What happened on October 15? There are more than 272 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About October 15
October 15 is the 289th day of the year 2024. There are 77 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 42nd week of the year 2024.
On this day in Gibson, Tennessee 38338 sunrise will occur at 07:01 AM and sunset will occur at 06:20 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Libra. The modern birthstone for this month is Opal while the mystical birthstone is Jasper.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 106 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For October 15
- 1529The Siege of Vienna ends as the Austrians rout the invading Turks, turning the tide against almost a century of unchecked conquest throughout eastern and central Europe by the Ottoman Empire.
- 1582Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15.
- 1764Edward Gibbon observes a group of friars singing in the ruined Temple of Jupiter in Rome, which inspires him to begin work on The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
- 1783The Montgolfier brothers’ hot air balloon marks the first human ascent, by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, (tethered balloon).
- 1793Queen Marie-Antoinette of France is tried and convicted in a swift, pre-determined trial in the Palais de Justice, Paris, and condemned to death the following day.
- 1815Napoleon I of France begins his exile on Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1863American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink a ship, sinks during a test, killing its inventor, Horace L. Hunley.
- 1864American Civil War: The Battle of Glasgow is fought, resulting in the surrender of Glasgow, Missouri, and its Union garrison, to the Confederacy.
- 1878The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation.
- 1880Mexican soldiers kill Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists.
- 1888The “From Hell” letter sent by Jack the Ripper is received by investigators.
- 1894The Dreyfus affair: Alfred Dreyfus is arrested for spying.
- 1904The Russian Baltic Fleet leaves Reval, Estonia for Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War.
- 1910Airship America launched from New Jersey in the first attempt to cross the Atlantic by a powered aircraft.
- 1917World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for the German Empire.
- 1928The airship, Graf Zeppelin completes its first trans-Atlantic flight, landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States.
- 1932Tata Airlines (later to become Air India) makes its first flight.
- 1934The Soviet Republic of China collapses when Chiang Kai-shek’s National Revolutionary Army successfully encircles Ruijin, forcing the fleeing Communists to begin the Long March.
- 1939The New York Municipal Airport (later renamed La Guardia Airport) is dedicated.
- 1940The President of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, is executed by the Spanish dictatorship of Francisco Franco, making him the only European president to have been executed.
- 1944The Arrow Cross Party (very similar to Hitler’s NSDAP (Nazi party)) takes power in Hungary.
- 1945World War II: The former premier of Vichy France Pierre Laval is shot by a firing squad for treason.
- 1951Mexican chemist Luis E. Miramontes conducts the very last step of the first synthesis of norethisterone, the progestin that would later be used in one of the first two oral contraceptives.
- 1953British nuclear test Totem 1 detonated at Emu Field, South Australia.
- 1956Fortran, the first modern computer language, is shared with the coding community for the first time.
- 1965Vietnam War: The Catholic Worker Movement stages an anti-war rally in Manhattan including a public burning of a draft card; the first such act to result in arrest under a new amendment to the Selective Service Act.
- 1966Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
- 1969Vietnam War; The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam is held in Washington DC and across the US. Over 2 million demonstrate nationally; about 250,000 in the nation’s capitol.
- 1970The domestic Soviet Aeroflot Flight 244 is hijacked and diverted to Turkey.
- 1970Thirty-five construction workers are killed when a section of the new West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses.
- 1971The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia.
- 1979Black Monday in Malta. The Building of the Times of Malta, the residence of the opposition leader Eddie Fenech Adami and several Nationalist Party clubs are ransacked and destroyed by supporters of the Malta Labour Party.
- 1987The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England.
- 1989Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.
- 1990Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.
- 1997The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.
- 1997The first supersonic land speed record is set by Andy Green in ThrustSSC (United Kingdom), exactly 50 years and 1 day after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in the Earth’s atmosphere.
- 2001NASA’s Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter’s moon Io.
- 2003China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission.
- 2003The Staten Island Ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi runs into a pier at the St. George Ferry Terminal in Staten Island, killing 11 people and injuring 43.
- 2005A riot in Toledo, Ohio breaks out during a National Socialist/Neo-Nazi protest; over 100 are arrested.
- 2007Seventeen activists in New Zealand are arrested in the country’s first post 9/11 anti-terrorism raids.
- 2008The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 733.08 points, or 7.87%, the second worst day in the Dow’s history based on a percentage drop.
- 2011Global protests break out in 951 cities in 82 countries.
