Date·Lore

On This Day · The 135th day of the year

May 15

May 15 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 392 and 2024. Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 15?

May 15 is the 135th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 392 and 2024. Famous people born on May 15 include Mikhail Bulgakov, Patrice Evra and Mike Oldfield.

The shape of the day

May 15 carries an unusually long memory — its events reach back as far as 392. Most of the weight falls in the 21st century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Taurus is the sign for May 15 — read more on the Taurus page, or see May's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on May 15

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • TV Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine
  • TV Dutton Ranch
  • Movie Pati Patni Aur Woh Do
  • TV The WONDERfools
  • Movie Kartavya
  • Movie Propeller One-Way Night Coach

2025

  • Game Doom: The Dark Ages

2024

  • Game Mullet Madjack

2023

  • Game Humanity

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 392

    Valentinian II

    Emperor Valentinian II is assassinated while advancing into Gaul against the Frankish usurper Arbogast. He is found hanging in his residence at Vienne.

  2. 1252

    Pope Innocent IV

    Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad extirpanda, which authorizes, but also limits, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.

  3. 1725

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

  4. 1836

    Francis Baily

    Francis Baily observes "Baily's beads" during an annular eclipse.

  5. 1891

    Pope Leo XIII

    Pope Leo XIII defends workers' rights and property rights in the encyclical Rerum novarum, the beginning of modern Catholic social teaching.

  6. 1940

    World War II

    World War II: The Battle of the Netherlands: After fierce fighting, the poorly trained and equipped Dutch troops surrender to Germany, marking the beginning of five years of occupation.

  7. 1972

    Ryukyu Islands

    The Ryukyu Islands, under U.S. military governance since their conquest in 1945, revert to Japanese control.

  8. 2004

    Arsenal F.C.

    Arsenal F.C. go an entire league campaign unbeaten in the English Premier League, joining Preston North End F.C. with the right to claim the title "The Invincibles".

  9. 2010

    Jessica Watson

    Jessica Watson becomes the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted around the world solo.

  10. 2024

    Prime Minister of Slovakia

    Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico is shot and critically injured while meeting with supporters at an event in Handlová.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 15

Mikhail Bulgakov

b. 1891

Russian novelist and playwright

Patrice Evra

b. 1981

French footballer

Mike Oldfield

b. 1953

English-Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Veronica Campbell Brown

b. 1982

Jamaican sprinter

Michel Audiard

b. 1920

French director and screenwriter

Andy Murray

b. 1987

Scottish tennis player

Maximilian Hell

b. 1720

Hungarian priest and astronomer

Kathleen Sebelius

b. 1948

American politician, 44th Governor of Kansas

Deaths

  • 2014Jean-Luc Dehaene
  • 2012Arno Lustiger
  • 1991Fritz Riess
  • 1886Emily Dickinson
  • 1879Gottfried Semper
  • 392Valentinian II

Holidays & observances

  • —Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto)
  • —Army Day (Slovenia)
  • —Christian feast day: Achillius of Larissa
  • —Christian feast day: Athanasius of Alexandria (Coptic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Hallvard Vebjørnsson (Roman Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Hilary of Galeata
  • —Christian feast day: Isidore the Laborer, celebrated with festivals in various countries, the beginning of bullfighting season in Madrid.
  • —Christian feast day: Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (Roman Catholic Church)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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