Kidnapping of Jayme Closs
Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs was kidnapped from her home in Barron, Wisconsin, and held captive for 88 days.
What happened on October 15
34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1529 to 2025.
Standout on October 15
2018
Kidnapping of Jayme Closs
Thirteen-year-old Jayme Closs was kidnapped from her home in Barron, Wisconsin, and held captive for 88 days.
About October 15
October 15 is the 288th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 288 of 365 (289 in leap years)77 days left in the year (77 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Thursday in 2026, Friday in 2027, Sunday in 2028, Monday in 2029, Tuesday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 42 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♎ Libra (September 23 – October 22)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- October birthstone
- Opal / Tourmalinehope, creativity and confidence
- October birth flower
- Marigold / Cosmoswarmth, creativity and harmony
- Next occurrence
- In 353 days
- Roman numerals
- XV.Xday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 60thBlack Panther Party1966
- 30thCharly Musonda (footballer, born 1996)1996
- 30thCriminal Assets Bureau1996
- 30thGrace Van Dien1996
- 30thZelo1996
- 25thGalileo (spacecraft)2001
- 20th2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake2006
- 20thSeismic magnitude scales2006
October 15 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Montreal Protocol
- 25 years ago2001
- Galileo (spacecraft)
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on October 15 — ages this year
- 2005Christian, Crown Prince of Denmarkturns 21
- 2000Melki Sedek Huangturns 26
- 1999Ben Woodburnturns 27
- 1999Bailee Madisonturns 27
- 19982023 Banda Aceh anti-Rohingya protestturns 28
- 1996Grace Van Dienturns 30
Historical events 34
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Montreal Protocol
One hundred and ninety-seven nations amend the Montreal Protocol to include a phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons.
Seismic magnitude scales
The 7.2 Mw Bohol earthquake strikes the Philippines. At least 215 were killed.
2013 Bohol earthquake
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Bohol in the Philippines, resulting in 222 deaths.
15 October 2011 global protests
Global demonstrations against economic inequality, corporate influence on government, and other issues, were held in more than 950 cities in 82 countries.
Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes down 733.08 points, or 7.87%, the second worst percentage drop in the Dow's history.
2007 New Zealand police raids
Seventeen activists in New Zealand are arrested in the country's first post-9/11 anti-terrorism raids.
New Zealand Police
New Zealand Police conducted several anti-terrorism raids in relation to the discovery of an alleged paramilitary training camp in the Urewera mountain ranges, arresting 17 people and seizing four guns and 230 rounds of ammunition.
2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake
An earthquake registering 6.7 Mw occurred off the northwestern coast of the island of Hawaii.
Seismic magnitude scales
The 6.7 Mw Kiholo Bay earthquake rocks Hawaii, causing property damage, injuries, landslides, power outages, and the closure of Honolulu International Airport.
Shenzhou 5
China launches Shenzhou 5, its first crewed space mission.
Galileo (spacecraft)
NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles (180 km) of Jupiter's moon Io.
Cassini–Huygens
The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.
Criminal Assets Bureau
The Irish Criminal Assets Bureau was established following the gangland murders of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe and investigative journalist Veronica Guerin.
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States, under the Clinton administration, returns Haiti's first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to the island.
Baltic states
The leaders of the Baltic States, Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, Anatolijs Gorbunovs of Latvia and Vytautas Landsbergis of Lithuania, signed the OSCE Final Act in Helsinki, Finland.
Oh-My-God particle
The "Oh-My-God particle", an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray measured at 40,000,000 times that of the highest energy protons produced in a particle accelerator, is observed at the University of Utah HiRes observatory in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to lessen Cold War tensions and open up his nation.
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL.
Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460
Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 460 crashes near Conca di Crezzo, Italy, killing all 37 people on board.
1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état
A coup d'état in Burkina Faso overthrows and kills then President Thomas Sankara.
1979 Salvadoran coup d'état
A coup d'état in El Salvador overthrows President Carlos Humberto Romero and begins the 12 year-long Salvadoran Civil War.
Black Monday (Malta)
Supporters of the Malta Labour Party ransack and destroy the Times of Malta building and other locations associated with the Nationalist Party.
Carlos Humberto Romero
President Carlos Humberto Romero of El Salvador was overthrown and exiled in a military coup d'état.
West Gate Bridge
During the construction of Australia's West Gate Bridge, a span of the bridge falls and kills 35 workers. The incident is the country's worst industrial accident to this day.
The Motherland Calls
The Motherland Calls (depicted in coat of arms), a colossal statue in Volgograd, Russia, which commemorates the casualties of the Battle of Stalingrad, was dedicated, becoming the then-tallest statue in the world.
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale.
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War protests: At an anti-war rally in New York City, David J. Miller burned his draft card (example pictured), the first such act to result in arrest under a new amendment to the Selective Service Act.
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel made landfall in the Carolinas in the United States before moving north to Toronto in Canada later the same day, killing 176 people in the two countries.
Air India
Air India (modern aircraft pictured), the flag carrier airline of India, began operations under the name Tata Airlines.
From Hell letter
The "From Hell" letter, allegedly from Jack the Ripper, was sent to George Lusk, the chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee in London.
American Civil War
American Civil War: Confederate forces captured Glasgow, Missouri, although it had little long-term benefit as Price's Missouri Expedition was defeated a week later.
Napoleon
Napoleon began his exile on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, which would encompass his final six years.
Ottoman–Habsburg wars
Ottoman–Habsburg wars: The siege of Vienna ended with Austrian forces repelling the invading Turks, turning the tide against almost a century of conquest in Europe by the Ottoman Empire.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
2023 Banda Aceh anti-Rohingya protest
Teuku Wariza Aris Munandar, Indonesian activist and politician
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Jim Bolger
Jim Bolger, New Zealand businessman and politician, 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand (born 1935)
David Amess
David Amess, British politician, member of Parliament for Southend West (born 1952)
Paul Allen
Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, philanthropist, owner of the Seattle Seahawks (born 1953)
Chinggoy Alonzo
Chinggoy Alonzo, Filipino theater, movie & television actor (born 1950)
Deng Ken
Deng Ken, Chinese politician, younger brother of former Paramount leader of China Deng Xiaoping (born 1911)
Claude Cheysson
Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1920)
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Cambodia (born 1922)
Mildred Fay Jefferson
Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and activist (born 1926)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Europa Donna
Breast Health Day (Europe)
Cúan
Christian feast day: Cúan of Ahascragh
Thecla of Kitzingen
Christian feast day: Thecla of Kitzingen
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (United States)
Shwmae Sumae Day
Shwmae Su'mae Day (Wales)
Teresa of Ávila
Christian feast day: Teresa of Ávila
October 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian feast day: October 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Bruno of Querfurt
Christian feast day: Bruno of Querfurt
Spread across the centuries
- 16th century1
- 19th century3
- 20th century37
- 21st century33
Earliest: Ottoman–Habsburg wars (1529). Most recent: Jim Bolger (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about October 15
What day of the year is October 15?
October 15 is the 288th day of the year, with 77 days left after it.
What star sign is October 15?
October 15 falls under Libra (September 23 – October 22), a air sign ruled by Venus. The birthstone for the month is Opal or Tourmaline.
How many things happened on October 15?
We record 82 entries for October 15: 34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1529 to 2025.
Who was born on October 15?
Christian, Crown Prince of Denmark (2005) is among the notable births on October 15. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the October 15 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like October 15
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
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.