May 15 facts for kids

May 15 is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 230 days remain until the end of the year.

May 15th is a day filled with many important moments throughout history. From ancient empires to modern discoveries, people have made their mark on this date. Let's explore some of the key events, famous birthdays, and notable passings that have shaped our world on May 15th.

Historic Moments on May 15th

Early History (Before 1600)

• 221 – Liu Bei, a Chinese warlord, declared himself emperor. He founded the Shu Han kingdom. This was a new part of the Han dynasty.
• 392 – Emperor Valentinian II was killed while heading into Gaul. He was fighting against Arbogast.
• 589 – King Authari married Theodelinda. She was a Catholic princess from Bavaria. She had a big impact on the Lombard nobles.
• 756 – Abd al-Rahman I became the ruler of Cordova, Spain. His family ruled much of Iberia for almost 300 years.
• 1525 – Peasants fighting in the German Peasants' War were defeated. This happened at the Battle of Frankenhausen. Their leader was Anabaptist pastor Thomas Müntzer.
• 1536 – Anne Boleyn, the Queen of England, went on trial in London. A special group of people found her guilty.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1602 – English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold saw Cape Cod for the first time.
• 1618 – Scientist Johannes Kepler confirmed his third law of planetary motion. He had first thought of it in March.
• 1648 – The Peace of Münster was agreed upon. This treaty made Dutch independence official. Spain finally recognized their freedom.
• 1791 – During the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre suggested a new law. It was called the Self-denying Ordinance.
• 1817 – The first private mental health hospital opened in the United States. It is now called Friends Hospital in Philadelphia.
• 1836 – Francis Baily saw "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse. This is when the Moon almost covers the Sun.
• 1851 – The first gold rush was announced in Australia. Gold had been found three months earlier.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of New Market took place in Virginia. Students from the Virginia Military Institute fought. They helped the Confederate army.
• 1891 – Pope Leo XIII wrote about workers' rights. This document was called Rerum novarum. It started modern Catholic social teaching.

Modern History (1901–Present)

• 1905 – The city of Las Vegas was officially founded in Nevada, United States.
• 1911 – The U.S. Supreme Court ordered Standard Oil to break up. They said it was an "unreasonable" monopoly.
• 1918 – The Finnish Civil War ended. The Whites took over Fort Ino.
• 1919 – The Winnipeg general strike began in Canada. Most workers in Winnipeg stopped working.
• 1919 – Greek forces occupied Smyrna. Some Turkish people were harmed.
• 1929 – A fire at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio killed 123 people.
• 1932 – The Prime Minister of Japan, Inukai Tsuyoshi, was killed. This was part of an attempted coup d'état.
• 1933 – Germany secretly formed its air force, the Luftwaffe.
• 1934 – Kārlis Ulmanis took control in Latvia. He suspended the constitution.
• 1940 – World War II: Dutch troops surrendered to Germany. This started five years of occupation.
• 1940 – Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their very first McDonald's restaurant.
• 1941 – The Gloster E.28/39 had its first flight. It was the first British jet aircraft.
• 1942 – World War II: A law was signed in the U.S. to create the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC).
• 1943 – Joseph Stalin ended the Comintern. This was an international communist organization.
• 1948 – Several Arab countries invaded Israel. This started the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
• 1957 – Britain tested its first hydrogen bomb. This happened at Malden Island.
• 1963 – The last Project Mercury mission launched. Astronaut Gordon Cooper spent over a day in space. He was the last American to fly alone.
• 1970 – President Richard Nixon appointed the first female U.S. Army generals. They were Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington.
• 1972 – The Ryukyu Islands returned to Japanese control. The U.S. had governed them since 1945.
• 1988 – Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet Army began pulling its troops out of Afghanistan.
• 1991 – Édith Cresson became France's first female Prime Minister.
• 1997 – The U.S. government recognized the ""Secret War" in Laos." A memorial was dedicated to Hmong veterans.
• 1997 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched. It docked with the Russian space station Mir.
• 2001 – A CSX train with dangerous chemicals rolled driverless for 66 miles. This incident inspired the movie Unstoppable.
• 2004 – Arsenal F.C. finished the English Premier League season unbeaten. They earned the title "The Invincibles."
• 2008 – California legalized same-sex marriage. It was the second U.S. state to do so.
• 2010 – Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail solo around the world. She did it non-stop and without help.

