What happened in 2015
400 entries recorded for 2015, listed by date. That was 11 years ago.
2015 at a glance
- Years ago
- 11 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 21st century
- Decade
- 2010s
- Generation born
- Generation Alpha
- Entries here
- 400
- Breakdown
- 49 historical events · 350 deaths · 1 births
January
- January 1
Eurasian Economic Union
The Eurasian Economic Union comes into effect, creating a political and economic union between Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
- January 2
Tihomir Novakov
Tihomir Novakov, Serbian-American physicist and academic (born 1929)
- January 3
Boko Haram
Boko Haram militants destroy the entire town of Baga in north-east Nigeria, starting the Baga massacre and killing as many as 2,000 people.
- January 3
Martin Anderson (economist)
Martin Anderson, American economist and academic (born 1936)
- January 3
Edward Brooke
Edward Brooke, American captain and politician, 47th Massachusetts Attorney General (born 1919)
- January 4
Pino Daniele
Pino Daniele, Italian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1955)
- January 5
Bernard Joseph McLaughlin
Bernard Joseph McLaughlin, American bishop (born 1912)
- January 5
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Beltoise, French racing driver and motorcycle racer (born 1937)
- January 6
John Mason (meteorologist)
Basil John Mason, English meteorologist and academic (born 1923)
- January 7
January 2015 Sanaa bombing
A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sanaa with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.
- January 7
Charlie Hebdo shooting
Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, executing twelve people and wounding eleven others.
- January 7
Mompati Merafhe
Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (born 1936)
- January 7
Rod Taylor
Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (born 1930)
- January 8
Andraé Crouch
Andraé Crouch, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor (born 1942)
- January 8
Patsy Garrett
Patsy Garrett, American actress and singer (born 1921)
- January 8
Kep Enderby
Kep Enderby, Australian lawyer, judge, and politician, 23rd Attorney-General for Australia (born 1926)
- January 9
Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege
A hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurred at a Jewish market in Vincennes.
- January 9
Charlie Hebdo shooting
The perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris two days earlier are both killed after a hostage situation; a second hostage situation, related to the Charlie Hebdo shooting, occurs at a Jewish market in Vincennes.
- January 9
Mozambique funeral beer poisoning
Contaminated beer served at a funeral in Tete Province, Mozambique, killed 75 people and made at least 230 others ill.
- January 9
Michel Jeury
Michel Jeury, French author (born 1934)
- January 9
Roy Tarpley
Roy Tarpley, American basketball player (born 1964)
- January 9
Józef Oleksy
Józef Oleksy, Polish economist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Poland (born 1946)
- January 9
Abdul Rahman Ya'kub
Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, Malaysian politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Sarawak (born 1928)
- January 10
List of traffic collisions (2000–present)
A traffic accident between an oil tanker truck and passenger coach en route to Shikarpur from Karachi on the Pakistan National Highway Link Road near Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Karachi, killing at least 62 people.
- January 10
Junior Malanda
Junior Malanda, Belgian footballer (born 1994)
- January 10
Robert Stone (novelist)
Robert Stone, American novelist and short story writer (born 1937)
- January 10
Francesco Rosi
Francesco Rosi, Italian director and screenwriter (born 1922)
- January 10
Taylor Negron
Taylor Negron, American actor, playwright, and painter (born 1957)
- January 11
Jenő Buzánszky
Jenő Buzánszky, Hungarian footballer and coach (born 1925)
- January 11
Anita Ekberg
Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (born 1931)
- January 11
Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle
Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle, American neuroscientist and academic (born 1918)
- January 11
Chashi Nazrul Islam
Chashi Nazrul Islam, Bangladeshi director and producer (born 1941)
- January 12
Battle of Kolofata (2015)
Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.
- January 12
Inge Vermeulen
Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (born 1985)
- January 12
Robert Gover
Robert Gover, American journalist and author (born 1929)
- January 12
Elena Obraztsova
Elena Obraztsova, Russian soprano and actress (born 1939)
- January 12
Carl Long (baseball)
Carl Long, American baseball player (born 1935)
- January 12
Trevor Colbourn
Trevor Colbourn, American historian and academic (born 1927)
- January 13
Mark Juddery
Mark Juddery, Australian journalist and author (born 1971)
- January 13
Robert E. White
Robert White, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Paraguay (born 1926)
- January 14
Zhang Wannian
Zhang Wannian, Chinese general (born 1928)
- January 14
Bob Boyd (basketball)
Bob Boyd, American basketball player and coach (born 1930)
- January 15
Swiss National Bank
The Swiss National Bank abandons the cap on the Swiss franc's value relative to the euro, causing turmoil in international financial markets.
