Discover what happened on May 15 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 15

Discover what happened on May 15 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on May 15 | HISTORY

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Around the world, 1937 brought conflict, disaster and innovation. Wars in Spain and Asia highlighted growing tensions ahead of WWII. Stalin’s Great Purge killed and imprisoned millions. A killer typhoon, dirigible disaster and mysterious aviator disappearance grabbed global headlines. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge debuted, while engineers built the first jet engine. As Depression endured, Americans paid $26 to rent an average house and 10 cents for a gallon of gas. Top diversions included swing music, Tolkien’s hobbit and Disney’s dwarves.

1937

2009

1982

After the surprise December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. entered World War II. Earlier in the year, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and, in one of many Nazi atrocities, executed 30,000 Jews in the Babi Yar massacre. In the U.S., Mount Rushmore was completed, Wonder Woman made her debut, “Citizen Kane” launched at the box office and General Mills introduced a new breakfast cereal called Cheerioats.

1941

1972

In 1942, the U.S. Navy defeated the Japanese Navy in the Battle of Midway, a turning point of the war in the Pacific, while in Germany, Nazi officials met to plan the “Final Solution” and Anne Frank’s family went into hiding. As FDR ordered Japanese Americans into wartime incarceration camps, false reports of a Japanese attack set California skies ablaze with anti-aircraft fire in the “Battle of Los Angeles.” Americans supported the war effort with scrap drives and victory gardens.

1942

1800

1976

A new world order began to emerge in 1948. The U.S. announced the Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe, while a group of European nations formed an alliance that would evolve into NATO. The Berlin Blockade escalated tensions between the emerging superpowers. Israel became a Jewish state, and Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated less than a year after his country won independence from Great Britain. President Truman desegregated America’s military, while 42-year-old Negro League star Satchel Paige became Major League Baseball’s oldest rookie.

1948

1988

1765

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.

21st Century

From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.

Women’s History

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.

Crime

The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

American Revolution

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History.com Editors

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature and Film History

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

This Day In History: May 15

Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, is born

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GE finally initiates cleanup of polluted Hudson River

This Day in History Video: What Happened on May 15

“Ebony And Ivory” begins a seven‑week run at #1 on the pop charts

First Allied jet‑propelled aircraft flies

Alabama governor George Wallace shot

Legislation creating the Women’s Army Corps becomes law

Ronald Reagan applies for transfer to Army Air Force

President John Adams orders federal government to Washington, D.C.

Young woman and her married lover arrested for killing her family

A three‑year‑old’s brutal murder begins an unusual investigation

Soviets begin withdrawal from Afghanistan

Seventeen states put gasoline rationing into effect

Parliament passes the Quartering Act

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