On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, notable events and birthdays were highlighted.

Birthdays:

  • Anna Maria Alberghetti, actor-singer, turned 88
  • Wavy Gravy, counterculture icon, turned 88
  • Lenny Welch, singer, turned 86
  • Lainie Kazan, actor-singer, turned 82
  • Gunilla Hutton, actor, turned 82
  • Chazz Palminteri, actor, turned 78
  • Kathleen Sebelius, former Health and Human Services Secretary, turned 76
  • Brian Eno, singer-songwriter, turned 76
  • Nicholas Hammond, actor, turned 74
  • George Brett, Baseball Hall of Famer, turned 71
  • Mike Oldfield, musician-composer, turned 71
  • Lee Horsley, actor, turned 69
  • Giselle Fernández, TV personality, turned 63
  • Grandmaster Melle Mel, rapper, turned 63
  • Brenda Bakke, actor, turned 61
  • Emmitt Smith, Football Hall of Famer, turned 55
  • Brad Rowe, actor, turned 54
  • David Charvet, actor, turned 52
  • Russell Hornsby, actor, turned 50
  • Ahmet Zappa, rock musician, turned 50
  • Amy Chow, Olympic gold medal gymnast, turned 46
  • Alexandra Breckenridge, actor, turned 42
  • Brad Shultz, rock musician (Cage the Elephant), turned 42
  • Andy Murray, tennis player, turned 37

Historical Events:

  • In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln established the Department of Agriculture.
  • In 1928, Mickey Mouse appeared in a test screening of “Plane Crazy”.
  • In 1948, Israel was attacked by neighboring Arab states hours after declaring independence.
  • In 1967, the US Supreme Court ruled in In re Gault that juveniles deserve the same due process as adults.
  • In 1970, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green were killed by police during protests at Jackson State College.
  • In 1972, Governor George C. Wallace was shot and paralyzed during his presidential campaign.
  • In 1975, US forces invaded Cambodia's Koh Tang to capture the Mayaguez ship.
  • In 1988, the Soviet Union began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.
  • In 2000, the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the Violence Against Women Act.
  • In 2007, the Rev. Jerry Falwell died in Lynchburg, Virginia.
  • In 2009, General Motors began franchise terminations for about 1,100 dealers.
  • In 2012, Kyrie Irving was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
  • In 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received the death penalty for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
  • In 2018, Robinson Cano was suspended for 80 games for violating MLB’s drug agreement.
  • In 2020, President Donald Trump announced "Operation Warp Speed" for COVID-19 vaccine development.
  • In 2022, a white 18-year-old killed 10 people in a racially targeted attack at a Buffalo supermarket.

These events provide context and important moments in history for each respective year and day.