On This Day — April 15

Famous events, births, and deaths from April 15 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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37 events · 229 births · 82 deaths recorded for April 15.

🕰️ Notable Events on April 15

2014 — In the worst massacre of the South Sudanese Civil War, at least 200 civilians were gunned down after seeking refuge in houses of worship as well as hospitals. Wikipedia ↗
2013 — Two bombs explode near the finish line at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing three people and injuring 264 others. Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Hillsborough disaster: A human crush occurs at Hillsborough Stadium, home of Sheffield Wednesday, in the FA Cup Semi-final, resulting in the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans. Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in China. Wikipedia ↗
1986 — The United States launches Operation El Dorado Canyon, its bombing raids against Libyan targets in response to a bombing in West Germany that killed two U.S. servicemen. Wikipedia ↗
1970 — During the Cambodian Civil War, massacres of the Vietnamese minority results in 800 bodies flowing down the Mekong river into South Vietnam. Wikipedia ↗
1969 — The EC-121 shootdown incident: North Korea shoots down a United States Navy aircraft over the Sea of Japan, killing all 31 on board. Wikipedia ↗
1960 — At 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 ↗
1955 — McDonald's restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball's color line. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — The George Cross is awarded "to the island fortress of Malta: Its people and defenders" by King George VI. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — In the Belfast Blitz, two-hundred bombers of the German Luftwaffe attack Belfast, killing around one thousand people. Wikipedia ↗
1936 — First day of the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine. Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas. Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes. Wikipedia ↗
1922 — U.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 ↗
1920 — Two 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 ↗
1912 — The 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 710 of 2,227 passengers and crew on board survive. Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Triangle Fraternity is founded at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Wikipedia ↗
1900 — Philippine-American War: Filipino guerrillas launch a surprise attack on U.S. infantry and begin a four-day siege of Catubig, Philippines. Wikipedia ↗
1896 — Closing ceremony of the Games of the I Olympiad in Athens, Greece. Wikipedia ↗
1892 — The General Electric Company is formed. Wikipedia ↗
1865 — President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by actor John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes President upon Lincoln's death. Wikipedia ↗
1861 — President Abraham Lincoln calls for 75,000 Volunteers to quell the insurrection that soon became the American Civil War. Wikipedia ↗
1817 — Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the American School for the Deaf, the first American school for deaf students, in Hartford, Connecticut. Wikipedia ↗
1783 — Preliminary articles of peace ending the American Revolutionary War (or American War of Independence) are ratified. Wikipedia ↗
1755 — Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London. Wikipedia ↗
1738 — Serse, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel receives its premiere performance in London, England. Wikipedia ↗
1736 — Foundation of the Kingdom of Corsica Wikipedia ↗
1715 — The Pocotaligo Massacre triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina. Wikipedia ↗
1642 — Irish 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 ↗
1632 — Battle of Rain: Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War. Wikipedia ↗
1450 — Battle 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 ↗
1395 — Timur defeats Tokhtamysh of the Golden Horde at the Battle of the Terek River. The Golden Horde capital city, Sarai, is razed to the ground and Timur installs a puppet ruler on the throne. Wikipedia ↗
1071 — Bari, the last Byzantine possession in southern Italy, is surrendered to Robert Guiscard. Wikipedia ↗
769 — The Lateran Council condemned the Council of Hieria and anathematized its iconoclastic rulings. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on April 15