- January 15
Ray Nagel
Ray Nagel, American football player and coach (born 1927)
- January 15
Ervin Drake
Ervin Drake, American songwriter and composer (born 1919)
- January 15
Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and manager (born 1939)
- January 16
Yao Beina
Yao Beina, Chinese singer (born 1981)
- January 16
Miriam Akavia
Miriam Akavia, Polish-Israeli author and translator (born 1927)
- January 17
Faten Hamama
Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (born 1931)
- January 17
Don Harron
Don Harron, Canadian actor and screenwriter (born 1924)
- January 17
Ken Furphy
Ken Furphy, English footballer and manager (born 1931)
- January 18
Alberto Nisman
Alberto Nisman, Argentinian lawyer and prosecutor (born 1963)
- January 18
Christine Valmy
Christine Valmy, Romanian cosmetologist and author (born 1926)
- January 18
Tony Verna
Tony Verna, American director and producer, invented instant replay (born 1933)
- January 18
Piet van der Sanden
Piet van der Sanden, Dutch journalist and politician (born 1924)
- January 19
Justin Capră
Justin Capră, Romanian engineer and academic (born 1933)
- January 19
Ward Swingle
Ward Swingle, American-French singer-songwriter and conductor (born 1927)
- January 19
Michel Guimond
Michel Guimond, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1953)
- January 21
Canek Sánchez Guevara
Canek Sánchez Guevara, Cuban author and dissident (born 1974)
- January 21
Johnnie Lewis
Johnnie Lewis, Liberian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Justice of Liberia (born 1946)
- January 21
Leon Brittan
Leon Brittan, English lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (born 1939)
- January 21
Marcus Borg
Marcus Borg, American scholar, theologian, and author (born 1942)
- January 22
Wendell Ford
Wendell H. Ford, American lieutenant and politician, 53rd Governor of Kentucky (born 1924)
- January 22
Margaret Bloy Graham
Margaret Bloy Graham, Canadian author and illustrator (born 1920)
- January 22
Fabrizio de Miranda
Fabrizio de Miranda, Italian engineer and academic, co-designed the Rande Bridge (born 1926)
- January 23
Ernie Banks
Ernie Banks, American baseball player and coach (born 1931)
- January 23
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (born 1924)
- January 23
Prosper Ego
Prosper Ego, Dutch activist, founded the Oud-Strijders Legioen (born 1927)
- January 24
Otto Carius
Otto Carius, German lieutenant and pharmacist (born 1922)
- January 25
Mamasapano clash
A clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in the Philippines kills 44 members of Special Action Force (SAF), at least 18 from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and five from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
- January 25
John Leggett
John Leggett, American author and academic (born 1917)
- January 25
Bill Monbouquette
Bill Monbouquette, American baseball player and coach (born 1936)
- January 25
Richard McBrien
Richard McBrien, American priest, theologian, and academic (born 1936)
- January 25
Demis Roussos
Demis Roussos, Egyptian-Greek singer (born 1946)
- January 26
2015 Los Llanos Air Base crash
A jet fighter crashed at Los Llanos Air Base in Albacete, Spain, killing 11 people and injuring 21 others.
- January 26
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: The People's Protection Units (YPG) recaptures the city of Kobanî from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), marking a turning point in the Siege of Kobanî.
- January 26
Cleven Goudeau
Cleven "Goodie" Goudeau, American art director and cartoonist (born 1932)
- January 26
Tom Uren
Tom Uren, Australian politician (born 1921)
- January 27
Charles H. Townes
Charles Hard Townes, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1915)
- January 27
Joseph Rotman
Joseph Rotman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (born 1935)
- January 27
Rocky Bridges
Rocky Bridges, American baseball player and coach (born 1927)
- January 27
David Landau (journalist)
David Landau, English-Israeli journalist (born 1947)
- January 27
Larry Winters
Larry Winters, American wrestler and trainer (born 1956)
- January 28
Suraj Abdurrahman
Suraj Abdurrahman, Nigerian general, architect, and engineer (born 1954)
- January 28
Yves Chauvin
Yves Chauvin, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1930)
- January 28
Lionel Gilbert
Lionel Gilbert, Australian historian, author, and academic (born 1924)
- January 29
Rod McKuen
Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter and poet (born 1933)
- January 29
Colleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough, Australian neuroscientist, author, and academic (born 1937)
- January 29
Alexander Vraciu
Alexander Vraciu, American commander and pilot (born 1918)
- January 30
Ülo Kaevats
Ülo Kaevats, Estonian academic, philosopher, and politician (born 1947)
- January 30
Gerrit Voorting
Gerrit Voorting, Dutch cyclist (born 1923)
- January 30
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan, English actress (born 1932)
- January 30
Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi, Austrian-American chemist, author, and playwright (born 1923)
- January 31
Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek, German footballer, coach and journalist (born 1935)
- January 31
Vic Howe
Vic Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1929)
- January 31
Lizabeth Scott
Lizabeth Scott, American actress (born 1922)
- January 31
Richard von Weizsäcker
Richard von Weizsäcker, German captain and politician, 6th President of Germany (born 1920)
February
- February 1
Udo Lattek
Udo Lattek, German footballer, manager, and sportscaster (born 1935)
- February 1
Monty Oum
Monty Oum, American animator, director, and screenwriter (born 1981)
- February 1
Aldo Ciccolini
Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-French pianist (born 1925)
- February 2
Andriy Kuzmenko
Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (born 1968)
- February 2
Stewart Stern
Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (born 1922)
- February 2
Joseph Alfidi
Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1949)
- February 2
Molade Okoya-Thomas
Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (born 1935)
- February 2
Dave Bergman
Dave Bergman, American baseball player (born 1953)
- February 2
The Jacka
The Jacka, American rapper and producer (born 1977)
- February 3
Charlie Sifford
Charlie Sifford, American golfer (born 1922)
- February 3
Nasim Hasan Shah
Nasim Hasan Shah, Pakistani lawyer and judge, 12th Chief Justice of Pakistan (born 1929)
- February 3
Martin Gilbert
Martin Gilbert, English historian, author, and academic (born 1936)
- February 3
Mary Healy (entertainer)
Mary Healy, American actress and singer (born 1918)
- February 4
Songshan Airport
Shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan Airport, the crew of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 shut down the wrong engine in response to a flameout, leading to a crash that resulted in 43 deaths.
