On This Day - What Happened On May 15 | Britannica

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1991 Edith Cresson appointed French premier On this day in 1991, Edith Cresson of the Socialist Party became the first female premier of France, but she lost the office less than a year later because of rising unemployment and declining support from within her party. How much do you know about French history? Laurent Rebours—AP/Shutterstock.com

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Madeleine Albright United States secretary of state bornMay 15, 1937Prague, CzechoslovakiadiedMarch 23, 2022 (aged 84)Washington, D.C., United StatesU.S. Department of State 1987 Andy Murray Scottish tennis player 1975 Ray Lewis American football player 1969 Emmitt Smith American football player 1948 Brian Eno British musician and producer 1937 Madeleine Albright United States secretary of state See All Biographies On This Day

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2003 American singer and songwriter June Carter Cash—a leading figure in country music, especially noted for her work with the Carter Family and Johnny Cash—died in Nashville. Take our musical forms and styles quizMichael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 1972 While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Alabama Gov. George Wallace was wounded and left permanently paralyzed below the waist in an assassination attempt. Test your knowledge of U.S. presidential electionsBettmann/Getty Images 1969 American lawyer and judge Abe Fortas became the first U.S. Supreme Court justice to resign under threat of impeachment. Why are there nine justices on the Supreme Court?Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum; photograph, Yoichi Okamoto 1940 In San Bernadino, California, brothers Maurice (“Mac”) and Richard McDonald opened a drive-in restaurant that gave rise to the fast-food chain McDonald's. Take our quiz about food around the worldTim Boyle/Getty Images 1940 Nylon stockings first went on sale to the general public, and American stores sold out in days. How much do you know about fashion? 1928 Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse made his debut with the premiere of the cartoon Plane Crazy. Take our Disney quiz© The Walt Disney Company 1918 The first regular airmail route in the United States opened, between New York City and Washington, D.C. Test your knowledge of U.S. historyLee Boltin 1914 Mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, who, with Sir Edmund Hillary, was the first person to stand atop the summit of Mount Everest, was born in Tshechu, Tibet. How much do you know about Mount Everest?AP Images 1886 American poet Emily Dickinson, who commanded a singular brilliance of style and integrity of vision, died in Amherst, Massachusetts. Test your knowledge of Emily DickinsonAmherst College Archives & Special Collections (Public Domain) 1885 Louis Riel surrendered after leading two rebellions against the Canadian government in response to its efforts to assume the territorial rights of the Hudson's Bay Company in northwestern Canada. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about CanadaLibrary and Archives Canada (ID no. 3228116) 1859 Physical chemist Pierre Curie, cowinner (with his wife, Marie Curie) of the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics, was born in Paris. Take our Nobel Prize quizThe Granger Collection, New York 495 bce On the Aventine Hill in Rome, the temple of the Roman god Mercury was dedicated. Test your knowledge of Greek and Roman godsAlinari/Art Resource, New York SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.