World History of February 15

Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus.

Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.

Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.

At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.

Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.

During the Anglo-French War (1213-1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.

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.

Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.

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.

The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).

The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.

Serbia's Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.

The Helsinki Cathedral (known as St. Nicholas' Church at time) is officially inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.

American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces besieging Fort Donelson in Tennessee. Unable to break the fort's encirclement, the Confederates surrender the following day.

Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, US, and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering.

First issue of the Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne, the first or one of the first anarchist newspapers.

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.

The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing about 274 of the ship's roughly 354 crew. The disaster pushes the United States to declare war on Spain.

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia issues a declaration known as the February Manifesto, which reduces the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland, thus beginning the first period of oppression.

The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico, kills 250.

Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.

The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.

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.

Paul Creston's Saxophone Sonata is officially premiered at the Carnegie Chamber Hall by saxophonist Cecil Leeson, who had commissioned it, and the composer.

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.

World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, begins.

World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.

World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.

ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

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.

King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

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.

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.

The maple leaf is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the Canadian Red Ensign flag.

Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603 crashes into the Caribbean Sea after takeoff from Las Américas International Airport, killing 102, including members of the Puerto Rico women's national volleyball team and lightweight boxer Carlos Cruz.

The decimalisation of the currencies of the United Kingdom and Ireland is completed on Decimal Day.

Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.

José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.

The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.

Soviet-Afghan War: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.

The Visegrád Group, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to 15 terms of life in prison.

Air Transport International Flight 805 crashes in Swanton, Ohio, near Toledo Express Airport, killing all four people on board.

At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3B rocket carrying Intelsat 708 veers off course and crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing somewhere between six and 100 people.

Then-Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien applies a chokehold to protester Bill Clennett, an incident later named the Shawinigan Handshake.

The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.

Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million and 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.

The last Ariane 4 rocket is launched from the Guiana Space Centre, carrying Intelsat 907.

Two trains collide in the Halle train collision in Halle, Belgium, killing 19 and injuring 171 people.

Three hundred and sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.

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.

Sixty people drown and hundreds are missing after a boat sinks on the Congo River near the village of Longola Ekoti, Mai-Ndombe Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ladislaus of Naples (died 1414)

Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III of Russia (died 1490)

Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (died 1503)

Juliana of Stolberg, German countess (died 1580)

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, first Spanish Governor of Florida (died 1574)

Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer (died 1622)

Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (died 1642)

Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, French soldier, founded Montreal (died 1676)

Charles Morton, Cornish nonconformist minister (died 1698)

Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet (died 1702)

Charles-André van Loo, French painter (died 1765)

Louis XV of France (died 1774)

Abraham Clark, American surveyor, lawyer, and politician (died 1794)

William Stacy, American colonel (died 1802)

Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Paris Bourse (died 1813)

Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (died 1832)

Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (died 1824)

Lars Ingier, Norwegian road manager, land owner, and mill owner (died 1828)

Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer and educator (died 1837)

André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (died 1857)

Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (died 1884)

Mary S. B. Shindler, American poet, writer, and editor (died 1883)

Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (died 1888)

Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (died 1902)

Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (died 1906)

Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (died 1893)

V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (died 1901)

Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (died 1908)

Rayko Zhinzifov, Bulgarian poet and translator (died 1877)

Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (died 1917)

Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (died 1913)

Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1937)

Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (died 1927)

Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (died 1925)

Sophie Bryant, Irish mathematician, academic and activist (died 1922)

Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (died 1912)

Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (died 1926)

Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1938)

Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (died 1947)

Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1964)

Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (died 1922)

Sax Rohmer, English-American author (died 1959)

Robert Ley, German politician (died 1945)

James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (died 1949)

Roman Najuch, Polish professional tennis player (died 1967)

Gerrit Kleerekoper, Dutch gymnast and coach (died 1943)

Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (died 1967)

Georges Auric, French composer (died 1983)

Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (died 1985)

Mary Adshead, English painter (died 1995)

Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (died 1983)

Harold Arlen, American composer (died 1986)

Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (died 1991)

Cesar Romero, American actor (died 1994)

Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (died 1980)

Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (died 2010)

Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (died 2008)

George Mikes, Hungarian-English journalist and author (died 1987)

Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (died 1997)

Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (died 1972)

Kevin McCarthy, American actor (died 2010)

Allan Arbus, American actor and photographer (died 2013)

Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2009)

Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (died 1997)

Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (died 2010)

Norman C. Deno, American chemist and plant scientist, (died 2017)

John B. Anderson, Swedish-American lawyer and politician (died 2017)

Yelena Bonner, Soviet-Russian activist (died 2011)

Robert Drew, American director and producer (died 2014)

Angella D. Ferguson, American pediatrician (died 2026)

Frank Dunlop, English actor and director (died 2026)

Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (died 2008)

Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (died 2013)

Graham Hill, English racing driver and businessman (died 1975)

James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (died 2014)

Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic (died 2020)

Sara Jane Moore, American attempted assassin of Gerald Ford (died 2025)

Claire Bloom, English actress

Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (died 1983)

Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (died 2005)

Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language (died 2024)

Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author (died 2025)

Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (died 1967)

Gene Hickerson, American football player (died 2008)

Gregory Mcdonald, American author (died 2008)

Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (died 2011)

İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2007)

Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia (died 2024)

Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress

Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer

Mick Avory, English musician and songwriter

Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic

Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development

John Trudell, American author, poet, and actor (died 2015)

John Adams, American composer

Marisa Berenson, American model and actress

Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic

Ken Anderson, American football player

Markku Alén, Finnish racing driver

Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress

Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer

Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia

Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (died 2013)

Ernie Howe, English footballer and manager

Lynn Whitfield, American actress and producer

Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter

Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author

Christopher McDonald, American actor

Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach

Ann Westin, Swedish comedian

Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author

Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and musician

Joseph R. Gannascoli, American actor

Brian Propp, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster

Darrell Green, American football player

Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby player (died 2012)

Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro

Steven Michael Quezada, American actor, comedian, and politician

Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (died 1997)

Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut

Mark Price, American basketball player and coach

Craig Matthews, South African cricketer

Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer

Syed Kamall, English academic and politician

Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Birdman, American rapper and producer

Shepard Fairey, American artist and activist

Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter

Renee O'Connor, American actress, director, and producer

Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player

Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier

Amy van Dyken, American swimmer

Sarah Wynter, Australian actress

Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter

Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player

Alexander Wurz, Austrian racing driver and businessman

Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Sébastien Bordeleau, Canadian-French ice hockey player

Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter

Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor

Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter

Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist

Ronnie Vannucci Jr., American musician and songwriter

Álex González, Venezuelan baseball player

Ronald Petrovický, Slovak ice hockey player

Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer

James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer

Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter

Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian footballer

Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner

Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer

Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter

Shameka Christon, American basketball player

James Yap, Filipino basketball player

Eddie Basden, American basketball player

Don Cowie, Scottish footballer

David Degen, Swiss footballer

Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer

Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player

Gary Clark Jr., American singer-songwriter and musician

Nate Schierholtz, American baseball player

Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer

Natalie Morales, American actress and director

Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer

Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player

Amber Riley, American actress and singer

Laura Sallés, Andorran judoka

Papu Gómez, Argentine footballer

Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer

Mark Canha, American baseball player

Callum Turner, English actor

Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer

Rich Swann, American wrestler

Ravi, South Korean rapper

Geoffrey Kondogbia, Central African footballer

Manuel Lanzini, Argentine footballer

Sodapoppin, American Twitch streamer and internet personality

Megan Thee Stallion, American rapper

Derrick Jones Jr., American basketball player

Justin Reid, American football player

Zachary Gordon, American actor

George Russell, English racing driver

Jakub Kiwior, Polish footballer

Šimon Nemec, Slovak ice hockey player

Oswiu, king of Northumbria (born c. 612)