- February 4
TransAsia Airways Flight 235
TransAsia Airways Flight 235, with 58 people on board, en route from the Taiwanese capital Taipei to Kinmen, crashes into the Keelung River just after takeoff, killing 43 people.
- February 4
Fitzhugh L. Fulton
Fitzhugh L. Fulton, American colonel and pilot (born 1925)
- February 5
Val Logsdon Fitch
Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1923)
- February 5
Marisa Del Frate
Marisa Del Frate, Italian actress and singer (born 1931)
- February 5
Herman Rosenblat
Herman Rosenblat, Polish-American author (born 1929)
- February 5
K. N. Choksy
K. N. Choksy, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka (born 1933)
- February 6
Alan Nunnelee
Alan Nunnelee, American lawyer and politician (born 1958)
- February 6
Pedro León Zapata
Pedro León Zapata, Venezuelan cartoonist (born 1929)
- February 6
André Brink
André Brink, South African author and playwright (born 1935)
- February 7
Dean Smith
Dean Smith, American basketball player and coach (born 1931)
- February 7
Billy Casper
Billy Casper, American golfer (born 1931)
- February 7
John C. Whitehead
John C. Whitehead, American banker and politician, 9th United States Deputy Secretary of State (born 1922)
- February 7
Marshall Rosenberg
Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and author (born 1934)
- February 8
Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde
Rauni-Leena Luukanen-Kilde, Finnish physician and parapsychologist (born 1939)
- February 9
Ed Sabol
Ed Sabol, American film producer, co-founded NFL Films (born 1916)
- February 9
Liu Han
Liu Han, Chinese businessman and philanthropist (born 1965)
- February 10
Deng Liqun
Deng Liqun, Chinese theorist and politician (born 1915)
- February 10
Karl Josef Becker
Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (born 1928)
- February 10
Naseer Aruri
Naseer Aruri, Palestinian scholar and activist (born 1934)
- February 11
Murder of Özgecan Aslan
Turkish student Özgecan Aslan was murdered during a rape attempt, sparking mass demonstrations across the country after her body was discovered two days later.
- February 11
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle is launched on a Vega rocket.
- February 11
Roger Hanin
Roger Hanin, French actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1925)
- February 11
Bob Simon
Bob Simon, American journalist (born 1941)
- February 11
Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian, American basketball player and coach (born 1930)
- February 12
Movita Castaneda
Movita Castaneda, American actress and singer (born 1916)
- February 12
Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat
Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Malaysian cleric and politician, 12th Menteri Besar of Kelantan (born 1931)
- February 12
Gary Owens
Gary Owens, American radio host and voice actor (born 1934)
- February 12
Steve Strange
Steve Strange, Welsh singer (born 1959)
- February 13
Faith Bandler
Faith Bandler, Australian activist and author (born 1918)
- February 13
Stan Chambers
Stan Chambers, American journalist and actor (born 1923)
- February 14
Louis Jourdan
Louis Jourdan, French-American actor and singer (born 1921)
- February 14
Franjo Mihalić
Franjo Mihalić, Croatian-Serbian runner and coach (born 1920)
- February 14
Philip Levine (poet)
Philip Levine, American poet and academic (born 1928)
- February 15
Steve Montador
Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1979)
- February 15
Haron Amin
Haron Amin, Afghan diplomat, Afghan Ambassador to Japan (born 1969)
- February 15
Arnaud de Borchgrave
Arnaud de Borchgrave, American journalist and author (born 1926)
- February 16
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (born 1946)
- February 16
R. R. Patil
R. R. Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra (born 1957)
- February 16
Lorena Rojas
Lorena Rojas, Mexican actress and singer (born 1971)
- February 16
Lasse Braun
Lasse Braun, Algerian-Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1936)
- February 17
2015 Haiti Carnival stampede
Eighteen people are killed and 78 injured in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Haiti.
