Mata Hari Posed in Youthful Glory

1917

Dancer and spy Mata Hari is executed

Born on This Day

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche

1844 - 1900

German philosopher who questioned the underlying motive behind religion and morality, shaping much of 20th-century thinking.

"Raising Helen" Premiere - Arrivals

Penny Marshall

1943 - 2018

Actress known for “Laverne & Shirley” before directing films like “A League of Their Own” and “Big,” the first female-directed film to gross over $100 million.

Chef Emeril Lagasse Book Signing - "Emeril's There's a Chef in My Family!" - Houston, Texas

Emeril Lagasse

1959 -

American chef and TV personality who kicks it up a notch with his Cajun- and Creole-influenced cuisine.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Bettmann Archive

Penny Marshall

Getty Images

Emeril Lagasse

WireImage

2024

OCT

15

Researchers discover seven new species of tree frogs in Madagascar that make strange, high-pitched whistling calls like sound effects from the sci-fi series "Star Trek." The species are named Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 15th

1796

Editorial subtly accuses Thomas Jefferson of affair with enslaved woman

On October 15, 1796, an essay appears in the Gazette of the United States in which a writer, mysteriously named “Phocion,” attacks presidential candidate Thomas Jefferson. Phocion turned out to be former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. The essay typified the nasty, personal nature of political attacks in late 18th-century America. When the article appeared, Jefferson […]

1863

H.L. Hunley sinks during demonstration

On October 15, 1863, the H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, sinks during a demo run, killing its inventor and seven crew members. Horace Lawson Hunley developed the 40-foot submarine from a cylinder boiler. It was operated by a crew of eight—one person steered while the other seven turned a crank that drove the […]

1:56m read read

1880

Chiricahua Apache leader Victorio is killed south of El Paso, Texas

The warrior Victorio, one of the greatest Apache military strategists of all time, dies on October 15, 1880, in the Tres Castillos Mountains south of El Paso, Texas. Born in New Mexico around 1809, Victorio grew up during a period of intense hostility between the native Apache Native Americans of the southwest and encroaching Mexican […]

2:04m read read

1945

Vichy leader executed for treason

Pierre Laval, the puppet leader of Nazi-occupied Vichy France, is executed by firing squad for treason against France. Laval, originally a deputy and senator of pacifist tendencies, shifted to the right in the 1930s while serving as minister of foreign affairs and twice as the French premier. A staunch anti-communist, he delayed the Soviet-Franco pact […]

1:28m read read

1946

High-ranking Nazi leader Hermann Göring dies

On October 15, 1946, Hermann Göring, commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, chief forester of the Reich, chief liquidator of sequestered estates, supreme head of the National Weather Bureau, and Hitler’s designated successor dies by his own hand. Göring was an early member of […]

1:44m read read

1948

Gerald Ford marries Elizabeth Bloomer

On October 15, 1948, future President Gerald Ford marries Elizabeth Anne (“Betty”) Bloomer. The handsome, blonde, blue-eyed Ford grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and went on to play football at the University of Michigan, where he was voted the team’s most valuable player in his senior year. He then worked as an assistant coach […]

2:04m read read

1948

A murderous husband is executed

Arthur Eggers, who was convicted of killing his wife, Dorothy, because of her alleged promiscuity, is executed at San Quentin Prison. He probably would have gotten away with the crime had the investigators not received a few lucky breaks. In January 1946, hikers came across a woman’s body, wrapped in a blanket, in a very […]

1:28m read read

1965

Antiwar demonstrations staged in 40 U.S. cities

On October 15, 1965, antiwar activists stage demonstrations across the country, drawing 100,000 people in some 40 cities. In one event staged by the student-run National Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam, the public burning of a draft card leads to the first legal consequences for the act. In New York, David Miller, […]

0:40m read read

1973

Dolly Parton releases hit single “Jolene”

On October 15, 1973—four months before the release of her 13th studio album, “Jolene”—country star Dolly Parton releases the record’s titular song with the memorable refrain “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joleeeeene.” In Parton’s self-penned lyrics, she described an auburn-haired, fair-skinned beauty named Jolene, and pleaded with her not to take Parton’s man. The chorus begins with […]

1989

Wayne Gretzky breaks NHL points record

On October 15, 1989, Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky breaks Gordie Howe’s points record (1,850) in the final period of a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky’s record-setting goal tied the game; in overtime he scored another, and the Kings won 5-4. Gretzky had entered the game with 1,849 points. About five minutes into the […]

2:00m read read

1990

Mikhail Gorbachev wins Nobel Peace Prize

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending Cold War tensions. Since coming to power in 1985, Gorbachev had undertaken to concentrate more effort and funds on his domestic reform plans by going to extraordinary lengths to reach foreign policy understandings with the noncommunist world. Some of his accomplishments […]

1:26m read read

1991

Clarence Thomas confirmed to the Supreme Court

After a bitter confirmation hearing, the U.S. Senate votes 52 to 48 to confirm Clarence Thomas to the U.S. Supreme Court. In July 1991, Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court, announced his retirement after 34 years. President George Bush nominated Clarence Thomas, a 43-year-old African American judge known for his […]

1:46m read read

2004

“Funeral coaches” exempted from car-seat law

On October 15, 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rules that hearse manufacturers no longer have to install anchors for child-safety seats in their vehicles. In 1999, to prevent parents from incorrectly installing the seats using only their cars’ seat belts, the agency had required all carmakers to put the standardized anchors on every […]

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us