On this day in History - May 15

1036 - Emperor Go-Ichijo of Japan dies (b. 1036)
1048 - Omar Khayyam, was born (d. 1123). Poet.
1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition. Torture quickly gains widespread usage across Catholic Europe.
1470 - Charles VIII of Sweden dies.
1492 - Em Lisboa, D. João II fundou o Hospital de Todos os Santos.
1514 - Jodocus Badius Ascensius publishes Christiern Pedersen's Latin version of Saxo’s Gesta Danorum, the oldest known version of that work.
1525 - The battle of Frankenhausen ends the Peasants' War.
1567 - Claudio Monteverdi, was born (d. 1643). Italian composer.
1585 - Niwa Nagahide, dies (b. 1535). Japanese retainer, samurai, and daimyo.
1602 - Bartholomew Gosnold becomes the first European to see Cape Cod.
1618 - Johannes Kepler confirms his previously rejected discovery of the third law of planetary motion (he first discovered it on March 8 but soon rejected the idea after some initial calculations were made).
1634 - Hendrick Avercamp, dies (b. 1585). Dutch painter.
1653 - Morte do príncipe herdeiro D. Teodósio, filho primogénito de D. João IV. O infante D. Afonso, filho segundo do rei, torna-se o herdeiro do trono.
1718 - James Puckle, a London lawyer, patents the world's first machine gun.
1740 - Ephraim Chambers, dies (b. 1680). English encyclopaedist.
1756 - The Seven Years' War begins when England declares war on France.
1767 - Nascimento de D. Lourenço José Xavier de Lima -1º conde de Mafra - Portugal.
1773 - Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, was born (d. 1859). Statesman.
1776 - American Revolution: Virginia convention instructs its delegates to propose a declaration of independence from Great Britain.
1782 - Marquis of Pombal, dies (b. 1699). Prime Minister of Portugal.
1793 - Nascimento de João Nepomuceno de Macedo (m. 28 Ago 1837). Barão de São Cosme - Portugal.
1795 - First Coalition: Napoleon I of France enters Milan in triumph.
1817 - Debendranath Tagore, was born (d. 1905). Indian religious reformer.
1836 - Francis Baily observes "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse.
1851 - Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand.
1856 - Lyman Frank Baum, was born (d. 1919). American author.
1857 - Williamina Fleming, was born (d. 1911).
1858 - The third Royal Opera House oens in London.
1859 - Pierre Curie, was born (d. 1906). French physicist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics.
1862 - Arthur Schnitzler, dramatist and narrator (d. 1931)
1862 - President Abraham Lincoln of America signs a bill into law creating the United States Bureau of Agriculture (later renamed USDA)
1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Resaca, Georgia ends.
1864 - American Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia - Students from the Virginia Military Institute fight alongside the Confederate Army to force Union General Franz Sigel out of the Shenandoah Valley.
1869 - Woman's suffrage: In New York, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association.
1872 - Inauguração da 1.ª linha de eléctrico da cidade do Porto.
1886 - Emily Dickinson, dies (b. 1830). American poet.
1889 - Bessie Hillman, was born. American labor organizer.
1890 - Katherine Anne Porter, was born (d.1980). American author, novelist (Ship of Fools).
1891 - Mikhail Bulgakov, was born (d. 1940). Russian writer.
1891 - Foi publicada a encíclica Rerum Novarum, de Leão XIII, que define a doutrina social da Igreja Católica.
1898 - Arletty, was born (d. 1992). Model and actress.
1899 - Jean-Etienne Valluy, was born (d. 1970). French general.
1902 - Richard J. Daley, was born (d. 1976). Mayor of Chicago.
1902 - In a field outside Grass Valley, California, Lyman Gilmore reportedly becomes the first person to fly a powered airplane (a steam-powered glider).
1905 - Las Vegas, Nevada is founded when 110 acres (0.4 km²), in what later would become downtown, are auctioned off.
1905 - Joseph Cotten, was born (d. 1994). Actor.
1906 - O espanhol Manuel Magariño Castaños funda El Diario Español de Montevidéu, que atualmente é o jornal mais antigo da imprensa espanhola na América Ibérica.
