From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Day of the year
April 15 is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar ; 260 days remain until the end of the year.
Events 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.1632 - Battle of Rain ; Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeat the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War .1715 - Pocotaligo Massacre triggers the start of the Yamasee War in colonial South Carolina .1738 - Premiere in London of Serse , an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel .1755 - Samuel Johnson 's A Dictionary of the English Language 1783 - Preliminary articles of peace ending Revolutionary War ratified.1802 - William Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy see a "long belt" of daffodils , inspiring the former to pen I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 1865 - Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth . Andrew Johnson is then sworn in as the 17th President of the United States .1892 - The General Electric Company is formed.1906 - The Armenian organization AGBU is established.1912 - The British passenger liner, the RMS Titanic , sinks in the North Atlantic , after hitting an iceberg two and a half hours earlier, the previous day.1920 - Anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti allegedly murder two security guards while robbing a shoe store.1923 - Insulin becomes generally available for use by diabetics .1924 - Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas .1940 - The Allies begin their attack on the Norwegian town of Narvik which is occupied by Nazi Germany .1941 - In the Belfast Blitz , two-hundred bombers of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) attack Belfast , Northern Ireland killing one thousand people.1942 - George Cross is awarded to "to the island fortress of Malta - its people and defenders" by King George VI .1943 - An Allied bomber attack misses the Minerva automobile factory and hits the Belgian town of Mortsel instead, killing 936 civilians.1945 - The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated.1947 - Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers , breaking baseball's color line.1952 - The maiden flight of the B-52 Stratofortress 1955 - Ray Kroc opens his first franchise of McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois .1957 - White Rock, British Columbia officially separates from Surrey, British Columbia and is incorporated as a new city.1967 - Scotland defeats rival England 3-2 at Wembley Stadium , causing the Scots fans to jokingly claim their side as "Unofficial world Champions", creating the phenomenon of the Unofficial Football World Championships .1979 - A disastrous earthquake (of M 7.1) on Montenegro coast.1986 - The United States launches Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya .1989 - Hillsborough disaster : A human crush occurs at Hillsborough Stadium , home of football club Sheffield Wednesday , resulting in the deaths of 96 Liverpool FC fans.1989 - Upon Hu Yaobang 's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in the People's Republic of China .
1992 - The National Assembly of Vietnam adopts the 1992 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam .1994 - Representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities sign the Marrakesh Agreements revising the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and initiating the World Trade Organization (effective January 1 , 1995 ).2002 - An Air China Boeing 767 -200, flight CA129 crashes into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near Busan , South Korea , killing 128.Births 1452 - Leonardo da Vinci , Italian Renaissance polymath (d. 1519 )1469 - Guru Nanak Dev , Founder of Sikhism (d. 1539 )1489 - Sinan , Ottoman architect (d. 1588 )1552 - Pietro Cataldi , Italian mathematician (d. 1626 )1588 - Claudius Salmasius , French classical scholar (d. 1653 )1641 - Robert Sibbald , Scottish physician (d. 1722 )1642 - Suleiman II , Ottoman Sultan (d. 1691 )1646 - King Christian V of Denmark (d. 1699 )1646 - Pierre Poiret , French mystic (d. 1719 )