- 2011Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, Florida Opens. This is the world’s largest Legoland theme park
Who Were Born On October 15?
- 70 BCVirgil, Roman poet (d. 19 BC)
- 1471Konrad Mutian, German humanist (d. 1526)
- 1608Evangelista Torricelli, Italian physicist (d. 1647)
- 1686Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet (d. 1758)
- 1701Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, first native Canadian canonized (d. 1771)
- 1711Elisabeth Teresa of Lorraine, queen of Sardinia (d. 1741)
- 1784Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and duke of Isly (d. 1849)
- 1785José Miguel Carrera, Chilean general and founding father (d. 1821)
- 1814Mikhail Lermontov, Russian author (d. 1841)
- 1818Alexander Dreyschock, Czech pianist and composer (d. 1869)
- 1825Queen Marie of Prussia, (d. 1889)
- 1829Asaph Hall, American astronomer (d. 1907)
- 1836James Tissot, French artist (d. 1902)
- 1840Honoré Mercier, politician and premier of Quebec (d. 1894)
- 1844Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (d. 1900)
- 1853Jan Harte van Tecklenburg, Dutch politician (d. 1937)
- 1858John L. Sullivan, American boxer (d. 1918)
- 1865Albert Heijn, Dutch businessman (d. 1945)
- 1872Wilhelm Miklas, Austrian president (d. 1956)
- 1874Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, (d. 1899)
- 1878Paul Reynaud, French politician (d. 1966)
- 1879Jane Darwell, Academy Award-winning American actress (d. 1967)
- 1881P. G. Wodehouse, British novelist (d. 1975)
- 1882Charley O'Leary, American baseball player (d. 1941)
- 1884Arch Hoxsey, pioneer aviator (d. 1910)
- 1890Álvaro de Campos, a heteronym of Fernando Pessoa (d. 1935).
- 1893King Carol II of Romania, (d. 1953)
- 1894Moshe Sharett, second Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1965)
- 1898Boughera El Ouafi, Algerian athlete (d. 1951)
- 1900Mervyn LeRoy, American film director (d. 1987)
- 1905C. P. Snow, British writer (d. 1980)
- 1906Hiram Leong Fong, American politician (d. 2004)
- 1906Victoria Spivey, American blues singer and songwriter (d. 1976)
- 1907Varian Fry, American journalist (d. 1967)
- 1908Herman Chittison, American jazz pianist (d. 1967)
- 1908John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian-born US economist (d. 2006)
- 1909Jesse Leonard Greenstein, American astronomer (d. 2002)
- 1909Robert Trout, American reporter (d. 2000)
- 1912Nellie Lutcher, American pianist, R&B and jazz singer (d. 1950)
- 1915Yitzhak Shamir, Israeli politician
- 1916Al Killian, American jazz trumpet player and occasional bandleader (d. 2007)
- 1917Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., American historian and political commentator (d. 2007)
- 1917Jan Miner, American actress (d. 2004)
- 1919Malcolm Ross, American balloonist and atmospheric physicist (d. 1985)
- 1920Henri Verneuil, French film director (d. 2002)
- 1920Mario Puzo, American novelist (d. 1999)
- 1921Angelica Rozeanu, Romanian table-tennis player (d. 2006)
- 1922Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese writer
- 1923Italo Calvino. Italian writer (d. 1985)
- 1924Francis “Frank” X. McDermott, American Republican Party politician (d. 2011)
- 1924Lee Iacocca, American automotive executive
- 1924Marguerite Andersen, German writer
- 1924Mark Lenard, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1924Warren Miller, American director
- 1925Mickey Baker, American guitarist (Mickey & Sylvia)
- 1926Evan Hunter, American author (d. 2005)
- 1926James E. Akins, American diplomat and adviser to Richard Nixon (d. 2010)
- 1926Jean Peters, American actress (d. 2000)
- 1926Karl Richter, German conductor (d. 1981)
- 1926Michel Foucault, French philosopher (d. 1984)
- 1927Bill Henry, American baseball player
- 1930Fereydun M. Esfandiary, Iranian philosopher (d. 2000)
- 1931A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Eleventh President of India
- 1931Freddy Cole, American jazz singer and pianist
- 1934N. Ramani, Indian flutist
- 1935Barry McGuire, American singer
- 1935Bobby Morrow, American sprinter
- 1935Dick McTaggart, British Olympic boxing champion
- 1935Willie O'Ree, Canadian Hockey Player
- 1937Linda Lavin, American actress
- 1938Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician and political activist (d. 1997)
- 1938Marv Johnson, American singer (d. 1993)
- 1938Robert Ward, American blues and soul guitarist (d. 2008)
- 1940Peter Doherty, Australian immunologist, Nobel laureate
- 1940Tommy Bishop, English rugby league player
- 1942Penny Marshall, American actress and film director
- 1944David Trimble, Irish politician, Nobel laureate
- 1944Haim Saban, Egyptian-born American media proprietor
- 1944Sali Berisha, former President of Albania; current Prime Minister
- 1945Jere Burns, American actor
- 1945Jim Palmer, American baseball player
- 1946John Getz, American actor
- 1946Palle Danielsson, Swedish jazz double bassist, member of Tomasz Stanko Septet
- 1946Richard Carpenter, American musician (The Carpenters)
- 1946Stewart Stevenson, Scottish politician
- 1948Chris de Burgh, Irish singer and songwriter
- 1949Laurie McBain, U.S.American novelist.