1909 - James Mason, was born (d. 1994). English actor.
1911 - Max Frisch, was born (d. 1991). Swiss author.
1911 - The United States Supreme Court declares Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable" monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orders the company to be dissolved.
1914 - Tenzing Norgay, was born (d. 1986). Nepalese sherpa and mountaineer.
1915 - Paul Samuelson, was born. Economist.
1918 - Eddy Arnold, was born . Singer.
1918 - Civil War in Finland ends.
1918 - The US Post Office Department (later renamed the USPS) begins the first regular airmail service in the world (between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC).
1919 - The Winnipeg General Strike began. By 11 AM, virtually the entire working population of Winnipeg had walked off the job.
1922 - Setouchi Jakucho, was born . Japanese writer and Buddhist nun.
1923 - Richard Avedon, was born (d. 2004). Photographer.
1923 - John Lanchbery, was born (d. 2003). English composer.
1924 - Paul d'Estournelles, was born. French diplomat. Nobel Prize for Peace -1909.
1926 - Peter Shaffer, was born. Playwright .
1928 - Release of the animated short "Plane Crazy", featuring the first appearances of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
1930 - Aboard a Boeing tri-motor, Ellen Church becomes the first airline stewardess, on a flight from Oakland, California to Chicago, Illinois.
1930 - Jasper Johns, was born. Painter .
1931 - Ken Venturi, was born. Golfer.
1931 - Pio XI publica a encíclica "Quadragésimo Anno", na qual denuncia a injustiça social.
1932 - The May 15 incident. In an attempted coup the Prime Minister of Japan Inukai Tsuyoshi is killed.
1934 - The United States Department of Justice offers a $25,000 reward for John Dillinger.
1934 - Karlis Ulmanis establishes an authoritarian government in Latvia.
1934 - Alvin F. Poussaint , was born. Physicist, psychiatrist, and educator.
1935 - Inauguração da 1ª. linha do Metro de Moscovo.
1936 - Anna Maria Alberghetti, was born. Actress .
1936 - Paul Zindel, was born. Novelist, playwright.
1937 - Madeline Albright, was born. U.S. Secretary of State.
1937 - Trini López, was born. Musician.
1937 - Phillip Snowden, dies (b. 1864). British politician.
1940 - Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time in the United States.
1940 - World War II: German troops occupy Amsterdam and invade Northern France.
1941 - Baseball player Joe DiMaggio starts his record-breaking 56-game hitting streak.
1941 - K.T. Oslin, was born. Country musician.
1941 - Élie Lescot assume a presidência do Haiti.
1942 - World War II: In the United States, a bill creating the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) is signed into law.
1942 - Um forte terremoto em Guayaquil (Equador) causa a morte de centenas de pessoas.
1943 - Joseph Stalin dissolves the Comintern (or Third International).
1943 - Slaheddine Baccouche assume o cargo de primeiro-ministro da Tunísia.
1945 - Lars Berhagen, was born. Swedish singer and songwriter.
1945 - D. Duarte Pio, (Duarte Pio João Miguel Henrique Pedro Gabriel Miguel ) was born. 24 th Duke of Braganza.
1948 - Brian Eno, was born . Musician and record producer.
1948 - Father Edward Flanagan, dies. Priest, founder of Boys Town
1948 - Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia attack Israel.
1951 - Chazz Palminteri, was born. Actor.
1951 - Jonathan Richman,was born. Musician.
1953 - George Brett, was born. Baseball player.
1953 - Mike Oldfield, was born. Composer.
1955 - Melinda Culea, was born. Actress.
1955 - Austrian Independence Treaty signed.
1955 - First ascent of Makalu, the World's fifth highest mountain.
1956 - Austin Osman Spare, dies (b. 1886). Magician.
1956 - Dan Patrick, was born. Sportscaster.
1957 - Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb in Operation Grapple.
1958 - The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 3.
1959 - Andrew Eldritch, was born. Singer and songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy) .
1959 - Kaokor Galaxy, was born. Boxer.
1959 - Khaosai Galaxy, was born. Boxer.