1684 - Catherine I of Russia (d. 1727 )1688 - Johann Friedrich Fasch , German composer (d. 1758 )1707 - Leonhard Euler , Swiss mathematician (d. 1783 )1710 - William Cullen , Scottish physician (d. 1790 )1721 - Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland , English military leader (d. 1765 )1741 - Charles Willson Peale , American painter, soldier and naturalist (d. 1827 )1772 - Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , French naturalist (d. 1844 )1793 - Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve , German astronomer (d. 1864 )1794 - Jean Pierre Flourens , French physiologist (d. 1867 )1800 - James Clark Ross , English explorer (d. 1862 )1809 - Hermann Grassmann , German mathematician (d. 1877 )1832 - Wilhelm Busch , German poet (d. 1908 )1841 - Joseph E. Seagram , Canadian distillery founder (d. 1919 )1843 - Henry James , American author (d. 1916 )1858 - Émile Durkheim , French sociologist (d. 1917 )1861 - Bliss Carman , Canadian poet (d. 1929 )1874 - George Harrison Shull , American plant geneticist (d. 1954 )1874 - Johannes Stark , German physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1957 )
1875 - James J. Jeffries , American heavyweight boxer (d. 1953 )1878 - Robert Walser , Swiss writer (d. 1956 )1879 - Melville Henry Cane , American lawyer (d. 1980 )1883 - Stanley Bruce , eighth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1967 )1885 - Tadeusz Kutrzeba , Polish general (d. 1947 )1886 - Nikolay Gumilyov , Russian poet (d. 1921 )1888 - Maximilian Kronberger , German poet (d. 1904 )1889 - Thomas Hart Benton , American muralist (d. 1975 )1889 - A. Philip Randolph , American activist (d. 1979 )
1892 - Corrie ten Boom , Dutch author and Holocaust survivor (d. 1983 )1892 - Theo Osterkamp , World War I and World War II German fighter pilot (d. 1975 )
1894 - Bessie Smith , American blues singer (d. 1937 )1895 - Clark McConachy , New Zealand billiards player (d. 1980 )1896 - Nikolay Nikolayevich Semyonov , Russian chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1986 )1901 - Joe Davis , English snooker player (d. 1978 )1902 - Fernando Pessa , Portuguese journalist (d. 2002 )1904 - Arshile Gorky , Armenian Artist (d. 1948 )1907 - Nikolaas Tinbergen , Dutch ethologist , Nobel laureate (d. 1988 )1908 - Eden Ahbez , American songwriter (d. 1995 )1908 - Lita Grey , American actress (d. 1995 )
1912 - Kim Il-sung , President of North Korea (d. 1994 )1916 - Alfred S. Bloomingdale , American businessman (d. 1982 )1917 - Hans Conried , American actor (d. 1982 )1917 - James Kee , American politician (d. 1989 )
1920 - Richard von Weizsäcker , President of Germany 1921 - Georgi Beregovoi , Russian cosmonaut (d. 1995 )1922 - Michael Ansara , Syrian-American actor1922 - Harold Washington , American politician (d. 1987 )
1924 - Sir Neville Marriner , English conductor1927 - Robert Mills , American physicist (d. 1999 )1930 - Vigdís Finnbogadóttir , President of Iceland 1933 - Roy Clark , American musician1933 - David Hamilton , British photographer, film director and producer
1933 - Elizabeth Montgomery , American actress (d. 1995 )
1933 - Boris Strugatsky , Russian author
1936 - Raymond Poulidor , French cyclist1937 - Bob Luman , American country singer (d. 1978 )1938 - Hso Khan Pha , Burmese politician1939 - Claudia Cardinale , Tunisian-born actress1939 - Marty Wilde , British singer
1940 - Jeffrey Archer , British author1940 - Willie Davis , American baseball player
1940 - Woodie Fryman , American baseball player
1940 - Robert Lacroix , French Canadian professor of economics
1940 - Robert Walker Jr. , American actor
1941 - Howard Berman , American politician1942 - Francis X. DiLorenzo , American Catholic prelate1942 - Walt Hazzard , American basketball player
1942 - Kenneth Lay , American businessman (d. 2006 )
1944 - Dzhokhar Dudaev , Chechen leader (d. 1996 )1944 - Dave Edmunds , Welsh musician
1947 - Lois Chiles , American actress1947 - Cristina Husmark Pehrsson , Swedish politician
1947 - Mike Chapman , British songwriter
1947 - Linda Bloodworth-Thomason , American writer and television producer