- February 17
Liu Yudi
Liu Yudi, Chinese general and pilot (born 1923)
- February 17
Cathy Ubels-Veen
Cathy Ubels-Veen, Dutch politician (born 1928)
- February 17
John Barrow (Canadian football)
John Barrow, American-Canadian football player and manager (born 1935)
- February 18
Elchanan Heilprin
Elchanan Heilprin, Slovak-born English rabbi (born 1920 or 1922)
- February 19
Harold Johnson (boxer)
Harold Johnson, American boxer (born 1928)
- February 19
Harris Wittels
Harris Wittels, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1984)
- February 19
Nirad Mohapatra
Nirad Mohapatra, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1947)
- February 20
Rafz train crash
Two trains collide in the Swiss town of Rafz resulting in as many as 49 people injured and Swiss Federal Railways cancelling some services.
- February 20
Govind Pansare
Govind Pansare, Indian author and activist (born 1933)
- February 20
John C. Willke
John C. Willke, American physician, author, and activist (born 1925)
- February 20
Henry Segerstrom
Henry Segerstrom, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1923)
- February 21
Sadeq Tabatabaei
Sadeq Tabatabaei, Iranian journalist and politician (born 1943)
- February 21
Aleksei Gubarev
Aleksei Gubarev, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (born 1931)
- February 21
Clark Terry
Clark Terry, American trumpet player, composer, and educator (born 1920)
- February 22
Sinking of ML Mostofa-3
A ferry carrying 100 passengers capsizes in the Padma River, killing 70 people.
- February 22
Chris Rainbow
Chris Rainbow, Scottish singer-songwriter and producer (born 1946)
- February 23
James Aldridge
James Aldridge, Australian-English journalist and author (born 1918)
- February 23
Rana Bhagwandas
Rana Bhagwandas, Pakistani lawyer and judge, Chief Justice of Pakistan (born 1942)
- February 24
Uherský Brod
At a restaurant in Uherský Brod, Czech Republic, a gunman opened fire in a restaurant, killing eight people before committing suicide.
- February 24
Metrolink (California)
A Metrolink train derails in Oxnard, California following a collision with a truck, leaving more than 30 injured.
- February 24
Methodius Kudriakov
Mefodiy, Ukrainian metropolitan (born 1949)
- February 24
Rakhat Aliyev
Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakh politician and diplomat (born 1962)
- February 25
2015 Afghanistan avalanches
At least 310 people are killed in avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan.
- February 25
Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (born 1930)
- February 25
Ariel Camacho
Ariel Camacho, Mexican musician and singer-songwriter; (born 1992)
- February 25
Eugenie Clark
Eugenie Clark, American biologist and academic; noted ichthyologist (born 1922)
- February 26
Earl Lloyd
Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (born 1928)
- February 26
Sheppard Frere
Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (born 1916)
- February 26
Tom Schweich
Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (born 1960)
- February 26
Theodore Hesburgh
Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (born 1917)
- February 27
Boris Nemtsov
Russian statesman and politician Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, was assassinated in central Moscow.
- February 27
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy, American actor (born 1931)
- February 27
Julio César Strassera
Julio César Strassera, Argentinian lawyer and jurist (born 1933)
- February 27
Boris Nemtsov
Boris Nemtsov, Russian academic and politician, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (born 1959)
- February 28
Yaşar Kemal
Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (born 1923)
March
- March 1
Minnie Miñoso
Minnie Miñoso, Cuban-American baseball player and coach (born 1922)
- March 2
Mal Peet
Mal Peet, English author and illustrator (born 1947)
- March 2
Dean Hess
Dean Hess, American minister and colonel (born 1917)
- March 2
Dave Mackay
Dave Mackay, Scottish-English footballer and manager (born 1934)
- March 3
M. Stanton Evans
M. Stanton Evans, American journalist and author (born 1934)
- March 3
Ernest Braun
Ernest Braun, Austrian-English physicist and academic (born 1925)
- March 4
2015 Zasyadko mine disaster
At least 34 miners die in a suspected gas explosion at the Zasyadko coal mine in the rebel-held Donetsk region of Ukraine.
