May 15

### Up to 1900

- 495 BC – A newly built temple in honour of the god Mercury is dedicated in Ancient Rome on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine Hills.
- 392 – Roman Emperor Valentinian II mysteriously dies while advancing into Gaul (present–day France) against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. It is not clear if he was murdered or committed suicide.
- 1252 – Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which allows, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
- 1464 – Wars of the Roses: Battle of Hexham – York defeats Lancaster.
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is put on trial in London on charges of treason, adultery and incest. It will result in her execution four days later.
- 1567 – Mary, Queen of Scots marries James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, her third husband.
- 1602 – Bartholomew Gosnold becomes the first European to sight Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
- 1618 – Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion.
- 1648 – The Treaty of Westphalia is signed.
- 1701 – The War of the Spanish Succession begins.
- 1718 – James Buckle, a London lawyer, patents the first machine gun.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Virginia Convention tells its Continental Congress delegation to propose resolution of independence from Great Britain.
- 1792 – War of the First Coalition: France declares war on the Kingdom of Sardinia.
- 1793 – Diego Marin Aguilera flies a glider for "about 360 meters" at a height of 5–6 meters.
- 1796 – First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte enters Milan in triumph.
- 1800 – King George III of the United Kingdom survives an assassination attempt by James Hadfield.
- 1811 – Paraguay declares itself independent from Spain.
- 1849 – Troops of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies take Palermo and crush the republican government of Sicily.
- 1850 – The Bloody Island Massacre takes place in Lake County, California. A large number of Pomo Native Americans are slaughtered by the regiment of the United States Cavalry.
- 1851 – The first Australian gold rush is proclaimed, although the gold was discovered three months earlier.
- 1858 – Opening of the present Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
- 1860 – Battle of Calatafilmi in Sicily: Giuseppe Garibaldi's "Red Shirts" defeat the Army of the Kingdom of Naples.
- 1869 – In New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association.

### 1901 – 1950

- 1904 – Russo-Japanese War: The Russian minelayer _Amur_ lays a minefield about 15 miles off Port Arthur, China, and sinks Japanese ships _Hatsuse_ and _Yashima_.
- 1904 – The cruiser "Yoshino" collides with armored cruiser "Kasaga" to the east of China and sinks, killing 329 out of the 419 people on board.
- 1905 – Las Vegas is founded when 110 acres (0.45 square kilometers), in what later becomes the downtown area, are auctioned off.
- 1910 – The German football club FC St. Pauli is founded. It is based in Hamburg.
- 1919 – The Winnipeg Strike begins. By 11:00am, almost the whole working population of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, had walked off the job.
- 1919 – The Greek invasion of Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey) occurs, in which the Greek army kills over 350 Turks. Those responsible are punishes by Greek commander Aristiades Stergiades.
- 1926 – The New York Rangers ice hockey team is founded.
- 1928 – Walt Disney character Mickey Mouse makes his first appearance in the cartoon "Plane Crazy".
- 1929 – A fire at a clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, kills 123 people.
- 1932 – Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is killed in a coup attempt.
- 1934 – Karlis Ulmanis creates an authoritarian government in Latvia.
- 1935 – The Moscow Metro is opened to the public.
- 1940 – World War II: After fierce fighting, the poorly–trained and equipped Dutch surrender to Germany, beginning five years of occupation.
- 1940 – McDonald's opens its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
- 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Poljana is fought in Slovenia, as the last battle in Europe during the war.
- 1948 – The Kingdom of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia all declare war on the newly declared State of Israel.

