A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 15th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On May 15, 1718, Englishman James Puckle patented his machine gun, the world’s first!
On May 15, 1718, James Puckle of England patented the first machine gun.
On May 15, 1718, Mr. Puckle patented what could be considered the first machine gun.
On May 15, 1848, Serfdom was abolished in the Habsburg Austrian region of Galicia, ending the slavery of peasants in an area now occupied by Poland and the Ukraine.
On May 15, 1941, the Gloster E.28/39 jet powered fighter prototype made its first flight.
On May 15, 1970, President Richard Nixon appointed Anna Mae Hays a brigadier general in the US Army, the first female general in American military history.
On May 15, 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich’s Blood Rites: Origins and History of the Passions of War recounted one of the most frightening displays of masculine toughness perhaps ever practiced in human history!
On May 15, 2001, a 47-car freight train in Walbridge, Ohio took off away from the train station sans engineer who had dismounted to set a switch.
On May 15, 2010, Australian 16 year old Jessica Watson completed a non-stop and solo unassisted sail voyage around the world, the youngest person to achieve this feat.
On May 15, 2018, we were finally allowed to tell you about the exciting and absolutely hilarious new blockbuster action hero movie, Deadpool 2, which premiers on Friday, May 18, 2018 in the United States.
On May 15, 2020, a “new” science fiction drama made its debut, a film about the late 1950’s that was filmed to be in the retro style of that era.
Science fiction film fans had their chance to be among the first in Ohio to see The Vast of Night on Friday, May 15th or Saturday, May 16th, 2020 in Cleveland (Mayfield Road Drive-In Theatre) or Ravenna (Midway Drive-In Theater)!
Question for students (and subscribers): Which event that occurred on today’s date would you like to learn more about? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
