May 15, 1981 (Friday)
- Dying of leukemia, Soong Ching-ling, 90, was named as the ceremonial head of state of the People's Republic of China. The widow of Sun Yat-sen, she was the first person to hold the office since Liu Shaoqi (Liu Shao-chi) was deposed as President in 1967. She died two weeks later.
- Len Barker pitched the first perfect game in Major League Baseball since 1968, in the Cleveland Indians' 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. A crowd of only 7,290 saw the game in Cleveland. Barker's catcher, Ron Hassey, also caught the perfect game pitched on July 28, 1991, by Dennis Martinez in the Expos' 2-0 win over the Dodgers.
- Born: Patrice Evra, Senegalese-born French footballer, in Dakar; Justin Morneau, Canadian-born MLB baseball player, in New Westminster, BC; and Zara Phillips, British princess and equestrian sports champion, in London
- Died: Odd Hassel, 83, Norwegian chemist and 1969 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate
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