### 1951 – 2000

- 1951 – Polish writer Czeslaw Milosz asks the government of France for political asylum.
- 1955 – Austria regains its independence.
- 1955 – Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy of France climb Makalu in the Himalayas. It is the world's 5th–highest mountain.
- 1957 – At Malden Island in the Pacific Ocean, the United Kingdom tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
- 1958 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
- 1960 – The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
- 1963 – Project Mercury: The launch of the final Mercury mission, Mercury–Atlas 9, with L. Gordon Cooper on board, is successful. He is the first American to spend more than a day in space.
- 1966 – After a policy dispute, Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky of South Vietnam's ruling junta, launches a military attack on the forces of General Ton That Dinh, forcing him to abandon his command.
- 1970 – US President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington as the first female United States Army generals.
- 1972 – The US returns Okinawa to Japanese control.
- 1972 – Governor George Wallace of Alabama is shot by Arthur H. Bremer at a Laurel, Maryland political rally.
- 1974 – Ma'a lot massacre: Members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attack and take hostages at an Israeli school, killing 31 people, including 22 schoolchildren.
- 1974 – Walter Scheel is elected President of the Federal Republic of Germany, a post he takes up on July 1.
- 1980 – West Germany's National Olympic Committee decides to join the United States in boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
- 1988 – The Soviet Army begins its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- 1990 – The Vincent van Gogh painting _A Portrait of Dr. Gachet_ sells for 82.5 million US Dollars, a then–record for a work of art sold at auction.
- 1991 – Edith Cresson becomes the first female Prime Minister of France.
- 1997 – The US acknowledges a "Secret War" in Laos.

### From 2001

- 2004 – South Africa is announced as the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
- 2004 – Ruslana, representing Ukraine, wins the 49th Eurovision Song Contest in Istanbul, Turkey.
- 2008 – California legalizes same-sex marriage.
- 2010 – Jessica Watson becomes the then–youngest person to sail single–handedly around the world.
- 2012 – François Hollande becomes President of France, replacing Nicolas Sarkozy.
- 2013 – An upsurge in violence in Iraq kills 389 people in three days.
- 2014 – US President Barack Obama opens a 9/11 memorial museum.
- 2016 – Max Verstappen becomes the youngest–ever driver to win a Formula One race.
- 2017 – French President Emmanuel Macron names Edouard Philippe as Prime Minister of France.

### Up to 1900

- 1397 – Sejong the Great, Korean King (d. 1450)
- 1567 – Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer (d. 1643)
- 1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English writer (d. 1762)
- 1720 – Maximilian Hell, Hungarian astronomer (d. 1792)
- 1749 – Levi Lincoln, Sr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1820)
- 1764 – Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, German organist and composer (d. 1827)
- 1767 – Ezekiel Hart, Canadian businessman and politician (d. 1843)
- 1773 – Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, German–Austrian statesman (d. 1859)
- 1817 – Debendranath Tagore, Indian philosopher (d. 1905)
- 1827 – Knud Bergslien, Norwegian painter (d. 1908)
- 1838 – Nicolae Grigorescu, Romanian painter (d. 1907)
- 1841 – James Henderson Berry, American politician, Governor of Arkansas (d. 1913)
- 1842 – Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (d. 1919)
- 1845 – Jan Czerski, Polish–Russian scientist (d. 1892)
- 1845 – Ilya Mechnikov, Russian zoologist and immunologist (d. 1916)
- 1848 – Viktor Vasnetsov, Russian painter (d. 1926)
- 1854 – Ioannes Psycharis, Ukrainian–French philologist and writer (d. 1929)
- 1856 – L. Frank Baum, American writer (d. 1919)
- 1856 – Matthias Zurbriggen, Swiss mountaineer (d. 1917)
- 1857 – Williamina Fleming, Scottish–American astronomer (d. 1911)
- 1859 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics (d. 1906)
- 1860 – Ellen Louise Wilson, American First Lady, wife of Woodrow Wilson (d. 1914)
- 1862 – Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian dramatist (d. 1931)
- 1863 – Frank Hornby, English businessman and politician, inventor of Meccano (d. 1936)
- 1867 – Hjalmar Johansen, Norwegian explorer (d. 1913)
- 1867 – Henry Stuart Jones, British classical philologist and historian (d. 1939)
- 1869 – Paul Probst, Swiss target shooter (d. 1945)
- 1873 – Pavlo Skoropadskiy, Ukrainian politician (d. 1945)
- 1873 – Nikolai Tcherepnin, Russian composer (d. 1945)
- 1890 – Katherine-Anne Porter, American journalist and writer (d. 1980)
- 1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian writer (d. 1940)
- 1891 – Fritz Feigl, Austrian–Brazilian chemist (d. 1971)
- 1892 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (d. 1977)
- 1892 – Jimmy Wilde, Welsh boxer (d. 1969)
- 1895 – Astrid Zachrison, Swedish supercentenarian, oldest Swedish person on record (d. 2008)
- 1895 – Prescott Bush, American politician (d. 1972)
- 1895 – William D. Byron, American politician (d. 1941)
- 1898 – Arletty, French actress, model and singer (d. 1992)
- 1898 – Richard W. Leche, American politician, Governor of Louisiana (d. 1965)

