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This Day in History – 15th April

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This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride to all the fascinating things that happened today!

People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of History. Let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 15th of April”.

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1250 Kublai is acclaimed the Great Khan by a Mongol Great Council

Kublai is acclaimed the Great Khan by a Mongol Great Council.
Kublai is acclaimed the Great Khan by a Mongol Great Council. (Image Source: Wikipedia)

Kublai Khan was a Mongolian general and statesman. Above all, he was the grandson and greatest successor of Genghis Khan. As the fifth emperor (reigned 1260–94) of the Yuan, or Mongol dynasty, he completed the conquest of China (1279) started by Genghis Khan.

1450 French defeat English at Battle of Formigny in 100 Years’ War

The hundred Years’ War was an intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th century over a series of disputes, including the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown. Finally, it culminated with the French victory.

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1793 Bank of England issues first £5 note

The first Bank of England £5 note was issued in 1793 in response to the need for smaller denomination banknotes to replace gold coins during the French Revolutionary Wars.

1817 1st American school for the deaf opens

1st American school for the deaf opens
1st American school for the deaf opens. (Image Source: Connecticut History)

The first American deaf school was established in Hartford, Connecticut. On April 15, 1817, the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opened with seven pupils in Hartford. The institution, later renamed The American School for the Deaf, was the first American school dedicated exclusively to the education of the deaf.

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1865 Abraham Lincoln dies

After 9 hours of the fatal bullet shot while attending the play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, Abraham Lincoln dies.

Read here | Assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth

1870 Last day US silver coins allow circulating in Canada

To ensure that depreciated U.S. silver did not flow back into Canada, the government also passed legislation stating that after 15 April 1870, U.S. silver coins were legal tender in Canada at a 20 percent discount, a rate far below their bullion value.

1874 NY legislature passes compulsory education law

Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. On this day in History, New York passed a compulsory education law.

1892 General Electric Company formed

1892 General Electric Company formed by merger of Thomas Edison's General Electric Company with Thomson-Houston Electric Company, arranged by J. P. Morgan and incorporated in NYGeneral Electric Company formed by merger of Thomas Edison's General Electric Company with Thomson-Houston Electric Company, arranged by J. P. Morgan and incorporated in NY.
General Electric Company formed by the merger of Thomas Edison’s General Electric Company with Thomson-Houston Electric Company, arranged by J. P. Morgan and incorporated in NY. (Image Source: Wikipedia)

General Electric (GE), in full General Electric Company, came to be in 1892, when New York financier J.P. Morgan organized a merger of equals between Thomas Edison’s Edison General Electric Company and Elihu Thomson’s Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form GE. Thomson-Houston’s top executive, Charles A. Coffin, became GE’s first president.

1896 1st modern Summer Olympic Games close in Athens

1st modern Summer Olympic Games close in Athens
1st modern Summer Olympic Games close in Athens. (Image Source: Britannica)

The opening ceremony was held in the Panathenaic Stadium on 6 April, during which most of the competing athletes were aligned on the infield, grouped by nation. The magnanimous event culminates on April 15.

1902 Russian minister of interior and head of secret police assassinated

Russian minister of interior and head of secret police, Sipyengin, is assassinated by the ‘Terror Brigade’ of the Socialist Revolutionaries.

1906 The Armenian organization AGBU is established

The Armenian organization AGBU is established.
1906 The Armenian organization AGBU is established. (Image Source: Wikipedia)

The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) was founded on April 15, 1906, in Cairo, Egypt, by the initiative of renowned national figure Boghos Nubar and other prominent representatives of the Egyptian-Armenian community to contribute to the spiritual and cultural development of the Armenian people.

1912 Iceberg sinks ‘Unsinkable’ Titanic

Iceberg sinks 'Unsinkable' Titanic.
Iceberg sinks ‘Unsinkable’ Titanic. (Image Source: Onthisday.com)

On this day in History, RMS Titanic sinks at 2:27 AM off Newfoundland as the band plays on. Above all, between 1,490 and 1,635 people lost their lives.

1922 The legendary Poodle Dog Restaurant closes in San Francisco

1922 The legendary Poodle Dog Restaurant closes in San Francisco.
1922 The legendary Poodle Dog Restaurant closes in San Francisco. (Image Source: Onthisday.com)

The beginnings of Poodle Dog restaurant are shrouded in legend like those of
many San Francisco businesses. Read the full excerpt here.

1923 Insulin becomes generally available for diabetics

For a medical condition that had been known for more than 3,000 years, effective treatment through extracted insulin was identified only in the first decades of the 20th century. And on April 15, 1923, insulin became widely available for the use of diabetics.

1947 Jackie Robinson becomes 1st African-American to play in US major league baseball

Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson (Image Source: HowTheyPlay)

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years.

1948 Indian territory of Himachal Pradesh created

Himachal Pradesh came into being as a Union Territory in April 1948 as a result of the integration of 30 princely States spread over 27,000 sq. km. In 1954, when another C”class state of Bilaspur merged in Himachal Pradesh, its area increased to 28,241 sq. km. The position remained unchanged till 1966.

1983 Tokyo Disneyland opens

On this day in History, the Tokyo Disneyland which is a 115-acre theme park, was opened at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo.

2010 closure of airspace over most of Europe

Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe.

2013 Nicolás Maduro is narrowly elected President of Venezuela

Nicolás Maduro
Nicolás Maduro (Image Source: Britannica)

Nicolás Maduro—who had assumed the role of acting president since Chávez’s death—was declared the winner with a narrow victory over his opponent Henrique Capriles Radonski, the Governor of Miranda. Capriles had run in the previous election less than a year before, losing to Chávez by an 11-point margin.

2019 Notre Dame on fire

Paris cathedral Notre Dame catches fire, toppling its spire and destroying its roof.

2020 First elections amidst COVID-19 in ROK

South Korea is 1st country to hold a general election under COVID-19, President Moon Jae-in’s ruling Democratic party wins in a landslide.

For further updates, follow the “This Day in History” section.

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