Today in History: May 15, police kill two students during Jackson State protests

Today is Friday, May 15, the 135th day of 2026. There are 230 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 15, 1970, less than two weeks after the National Guard shooting at Kent State University, two Black students at Jackson State College in Mississippi were killed and 12 were injured when police opened fire during student demonstrations.

Also on this date:

In 1800, President John Adams ordered government offices to relocate from Philadelphia to the newly-constructed city of Washington, in the federal District of Columbia.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act establishing the Department of Agriculture.

In 1928, the Walt Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse appeared for the first time in front of a public audience in a test screening of the short "Plane Crazy." (Mickey made his formal screen debut with the release of "Steamboat Willie" six months later.)

In 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald's fast-food restaurant, in San Bernardino, California.

In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its In re Gault decision, ruled that juveniles accused of crimes were entitled to the same due process afforded adults.

In 1972, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot and left paralyzed while campaigning for president in Laurel, Maryland, by Arthur H. Bremer, who would serve 35 years in prison for the attempted murder.

In 1972, the U.S. returned administrative control to Japan of the island of Okinawa, which had been seized by American forces near the end of World War II in 1945. (The U.S. maintained a significant military presence on Okinawa.)

In 2015, a jury sentenced Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) to death for the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and left more than 260 wounded.

In 2020, President Donald Trump formally unveiled a coronavirus vaccine program called "Operation Warp Speed," to speed development of COVID-19 vaccines and quickly distribute them around the country.

Today's Birthdays: Artist Jasper Johns is 96. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 90. Actor-singer Lainie Kazan is 86. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson is 86. Musician Brian Eno is 78. Actor Chazz Palminteri is 74. Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett is 73. Rapper Melle Mel is 65. Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz is 59. Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith is 57. Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis is 51. Actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler is 45. Tennis player Andy Murray is 39. French soccer player Ousmane Dembele is 29. Pop singer Haerin is 20.