15 March

Across recorded history, 1,715 notable lives are recorded as having ended on 15 March. Below are the 24 most widely documented — ranked by how many language editions of Wikipedia carry an article about them.

← March 14 March 16 →

H. P. Lovecraft

1890–1937

American writer and editor

H. P. Lovecraft was an American writer known for his contributions to the horror and science fiction genres.

Arthur Holly Compton

1892–1962

American physicist

Arthur Holly Compton was a physicist who discovered the scattering of X-rays by electrons, a phenomenon now known as the Compton effect.

Aristotle Onassis

1906–1975

Greek shipping magnate

Aristotle Onassis was a Greek shipping magnate who built a global business empire.

Nikolai Bukharin

1888–1938

Russian revolutionary and politician

Nikolai Bukharin was a Russian politician and revolutionary who served as a prominent member of the Soviet leadership.

Victor Vasarely

1906–1997

French-Hungarian painter and printmaker

Victor Vasarely was a French-Hungarian painter recognized as a leading figure in the development of the Op art movement.

John Pople

1925–2004

Nobel prize winning British chemist

Chemist John Pople was a Nobel Prize winner who developed computational methods for studying molecular structures.

Rebecca West

1892–1983

British writer, journalist, literary critic, and feminist

Rebecca West was a British writer and journalist known for her contributions to literary criticism and feminist discourse.

Alexei Rykov

1881–1938

Premier of Russia and the Soviet Union

Alexei Rykov was a politician who served as the Premier of Russia and the Soviet Union.

Benjamin Spock

1903–1998

American pediatrician and author of Baby and Child Care

Pediatrician Benjamin Spock authored the influential parenting guide Baby and Child Care.

René Clair

1898–1981

French filmmaker and writer

René Clair was a French filmmaker and writer known for his contributions to cinema.

James Joseph Sylvester

1814–1897

English mathematician

James Joseph Sylvester was a mathematician who contributed significantly to matrix theory and the theory of invariants.

Genrikh Yagoda

1891–1938

Soviet secret police official

Genrikh Yagoda was a Soviet secret police official who served as the head of the NKVD.

Yaphet Kotto

1937–2021

American actor

Yaphet Kotto was an American actor known for his performances in film and television.

Arthur Adamov

1908–1970

playwright

Arthur Adamov was a playwright known for his contributions to the Theatre of the Absurd.

Alexej von Jawlensky

1864–1941

Russian painter

Alexej von Jawlensky was a Russian painter known for his contributions to the expressionist movement.

Henry Bessemer

1813–1898

British engineer

Henry Bessemer was an engineer who developed a process for the mass production of steel.

Lili Boulanger

1893–1918

French composer

Lili Boulanger was a French composer who achieved recognition for her musical compositions.

Akiba Rubinstein

1880–1961

Russian-Polish chess player

Akiba Rubinstein was a chess player who competed internationally.

Lester Young

1909–1959

American jazz saxophonist

Lester Young was an American jazz saxophonist known for his influential contributions to the development of the genre.

Nate Dogg

1969–2011

American singer and rapper

Nate Dogg was an American singer and rapper known for his contributions to the development of West Coast hip hop.

Len Deighton

1929–2026

English writer

Len Deighton is an English writer known for his work as a novelist.

Alexander von Zemlinsky

1871–1942

Austrian Jewish composer, conductor, and teacher

Alexander von Zemlinsky was an Austrian composer who worked as a conductor and teacher.

Tarjei Vesaas

1897–1970

Norwegian author

Tarjei Vesaas was a Norwegian writer known for his novels, short stories, and poetry.

Elwin Bruno Christoffel

1829–1900

German mathematician

Elwin Bruno Christoffel was a mathematician who contributed to the development of tensor analysis and differential geometry.

Source: Wikidata, released into the public domain under CC0. Snapshot: 2026-07. Names, dates and roles come from Wikidata; summaries are condensed from it. Nothing here is generated to fill a gap.