1865

Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater the previous evening; Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th president hours later.

1947

Jackie Robinson, baseball’s first Black major league player of the modern era, made his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field. (The Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves, 5-3.)

1955

Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.

2013

Two bombs made from pressure cookers exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line, killing two women and an 8-year-old boy and injuring more than 260.

2019

Fire swept across the top of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral during renovation work on the landmark structure; the blaze collapsed the cathedral’s spire and spread to one of its iconic rectangular towers. (The cathedral was restored and reopened to the public in December 2024.)

Birthdays

Actor-screenwriter Emma Thompson is 66. Singer Samantha Fox is 59. Olympic swimming gold medalist Dara Torres is 58. Singer Luis Fonsi is 47. Country singer Chris Stapleton is 47. Actor-writer Seth Rogen is 43. Actor Emma Watson is 35. Actor Maisie Williams is 28.