holland from 1966 to 1970, of the Senate of the Netherlands from 1970 to 1976 and of the Raad van State…

2007

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What happened on October 15 in history?

On October 15, one notable event in history was 2016: One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons..

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Featured year2016

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2016 — One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons

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October 15 in History

2016 — One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons

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