Famous people born on May 15th
May 15 gathers a remarkably wide-ranging set of birthday honorees, from medieval poetry and early modern music to Chicago-era political power and 20th-century cultural innovation. The date is especially strong in writers and thinkers, while also featuring standout figures in visual art, photography, athletics, and public service. Together, these lives trace how ideas move from page to stage, from laboratory to studio, and from city hall to global influence.
Notable highlights
- Omar Khayyam (1048) - Persian polymath whose "Rubaiyat" quatrains became globally famous through later English translations.
- Claudio Monteverdi (1567) - Key bridge from Renaissance to Baroque music, helping define early opera as a dramatic art form.
- Pierre Curie (1859) - Co-recipient of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for foundational research on radioactivity.
- L. Frank Baum (1856) - Creator of the Land of Oz, shaping American children’s fantasy with enduring characters and imagery.
- Paul Samuelson (1915) - Nobel-winning economist whose textbooks and models helped formalize modern economic analysis.
- Richard Avedon (1923) - Influential fashion and portrait photographer known for crisp minimalism and psychologically charged images.
- Brian Eno (1948) - Pioneer of ambient music and a prolific producer who reshaped the sound of modern rock and art-pop.
- Jasper Johns (1930) - Artist who turned everyday symbols like flags and targets into radical, thought-provoking painting.
- Richard J. Daley (1902) - Longtime Chicago mayor who embodied the power and controversy of the modern urban political machine.
- Emmitt Smith (1969) - NFL rushing leader whose durability and consistency defined an era of Dallas Cowboys football.
On this day
- 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull Ad extirpanda, authorizing the use of torture in certain inquisitorial proceedings.
- 1940 - McDonald’s opens its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California, a start point for a future global fast-food empire.
- 1948 - The Arab-Israeli War begins following Israel’s declaration of independence and the subsequent intervention of neighboring Arab states.
- 1972 - Governor George C. Wallace is shot and paralyzed during a presidential campaign event in Laurel, Maryland.
- 1991 - Edith Cresson becomes France’s first female prime minister.