On This Day — February 15

Famous events, births, and deaths from February 15 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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44 events · 179 births · 77 deaths recorded for February 15.

🕰️ Notable Events on February 15

2013 — A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14. Wikipedia ↗
2012 — Three hundred sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua. Wikipedia ↗
2003 — Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million to 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history. Wikipedia ↗
2001 — The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature. Wikipedia ↗
1996 — At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people. Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison. Wikipedia ↗
1991 — The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Soviet war in Afghanistan: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan. Wikipedia ↗
1982 — The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers. Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time. Wikipedia ↗
1972 — José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time. Wikipedia ↗
1971 — The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day. Wikipedia ↗
1965 — A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner. Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members. Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska. Wikipedia ↗
1952 — King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls. Wikipedia ↗
1946 — ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden. Wikipedia ↗
1944 — World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins. Wikipedia ↗
1944 — World War II: The Narva Offensive begins. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. Wikipedia ↗
1933 — In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933. Wikipedia ↗
1925 — The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska. Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar. Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki. Wikipedia ↗
1909 — The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico kills 250. Wikipedia ↗
1901 — The association football club Alianza Lima is founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza. Wikipedia ↗
1898 — The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain. Wikipedia ↗
1891 — Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) is founded. Wikipedia ↗
1879 — Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Wikipedia ↗
1870 — Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, USA and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering. Wikipedia ↗
1862 — American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Wikipedia ↗
1835 — The first constitutional law in modern Serbia is adopted. Wikipedia ↗
1804 — The Serbian Revolution begins. Wikipedia ↗
1798 — The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier. Wikipedia ↗
1764 — The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA). Wikipedia ↗
1690 — Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia ↗
1637 — Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor. Wikipedia ↗
1493 — While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World. Wikipedia ↗
1214 — During the Anglo-French War (1213-1214), an English invasion force lands at La Rochelle in France. Wikipedia ↗
1113 — Pope Paschal II issues a bill sanctioning the establishment of the Order of Hospitallers. Wikipedia ↗
706 — Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople. Wikipedia ↗
590 — Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on February 15

1993 — Ravi (rapper), South Korean rapper Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Johanna Hyoty, Finnish tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Charles Pic, French race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Jarryd Hayne, Australian rugby league player and football player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Tim Mannah, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Jarrod Sammut, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Don Cowie, Scottish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — David Degen, Swiss footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Alan Didak, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Shameka Christon, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — James Yap, Filipino basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Josh Low, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Scott Severin, Scottish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver and businessman Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Amy van Dyken, American swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Renee O'Connor, American actress, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Shepard Fairey, American artist and activist Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Birdman, American rapper and producer Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Syed Kamall, English academic and politician Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Craig Matthews, South African cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Mark Price, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Darrell Green, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Adam Boulton, English journalist Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Brian Propp, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Martin Rowson, English author and illustrator Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Tony McKegney, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Ann Westin, Swedish comedian Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Christopher McDonald, American actor Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Tony Adams, Irish-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Markku Alén, Finnish race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Ken Anderson, American football quarterback and coach Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic Wikipedia ↗
1947 — John Adams, American composer Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Marisa Berenson, American model and actress Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Jack Dann, American-Australian author and poet Wikipedia ↗
1945 — John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Mick Avory, English drummer Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1940 — İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1940 — John Hadl, American football player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Gregory Mcdonald, American author (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967) Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Gene Hickerson, American football player (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (d. 1983) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Abe Woodson, American football player and minister (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Claire Bloom, English actress Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Jonathan Steele, English journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Graham Hill, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1975) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Frank Dunlop, English actor and director Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Angella D. Ferguson, American pediatrician Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Robert Drew, American director and producer (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Yelena Bonner, Jewish Soviet-Russian activist (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — John B. Anderson, Swedish-American lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Ducky Detweiler, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1918 — Allan Arbus, Jewish-American actor and photographer (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1918 — Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (d. 1972) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Kevin McCarthy, Jewish-Irish American actor (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1913 — Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1912 — George Mikes, Jewish Hungarian-English journalist and author (d. 1987) Wikipedia ↗
1910 — Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1909 — Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1908 — Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (d. 1991) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994) Wikipedia ↗
1905 — Harold Arlen, Jewish-American composer (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
1904 — Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (d. 1983) Wikipedia ↗
1899 — Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983) Wikipedia ↗
1899 — Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (d. 1985) Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1967) Wikipedia ↗
1897 — Gerrit Kleerekoper, Jewish-Dutch gymnast and coach (d. 1943) Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Arthur Shields, Irish republican and actor (d. 1970) Wikipedia ↗
1892 — James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949) Wikipedia ↗
1892 — Roy Rene, Australian comedian (d. 1954) Wikipedia ↗
1890 — Robert Ley, German politician (d. 1945) Wikipedia ↗
1883 — Sax Rohmer, English-American author (d. 1959) Wikipedia ↗
1874 — Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (d. 1922) Wikipedia ↗
1873 — Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swiss biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964) Wikipedia ↗
1861 — Martin Burns, American wrestler and coach (d. 1937) Wikipedia ↗
1861 — Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1938) Wikipedia ↗
1861 — Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947) Wikipedia ↗
1856 — Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1926) Wikipedia ↗
1851 — Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (d. 1912) Wikipedia ↗
1850 — Sophie Bryant, Irish mathematician, academic and activist (d. 1922) Wikipedia ↗
1849 — Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (d. 1925) Wikipedia ↗
1847 — Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1927) Wikipedia ↗
1845 — Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937) Wikipedia ↗
1841 — Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (d. 1913) Wikipedia ↗
1840 — Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1917) Wikipedia ↗
1835 — Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (d. 1908) Wikipedia ↗
1834 — V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (d. 1901) Wikipedia ↗
1825 — Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1893) Wikipedia ↗
1820 — Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (d. 1906) Wikipedia ↗