1948 - Michael Kamen , American composer (d. 2003 )1949 - Tonio K , American singer1949 - Alla Pugacheva , Russian singer
1949 - Craig Zadan , American film producer
1950 - Josiane Balasko , French actress, director and screenwriter1950 - Amy Wright , American actress
1951 - Heloise , American newspaper columnist1952 - Bengt Gingsjö , Swedish swimmer1952 - Kym Gyngell , Australian comedian
1952 - Sam McMurray , American actor
1954 - Seka , American pornographic actress1955 - Dodi Al-Fayed , Egyptian businessman (d. 1997 )1956 - Michael Cooper , American basketball player1957 - Evelyn Ashford , American athlete1958 - Keith Acton , Canadian ice hockey player and coach1958 - Dolores Gordon-Smith , British Writer
1958 - Noni Ιoannidou , Greek fashion model and actress
1958 - Benjamin Zephaniah , British writer
1959 - Fruit Chan , Hong Kong film director1959 - Emma Thompson , English actress
1959 - Thomas F. Wilson , American actor
1959 - Kevin Lowe , Canadian ice hockey player and general manager
1960 - Tony Jones (snooker) , English snooker player1960 - Pedro Delgado , Spanish cyclist
1960 - HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant , heir to the Belgian throne
1962 - Surjit Bindrakhia , Punjabi Bhangra singer1962 - Nawal El Moutawakel , Morrocan hurdler1962 - Tom Kane , American voice actor
1963 - Bobby Pepper , American journalist1965 - Linda Perry , American musician1966 - Samantha Fox , English singer1967 - Frankie Poullain , British musician (The Darkness )1967 - Dara Torres , American swimmer
1967 - Alt , Brazilian comic creator
1968 - Ed O'Brien , British musician (Radiohead )1968 - Stacey Williams , American model
1969 - Jeromy Burnitz , American baseball player1969 - Jimmy Waite , Canadian ice hockey goaltender
1970 - Flex Alexander , American actor1971 - Katy Hill , British television presenter1971 - Sarah Jane Hamilton , British pornographic actress
1971 - Jason Sehorn , American football player
1972 - Lou Romano , American voice actor1972 - Arturo Gatti , Canadian boxer
1974 - Mike Quinn , American football player1974 - Keith Malley , American comedian and podcaster (Keith and The Girl )
1974 - Danny Pino , American actor
1974 - Douglas Spain , American actor
1974 - Josh Todd , American musician (Buckcherry )
1975 - Paul Dana , American race car driver (d. 2006 )1976 - Jason Bonsignore , Canadian ice hockey player1976 - Susan Ward , American actress
1977 - Brian Pothier , American ice hockey player1978 - Austin Aries , American wrestler1978 - Milton Bradley , American baseball player
1978 - Tim Corcoran , American baseball player
1980 - Natalie Casey , British actress1980 - James Foster , English cricketer
1980 - Raúl López , Spanish basketball player
1980 - Victor Núñez , Costa Rican footballer
1980 - Willie Mason , Australian Rugby League Player
1980 - Fränk Schleck , Luxembourgish cyclist
1981 - Andrés D'Alessandro , Argentine football player1981 - Seth Wulsin , American artist
1982 - Anthony Green , American musician1982 - Seth Rogen , Canadian actor and writer
1982 - Albert Riera , Spanish footballer
1982 - Michael Aubrey , American baseball player
1983 - Ilya Kovalchuk , Russian ice hockey player1983 - Alice Braga , Brazilian actress
1983 - Dudu Cearense , Brazilian footballer
1983 - Bronson La'Cassie , Australian professional golfer
1984 - Rodney Carney , NBA athlete1984 - Cam Janssen , American ice hockey player
1984 - Ben Kasica , Guitarist of rock band Skillet
1985 - John Danks , American baseball player1985 - Aaron Laffey , American baseball player
1986 - Quincy Owusu-Abeyie , Dutch footballer1990 - Emma Watson , English actress1992 - Amy Diamond , Swedish singer1993 - Madeleine Martin , American television actressDeaths 1053 - Godwin, Earl of Wessex 1220 - Adolf of Altena , Archbishop of Cologne1415 - Manuel Chrysoloras , Greek humanist and grammarian1446 - Filippo Brunelleschi , Italian architect (b. 1377 )1610 - Robert Parsons , English Jesuit priest (b. 1546 )1621 - John Carver , first governor of Plymouth Colony1632 - George Calvert , Proprietor of the Avalon (Maryland) Colony (b. 1580 )1641 - Domenico Zampieri , Italian painter (b. 1581 )1652 - Patriarch Joseph , head of the Russian Orthodox Church1659 - Simon Dach , German poet (b. 1605 )1704 - Johann van Waveren Hudde , Dutch mathematician (b. 1628 )1719 - Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon , second wife of Louis XIV of France (b. 1635 )1754 - Jacopo Riccati , Italian mathematician (b. 1676 )1761 - Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll , Scottish politician (b. 1682 )1761 - William Oldys , English antiquarian and bibliographer (b. 1696 )