- March 4
Dušan Bilandžić
Dušan Bilandžić, Croatian historian and politician (born 1924)
- March 4
Ray Hatton
Ray Hatton, English-American runner, author, and academic (born 1932)
- March 5
Vlada Divljan
Vlada Divljan, Serbian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1958)
- March 5
Edward Egan
Edward Egan, American cardinal and former Archbishop of New York (born 1932)
- March 6
Enrique "Coco" Vicéns
Enrique "Coco" Vicéns, Puerto Rican-American basketball player and politician (born 1926)
- March 6
Fred Craddock
Fred Craddock, American minister and academic (born 1928)
- March 6
Ram Sundar Das
Ram Sundar Das, Indian lawyer and politician, 18th Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1921)
- March 7
Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese author and illustrator (born 1935)
- March 7
F. Ray Keyser Jr.
F. Ray Keyser, Jr., American lawyer and politician, Governor of Vermont (born 1927)
- March 7
G. Karthikeyan
G. Karthikeyan, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1949)
- March 8
Sam Simon
Sam Simon, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1955)
- March 9
Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil
Two Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopters collide in mid-air over Villa Castelli, Argentina, killing all 10 people on board both aircraft, including French athletes Florence Arthaud, Camille Muffat and Alexis Vastine, as well as producers and guests for the French TV show Dropped
- March 9
James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead
James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead, Northern Irish soldier and politician (born 1920)
- March 10
Richard Glatzer
Richard Glatzer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1952)
- March 11
Jimmy Greenspoon
Jimmy Greenspoon, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player (born 1948)
- March 11
Walter Burkert
Walter Burkert, German philologist and scholar (born 1931)
- March 12
Michael Graves
Michael Graves, American architect and academic, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (born 1934)
- March 12
Ada Jafri
Ada Jafri, Pakistani poet and author (born 1924)
- March 12
Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (born 1948)
- March 12
Willie Barrow
Willie Barrow, American minister and activist (born 1924)
- March 13
2015 Belgrade helicopter crash
Serbian Army Mi-17 helicopter crashes near Belgrade airport while transporting a 5-day-old baby with respiratory problems to hospital, killing all 7 on board.
- March 13
Al Rosen
Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (born 1924)
- March 15
Sally Forrest
Sally Forrest, American actress and dancer (born 1928)
- March 15
Mike Porcaro
Mike Porcaro, American bass player (born 1955)
- March 15
Collins Chabane
Collins Chabane, South African politician (born 1960)
- March 15
Curtis Gans
Curtis Gans, American political scientist and author (born 1937)
- March 15
Robert Clatworthy (sculptor)
Robert Clatworthy, English sculptor and educator (born 1928)
- March 16
Teddy Sinclair
Natalia Kills and Willy Moon were fired as judges on the second series of The X Factor New Zealand, following public backlash over comments they made to a contestant during the first live show.
- March 16
Don Robertson (songwriter)
Don Robertson, American pianist and composer (born 1922)
- March 16
Jack Haley (basketball)
Jack Haley, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1964)
- March 17
Frank Perris
Frank Perris, Canadian motorcycle racer (born 1931)
- March 18
Bardo National Museum (Tunis)
The Bardo National Museum in Tunisia is attacked by gunmen. Twenty-four people, almost all tourists, are killed, and at least 50 other people are wounded.
- March 18
Bardo National Museum attack
Gunmen attacked the Bardo National Museum in Tunisia, killing 24 people.
- March 18
Zhao Dayu
Zhao Dayu, Chinese footballer and manager (born 1961)
- March 18
Grace Ogot
Grace Ogot, Kenyan nurse, journalist, and politician (born 1930)
- March 18
Thomas Hopko
Thomas Hopko, American priest and theologian (born 1939)
- March 19
Gus Douglass
Gus Douglass, American farmer and politician (born 1927)
- March 19
Safet Plakalo
Safet Plakalo, Bosnian author and playwright (born 1950)
- March 19
Danny Schechter
Danny Schechter, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1942)
- March 20
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: The Siege of Kobanî is broken by the People's Protection Units (YPG) and Free Syrian Army (FSA), marking a turning point in the Rojava–Islamist conflict.
- March 20
Solar eclipse of March 20, 2015
A solar eclipse, equinox, and a supermoon all occur on the same day.
