Today History: China launches its first crewed space mission in 2003

Below are some of the major global events that took place on October 15 in history:

1. 1529 – Siege of Vienna ends

On 15 October 1529, the first Ottoman siege of Vienna ended in defeat for Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s forces. Vastly outnumbered, the Austrian defenders repelled the invaders and forced them to withdraw. The failed siege halted Ottoman expansion into Central Europe and ensured Habsburg dominance in the region for centuries.

2. 1582 – Adoption of the Gregorian calendar

Following the decree of Pope Gregory XIII, the day after Thursday 4 October 1582 became Friday 15 October 1582. The reform corrected the drift of the Julian calendar by removing ten days, establishing the Gregorian system that is still used across most of the world today. This adjustment standardised timekeeping across Catholic Europe and laid the foundations for modern chronology.

3. 1783 – First human balloon ascent

In Paris, on 15 October 1783, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier launched a tethered hot-air balloon carrying teacher Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier. The ascent lasted around four minutes — the first time a human had ever risen into the air. The demonstration proved that manned flight was possible and paved the way for the future of aviation.

4. 1815 – Napoleon arrives in exile on Saint Helena

After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at the remote British island of Saint Helena on 15 October 1815 aboard HMS Northumberland. His confinement there marked the beginning of his second and final exile, lasting until his death in 1821. The event effectively ended the Napoleonic Wars and ushered in the balance of power that defined 19th-century Europe.

5. 1917 – Execution of Mata Hari

On 15 October 1917, Dutch dancer and courtesan Margaretha Zelle, known as Mata Hari, was executed by firing squad near Paris. Convicted of spying for Germany during the First World War, she became one of history’s most famous alleged spies. Her death epitomised the climate of secrecy, suspicion and intrigue that surrounded wartime Europe.

6. 1923 – Germany introduces the Rentenmark

In an effort to curb hyperinflation, the Weimar government introduced a new currency, the Rentenmark, on 15 October 1923. Backed by mortgages on industrial and agricultural land, the Rentenmark restored stability to the German economy and ended the devastating collapse of the old mark. The move is still regarded as one of the most successful currency reforms in history.

7. 1956 – IBM releases the first FORTRAN manual

IBM published the first reference manual for the FORTRAN Automatic Coding System on 15 October 1956. FORTRAN — short for Formula Translator — was the world’s first high-level programming language. Its release revolutionised computing by allowing scientists and engineers to write complex programs without using machine code, paving the way for modern software development.

8. 1966 – Founding of the Black Panther Party

Activists Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton founded the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California, on 15 October 1966. Created initially to monitor police conduct in African-American communities, the movement grew into a national organisation advocating for racial justice, self-defence and social reform. Its formation marked a turning point in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.

9. 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

On 15 October 1990, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The recognition honoured his role in ending the Cold War through policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). The award underscored his influence on global peace and the transformation of Eastern Europe.

10. 2003 – China launches its first crewed space mission

China entered the era of human spaceflight on 15 October 2003 with the launch of the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Astronaut Yang Liwei orbited Earth 14 times over 21 hours, becoming the first Chinese national in space. The mission made China the third country to independently send humans into orbit and marked the beginning of its ambitious space programme.