### 1901 – 1950

- 1901 – Luis Monti, Argentine–Italian footballer (d. 1983)
- 1902 – Richard J. Daley, 48th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1976)
- 1903 – Maria Reiche, German mathematician and archaeologist (d. 1998)
- 1904 – Clifton Fadiman, American game show host and writer (d. 1999)
- 1905 – Joseph Cotten, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1905 – Abraham Zapruder, American businessman (d. 1970)
- 1907 – Sukhdev Thapar, Indian activist (d. 1931)
- 1908 – Joe Grant, American writer and animator (d. 2005)
- 1909 – James Mason, English actor, producer and screenwriter (d. 1984)
- 1909 – Clara Solovera, Chilean singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Constance Cummings, English actress (d. 2005)
- 1911 – Max Frisch, Swiss writer (d. 1991)
- 1911 – Herta Oberheuser, German Nazi physician (d. 1978)
- 1914 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Angus MacLean, Canadian politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (d. 2000)
- 1915 – Paul Samuelson, American economist (d. 2009)
- 1915 – Gus Viseur, Belgian–French accordion player (d. 1974)
- 1915 – William Witney, American director (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Eddy Arnold, American singer (d. 2008)
- 1918 – Joseph Wiseman, Canadian actor (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, Lebanese religious leader
- 1923 – Richard Avedon, American photographer (d. 2004)
- 1923 – John Lanchbery, English–Australian composer and conductor (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Maria Koepcke, German–Peruvian ornithologist (d. 1971)
- 1925 – Horacio Guarany, Argentine singer and writer (d. 2017)
- 1925 – Mary F. Lyon, English geneticist (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Carl Sanders, American politician, 74th Governor of Georgia (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Andrei Eshpai, Russian composer (d. 2015)
- 1926 – Anthony Shaffer, British screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1926 – Peter Shaffer, British dramatist (d. 2016)
- 1929 – Frank Heart, American computer engineer (d. 2018)
- 1930 – Jasper Johns, American artist
- 1932 – John Glen, British director
- 1932 – Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former Prime Minister of Thailand
- 1935 – Don Bragg, American pole vaulter
- 1935 – Akihiro Miwa, Japanese singer, actor, director and composer
- 1935 – Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter (d. 2008)
- 1936 – Anna Maria Alberghetti, Italian–American actress and singer
- 1936 – Wavy Gravy, American activist
- 1936 – Ralph Steadman, British caricaturist, cartoonist and illustrator
- 1937 – Madeleine Albright, 64th United States Secretary of State (d. 2022)
- 1937 – Ted Dabney, American electrical engineer (d. 2018)
- 1937 – Trini Lopez, American singer and actor
- 1938 – Mireille Darc, French actress (d. 2017)
- 1940 – Don Nelson, American basketball player and coach
- 1940 – Roger Ailes, American television executive (Fox News) (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, Prime Minister of Swaziland
- 1942 – Lois Johnson, American country music singer (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Jusuf Kalla, 10th Vice President of Indonesia
- 1942 – Doug Lowe, Australian politician, 35th Premier of Tasmania
- 1943 – Pierre Bégin, Canadian politician
- 1944 – Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (d. 2015)
- 1945 – Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, Portuguese nobleman
- 1946 – Aly Bain, Scottish fiddler
- 1947 – Paulo de Carvalho, Portuguese singer
- 1948 – Valentina Gerasimova, Kazakhstani middle–distance runner
- 1948 – Brian Eno, English musician and record producer
- 1948 – Kathleen Sebelius, American politician