- March 20
Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser, Australian politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Australia (born 1930)
- March 20
Eva Burrows
Eva Burrows, Australian 13th General of The Salvation Army (born 1929)
- March 21
Ishaya Bakut
Ishaya Bakut, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Benue State (born 1947)
- March 21
Alberta Watson
Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (born 1955)
- March 21
Jørgen Ingmann
Jørgen Ingmann, Danish singer and guitarist (born 1925)
- March 21
Hans Erni
Hans Erni, Swiss painter, sculptor, and illustrator (born 1909)
- March 21
James C. Binnicker
James C. Binnicker, American sergeant (born 1938)
- March 21
Chuck Bednarik
Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (born 1925)
- March 22
Norman Scribner
Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1936)
- March 22
Horst Buhtz
Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (born 1923)
- March 22
Arkady Arkanov
Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (born 1933)
- March 23
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (born 1923)
- March 23
Gian Vittorio Baldi
Gian Vittorio Baldi, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)
- March 23
Lil' Chris
Lil' Chris, English singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality (born 1990)
- March 23
Bobby Lowther
Bobby Lowther, American basketball player and lieutenant (born 1923)
- March 24
Germanwings Flight 9525
The co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 deliberately crashed the aircraft, an Airbus A320, in a mass murder–suicide in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
- March 24
Yehuda Avner
Yehuda Avner, English-Israeli diplomat (born 1928)
- March 24
Oleg Bryjak
notable deaths of the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash:
- March 24
Maria Radner
notable deaths of the Germanwings Flight 9525 crash:
- March 25
George Fischbeck
George Fischbeck, American journalist and educator (born 1922)
- March 26
Dinkha IV
Dinkha IV, Iraqi patriarch (born 1935)
- March 26
Tomas Tranströmer
Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (born 1931)
- March 26
Friedrich L. Bauer
Friedrich L. Bauer, German mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (born 1924)
- March 27
Al-Shabaab (militant group)
Al-Shabab militants attack and temporarily occupy a Mogadishu hotel leaving at least 20 people dead.
- March 27
Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle, the largest and most visited Japanese castle, re-opened after five years of restoration work.
- March 27
Johnny Helms
Johnny Helms, American trumpet player, bandleader, and educator (born 1935)
- March 27
T. Sailo
T. Sailo, Indian soldier and politician, 2nd Chief Minister of Mizoram (born 1922)
- March 28
2015 Makka al-Mukarama hotel attack
A siege of a hotel in Mogadishu by al-Shabaab militants, which began the previous day and killed at least 20 people, ended with the Somali Armed Forces recapturing the premises.
- March 28
Joseph Cassidy (priest)
Joseph Cassidy, Canadian-English priest and academic (born 1954)
- March 28
Gene Saks
Gene Saks, American actor and director (born 1921)
- March 28
Miroslav Ondříček
Miroslav Ondříček, Czech cinematographer (born 1934)
- March 28
Chuck Brayton
Chuck Brayton, American baseball player and coach (born 1925)
- March 29
Air Canada Flight 624
Air Canada Flight 624 skids off the runway at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, after arriving from Toronto shortly past midnight. All 133 passengers and five crews on board survive, with 23 treated for minor injuries.
- March 29
William Delafield Cook
William Delafield Cook, Australian-English painter (born 1926)
- March 30
Helmut Dietl
Helmut Dietl, German director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1944)
- March 30
Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld
Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld, Dutch astronomer and academic (born 1921)
- March 30
Roger Slifer
Roger Slifer, American author, illustrator, screenwriter, and producer (born 1954)
April
- April 1
Nicolae Rainea
Nicolae Rainea, Romanian footballer and referee (born 1933)
- April 2
Garissa University College attack
Gunmen attacked Garissa University College in Kenya, killing 148 people and wounding 79 others.
- April 2
Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary
Six elderly men burgled a safe-deposit facility in Hatton Garden, London, and stole items worth up to an estimated £14 million.
- April 2
Robert Schuller
Robert H. Schuller, American pastor and author (born 1926)
- April 2
Steve Stevaert
Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician, Governor of Limburg (born 1954)
- April 2
Manoel de Oliveira
Manoel de Oliveira, Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1908)
- April 3
Shmuel Wosner
Shmuel Wosner, Austrian-Israeli rabbi and author (born 1913)
- April 3
Sarah Brady
Sarah Brady, American activist and author (born 1942)
- April 3
Bob Burns (drummer)
Bob Burns, American drummer and songwriter (born 1950)
- April 4
Elmer Lach
Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1918)
- April 4
Jamaluddin Jarjis
Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysian engineer and politician (born 1951)
- April 4
Donald N. Levine
Donald N. Levine, American sociologist and academic (born 1931)
- April 4
Klaus Rifbjerg
Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish author and poet (born 1931)
- April 5
Juan Carlos Cáceres
Juan Carlos Cáceres, Argentinian singer and pianist (born 1936)
- April 5
Fredric Brandt
Fredric Brandt, American dermatologist and author (born 1949)
- April 6
Ray Charles (conductor)
Ray Charles, American singer-songwriter and conductor (born 1918)
- April 6
James Best
James Best, American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1926)
- April 6
Dollard St. Laurent
Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1929)
- April 6
Giovanni Berlinguer
Giovanni Berlinguer, Italian lawyer and politician (born 1924)
- April 7
Richard Henyekane
Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (born 1983)
- April 7
José Capellán
José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (born 1981)
