On This Day in History

April 15

Historical Events

1755 Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" is published in London.

1861 Federal army of 75,000 volunteers is mobilized by President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the American Civil War.

1874 First 'Impressionist' exhibition opens in Paris, features Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Berthe Morisot.

1877 World's first home telephone is installed in Somerville, Massachusetts at the house of Charles Williams Jr.

How one American newspaper reported the Titanic disaster

1912 RMS Titanic sinks at 2:27 AM off Newfoundland as the band plays on, with the loss of between 1,490 and 1,635 people.

1947 Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in US major league baseball.

More Historical Events

Famous Birthdays

Leonardo da Vinci 1452 - 1519 Guru Nanak 1469 - 1539

Kim Il-sung 1912 - 1994 Emma Watson 34th Birthday

Also Nikita Khrushchev, Willie Davis and Emma Thompson (65).

More Famous Birthdays

Famous Deaths

Abraham Lincoln 1809 - 1865 Went down with his ship Edward Smith 1850 - 1912

More Famous Deaths

Iceberg Sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic

The Titanic hit an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank on this day in history. She took with her to the bottom of the sea some of the world’s richest people.

The Titanic Goes Down