This Day in History: April 15, 2025
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1755
Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the English Language.
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1817
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opened the first free American school for the deaf in Hartford, Conn.
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1861
In response to the attack on Fort Sumter three days earlier, President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops.
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1912
Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland on its maiden voyage after it struck an iceberg.
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1920
A paymaster and guard were murdered in Braintree, Mass. Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the crime.
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1945
Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was liberated by Canadian and British forces.
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1947
Jackie Robinson made his Brooklyn Dodger debut and scored the game-winning run. On April 15, 1997, his number, 42, was retired.
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1955
Ray Kroc acquired McDonald's and opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., today the official McDonald’s Corporate Museum.
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1996
The 100th Boston Marathon was won by Moses Tanui of Kenya.
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1998
Cambodian despot Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, died.
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2013
Two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing 3 and injuring at least 170 others.
