April 15 in Pop Culture History

1755 – Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language was published in London.

1817 – The Erie Canal was authorized to link Buffalo on Lake Erie and the Hudson River at Albany, New York,

1892 – The Edison General Electric Company (General Electric Company) was formed.

1912 – Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, near Newfoundland & Nova Scotia, Canada, after hitting an iceberg the night before.

1912 – The fourth dimension was referred to ‘as time’ by Albert Einstein.

1923 – Insulin became available for use by people with diabetes.

1924 – Rand McNally published its first road atlas.

1927 – The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 began.

1941 – Igor Ivor Sikorsky made the first helicopter flight over one hour in his Vought-Sikorsky VS-300.

1947 – Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1950 – #1 Hit April 15, 1950 – April 28, 1950: Eileen Barton – If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake

1955 – McDonald’s opened its first franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc in Des Plaines, Illinois.

1964 – Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was opened to traffic, connecting the Eastern Shore to Virginia Beach.

1967 – #1 Hit April 15, 1967 – May 12, 1967: Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra – Somethin’ Stupid

1972 – #1 Hit April 15, 1972 – May 26, 1972: Roberta Flack – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

1983 – Tokyo Disneyland opened to the public.

1984 – The inaugural World Youth Day was held in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City.

1989 – #1 Hit April 15, 1989 – April 21, 1989: Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy

1993 – Benny and Joon and Boiling Point were released in theaters.

1995 – #1 Hit April 15, 1995 – June 2, 1995: Montell Jordan – This Is How We Do It

2004 – Kill Bill vol 2 and The Punisher debuted in theaters.

2010 – Kick-Ass and Death at a Funeral were released in theaters.

2013 – At approximately 2:50 PM (EDT), in a terrorist attack, two explosions around Copley Square were caught live on camera during the telecast of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring 260.