21 historically significant individuals born on May 15. May 15 is the birth date of several notable individuals in different areas of achievement. Prominent figures born on this date include physicist Pierre Curie (1859), known for his research in radioactivity, and Malaysian politician Jusuf Kalla (1942), who was Vice President of Indonesia. Other personalities born on this day are Soviet aviator Khiuaz Dospanova (1922), Ethiopian long-distance runner Miruts Yifter (1944), and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (1947).
Total Born
21
Countries
17
Top Century
20th· 16
Top Field
scientist
3 individuals
Headline Figures
Birth Distribution by Century
20th (16)
18th C.20th C.
20th Century
16Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Paul A. Samuelson
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (1970)
Frank Wilczek
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physics (2004)
Layal Abboud
actorbusinessperson
Lebanese pop singer, model, and businesswoman known for her contemporary Arabic music and diverse entertainment career.
Jolene Marie Rotinsulu
activistactor
Indonesian beauty queen who won Miss International 2019, becoming the first Indonesian to claim this international pageant title.
Madhuri Dixit
actordancer
Indian actress and classical dancer who became one of Bollywood's leading stars in the 1980s and 1990s, known for her performances in films like Tezaab and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
juristpolitician
Danish politician who served two terms as Prime Minister of Denmark (2009-2011 and 2015-2019) and later became NATO Deputy Secretary General in 2023. He is a member of the liberal Venstre party and previously served as Minister of the Interior and Health.
Patrice Evra
association football player
French left-back who captained Manchester United and won five Premier League titles with the club. He earned 81 caps for the French national team and served as captain from 2010 to 2016.
Muhyiddin Yassin
politician
Malaysia's 8th Prime Minister (March 2020-August 2021) who came to power during political turmoil and led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jusuf Kalla
entrepreneurpolitician
Indonesian businessman and politician who served two non-consecutive terms as Vice President under both Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo.
Mirek Topolánek
pedagogue
Czech politician who served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009 as leader of the Civic Democratic Party, known for his center-right economic policies.
Veronica Campbell-Brown
sprinter
Jamaican sprinter who won Olympic gold in the 200m at the 2004 Athens Games and bronze in 2008. She specialized in the 100m and 200m events throughout her career.
Ksenia Sitnik
journalistsinger
Belarusian singer who won Junior Eurovision in 2005 at age 10 and later became a television presenter.
Segundo Castillo De Barberan
association football coachassociation football player
Ecuadorian striker who played for clubs including Barcelona SC and LDU Quito, later becoming a football coach after retiring from professional play.
Khiuaz Dospanova
aircraft pilotmilitary personnel
World War II military pilot who served as a navigator on Po-2 aircraft during the war and became a Hero of Kazakhstan.
Frank de Boer
association football coachassociation football player
Dutch defender who won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and later managed Ajax, Inter Milan, and the Netherlands national team.
Miruts Yifter
long-distance runner
Ethiopian long-distance runner known as 'Yifter the Shifter' who won gold medals in both the 5000m and 10000m at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
19th Century
3Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Ilya Mechnikov
scientist
Nobel laureate: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1908)
Pierre Curie
chemistnuclear physicist
French physicist who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife Marie Curie for their groundbreaking research on radioactivity.
Isidore Jacques Eggermont
diplomatjapanologist
Belgian diplomat and photographer
18th Century
2Figure
Lifespan
Notes
Origin
Maximilian Hell
astronomermathematician
Slovak-Hungarian Jesuit, astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (1720–1792)
Gregers Lundh
historianprofessor
Norwegian military officer and academic (1786-1836)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the most famous person born on May 15?
Pierre Curie, born on May 15, 1859, was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist known for his work on radioactivity with his wife Marie Curie. His scientific contributions changed the fields of physics and chemistry.
Are there any world leaders born on May 15?
Yes, Jusuf Kalla, former Vice President of Indonesia, and Muhyiddin Yassin, who served as Prime Minister of Malaysia, were both born on May 15. They have influenced politics in Southeast Asia.
What Olympic athletes were born on May 15?
Miruts Yifter, an Ethiopian long-distance runner nicknamed 'Yifter the Shifter,' was born on May 15, 1944. He won two gold medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics in the 5,000m and 10,000m events.