2015 facts for kids
Millennium: | 3rd millennium |
---|---|
Centuries: | 20th century – 21st century – 22nd century |
Decades: | 1980s 1990s 2000s – 2010s – 2020s 2030s 2040s |
Years: | 2012 2013 2014 – 2015 – 2016 2017 2018 |
2015 was a year filled with many important events around the world. It was a common year starting on Thursday in the Gregorian calendar.
Contents
- Exciting Events of 2015
- January: New Unions and Big Climbs
- February: Peace Talks and Incidents
- March: Space, History, and Tragedies
- April: Earthquakes and Health News
- May: Royal Births and Art Records
- June: Sports, Politics, and Rights
- July: Financial News and Space Exploration
- August: Missing Plane and Health News
- September: Royal Records and Discoveries
- October: New Leaders and Natural Disasters
- November: Meetings and Attacks
- December: Climate Pacts and Space Firsts
- Sports in 2015
- Images for kids
- See also
Exciting Events of 2015
January: New Unions and Big Climbs
- The Eurasian Economic Union started. This group helps Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan work together on political and economic matters.
- Lithuania began using the euro currency. This made it the 19th country to join the Eurozone.
- January 14:
- Giorgio Napolitano, the President of Italy, stepped down because of his age. Pietro Grasso became the new President.
- Two climbers, Kevin Jorgesen and Tommy Caldwell, made history. They were the first to successfully climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California.
- January 23:
- In Yemen, rebels took over the presidential palace. The President and Prime Minister resigned.
- The King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, passed away at 90. His half-brother, Salman of Saudi Arabia, became the new king.
- January 30: Zhelyu Zhelev, the first freely elected president of Bulgaria, died at 79.
February: Peace Talks and Incidents
- February 12: Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France agreed to a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. They also decided to remove heavy weapons from the area.
- February 14: A shooting happened in Copenhagen, Denmark.
March: Space, History, and Tragedies
- March 5 to March 8: Ancient cities in Iraq like Nimrud, Hatra, and Dur-Sharrukin were destroyed by a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
- March 6: NASA's Dawn spacecraft started orbiting Ceres. This made it the first spacecraft to visit a dwarf planet.
- March 12: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant joined forces with another group called Boko Haram.
- March 24: An Airbus A320 plane from Germanwings crashed in the French Alps. All 150 people on board died.
- March 25: A group of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia started a military action in Yemen. They aimed to support the Yemeni government against rebels.
April: Earthquakes and Health News
- April 25: A very strong earthquake hit Nepal. It measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. More than 6,000 people died in Nepal, India, China, and Bangladesh.
- April 29: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that rubella (a disease) had been completely removed from the Americas.
May: Royal Births and Art Records
- May 1 to October 31: The Expo 2015 world fair was held in Milan, Italy.
- May 2: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her second child, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, in London, England.
- May 11 to May 12: A painting by Pablo Picasso called Les Femmes d'Alger sold for US$179.3 million. A sculpture by Alberto Giacometti called L'Homme au doigt sold for US$141.3 million. Both set new world records for art prices.
- May 12: A second major earthquake hit Nepal. It measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and caused 218 deaths across Nepal, India, and China.
- May 23: Ireland voted to make same-sex marriage legal. It was the first country to do this by a public vote.
June: Sports, Politics, and Rights

The White House lit up in rainbow colors to celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
- June 2: FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced he would resign. This happened during a corruption investigation.
- June 7 to June 8: The 41st G7 summit (a meeting of leaders from major countries) was held in Schloss Elmau, Bavaria.
- June 25 to June 26: A group called ISIL claimed responsibility for four attacks around the world during the time of Ramadan.
- June 26: The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that gay marriage was legal across the entire United States.
- June 30: An Indonesian Air Force plane crashed into a neighborhood in Medan, killing 143 people.
July: Financial News and Space Exploration
- July 1: Greece missed a payment to the International Monetary Fund. This was a first for a developed country in the IMF's history.
- July 14:
- NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew very close to Pluto. It was the first spacecraft ever to visit this distant world.
- Iran agreed to limits on its nuclear program. In return, international sanctions against Iran were eased.
- July 20: Cuba and the United States fully restored their diplomatic relations. This ended 54 years of tension between the two nations.
- July 24: Turkey started airstrikes against targets belonging to the PKK and ISIL.
August: Missing Plane and Health News
- August 5: Debris found on Réunion Island was confirmed to be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. This plane had been missing since March 2014.
- August 12: Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter was diagnosed with melanoma in his brain at age 90.
- August 17: A bombing happened inside the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand. It killed 20 people and injured 125.
September: Royal Records and Discoveries
- September 9: Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the United Kingdom.
- September 10: Scientists announced the discovery of Homo naledi. This was a new species of early human found in South Africa.
- September 18: The car company Volkswagen was accused of cheating on diesel emissions tests worldwide. This affected about 11 million vehicles.
- September 24: A large crowd event during the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, resulted in at least 2,200 deaths.
- September 28: NASA announced that liquid water had been found on Mars.
- September 30: Russia began air strikes in Syria to support the Syrian government.
October: New Leaders and Natural Disasters
- October 19: The Liberal party won the Canadian federal elections. Justin Trudeau became the new Prime Minister.
- October 23: Hurricane Patricia became the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. It had winds of 200 mph.
- October 26: A strong earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region. It caused 398 deaths in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.
- October 29: Paul Ryan became the new Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
- October 31: Flight KGL9268, an Airbus A321 plane, crashed in Sinai. All 217 passengers and 7 crew members died.
November: Meetings and Attacks

A montage of images related to the November 2015 Paris attacks.
- November 7: Chinese and Taiwanese presidents, Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou, met formally for the first time.
- November 13: Multiple terrorist attacks happened in Paris, France. A group called ISIS (ISIL) claimed responsibility, and 139 people died.
- November 24: During the Syrian Civil War, Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet. This was the first time a NATO member had destroyed a Russian aircraft since the 1950s.
- November 30: The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) was held in Paris. Leaders from 147 nations attended.
December: Climate Pacts and Space Firsts
- December 12: A global climate change agreement was reached at the COP 21 summit. All countries agreed to reduce carbon emissions for the first time.
- December 21: After a major corruption scandal, the FIFA committee suspended its president Sepp Blatter for 7 years, forcing him to resign.
- December 22: SpaceX successfully landed a Falcon 9 rocket. This was the first reusable rocket to go into orbit and return.
Sports in 2015
- The 2015 Pan American Games were held in Toronto, Canada.
- The 2015 Rugby World Cup took place in England.
- The 2015 Cricket World Cup was played in Australia and New Zealand.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: 2015 para niños
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