Famous Birthdays on May 15th

Born Before 1900

• 1397 – Sejong the Great, a famous Korean king.
• 1567 – Claudio Monteverdi, an Italian priest and composer.
• 1689 – Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an English writer.
• 1773 – Klemens von Metternich, an important German-Austrian politician.
• 1845 – Élie Metchnikoff, a Russian zoologist.
• 1856 – L. Frank Baum, the American novelist who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• 1859 – Pierre Curie, a French physicist. He won the Nobel Prize.
• 1863 – Frank Hornby, an English businessman. He invented Meccano toys.
• 1890 – Katherine Anne Porter, an American writer.
• 1891 – Mikhail Bulgakov, a Russian novelist and playwright.
• 1892 – Jimmy Wilde, a famous Welsh boxer.
• 1898 – Arletty, a French actress and singer.
• 1900 – Ida Rhodes, an American mathematician. She was a pioneer in computer programming.

Born After 1900

• 1902 – Richard J. Daley, a long-serving Mayor of Chicago.
• 1903 – Maria Reiche, a German mathematician and archaeologist.
• 1905 – Joseph Cotten, an American actor.
• 1905 – Abraham Zapruder, who filmed the Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination.
• 1909 – James Mason, an English actor.
• 1915 – Paul Samuelson, an American economist. He won the Nobel Prize.
• 1918 – Eddy Arnold, an American country singer.
• 1923 – Richard Avedon, a famous American photographer.
• 1925 – Mary F. Lyon, an English geneticist.
• 1930 – Jasper Johns, an American painter and sculptor.
• 1937 – Madeleine Albright, the first female United States Secretary of State.
• 1940 – Lainie Kazan, an American actress and singer.
• 1948 – Brian Eno, an English musician and producer.
• 1951 – Frank Wilczek, an American physicist. He won the Nobel Prize.
• 1953 – George Brett, a famous American baseball player.
• 1953 – Mike Oldfield, an English musician.
• 1956 – Dan Patrick, an American sportscaster.
• 1957 – Kevin Von Erich, an American wrestler.
• 1958 – Ron Simmons, an American football player and wrestler.
• 1964 – Lars Løkke Rasmussen, a former Prime Minister of Denmark.
• 1967 – John Smoltz, an American baseball player.
• 1967 – Madhuri Dixit, a popular Indian actress.
• 1969 – Emmitt Smith, a famous American football player.
• 1970 – Frank de Boer and Ronald de Boer, Dutch twin footballers.
• 1975 – Ray Lewis, an American football player.
• 1981 – Patrice Evra, a French footballer.
• 1981 – Zara Phillips, an English equestrian and royal family member.
• 1987 – Andy Murray, a Scottish tennis player.
• 1996 – Birdy, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1997 – Ousmane Dembélé, a French footballer.

Notable Passings on May 15th

Died Before 1900

• 392 – Valentinian II, Roman emperor.
• 884 – Pope Marinus I, a pope of the Catholic Church.
• 1036 – Emperor Go-Ichijō, an emperor of Japan.
• 1174 – Nur ad-Din, a Seljuk ruler of Syria.
• 1470 – Charles VIII, king of Sweden.
• 1879 – Gottfried Semper, a German architect. He designed the Semper Opera House.
• 1886 – Emily Dickinson, a famous American poet.

Died After 1900

• 1924 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant, a French diplomat. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1935 – Kazimir Malevich, a Ukrainian-Russian painter.
• 1945 – Kenneth J. Alford, an English composer.
• 1967 – Edward Hopper, an American painter.
• 1978 – Robert Menzies, a former Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1986 – Elio de Angelis, an Italian race car driver.
• 2003 – June Carter Cash, an American singer and actress.
• 2007 – Jerry Falwell, an American pastor who founded Liberty University.
• 2012 – Carlos Fuentes, a Mexican novelist.
• 2014 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, a former Prime Minister of Belgium.
• 2020 – Fred Willard, an American actor and comedian.

Holidays and Celebrations

• Aoi Matsuri (a festival in Kyoto, Japan)
• Army Day (Slovenia)
• Constituent Assembly Day (Lithuania)
• Independence Day (Paraguay) – Celebrates Paraguay's freedom from Spain in 1811.
• International Conscientious Objectors Day
• International Day of Families (celebrated worldwide)
• La Corsa dei Ceri (a festival in Gubbio, Italy)
• Mother's Day (Paraguay)
• Nakba Day (observed by Palestinian communities)
• Peace Officers Memorial Day (United States)
• Republic Day (Lithuania)
• Teachers' Day (Colombia, Mexico and South Korea)

See also

In Spanish: 15 de mayo para niños