- 1949Prannoy Roy, Indian journalist and psephologist, CEO – NDTV
- 1951A.F.Th. van der Heijden, Dutch writer
- 1951Peter Richardson, English actor, comedian, and writer
- 1951Rafael Vaganian, Armenian chess grandmaster
- 1953Betsy Clifford, Canadian alpine skier
- 1953Larry Miller, American actor and comedian
- 1953Tito Jackson, American musician
- 1954Jere Burns, American actor
- 1954Peter Bakowski, Australian poet
- 1954Princess Friederike of Hanover, Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg
- 1955Kulbir Bhaura, British field hockey player
- 1955Tanya Roberts, American actress
- 1957Mira Nair, Indian director
- 1957Stacy Peralta, American director
- 1958Renée Jones, American actress
- 1958Stephen Clarke, British author
- 1959Alex Paterson, English musician, co-founder of ambient group The Orb
- 1959Emeril Lagasse, American chef
- 1959Sarah, Duchess of York
- 1959Todd Solondz, American film director
- 1963Stanley Menzo, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1964Roberto Vittori, Italian astronaut
- 1966Bill Charlap, American jazz pianist
- 1966Dave Stead, drummer for The Beautiful South
- 1966Ilse Huizinga, Dutch jazz singer
- 1966Jorge Campos, Mexican footballer
- 1968Didier Deschamps, French footballer
- 1968Jyrki 69, Finnish musician The 69 Eyes
- 1969Dominic West, British actor
- 1969Paige Davis, American television personality and actress
- 1969Vítor Baía, Portuguese footballer
- 1969Vanessa Marcil, American actress
- 1970Eric Benét, American singer
- 1971Andy Cole, British footballer
- 1971Jason Arhndt, American wrestler
- 1972Fred Hoiberg, American basketball player
- 1972Matt Keeslar, American actor
- 1972Sandra Kim, Belgian singer
- 1973Dax Riggs, American musician
- 1974Bianca Rinaldi, Brazilian actress
- 1975Alessandro Doga, Italian footballer
- 1975Ginuwine, American singer
- 1975Glen Little, English footballer
- 1976Christian Allen, American video game designer
- 1976Manuel Dallan, Italian rugby player
- 1976Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress and singer
- 1977David Trezeguet, French footballer
- 1977Erin McKeown, American musician
- 1977Masato Kawabata, Japanese racing driver
- 1977Patricio Urrutia, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1978Devon Gummersall, American actor
- 1978Takeshi Morishima, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1979Blue Adams, American Football Player
- 1979Māris Verpakovskis, Latvian footballer
- 1979Paul Robinson, English footballer
- 1980Siiri Nordin, Finnish singer (Killer)
- 1980Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist
- 1981Abram Elam, American football player
- 1981Elena Dementieva, Russian tennis player
- 1981Guo Jingjing, Chinese diver
- 1981Keyshia Cole, American R&B singer
- 1981Radoslav Židek, Slovak snowboarder
- 1982Charline Labonté, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982Paulini Curuenavuli, Fijian/Australian singer
- 1982Sachiko Yamada, Japanese swimmer
- 1983Bruno Senna, Brazilian racing driver
- 1983Holly Montag, American reality TV personality
- 1983Stephy Tang, Hong Kong singer and actress
- 1984Johan Voskamp, Dutch footballer
- 1985Arron Afflalo, American basketball player
- 1985Marcos Martínez, Spanish racing driver
- 1985Walter Alberto López, Uruguayan footballer
- 1986Carlo Janka, Swiss alpine ski racer
- 1986Lee Donghae, South Korean singer (Super Junior)
- 1987Chantal Strand, Canadian actress, singer and voice actress
- 1987Jesse Levine, Canadian/American tennis player
- 1988Mesut Özil, German footballer
- 1989Leandro Antonio Martínez, Argentinian/Italian footballer
- 1990Ji Yoon, South Korean singer (4minute)
- 1992Vincent Martella, American actor
- 1999Bailee Madison, American child actress
- 2005Prince Christian of Denmark, Danish royal
Who Died On October 15?
