Today In History [15th April, 2015]

1755

Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the English Language.
1817

Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet opened the first free American school for the deaf in Hartford, Conn.
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.
1912

Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland on its maiden voyage after it struck an iceberg.
1920

A paymaster and guard were murdered in Braintree, Mass. Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the crime.
1945

Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was liberated by Canadian and British forces.
1947

Jackie Robinson made his Brooklyn Dodger debut and scored the game-winning run. On April 15, 1997, his number, 42, was retired.
1955

Ray Kroc acquired McDonald's and opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Ill., today the official McDonald’s Corporate Museum.
1996

The 100th Boston Marathon was won by Moses Tanui of Kenya.
1998

Cambodian despot Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge, died.
2013

Two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, killing 3 and injuring at least 170 others.

Read more: This Day in History: April 15 http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory#ixzz3XNeGwjaV