Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on February 15th?

Death of Tiberius Gracchus, Roman politician and reformer.

Lupercalia festival during which Julius Caesar was assassinated in Rome.

Benedict V becomes Pope.

The Great Schism: Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople is excommunicated by Pope Leo IX, leading to the East-West Schism.

Queen Elizabeth I of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey.

Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, mathematician, and physicist, is born in Pisa, Italy.

All-time high temperatures are recorded in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

The Western Australian gold rush begins, leading to significant gold discoveries in Kalgoorlie.

The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor, leading to the start of the Spanish-American War. More

The first "Teddy bear" goes on sale. Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the stuffed bear was designed by Rose Michtom, wife of Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who owned a candy shop where the first Teddy bear went on sale. More

President-Elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt narrowly escapes an assassination attempt shortly after giving a speech at Bayfront Park in Miami. The would-be assassin, Guiseppe Zangara, an unemployed bricklayer, fired 5 shots towards Roosevelt who was standing on stage, fatally wounding the Mayor of Chicago Anton Cermak and injuring four others. Zangara, was arrested, found guilty of murder , received the death penalty and was electrocuted on March 20, 1933. More

Canada adopts a new National flag. The new maple leaf flag originally proposed by George Stanley was made official was inaugurated in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill. More

Millions protest the impending invasion of Iraq. A coordinated day of protests was held across the world in which people in more than 600 cities expressed opposition to the imminent Iraq War. The demonstrations were believed to be the largest single day of anti-war protest in history. It was part of a series of protests and political events that had begun in 2002 and continued as the invasion, war, and occupation took place. More

A meteor explodes over Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring over 1,000 people from its shockwave.