Leontios, Byzantine emperor

Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor

Ibn Tabataba, Zaydi anti-caliph

Su Yugui, Chinese chancellor (born 895)

Gisela of Swabia, Holy Roman Empress (born 990)

Lucius II, pope of the Catholic Church

Conrad III, king of Germany (born 1093)

William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (born c. 1339)

Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (born 1385)

Giovanni II Bentivoglio, tyrant of Bologna (born 1443)

José de Acosta, Spanish Jesuit missionary and naturalist (born 1540)

Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (born 1571)

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1578)

Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (born 1684)

Mitromaras, Greek rebel and pirate

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher, author, and critic (born 1729)

Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (born 1746)

Henry Hunt, English farmer and politician (born 1773)

François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian rebel (born 1803)

Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (born 1754)

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1757)

Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (born 1794)

Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (born 1771)

Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician and theorist (born 1804)

Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (born 1804)

Ghalib, Indian poet and educator (born 1796)

Rayko Zhinzifov, Bulgarian poet and translator (born 1839)

Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian geologist and engineer (born 1803)

Leopold Damrosch, German-American composer and conductor (born 1832)

Dimitrie Ghica, Romanian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Romania (born 1816)

Edward Stafford, Scottish-New Zealand educator and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1819)

Lew Wallace, American author, general, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (born 1827)

Theodor Escherich, German-Austrian pediatrician and academic (born 1859)

Lionel Monckton, English composer (born 1861)

H. H. Asquith, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1852)

Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (born 1865)

Pat Sullivan, Australian animator and producer, co-created Felix the Cat (born 1887)

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter and author (born 1878)

Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (born 1878)

Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1879)

Laurence Owen, American figure skater (born 1944)

Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (born 1919)

Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (born 1909)

Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian priest and theologian (born 1929)

Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (born 1887)

Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish air marshal (born 1882)

Wally Cox, American actor (born 1924)

Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (born 1887)

Mike Bloomfield, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1943)

Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (born 1926)

Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (born 1908)

Richard Feynman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1918)

María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (born 1960)

William Schuman, American composer and academic (born 1910)

McLean Stevenson, American actor (born 1927)

Martha Gellhorn, American journalist and author (born 1908)

Henry Way Kendall, American physicist and mountaineer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926)

Angus MacLean, Canadian commander and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (born 1914)

Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (born 1914)

Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (born 1963)

Jens Evensen, Norwegian lawyer, judge, and politician, Norwegian Minister of Trade (born 1917)

Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (born 1944)

Sam Francis, American historian and journalist (born 1947)

Walker Edmiston, American actor (born 1925)

Ray Evans, American songwriter (born 1915)

Johnny Weaver, American wrestler and sportscaster (born 1935)

Jeanne M. Holm, American general (born 1921)

Cyril Domb, English-Israeli physicist and academic (born 1920)

Sanan Kachornprasart, Thai general and politician (born 1935)

Ahmed Rajib Haider, Bangladeshi atheist blogger

Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer (born 1924)

Christopher Malcolm, Scottish-Canadian actor, director, and producer (born 1946)

Haron Amin, Afghan diplomat, Afghan Ambassador to Japan (born 1969)

Arnaud de Borchgrave, American journalist and author (born 1926)

Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1979)

George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (born 1917)

Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (born 1959)

Stuart McLean, Canadian radio broadcaster (born 1948)

Lee Radziwill, American socialite (born 1933)

Caroline Flack, English actress and TV presenter (born 1979)

Bappi Lahiri, Indian singer, composer and record producer (born 1952)

P.J. O'Rourke, American author, humorist, and journalist (born 1947)

Raquel Welch, American actress and singer (born 1940)

George Armitage, American film director (born 1942)

Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, Portuguese businessman (born 1937)

Muhsin Hendricks, South African imam, Islamic scholar and LGBT activist (born 1967)

Robert Duvall, American actor and filmmaker (born 1931)