1999 — Denis Shapovalov, Canadian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1997 — Maisie Williams, English actress Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Daiki Arioka, Japanese idol, singer, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Javier Fernández López, Spanish figure skater Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Emma Watson, English actress Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Blake Ayshford, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Steven Defour, Belgian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Chris Tillman, American baseball pitcher Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Tom Heaton, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Sylvain Marveaux, French footballer Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Ryan Hamilton, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Antonio Cromartie, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Cam Janssen, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Daniel Paille, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Alice Braga, Brazilian actress Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Matt Cardle, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Dudu Cearense, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Andreas Fransson, Swedish skier (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Ilya Kovalchuk, Russian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Martin Pedersen, Danish cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Michael Aubrey, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Anthony Green, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Seth Rogen, Canadian-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Andrés D'Alessandro, Argentinian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — James Foster, English cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Raül López, Spanish basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Willie Mason, New Zealand-Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Aida Mollenkamp, American chef and author Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Billy Yates, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — David Brand, Australian politician, 19th Premier of Western Australia (b. 1912) Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Milton Bradley, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Tim Corcoran, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Luis Fonsi, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter and dancer Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Sudarsan Pattnaik, Indian sculptor Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Brian Pothier, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Jamie Wall, English racing driver Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Jason Bonsignore, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Darius Regelskis, Lithuanian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Kęstutis Šeštokas, Lithuanian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Steve Williams, English rower Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Sarah Teichmann, German-American biophysicist and immunologist Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Mike Quinn, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Douglas Spain, American actor, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Tim Thomas, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Kim Min-kyo, South Korean actor and director Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Danny Pino, American actor and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Arturo Gatti, Italian-Canadian boxer (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Lou Romano, American animator and voice actor Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Philippe Carbonneau, French rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Jason Sehorn, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Josia Thugwane, South African runner Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Karl Turner, English lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Chris Huffins, American decathlete and coach Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Jeromy Burnitz, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Kaisa Roose, Estonian pianist and conductor Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Jimmy Waite, Canadian-German ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Ben Clarke, English rugby player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Brahim Lahlafi, Moroccan-French runner Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Ed O'Brien, English guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Frankie Poullain, Scottish bass player and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Dara Torres, American swimmer and journalist Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Samantha Fox, English singer-songwriter and actress Wikipedia ↗
1966 — Mott Green, American businessman (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Kevin Stevens, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Andre Joubert, South African rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Alex Crawford, Nigerian-South African journalist Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Manzoor Elahi, Pakistani cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Bobby Pepper, American journalist Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Manoj Prabhakar, Indian cricketer and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan athlete and politician Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Tom Kane, American voice actor Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Neil Carmichael, English academic and politician Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Carol W. Greider, American molecular biologist Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Dawn Wright, American geographer and oceanographer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Pierre Aubry, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Susanne Bier, Danish director and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Pedro Delgado, Spanish cyclist and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Tony Jones, English snooker player Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Fruit Chan, Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Kevin Lowe, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Emma Thompson, English actress, comedian, author, activist and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Keith Acton, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1958 — John Bracewell, New Zealand cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Memos Ioannou, Greek basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Benjamin Zephaniah, English actor, author, poet, and playwright Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Evelyn Ashford, American runner and coach Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Michael Cooper, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Dodi Fayed, Egyptian film producer (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Kym Gyngell, Australian actor, comedian, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Brian Muir, English sculptor and set designer Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Avital Ronell, Czech-American philosopher and academic Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Heloise, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1951 — John L. Phillips, American captain and astronaut Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Stuart Prebble, English journalist and producer Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Marsha Ivins, American engineer and astronaut Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Josiane Balasko, French actress, director, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Amy Wright, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Karel Kroupa, Czech football player Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Alla Pugacheva, Russian singer-songwriter and actress Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Craig Zadan, American director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Christopher Brown, English historian, curator, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Michael Kamen, American composer and conductor (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, American screenwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Martin Broughton, English businessman Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Lois Chiles, American model and actress Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor Wikipedia ↗
1947 — David Omand, English civil servant and academic Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Cristina Husmark Pehrsson, Swedish nurse and politician, Swedish Minister for Social Security Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Woolly Wolstenholme, English singer and keyboard player (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1946 — John Lloyd, Scottish journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Pete Rouse, American politician, White House Chief of Staff Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Dzhokhar Dudayev, Russian-Chechen general and politician, 1st President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Dave Edmunds, Welsh singer, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Pınar Kür, Turkish author, playwright, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Robert Lefkowitz, American physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Veronica Linklater, Baroness Linklater, English politician Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Hugh Thompson, Jr., American soldier and pilot (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Francis X. DiLorenzo, American bishop Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Walt Hazzard, American basketball player and coach (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Kenneth Lay, American businessman (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Tim Lankester, English economist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Howard Berman, American lawyer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Jeffrey Archer, English author, playwright, and politician Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Penelope Coelen, South African actress, model, beauty queen and 1958 Miss World Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Willie Davis, American baseball player and actor (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1940 — Robert Lacroix, Canadian economist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Marty Wilde, English singer-songwriter and actor Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Claudia Cardinale, Italian actress Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Hso Khan Pha, Burmese-Canadian geologist and politician (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Bob Luman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1978) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Raymond Poulidor, French cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1935 — Stavros Paravas, Greek actor and producer (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Roy Clark, American musician and television personality Wikipedia ↗
1933 — David Hamilton, English-French photographer and director (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Elizabeth Montgomery, American actress and producer (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Kenneth Bloomfield, Northern Irish civil servant Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Tomas Tranströmer, Swedish poet, translator, and psychologist Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Georges Descrières, French actor (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Icelandic educator and politician, 4th President of Iceland Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Gérald Beaudoin, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Adrian Cadbury, English rower and businessman (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1927 — Robert Mills, American physicist and academic (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1925 — George Shuffler, American guitarist (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
1924 — Neville Marriner, English violinist and conductor (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Artur Alliksaar, Estonian poet and author (d. 1966) Wikipedia ↗
1923 — Robert DePugh, American activist, founded the Minutemen (an anti-Communist organization) (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Michael Ansara, Syrian-American actor (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Hasrat Jaipuri, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1999) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Harold Washington, American lawyer and politician, 51st Mayor of Chicago (d. 1987) Wikipedia ↗
1922 — Graham Whitehead, English racing driver (d. 1981) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Georgy Beregovoy, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Angelo DiGeorge, American physician and endocrinologist (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Godfrey Stafford, English-South African physicist and academic (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Thomas Szasz, Hungarian-American psychiatrist and academic (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1920 — Richard von Weizsäcker, German soldier and politician, 6th President of Germany (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Alberto Breccia, Uruguayan-Argentinian author and illustrator (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1918 — Hans Billian, German film director, screenwriter, and actor (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Hans Conried, American actor (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — James Kee, American lawyer and politician (d. 1989) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Alfred S. Bloomingdale, American businessman (d. 1982) Wikipedia ↗
1916 — Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1915 — Elizabeth Catlett, African-American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