Vintage News · Odd history for April 15

What Happened On April 15

Q: What happened on April 15?

1755: A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson was first published, becoming one of the most influential dictionaries in the history of English. 1632: Thirty Years' War: A Swedish–German army defeated the forces of the Catholic League at the Battle of Rain, mortally wounding their commander Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly. 1071: Byzantine–Norman wars: After a siege of almost three years, Italo-Norman forces conquered the city of Bari, the capital of the Catepanate of Italy, ending more than five centuries of Byzantine presence in the region. 1817: Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc found the American School for the Deaf (then called the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons), the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, Connecticut. 1071: Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to the Norman Robert Guiscard. 2019: A fire severely damaged Notre-Dame de Paris, destroying the cathedral's timber spire and much of the roof. 1958: On Walter O'Malley's initiative, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants played the first Major League Baseball game on the U.S. West Coast. 1957: The Indiaman departed Victoria Coach Station, London, as part of the first UK–India bus service. 1952: The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered, strategic bomber operated by the U.S. Air Force for most of the aircraft's history, made its first flight. 1947: Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break the baseball color line, played his first game in Major League Baseball.

44 events and 258 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 15 April →

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10 odd things that happened on April 15

1755 First ever
A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson was first published, becoming one of the most influential dictionaries in the history of English.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1632 Oddly true
Thirty Years' War: A Swedish–German army defeated the forces of the Catholic League at the Battle of Rain, mortally wounding their commander Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1071 Oddly true
Byzantine–Norman wars: After a siege of almost three years, Italo-Norman forces conquered the city of Bari, the capital of the Catepanate of Italy, ending more than five centuries of Byzantine presence in the region.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1817 First ever
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc found the American School for the Deaf (then called the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons), the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, Connecticut.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1071 Oddly true
Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to the Norman Robert Guiscard.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2019 Oddly true
A fire severely damaged Notre-Dame de Paris, destroying the cathedral's timber spire and much of the roof.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1958 First ever
On Walter O'Malley's initiative, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants played the first Major League Baseball game on the U.S. West Coast.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1957 First ever
The Indiaman departed Victoria Coach Station, London, as part of the first UK–India bus service.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1952 First ever
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered, strategic bomber operated by the U.S. Air Force for most of the aircraft's history, made its first flight.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1947 First ever
Jackie Robinson, the first African American to break the baseball color line, played his first game in Major League Baseball.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026Twelve people and the perpetrator are killed and twelve others injured in a mass shooting at a school in Onikişubat, Turkey. Wikipedia →
2021A mass shooting occurs at a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, killing nine and injuring seven. Wikipedia →
2019The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France is seriously damaged by a large fire. Wikipedia →
2014In the worst massacre of the South Sudanese Civil War, more than 400 civilians are gunned down after seeking refuge in houses of worship as well as hospitals. Wikipedia →
2013Two bombs explode near the finish line at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing three people and injuring over 500 others. Wikipedia →
2013A wave of bombings across Iraq kills at least 75 people. Wikipedia →
2002Air China Flight 129 crashes on approach to Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, killing 129 people. Wikipedia →
1994Marrakesh Agreement relating to foundation of World Trade Organization is adopted. Wikipedia →
1989Hillsborough disaster: A human crush occurs at Hillsborough Stadium, home of Sheffield Wednesday, in the FA Cup Semi-final, resulting in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans. Wikipedia →
1989Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in China. Wikipedia →
1986The United States launches Operation El Dorado Canyon, its bombing raids against Libyan targets in response to a discotheque bombing in West Germany that killed two U.S. servicemen. Wikipedia →
1970During the Cambodian Civil War, massacre of the Vietnamese minority results in 800 bodies flowing down the Mekong river into South Vietnam. Wikipedia →
1969The EC-121 shootdown incident: North Korea shoots down a United States Navy aircraft over the Sea of Japan, killing all 31 on board. Wikipedia →
1960At Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Ella Baker leads a conference that results in the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the principal organizations of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Wikipedia →
1955McDonald's restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois. Wikipedia →
1952First flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Wikipedia →
1947Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball's color line. Wikipedia →
1945Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated. Wikipedia →
1942World War II: The George Cross is awarded "to the island fortress of Malta" by King George VI. Wikipedia →
1941World War II: In the Belfast Blitz, 200 bombers of the German Luftwaffe attack Belfast, killing some 1,000 people. Wikipedia →
1936First day of the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine. Wikipedia →
1923Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes. Wikipedia →
1923Racially motivated Nihon Shōgakkō fire lit by a serial arsonist kills 10 children in Sacramento, California. Wikipedia →
1922U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick of Wyoming introduces a resolution calling for an investigation of a secret land deal, which leads to the discovery of the Teapot Dome scandal. Wikipedia →
1920Two security guards are murdered during a robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti would be convicted of and executed for the crime, amid much controversy. Wikipedia →
1912The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic at 2:20 a.m., two hours and forty minutes after hitting an iceberg. Only 712 of 2,207 passengers and crew on board survive. Wikipedia →
1900Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas launch a surprise attack on U.S. infantry and begin a four-day siege of Catubig, Philippines. Wikipedia →
1896Closing ceremony of the Games of the I Olympiad in Athens, Greece. Wikipedia →
1892The General Electric Company is formed. Wikipedia →
1865President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by actor John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes president. Wikipedia →
1861President Abraham Lincoln calls for 75,000 militiamen to quell the insurrection that soon became the American Civil War. Wikipedia →
1817Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc found the American School for the Deaf (then called the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons), the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, Connecticut. Wikipedia →
1755Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London. Wikipedia →
1738Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel, receives its premiere performance in London, England. Wikipedia →
1736Foundation of the short-lived Kingdom of Corsica. Wikipedia →
1715The Pocotaligo Massacre triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina. Wikipedia →
1642Irish Confederate Wars: A Confederate Irish militia is routed in the Battle of Kilrush when it attempts to halt the progress of a Royalist Army. Wikipedia →
1632Battle of Rain: Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. Wikipedia →
1450Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English forces, ending English domination in Northern France. Wikipedia →
1277The Mamluk Sultanate defeats the Mongols in the battle of Elbistan. Wikipedia →
1191Henry VI, King of Germany, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by pope Celestine III. Wikipedia →
1071Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to the Norman Robert Guiscard. Wikipedia →
1071The sharif of Mecca changes the khutbah from the Shiite Fatimid caliph in Cairo to the Sunni Abbasid Caliph in Bagdhad. Wikipedia →
769The Lateran Council ends by condemning the Council of Hieria and anathematizing its iconoclastic rulings. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2012The Guardian
London cab firm drivers told to defy bus lane law
Transport for London threatens prosecutions and licence withdrawal against taxi drivers who contravene regulations
Read on The Guardian →
2011The Guardian
Mystery bird: olive-backed sunbird, Cinnyris jugularis
This lovely Malaysian mystery bird abandons its completed nest for a week or so before returning to lay its eggs
Read on The Guardian →
1991The New York Times
First Novelists, Don't Fret: There's Money in Newness
Suddenly, first novels are hot. "Damage," a short erotic novel by the English writer Josephine Hart, is on best-selle…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.