What are the important events that happened on May 15? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
May 15: Facts & Myths About This Day
May 15 is the 136th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 230 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is May 2, 2024 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,715,731,200 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectatriacontahexagon’ day.
Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 259 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,163 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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May 15 Historical Events
- 1701 –The War of the Spanish Succession begins.
- 1791 –Maximilien Robespierre proposes the Self-denying Ordinance.
- 1836 –Francis Baily observes “Baily’s beads” during an annular eclipse.
- 1850 –The Bloody Island Massacre takes place in Lake County, California, in which a large number of Pomo Indians in Lake County are slaughtered by a regiment of the United States Cavalry, led by Nathaniel Lyon.
- 1928 –Mickey Mouse premiered in his first cartoon, Plane Crazy
- 1943 –Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).
- 1957 –At Malden Island in the Pacific, Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple. The device fails to detonate properly.
- 1960 –The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
- 1969 –People’s Park: California Governor Ronald Reagan has an impromptu student park owned by University of California at Berkeley fenced off from student anti-war protestors, sparking a riot called Bloody Thursday.
- 1974 –Ma'alot massacre: In an Arab terrorist attack and hostage taking at an Israeli school, a total of 31 people are killed, including 22 schoolchildren.
Who were born on May 15?
- 1914 –Turk Broda, Canadian hockey goaltender (d. 1972)
- 1939 –Dorothy Shirley, British athlete
- 1940 –Don Nelson, American professional basketball coach
- 1956 –Andreas Loverdos, Greek lawyer and politician
- 1958 –Ron Simmons, American professional wrestler
- 1969 –Asalah Nasri, Syrian singer
- 1978 –Krissy Taylor, American model (d. 1995)
- 1980 –Josh Beckett, American baseball player
- 1981 –Zara Phillips, British royal and eventer
- 1987 –Ersan İlyasova, Turkish basketball player
Who died on May 15?
- 913 –Hatto I, Archbishop of Mainz
- 1609 –Giovanni Croce, Italian composer (b. 1557)
- 1699 –Edward Petre, British Jesuit and privy councilor (b. 1631)
- 1782 –Marquis of Pombal, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1699)
- 1935 –Kazimir Malevich, Polish/Ukrainian artist (b. 1878)
- 1967 –Edward Hopper, American painter (b. 1882)
- 1996 –Charles B. Fulton, American jurist (b. 1910)
- 2003 –June Carter Cash, American musician and singer (b. 1929)
- 2009 –Charles ‘Bud’Tingwell, Australian actor (b. 1923)
- 2010 –Loris Kessel, Swiss racing driver (b. 1950)
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