1764 - Madame de Pompadour , mistress of King Louis XV of France (b. 1721 )1764 - Peder Horrebow , Danish astronomer (b. 1679 )
1765 - Mikhail Lomonosov , Russian scientist and writer (b. 1711 )1788 - Giuseppe Bonno , Austrian composer (b. 1711 )1793 - Ignacije Szentmartony , Croatian Jesuit missionary and geographer (b. 1718 )1804 - Charles Pichegru , French general (strangled in prison) (b. 1761 )1854 - Arthur Aikin , English chemist, mineralogist, and writer (b. 1773 )1865 - Abraham Lincoln , 16th President of the United States (b. 1809 )1888 - Matthew Arnold , English poet (b. 1822 )1889 - Father Damien , Belgian missionary (b. 1840 )1898 - Kepa Te Rangihiwinui , Maori military leader1912 - Edward Smith , captain of the RMS Titanic (b. 1850 )1912 - John Jacob Astor IV , billionaire (b. 1864 )
1912 - William T. Stead American author and journalist. (b. 1849 )
1927 - Gaston Leroux , French writer (b. 1868 )1938 - César Vallejo , Peruvian poet (b. 1892 )1942 - Robert Musil , Austrian novelist (b. 1880 )1943 - Aristarkh Lentulov , Russian artist (d. 1882 )1945 - Hermann Florstedt , Nazi leader (b. 1895 )1948 - Radola Gajda , Czech military commander and politician (d. 1892 )1949 - Wallace Beery , American actor (b. 1885 )1957 - Pedro Infante , Mexican actor and singer (b. 1917 )1962 - Clara Blandick , American actress (b. 1881 )1962 - Arsenio Lacson , Filipino politician and sportswriter (b. 1911 )
1963 - Edward "Carji" Greeves , Australian rules footballer (b. 1903 )1969 - Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg , Queen of Spain (b. 1887 )1970 - Ripper Collins , American baseball player (b. 1904 )1971 - Dan Reeves , American football team owner (b. 1912 )1974 - Giovanni D'Anzi , Italian songwriter (b. 1906 )1975 - Richard Conte , American actor (b. 1910 )1980 - Raymond Bailey , American actor (b. 1904 )1980 - Jean-Paul Sartre , French philosopher and writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1905 )
1982 - Arthur Lowe , British actor (b. 1915 )1983 - Corrie ten Boom , Dutch author and Holocaust survivor (b. 1892 )1984 - Tommy Cooper , Welsh comedy magician (b. 1921 )1984 - Alexander Trocchi , Scottish writer (b. 1925 )
1986 - Jean Genet , French author (b. 1910 )1988 - Kenneth Williams , English actor and comedian (b. 1926 )1988 - Youri Egorov , Soviet classical pianist (b. 1954 )
1989 - Nesuhi Ertegün , American record executive (b. 1917 )1989 - Hu Yaobang , Chinese politician (b. 1915 )
1990 - Greta Garbo , Swedish actress (b. 1905 )1993 - John Tuzo Wilson , Canadian geologist (b. 1908 )1993 - Leslie Charteris , Singapore-born author (b. 1907 )
1994 - John Curry , English figure skater (b. 1949 )1995 - Harry Shoulberg , American painter, serigrapher (b. 1903 )1998 - Pol Pot , Cambodian dictator (b. 1925 )1999 - Harvey Postlethwaite , British engineer and racing car designer (b. 1944 )2000 - Edward Gorey , American illustrator (b. 1925 )2001 - Joey Ramone , American musician and singer (The Ramones ) (b. 1951 )2002 - Damon Knight , American author (b. 1922 )2002 - Byron "Whizzer" White , American football player and U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1917 )
2003 - Erin Fleming , Canadian actress (b. 1941 )2003 - Reg Bundy , British performer (b. 1941 )
2004 - Ray Condo , Canadian musician (b. 1950 )2005 - John Fred , American singer (b. 1941 )2007 - Brant Parker , American cartoonist (b. 1920 )2008 - Krister Stendahl , Swedish Lutheran theologian and bishop (b. 1921 )2008 - Benoît Lamy , Belgian movie director (b. 1945 ) Holidays and observances External links
