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 was born (d. 1931). Dramatist and narrator.
• 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.
• 1896 - Belmonmte ( Benmedito Bastos Barreto) wasd born (d. 19 Apr 1947). Brazilian journalist ilustrator and humorist.
• 1898 - Arletty was born (d. 1992). French 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).
• 1904 - River Plate is founded.
• 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.
• 1906 - Humberto Delgado was born in S. Simão da Brogueira, Torres Novas (d. 13 Feb 1965). Portuguese general and politician
• 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 light 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).
• 1965 - Raí was born. Brazilian footballer.
• 1966 - Venceslau Brás Pereira Gomes dies. President of Brazil (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.
• 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.
• 1970 - Rod Smith was born. American football player
• 1970 - Frank de Boer was born. Dutch football player
• 1970 - Ronald de Boer was born. Dutch football player
• 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 - François Mitterrand é proclamado presidente da República francesa pelo Congresso.
• 1981 - Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born. American actress
• 1982 - Veronica Campbell was born. Jamaican athlete
• 1983 - Devin Bronson was born. American guitarist (Avril Lavigne)
• 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.
• 1987 - Jennylyn Mercado was born. Filipino actress and singer
• 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".
• 1993 - Carlos Trincheiras dies. Portuguese coreographer and dancer
• 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 - Real Madrid wins the ninth European Champions Cup in football.
• 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 - Narciso Ibáñez Menta dies. Spanish actor.
• 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