- 412Pope Theophilus of Alexandria
- 898Lambert, Holy Roman Emperor
- 912Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi, Spanish-born Moor religious figure (b. 844)
- 1002Otto-Henry, Duke of Burgundy (b. 946)
- 1080Rudolf of Rheinfelden, German noble (b.c. 1025)
- 1326Walter de Stapledon, English bishop (b. 1261)
- 1389Pope Urban VI
- 1564Andreas Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (b. 1514)
- 1715Humphry Ditton, English mathematician (b. 1675)
- 1730Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, French explorer (b. 1658)
- 1788Samuel Greig, Scottish-Russian admiral (b. 1735)
- 1810Alfred Moore, American judrist (b. 1755)
- 1811Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland, English painter (b. 1735)
- 1817Tadeusz Kościuszko, Lithuanian-born Polish military officer (b. 1746)
- 1819Sergey Vyazmitinov, Russian general and statesman (b. 1744)
- 1820Karl Philipp Fürst zu Schwarzenberg, Austrian field marshal (b. 1771)
- 1837Ivan Dmitriev, Russian statesman and poet (b. 1760)
- 1880Victorio, Apache leader
- 1891Gilbert Arthur a Beckett, English writer (b. 1837)
- 1900Zdeněk Fibich, Czech composer (b. 1850)
- 1910Stanley Ketchel, American boxer (b. 1886)
- 1917Mata Hari, Dutch dancer and spy (b. 1876)
- 1918Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian religious figure (b. c. 1838)
- 1930Herbert Henry Dow, American chemical industrialist (b. 1866)
- 1934Raymond Poincaré, French statesman (b. 1860)
- 1945Pierre Laval, French politician (b. 1883)
- 1946Hermann Göring, German Nazi official (b. 1893)
- 1948Edythe Chapman, American actress (b. 1863)
- 1959Lipót Fejér, Hungarian mathematician (b. 1880)
- 1960Clara Kimball Young, American actress (b. 1890)
- 1963Horton Smith. American golfer (b. 1908)
- 1964Cole Porter, American composer (b. 1891)
- 1965Abraham Fraenkel, Israeli mathematician (b. 1891)
- 1966Frederick Montague, 1st Baron Amwell, British politician (b. 1876)
- 1976Carlo Gambino, American organized crime figure (b. 1902)
- 1980Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek footballer and volleyball player (b. 1896)
- 1980Mikhail Lavrentyev, Russian physicist and mathematician (b. 1900)
- 1981Philip Fotheringham-Parker, British racing driver (b. 1907)
- 1987Thomas Sankara, Burkinan military officer and politician (b. 1949)
- 1988Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, English composer and pianist (b. 1892)
- 1994Sarah Kofman, French philosopher (b. 1934)
- 1995Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (b. 1967)
- 1995Marco Campos, Brazilian racing driver (b. 1976)
- 1999Josef Locke, Irish-born tenor (b. 1917)
- 2000Konrad Emil Bloch, Prussian-born American biochemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1912)
- 2000Vincent Canby, American movie critic (b. 1924)
- 2001Zhang Xueliang, Chinese head of state (b. 1901)
- 2003Ben Metcalfe, Canadian environmental activist (b. 1919)
- 2005Jason Collier, American basketball player (b. 1977)
- 2005Matti Wuori, Finnish politician (b. 1945)
- 2007Piet Boukema, Dutch jurist and politician (b. 1933)
- 2008Edie Adams, American singer and actress (b. 1927)
- 2008Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca, Turkish poet (b. 1914)
- 2008Jack Narz, American game show host (b. 1922)
- 2009Heinz Versteeg, Dutch footballer in Germany (b. 1939)
- 2010Johnny Sheffield, American actor (b. 1931)
- 2010Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and pro-life activist (b. 1926)
- 2010Richard C. Miller, American photographer (b. 1912)
- 2011Betty Driver, British Actress (b. 1920)
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