On This Day: May 15

Updated May 14, 2012, 2:28 pm

On May 15, 1911, the Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Company, ruling it was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
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On May 15, 1902, Richard Daley, the powerful mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976 was born. Following his death on Dec. 20, 1976, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1886 Poet Emily Dickinson died at age 55.

1930 Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo.

1948 Hours after declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

1969 Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over his past legal fees.

1970 Two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi were killed when police opened fire during student protests.

1972 Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Laurel, Md., and left permanently paralyzed below the waist.

1988 The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.

2001 A runaway freight train rolled about 70 miles through Ohio with no one aboard before a railroad employee jumped onto the locomotive and brought it to a stop.

2003 Texas Democrats returned home after a self-imposed four-day exile in Oklahoma in a dispute over a redistricting plan.

2006 A defiant Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea at his trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity, insisting he was still the country’s president.

2006 The United States removed Libya from its list of terrorist states.

2007 The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who helped build the Christian right into a political force, died at age 73.

2007 Yolanda King, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died at age 51.

2008 California’s Supreme Court declared gay couples in the state could marry – a victory for the gay rights movement that was overturned by the passage of Proposition 8 the following November.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright turns 75 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau turns 31 years old today.

AP Photo/David Goldman

1926 Peter Shaffer, Playwright, turns 86

1936 Anna Maria Alberghetti, Actress, turns 76

1936 Wavy Gravy, Counterculture icon, turns 76

1937 Trini Lopez, Singer, turns 75

1940 Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of Fox News, turns 72

1942 K.T. Oslin, Country singer, turns 70

1948 Brian Eno, Music producer, songwriter, turns 64

1948 Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of health and human services, turns 64

1952 Chazz Palminteri, Actor, turns 60

1953 George Brett, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 59

1953 Michael Oldfield, Composer (“Tubular Bells”), turns 59

1967 John Smoltz, Baseball player, turns 45

1969 Emmitt Smith, Football Hall of Famer, turns 43

1975 Ray Lewis, Football player, turns 37

1978 David Krumholtz, Actor (“Numb3rs”), turns 34

1980 Josh Beckett, Baseball player, turns 32

1981 Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Actress (“The Sopranos”), turns 31

Historic Birthdays

Richard Daley 5/15/1902 – 12/20/1976 American politician; powerful mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976.Go to obituary »

86 Klemens Metternich 5/15/1773 – 6/11/1859
Austrian statesman; minister of foreign affairs (1809-48)

62 Michael Balfe 5/15/1808 – 10/20/1870
Irish singer and composer; wrote “The Bohemian Girl”

87 Debendranath Tagore 5/15/1817 – 1/19/1905
Indian Hindu philosopher and religious reformer

71 Elie Metchnikoff 5/15/1845 – 7/16/1916
Russian zoologist and microbiologist; won Nobel Prize in 1908

62 Frank L. Baum 5/15/1856 – 5/6/1919
American writer; wrote ” Wonderful Wizard of Oz” series

46 Pierre Curie 5/15/1859 – 4/19/1906
French chemist; won Nobel Prize for physics in 1903

69 Arthur Schnitzler 5/15/1862 – 10/21/1931
Austrian playwright and novelist

71 Edwin Muir 5/15/1887 – 1/3/1959
Scottish poet, literary critic and translator

69 William Hume-Rothery 5/15/1899 – 9/27/1968
English founder of scientific metallurgy

95 Clifton Fadiman 5/15/1904 – 6/20/1999
American editor, anthologist and writer

75 James Mason 5/15/1909 – 7/27/1984
English stage and screen actor

71 Tenzing Norgay 5/15/1914 – 5/9/1986
Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer; ascended Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953

80 Catherine East 5/15/1916 – 8/17/1996
American feminist

1886	Poet Emily Dickinson died at age 55.
1930	Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo.
1948	Hours after declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
1969	Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over his past legal fees.
1970	Two black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi were killed when police opened fire during student protests.
1972	Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Laurel, Md., and left permanently paralyzed below the waist.
1988	The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.
2001	A runaway freight train rolled about 70 miles through Ohio with no one aboard before a railroad employee jumped onto the locomotive and brought it to a stop.
2003	Texas Democrats returned home after a self-imposed four-day exile in Oklahoma in a dispute over a redistricting plan.
2006	A defiant Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea at his trial in Iraq for crimes against humanity, insisting he was still the country’s president.
2006	The United States removed Libya from its list of terrorist states.
2007	The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who helped build the Christian right into a political force, died at age 73.
2007	Yolanda King, the daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died at age 51.
2008	California’s Supreme Court declared gay couples in the state could marry – a victory for the gay rights movement that was overturned by the passage of Proposition 8 the following November.

1926	Peter Shaffer, Playwright, turns 86
1936	Anna Maria Alberghetti, Actress, turns 76
1936	Wavy Gravy, Counterculture icon, turns 76
1937	Trini Lopez, Singer, turns 75
1940	Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO of Fox News, turns 72
1942	K.T. Oslin, Country singer, turns 70
1948	Brian Eno, Music producer, songwriter, turns 64
1948	Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of health and human services, turns 64
1952	Chazz Palminteri, Actor, turns 60
1953	George Brett, Baseball Hall of Famer, turns 59
1953	Michael Oldfield, Composer (“Tubular Bells”), turns 59
1967	John Smoltz, Baseball player, turns 45
1969	Emmitt Smith, Football Hall of Famer, turns 43
1975	Ray Lewis, Football player, turns 37
1978	David Krumholtz, Actor (“Numb3rs”), turns 34
1980	Josh Beckett, Baseball player, turns 32
1981	Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Actress (“The Sopranos”), turns 31

86	Klemens Metternich 5/15/1773 – 6/11/1859 Austrian statesman; minister of foreign affairs (1809-48)
62	Michael Balfe 5/15/1808 – 10/20/1870 Irish singer and composer; wrote “The Bohemian Girl”
87	Debendranath Tagore 5/15/1817 – 1/19/1905 Indian Hindu philosopher and religious reformer
71	Elie Metchnikoff 5/15/1845 – 7/16/1916 Russian zoologist and microbiologist; won Nobel Prize in 1908
62	Frank L. Baum 5/15/1856 – 5/6/1919 American writer; wrote ” Wonderful Wizard of Oz” series
46	Pierre Curie 5/15/1859 – 4/19/1906 French chemist; won Nobel Prize for physics in 1903
69	Arthur Schnitzler 5/15/1862 – 10/21/1931 Austrian playwright and novelist
71	Edwin Muir 5/15/1887 – 1/3/1959 Scottish poet, literary critic and translator
69	William Hume-Rothery 5/15/1899 – 9/27/1968 English founder of scientific metallurgy
95	Clifton Fadiman 5/15/1904 – 6/20/1999 American editor, anthologist and writer
75	James Mason 5/15/1909 – 7/27/1984 English stage and screen actor
71	Tenzing Norgay 5/15/1914 – 5/9/1986 Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer; ascended Mt. Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953
80	Catherine East 5/15/1916 – 8/17/1996 American feminist