### 1951 – 1975

- 1951 – Frank Wilczek, American mathematician and physicist
- 1951 – Dennis Frederiksen, American musician (d. 2014)
- 1952 – Chazz Palminteri, American actor, director, producer and screenwriter
- 1952 – Phil Seymour, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1993)
- 1953 – Mike Oldfield, British musician
- 1953 – Franco Selvaggi, Italian footballer
- 1953 – Amy Holland, American actress
- 1953 – George Brett, American baseball player
- 1955 – Claudia Roth, German politician
- 1955 – El Gran Wyoming, Spanish humorist, actor, musician, writer and presenter
- 1955 – Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian politician (d. 2013)
- 1955 – Lia Vissi, Greek singer
- 1957 – Meg Gardiner, American crime fiction writer
- 1957 – Juan José Ibarretxe, Basque politician
- 1957 – John Mason, Scottish politician
- 1959 – Beverly Jo Scott, American–Belgian singer-songwriter
- 1959 – Ronald Pofalla, German politician
- 1961 – Katrin Cartlidge, British actress (d. 2002)
- 1963 – Brenda Bakke, American actress
- 1963 – Grant Heslov, American actor and producer
- 1964 – Lars Lokke Rasmussen, 40th Prime Minister of Denmark
- 1966 – Gianluca Buonanno, Italian politician (d. 2016)
- 1966 – Orla Guerin, Irish journalist
- 1966 – Greg Wise, English actor and producer
- 1967 – Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress
- 1967 – Orlando Zapata, Cuban activist (d. 2010)
- 1968 – Seth Putnam, American musician (d. 2011)
- 1968 – Sophie Raworth, British journalist and broadcaster
- 1968 – Cecilia Malmström, Swedish politician
- 1970 – Frank de Boer, Dutch footballer
- 1970 – Ronald de Boer, Dutch footballer
- 1970 – Saira Khan, English businesswoman
- 1972 – Danny Alexander, Scottish politician
- 1972 – David Charvet, French actor and singer
- 1972 – André Segatti, Brazilian actor and model
- 1974 – Vassilis Kikilias, Greek basketball player and politician

### From 1976

- 1976 – Jacek Krzynowek, Polish footballer
- 1978 – Eduardo César Gaspar, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – David Krumholtz, American actor
- 1979 – Adolfo Bautista, Mexican footballer
- 1979 – Li Yanfeng, Chinese discus thrower
- 1979 – Dominic Scott, Irish guitarist
- 1979 – Renato Dirnei Florencio, Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Josh Beckett, American baseball player
- 1981 – Patrice Evra, French footballer
- 1981 – Zara Phillips, British royal and equestrian
- 1981 – Justin Morneau, Canadian baseball player
- 1981 – Jamie-Lynn Sigler, American actress
- 1982 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican sprinter
- 1982 – Jessica Sutta, American singer-songwriter, dancer and actress (Pussycat Dolls)
- 1984 – Alex Brooker, English comedian and television presenter
- 1985 – Cristiane, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Matias Fernandez, Chilean footballer
- 1986 – Adam Moffat, Scottish footballer
- 1987 – Andy Murray, Scottish tennis player
- 1987 – Leonardo Mayer, Argentine tennis player
- 1988 – Jessica Falkholt, Australian actress (d. 2018)
- 1989 – James Holland, Australian footballer
- 1989 – Sunny, American–South Korean singer, dancer and actress (Girls' Generation)
- 1990 – Lee Jong-hyun, South Korean singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor
- 1991 – Jennifer Hof, German model
- 1993 – Mahfizur Rahman Sagor, Bangladeshi swimmer
- 1995 – Ksenia Sitnik, Belarussian singer
- 1996 – Birdy, English singer
- 1997 – Ousmane Dembélé, French footballer

### Up to 1900

- 392 – Valentinian II, Roman emperor (b. 371)
- 1036 – Emperor Go-Ichijo of Japan
- 1157 – Yuri Dolgorukiy, Russian prince (b. 1099)
- 1470 – Charles VIII of Sweden
- 1585 – Niwa Nagahide, Japanese retainer, samurai, and daimyo (b. 1535)
- 1609 – Giovanni Croce, Italian composer (b. 1557)
- 1634 – Hendrick Avercamp, Dutch painter (b. 1585)
- 1700 – John Hale, American minister (b. 1636)
- 1740 – Ephraim Chambers, English encyclopaedist (b. 1680)
- 1782 – Marquis of Pombal, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
- 1845 – Braulio Carrillo Colina, Costa Rican statesman (b. 1800)
- 1879 – Gottfried Semper, German architect and educator (b. 1803)
- 1886 – Emily Dickinson, American poet (b. 1830)

