Calendar date · February

What happened on February 15

On February 15, 438: Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus.

Events

52

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Aquarius

Featured moment · 438

Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus.

In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), the Roman Republic (509‍–‍27 BC), and the Roman Empire until the fall of the western empire.

People

Born on February 15

Šimon Nemec 2004– Slovak ice hockey player (born 2004)
Jakub Kiwior 2000– Polish footballer (born 2000)
Zachary Gordon 1998– American actor (born 1998)
George Russell 1998– British racing driver (born 1998)
Derrick Jones Jr. 1997– American basketball player (born 1997)
Justin Reid 1997– American football player (born 1997)
Megan Thee Stallion 1995– American rapper and songwriter (born 1995)
Sodapoppin 1994– American Twitch streamer and YouTuber (born 1994)
Ravi 1993– South Korean musician (born 1993)
Show 9 more — notable births on February 15
Geoffrey Kondogbia 1993– Footballer (born 1993)
Manuel Lanzini 1993– Argentine footballer
Ángel Sepúlveda 1991– Mexican footballer (born 1991)
Rich Swann 1991– American professional wrestler (born 1991)
Callum Turner 1990– British actor (born 1990)
Mark Canha 1989– American baseball player (born 1989)
Papu Gómez 1988– Argentine footballer (born 1988)
Rui Patrício 1988– Portuguese footballer (born 1988)
Valeri Bojinov 1986– Bulgarian footballer (born 1986)

People

Died on February 15

Robert Duvall American actor and filmmaker (1931–2026)
George Armitage American film director (1942–2025)
Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa Portuguese sports executive (1937–2025)
Muhsin Hendricks South African gay imam (1967–2025)
Raquel Welch American actress and model (1940–2023)
Bappi Lahiri Indian singer and composer (1952–2022)
P.J. O'Rourke American political satirist and journalist (1947–2022)
Caroline Flack English radio and television presenter (1979–2020)
Lee Radziwill American socialite (1933–2019)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on February 15
Stuart McLean Canadian broadcaster and storyteller
George Gaynes American actor (1917–2016)
Vanity Canadian singer-songwriter and actress (1959–2016)
Haron Amin Afghan ambassador (1969–2015)
Arnaud de Borchgrave American journalist
Steve Montador Canadian ice hockey player (1979–2015)
Thelma Estrin American computer scientist and engineer (1924–2014)
Christopher Malcolm Canadian actor and producer (1946–2014)
Sanan Kachornprasart Thai politician and military officer

Timeline

Every February 15 on record

  1. 438 Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus.

    Roman civilisation from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD

    In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC), the Roman Republic (509‍–‍27 BC), and the Roman Empire until the fall of the western empire.

  2. 590 Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.

    Emperor of the Sasanian Empire from 590 to 628

    Khosrow II, commonly known as Khosrow Parviz, is considered to be the last great monarch of pre-Islamic Iran, ruling the Sasanian Empire from 590 to 628, including an interruption of one year.

  3. 706 Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.

    Continuation of the Roman Empire (330–1453)

    The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'.

  4. 1002 At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.

    Comune in Lombardy, Italy

    Pavia is a town and comune in south-western Lombardy, Northern Italy, 35 kilometres south of Milan on the lower Ticino near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of about 73,086.

  5. 1113 Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.

    Head of the Catholic Church from 1099 to 1118

    Pope Paschal II, born Raniero Raineri di Bleda, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was created the cardinal-priest of San Clemente by Pope Gregory VII (1073–85) in 1073. He was consecrated as pope in succession to Pope Urban II (1088–99) on 19 August 1099.

  6. 1214 During the Anglo-French War (1213–1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.
  7. 1493 While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
  8. 1637 Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
  9. 1690 Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
  10. 1764 The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
  11. 1798 The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
  12. 1835 Serbia's Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.
  13. 1852 The Helsinki Cathedral (known as St. Nicholas' Church at time) is officially inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.
  14. 1862 American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces besieging Fort Donelson in Tennessee. Unable to break the fort's encirclement, the Confederates surrender the following day.
  15. 1870 Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, US, and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering.
Show 15 earlier entries from February 15
  1. 1872 First issue of the Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne, the first or one of the first anarchist newspapers.
  2. 1879 Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
  3. 1898 The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing about 274 of the ship's roughly 354 crew. The disaster pushes the United States to declare war on Spain.
  4. 1899 Tsar Nicholas II of Russia issues a declaration known as the February Manifesto, which reduces the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland, thus beginning the first period of oppression.
  5. 1909 The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico, kills 250.
  6. 1923 Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
  7. 1925 The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
  8. 1933 In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6.
  9. 1940 Paul Creston's Saxophone Sonata is officially premiered at the Carnegie Chamber Hall by saxophonist Cecil Leeson, who had commissioned it, and the composer.
  10. 1942 World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
  11. 1944 World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, begins.
  12. 1944 World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
  13. 1945 World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.
  14. 1946 ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
  15. 1949 Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.

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