Did you know that May 15 is one of those days that hide a surprising number of breakthrough moments — From scientific discoveries, through political revolutions to the birth of pop culture? If you've ever wondered what happened that day in history, you've come to the right place. This day in history Turns out to be extremely rich — And on many continents at once. See what's in the historical calendar on May 15.
What happened on May 15? Major events in history
1252 – Pope allows torture against heretics
On that day Pope Innocent IV released a bull of Ad extirpanda, which opened one of the darker cards in the history of the Catholic Church. The document officially allowed the Inquisitors to use torture to enforce testimony from persons accused of heresy. Bulla became the legal foundation for the operation of the medieval Inquisition for the following centuries and to this day is a symbol of abuse of church power. Its adoption to this day is recalled in historical debates about the limits of institutional violence.
1618 – Kepler formulates the third law of motion of planets
Johannes Kepler wrote on May 15, 1618, in his notes a third law describing the movements of planets around the Sun — the law of harmony, which states that the squares of the periods of circulation of planets are proportional to the cubes of their average distance from the Sun. This discovery was a milestone in astronomy, and decades later it became one of the foundations on which Isaac Newton built his theory of gravity. Interestingly, Kepler himself admitted that for many years he sought this dependence, and its confirmation was for him a moment almost mystical.
1800 – The bombing King George III in London Theatre
At the London Theatre Royal Drury Lane, an unsuccessful assassination of King George III of Hanover took place that day. The attacker fired a shot at the monarch sitting in the lodge, but missed. The King kept a wonderful peace — He did not leave the theatre and reportedly watched the rest of the show peacefully. The bomber James Hadfield, a war veteran with brain damage sustained in combat, went to the psychiatric hospital, and the case contributed to reforms in English law on insanity.
1905 – The Birth of Las Vegas
It is hard to imagine that one of the world’s most recognizable cities has its roots in a modest gathering of several hundred people in the desert. On May 15, 1905, Las Vegas was officially established, when the first construction plots were sold during the public auction on a newly drawn railway line. Initially it was only a railway station on the route from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. Today the city attracts more than 40 million tourists a year and is a global entertainment capital — And it all started with a handful of desert sand.
1928 – Mickey Mouse for the first time on the screen
This day in history animation is absolutely unique. On May 15, 1928, the premiere of the first drawing film with Mickey Mouse took place. — Although sources differ in title, this date is considered to be the birth of one of the most recognizable pop culture figures of all time. Walt Disney created Miki as a response to the loss of rights to the character Oscar Happy Bunny and risked everything on a new creation. The risk paid off. — Mickey Mouse has become an icon whose marketing value is counted in billions of dollars.
1930 – First flight attendant in aviation history
Ellen Church, a nurse from Iowa, served passengers on board a United Airlines aircraft flying from Oakland to Chicago on May 15, 1930, thus becoming the first flight attendant in civil aviation history. The airline was initially skeptical of the idea of hiring women on board — Church herself had to convince the board to do so. Her argument was that the view women On board, calm the frightened passengers who did not believe in the safety of flights. Today the stewardess profession is one of the symbols of modern passenger aviation.
1935 – The first Moscow metro opened
On May 15, 1935, the first line of Moscow Metro was launched, connecting Sokolniki and Park Culture stations. The system was designed from the beginning as more than just a means of transport — stations were built like palaces decorated with marble, mosaics and chandeliers, constituting a propaganda testimony to the power of the Soviet state. The Moscow metro today belongs to the most beautiful and most frequent metro systems in the world, serving over 7 million passengers a day.
1948 – The outbreak of the First Israeli-Arab War
Just one day after Israel's independence was declared, on May 15, 1948, the first War Israeli-Arabic. The troops of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq attacked the newly formed state from several sides simultaneously. The conflict ended with a truce in 1949, and Israel Not only did he survive, but he also enlarged his territory in relation to what the UN plan acknowledged. The consequences of that day in history are still felt in the geopolitics of the whole Middle East.
1988 – Soviet Army launches retreat from Afghanistan
After more than a decade of devastating conflict, May 15, 1988 officially began evacuation Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of over 100,000 soldiers continued until February 1989 and was one of the largest strategic humiliations of the USSR. The Afghan adventure consumed over 15,000 Soviet lives and absorbed huge economic resources, contributing to the destabilisation of the entire empire. Many historians acknowledge this war as one of the key factors that hastened the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
2026 – Censorship of the List of Hits of the Third Polish Radio Programme (Annual 2020)
Although incomparable importance to great wars and discoveries, this event of May 15, 2020 echoed in Polish culture and media. The Polish Radio Directorate cancelled the 1998 issue of the Third Programme Hit List, because the first place included Kazik Staszewski's song "Your pain is better than mine", perceived as a direct comment on President Andrzej Duda's visit to Wawel during the lockdown. The decision sparked a storm in the media and a discussion about freedom of speech in public media, and the leader of the list Marek Bearski lost his job. The case became one of the symbols of tensions between journalistic independence and political influence.
Born May 15
Pierre Curie (1859) – French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate, co-discoverer of polonium and radium, one of the creators of modern nuclear physics.
Claudio Monteverdi (1567) – Italian composer and singer, considered to be the father of the opera, who had broken down the Renaissance with the Baroque in European music.
Madeleine Albright (1937) – American politician and diplomat, first woman as U.S. Secretary of State, symbol of breaking glass ceilings in diplomacy.
Andy Murray (1987) – Scottish tennis player, three-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic champion, one of the most prominent tennis players of his generation.
Mike Oldfield (1953) – British musician and composer, creator of the iconic album "Tubular Bells", which defined the sound of progressive music of the 1970s.
World events
756 — Abd ar-Rahman And becomes an emir of Córdoba – this event launched an independent emirate in Spain and one of the greatest periods of Arab culture in Europe.
1718 – Patent for first machine gun – British lawyer James Puckle patented a device to change the face of the war craft for centuries to come.
1811 – Paraguay announces independence – Paraguay became independent of Spain, becoming one of the first countries of South America to break colonial ties.
1891 — Encyclical Rerum novarum – Pope Leon XIII announced a breakthrough document that became the foundation of Catholic social science and inspiration for workers' movements around the world.
1911 – Standard Oil Division – The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the destruction of the oil monopoly of John D. Rockefeller, setting new standards of antitrust law in the world.
Looking through this rich historical calendar, it's hard not to feel how many unusual moments have come to this one day — May 15th. From medieval bulls, through scientific and political revolutions to daily dramas and triumphs of mass culture — This day in history proves that every date hides the entire universe of human fate. Come back tomorrow, because on May 16th brings equally surprising surprises from the past.