### 1901 – 2000

- 1919 – Hasan Tahsan, Turkish nationalist journalist (b. 1888)
- 1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat and politician (b. 1852)
- 1928 – Umegatani Totaro, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1845)
- 1932 – Inukai Tsuyoshi, Prime Minister of Japan
- 1935 – Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian–Russian painter (b. 1878)
- 1937 – Phillip Snowden, British politician (b. 1864)
- 1945 – Charles Williams, British writer, poet and critic (b. 1886)
- 1945 – Kenneth J. Alford, British composer (b. 1881)
- 1948 – Father Edward Flanagan, priest, founder of Boys Town
- 1956 – Austin Osman Spare, magician (b. 1886)
- 1967 – Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882)
- 1969 – Joe Malone, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1890)
- 1971 – Sir Tyrone Guthrie, director, producer, and writer (b. 1900)
- 1978 – Robert Menzies, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1894)
- 1980 – Johann Hafstein, Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1915)
- 1984 – Francis Schaeffer, American theologian, philosopher and pastor (b. 1912)
- 1986 – Elio de Angelis, Italian racing driver (b. 1958)
- 1986 – Theodore H. White, writer (b. 1915)
- 1991 – Ronald Lacey, English actor (b. 1935)
- 1993 – Salah Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudanese poet and diplomat (b. 1933)
- 1994 – Gilbert Roland, Mexican actor (b. 1904)
- 1995 – Eric Porter, British actor (b. 1928)
- 1996 – Charles B. Fulton, American jurist (b. 1910)
- 1998 – Earl Manigault, American basketball player (b. 1944)
- 1998 – Naim Talu, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1919)

### From 2001

- 2003 – June Carter Cash, American musician and singer (b. 1929)
- 2003 – George Francis, British mobster
- 2003 – Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist
- 2005 – Les Bartley, National Lacrosse League coach (b. 1954)
- 2007 – Jerry Falwell, American pastor (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Yolanda King, American activist (b. 1955)
- 2008 – Astrid Zachrison, Swedish supercentenarian, oldest Swedish person on record (b. 1895)
- 2008 – Tommy Burns, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
- 2009 – Wayman Tisdale, American basketball player (b. 1964)
- 2010 – Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Vice President of India (b. 1923)
- 2010 – John Shepherd-Barron, Scottish inventor (b. 1925)
- 2010 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (b. 1987)
- 2011 – Samuel Wanjiru, Kenyan runner (b. 1986)
- 2012 – Carlos Fuentes, Mexican writer (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Zakaria Mohieddin, 33rd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Henrique Rosa, acting President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1946)
- 2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Corey Hill, American mixed martial artist (b. 1978)
- 2015 – Carlos Maggi, Uruguayan writer (b. 1922)
- 2015 – John Stephenson, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Garo Yepremian, Cypriot–born American football player (b. 1944)
- 2015 – Donald Wrye, American film director (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Jackie Brookner, American artist (b. 1945)
- 2016 – Erika Berger, German television presenter and writer (b. 1930)
- 2016 – Clovis Maksoud, American diplomat, journalist and educator (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Cauby Peixoto, Brazilian singer and actor (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Michael Roberds, Canadian actor (b. 1964)
- 2016 – Marion Tournon-Branly, French architect (b. 1924)
- 2017 – Karl-Otto Apel, German philosopher (b. 1922)
- 2017 – Chu Ke-liang, Taiwanese actor (b. 1946)
- 2017 – Nasser Givehchi, Iranian wrestler (b. 1932)
- 2017 – Neil Rolde, American historian and politician (b. 1931)
- 2017 – Oleg Vidov, Russian–American actor (b. 1943)
- 2017 – Ian Brady, British serial killer (Moors murders) (b. 1938)
- 2017 – Thomas James Kinsman, American soldier (b. 1945)
- 2017 – Bob Kuzava, American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 2018 – Jlloyd Samuel, Trinidadian footballer (b. 1981)
- 2018 – Ray Wilson, English footballer (b. 1934)

## Observances

- International Day of conscientious objectors
- Independence Day (Paraguay)
- Nakba Day (Palestinian Community)
- Army Day (Slovenia)
- Teacher's Day (Mexico and South Korea)
- Constituent Assembly Day (Lithuania)