1960 - The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 4.
1963 - Mercury program: America launches the last mission of the program, Mercury 9 (on June 12 ASA Administrator James E. Webb told Congress the program was complete).
1966 - Morte de Venceslau Brás Pereira Gomes. Presidente do Brasil (1914-1918)
1967 - Edward Hopper, dies (b. 1882). Painter.
1967 - John Smoltz, was born. Baseball player.
1969 - Emmitt Smith, was born. American football player .
1969 - A Biblioteca Nacional inaugurou as suas novas instalações no Campo Grande- Lisboa- Portugal.
as born. American football player.
1970 - The Beatles' last LP, Let It Be, is released in the United States.
1970 - Philip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green killed at Jackson State University by police during student protests.
1971 - É implantado o Estado de guerra no Uruguai.
1971 - Sir Tyrone Guthrie, dies (b. 1900). Director, producer, and writer.
1972 - In Laurel, Maryland a disturbed, out-of-work janitor named Arthur Bremer shoots and paralyzes Alabama Governor George Wallace while Wallace is campaigning to be American President.
1972 - David Charvet, was born. Actor.
1974 - Ahmet Zappa, was born. Musician.
1974 - General António de Spínola nomeado Presidente da República Portuguesa, pela Junta de Salvação Nacional. O professor Palma Carlos nomeado 1.º ministro do 1.º governo provisório, apresenta as linhas fundamentais do seu programa.
1974 - Inauguração da primeira sede do Partido Popular Democrático - Lisboa
1975 - Ray Lewis, was born. American football player.
1978 - Amy Chow,was born. Gymnast
1978 - Lagumot Harris, having only been elected President less than a month before, is replaced as the leader of the republic of Nauru. He is succeeded by Hammer DeRoburt.
1981 - Jamie-Lynn DiScala, was born. Actress.
1981 - François Mitterrand é proclamado presidente da República francesa pelo Congresso.
1986 - Theodore H. White, dies (b. 1915). Writer.
1986 - Edén Pastora, o "Comandante 0", abandona a luta armada contra o sandinismo e pede refúgio na Costa Rica.
1988 - Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: After more than eight years of fighting, the Red Army begins its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
1990 - Portrait of Doctor Gachet by Vincent van Gogh is sold for a record $82.5 million, the most expensive painting at the time.
1991 - Edith Cresson becomes France's first female prime minister.
1992 - The Genoa Expo '92 World's Fair opens in Genoa, Italy.
1992 - O presidente da África do Sul, Frederik de Klerk, e o líder do Congresso Nacional Africano, Nelson Mandela, são agraciados com o Prêmio Príncipe de Austúrias de Cooperação Internacional.
1993 - In Millstreet, Ireland, Niamh Kavanagh wins the thirty-ninth Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland singing "In Your Eyes".
1994 - Gilbert Roland, dies (b. 1904). Mexican actor.
1995 - Eric Porter, dies (b. 1928). British actor.
1996 - Charles B. Fulton, dies (b. 1910). American jurist.
1998 - Earl Manigault, dies . Basketball player.
2002 - El Real Madrid gana por novena vez la Copa de Europa de fútbol.
2003 - June Carter Cash, dies (b. 1929). American musician and singer
2003 - George Francis, dies. British mobster
2003 - Rik Van Steenbergen, dies. Belgian cyclist.
2004 - The largest prime number to be discovered, 224036583 − 1, is found by Josh Findley and the GIMPS collaborative effort.
2004 - Morte do ator espanhol Narciso Ibáñez Menta
2004 - A cantora ucraniana Ruslana Lyzichko vence o Eurovision.
2005 - Carmen Dolores. Actriz portuguesa abandona hoje os palcos com 81 anos de idade, sendo condecorada pelo Presidente da Republica.
Paraguay - Independence Day. Celebrations for the anniversary of the independence begin on Flag Day, 14 May.
Roman Empire - Mercuralia in honor of Mercury held.
International day of families.
International day of climate changes.
International conscientious objectors' day
Buddha's Birthday in Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea (2005)
United States - Peace Officers Memorial Day
BBC: On This Day