- April 7
Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (born 1926)
- April 7
Tim Babcock
Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (born 1919)
- April 7
Geoffrey Lewis (actor)
Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (born 1935)
- April 8
Jean-Claude Turcotte
Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (born 1936)
- April 8
Jayakanthan
Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (born 1934)
- April 8
Sergei Lashchenko
Sergei Lashchenko, Ukrainian kick-boxer (born 1987)
- April 8
Rayson Huang
Rayson Huang, Hong Kong chemist and academic (born 1920)
- April 8
David Laventhol
David Laventhol, American journalist and publisher (born 1933)
- April 9
Alexander Dalgarno
Alexander Dalgarno, English physicist and academic (born 1928)
- April 9
Paul Almond
Paul Almond, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1931)
- April 9
Margaret Rule
Margaret Rule, British marine archaeologist (born 1928)
- April 9
Nina Companeez
Nina Companeez, French director and screenwriter (born 1937)
- April 9
Ivan Doig
Ivan Doig, American journalist and author (born 1939)
- April 9
Tsien Tsuen-hsuin
Tsien Tsuen-hsuin, Chinese-American academic (born 1909)
- April 10
Richie Benaud
Richie Benaud, Australian cricketer and sportscaster (born 1930)
- April 10
Peter Walsh (Australian politician)
Peter Walsh, Australian farmer and politician, 6th Australian Minister for Finance (born 1935)
- April 10
Rose Francine Rogombé
Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician, President of Gabon (born 1942)
- April 11
Jimmy Gunn
Jimmy Gunn, American football player (born 1948)
- April 11
Hanut Singh (soldier)
Hanut Singh, Indian general (born 1933)
- April 11
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (born 1952)
- April 11
Tekena Tamuno
Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (born 1932)
- April 11
François Maspero
François Maspero, French journalist and author (born 1932)
- April 12
Paulo Brossard
Paulo Brossard, Brazilian jurist and politician (born 1924)
- April 12
List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients (E)
Alfred Eick, German commander (born 1916)
- April 12
Patrice Dominguez
Patrice Dominguez, Algerian-French tennis player and trainer (born 1950)
- April 12
André Mba Obame
André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician (born 1957)
- April 13
Eduardo Galeano
Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (born 1940)
- April 13
Herb Trimpe
Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (born 1939)
- April 13
Günter Grass
Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927)
- April 14
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University announced a five-year suspension of their swimming and diving programs as a result of a hazing scandal.
- April 14
Klaus Bednarz
Klaus Bednarz, German journalist and author (born 1942)
- April 14
Roberto Tucci
Roberto Tucci, Italian cardinal and theologian (born 1921)
- April 14
Mark Reeds
Mark Reeds, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (born 1960)
- April 14
Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge, American singer (born 1940)
- April 15
Jonathan Crombie
Jonathan Crombie, Canadian-American actor and screenwriter (born 1966)
- April 15
Surya Bahadur Thapa
Surya Bahadur Thapa, Nepalese politician, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (born 1928)
- April 16
Stanislav Gross
Stanislav Gross, Czech lawyer and politician, fifth Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (born 1969)
- April 16
Valery Belousov
Valery Belousov, Russian ice hockey player and coach (born 1948)
- April 17
Robert P. Griffin
Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1923)
- April 17
A. Alfred Taubman
A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1924)
- April 17
Scotty Probasco
Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1928)
- April 17
Jeremiah J. Rodell
Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (born 1921)
- April 19
Killing of Freddie Gray
Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American, died of injuries sustained while in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department.
- April 19
Raymond Carr
Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (born 1919)
- April 19
Roy Mason
Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (born 1924)
- April 20
Garowe attack
Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the Somali region of Puntland.
- April 22
Dick Balharry
Dick Balharry, Scottish environmentalist and photographer (born 1937)
- April 23
Francis Tsai
Francis Tsai, American author and illustrator (born 1967)
- April 23
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss, American journalist and critic (born 1944)
- April 23
Pierre Claude Nolin
Pierre Claude Nolin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Speaker of the Canadian Senate (born 1950)
- April 23
Jim Steffen
Jim Steffen, American football player (born 1936)
- April 23
Ray Jackson (Aboriginal activist)
Ray Jackson, Australian activist (born 1941)
- April 24
Władysław Bartoszewski
Władysław Bartoszewski, Polish journalist and politician, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1922)
- April 25
April 2015 Nepal earthquake
Nepal was struck by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake, killing more than 8,000 people.
- April 25
Don Mankiewicz
Don Mankiewicz, American screenwriter and novelist (born 1922)
- April 25
Matthias Kuhle
Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (born 1948)
- April 25
Mike Phillips (basketball, born 1956)
Mike Phillips, American basketball player (born 1956)
- April 25
Jim Fanning
Jim Fanning, American-Canadian baseball player and manager (born 1927)
- April 26
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev is re-elected President of Kazakhstan with 97.7% of the vote, one of the biggest vote shares in Kazakhstan's history.
- April 26
Anti-monuments in Mexico
Peaceful protesters install the first anti-monument in Mexico, Antimonumento +43, as a call for justice and remembrance to commemorate the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping, later inspiring similar memorials elsewhere in the country and Latin America.
