April 15th
Today in 1817,the first American school for the deaf was opened in Hartford, Connecticut.
Today in 1865,Abraham Lincoln died of the bullet wounds inflicted by assassin John Wilkes Booth the previous night.
Today in 1912,less than three hours after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic just before midnight on the 14th, the "unsinkable" RMS Titanic slipped beneath the waves, taking over 1500 lives with it.The ocean liner Carpathia rescued 703 other passengers, who managed to escape on the few available lifeboats.
Today in 1923,insulin became generally available for people suffering with diabetes.
Today in 1947,the MLB’s color barrier was officially broken as Jackie Robinson played his first major league baseball gamefor the Brooklyn Dodgers. Previously he had only appeared in exhibition games.
Today in 1952,the first actual bank credit card was issued by the Franklin National Bank in Franklin Square, New York.
Today in 1967,Richard Speck was found guilty of murdering eight student nurses. Before then, he had been responsible for other acts of violence against his family and others but had a knack for escaping the police. After his killing spree in 1966, a manhunt ensued and he was captured two days later. He spent the rest of his life in prison until he died of a heart attack in 1991 at age 49.
Today in 1971,George C. Scott won Best Actor at the Academy Awards,but declined to accept the Oscar for his role in "Patton." His reason? He noted, "It is degrading to have actors in competition with each other."
Today in 1984,Ben Crenshaw won The Masters by two strokes over Tom Watson.
Today in 1985,the United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5th(it was launched on April 14thin American time zones, but on April 15th in theirs).
Today in 1985,Jack C. Burcham became the fifth person to receive the "Jarvik 7" permanent artificial heart. However, he died 10 days later at Humana Hospital Audubon in Louisville, Kentucky.
Today in 1989,students in Beijing launched a series of pro democracy protests upon the death of former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang. The protests led to theTiananmen Square massacre.
Today in 1997,the Justice Department inspector general reported that FBI crime lab agents produced flawed scientific work or inaccurate testimony in major cases such as the Oklahoma City bombing.
Today in 1997,Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired across the MLB 50 years after he became the first Black player in major league baseball.
Today in 1998,Pol Pot, the notorious leader of the Khmer Rouge,died at the age of 72, successfully evading prosecution for the deaths of 2-million Cambodians.
Today in 1999,astronomers from San Francisco State University, working at an observatory in Arizona,announced they had discovered evidence of a multi-planet solar systemin the constellation Andromeda. It is the only known solar system other than our own.
Today in 2000,Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles became the 24th player to reach three-thousand hits when he lined a clean single to center off Twins reliever Hector Carrasco. (The Orioles won the game, 6-to-4.)
Today in 2010,volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull(PR: EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl)in Iceland led to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.
Today in 2013,two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 264. Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was later found guilty on all counts.
Today in 2015,Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes,was named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People" of 2015. Since then, she’s been disgraced and tagged as a fraud. In March 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Holmes and her company, accusing them of fraudulently raising more than $700-million from investors through false or exaggerated claims. In exchange for settling the charges, Holmes agreed to pay a $500,000 fine, return 18.9-million shares, relinquish her voting control of Theranos, and be barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for ten years. While she was one labeled as a self-made billionaire, her net worth is now listed as “0” by “Forbes.
Today in 2017,thousands of chanting, sign-carrying protesters took to the streets in cities across the nation,demanding that President Donald Trump release his tax returns.
Today in 2019,Aretha Franklin posthumously received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honor, the first individual woman to win it since 1930.
Today in 2019,it was revealed that measles cases had jumped 300% in first three months of 2019, according to World Health Organization. The largest rise was in Africa (700%) with 800 deaths in Madagascar.