- April 26
Marcel Pronovost
Marcel Pronovost, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1930)
- April 26
Jayne Meadows
Jayne Meadows, American actress (born 1919)
- April 27
Gene Fullmer
Gene Fullmer, American boxer (born 1931)
- April 27
Alexander Rich
Alexander Rich, American biologist, biophysicist, and academic (born 1924)
- April 27
Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (born 1926)
- April 28
Marcia Brown
Marcia Brown, American author and illustrator (born 1918)
- April 28
Michael J. Ingelido
Michael J. Ingelido, American general (born 1916)
- April 28
Antônio Abujamra
Antônio Abujamra, Brazilian actor and director (born 1932)
- April 29
Bali Nine
The ringleaders of the Bali Nine were executed in Indonesia for attempting to smuggle 8.3 kg (18 lb) of heroin to Australia in 2005.
- April 29
Baltimore Orioles
A baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox sets the all-time low attendance mark for Major League Baseball. Zero fans were in attendance for the game, as the stadium was officially closed to the public due to the 2015 Baltimore protests.
- April 29
Dan Walker (politician)
Dan Walker, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Illinois (born 1922)
- April 29
François Michelin
François Michelin, French businessman (born 1926)
- April 29
Calvin Peete
Calvin Peete, American golfer (born 1943)
- April 29
Jean Nidetch
Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman, co-founded Weight Watchers (born 1923)
- April 30
Ben E. King
Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1938)
May
- May 1
Geoff Duke
Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (born 1923)
- May 1
Grace Lee Whitney
Grace Lee Whitney, American actress (born 1930)
- May 1
Vafa Guluzade
Vafa Guluzade, Azerbaijani political scientist, academic, and diplomat (born 1940)
- May 1
María Elena Velasco
María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (born 1940)
- May 2
Guy Carawan
Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (born 1927)
- May 2
Ruth Rendell
Ruth Rendell, English author (born 1930)
- May 2
Michael Blake (author)
Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (born 1945)
- May 2
Stuart Archer
Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (born 1915)
- May 2
Maya Plisetskaya
Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (born 1925)
- May 2
Princess Charlotte of Wales (born 2015)
Princess Charlotte of Wales, British royal, and third in line to the British throne
- May 3
2015 Curtis Culwell Center attack
Two gunmen launch an attempted attack on an anti-Islam event in Garland, Texas, which was held in response to the Charlie Hebdo shooting.
- May 3
Danny Jones (rugby league)
Danny Jones, Welsh rugby player (born 1986)
- May 3
Revaz Chkheidze
Revaz Chkheidze, Georgian director and screenwriter (born 1926)
- May 3
Warren Smith (golfer)
Warren Smith, American golfer and coach (born 1915)
- May 4
Parliament of Malta
The Parliament of Malta moved from the Grandmaster's Palace to the purpose-built Parliament House (pictured).
- May 4
Ellen Albertini Dow
Ellen Albertini Dow, American actress (born 1913)
- May 4
William Bast
William Bast, American screenwriter and author (born 1931)
- May 4
Marv Hubbard
Marv Hubbard, American football player (born 1946)
- May 5
Hans Jansen
Hans Jansen, Dutch linguist, academic, and politician (born 1942)
- May 5
Jobst Brandt
Jobst Brandt, American cyclist, engineer, and author (born 1935)
- May 6
Jim Wright
Jim Wright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (born 1922)
- May 6
Novera Ahmed
Novera Ahmed, Bangladeshi sculptor (born 1930)
- May 6
Denise McCluggage
Denise McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist (born 1927)
- May 7
John Dixon (cartoonist)
John Dixon, Australian-American author and illustrator (born 1929)
- May 7
Frank DiPascali
Frank DiPascali, American businessman (born 1956)
- May 8
Juan Schwanner
Juan Schwanner, Hungarian-Chilean footballer and manager (born 1921)
- May 8
Atanas Semerdzhiev
Atanas Semerdzhiev, Bulgarian soldier and politician, 1st Vice President of Bulgaria (born 1924)
- May 8
Mwepu Ilunga
Mwepu Ilunga, Congolese footballer (born 1949)
- May 8
Zeki Alasya
Zeki Alasya, Turkish actor and director (born 1943)
- May 9
Elizabeth Wilson
Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (born 1921)
- May 9
Kenan Evren
Kenan Evren, Turkish general and politician, 7th President of Turkey (born 1917)
- May 9
Edward W. Estlow
Edward W. Estlow, American football player and journalist (born 1920)
Questions about 2015
What happened in 2015?
This site records 400 entries for 2015, including Eurasian Economic Union on January 1. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 2015?
11 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 2015 turns 11 this year.
Which century is 2015 in?
2015 falls in the 21st century, in the 2010s.
Which generation was born in 2015?
Generation Alpha (2013–2024). Born entirely in the 21st century.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.