APRIL 15 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for April 15

Walter Channing (1786-1876) - Physician who was the first to use anesthesia during childbirth.

Mary Harris Thompson (1829-1895) - The first American woman surgeon.

Bessie Smith (1894-1937) - One of the most prolific jazz singers of the 1930s who was nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues."

Alfred S. Bloomingdale (1916-1982) - Became known as the "Father of the Credit Card" after launching the Dine and Sign credit card.

Norma Merrick Sklarek (1928-2012) - The Black woman to become an architect in NY and CA.

Roy Clark (1933-2018) - Country music musician fondly remembered as the host of Hee Haw.

Elizabeth Montgomery (1933-1995) - Actress fondly remembered for her role as Samantha in the t.v. series Bewitched.

Robert W. Gore (1937-2020) - Co-inventor of Gore-Tex, the waterproof and breathable fabric used in sporting and outdoor gear.

Chris Stapleton (1978-Still Living) - Country singer of the hit song Tennessee Whiskey.

Memorable Events for April 15

1817 - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc found the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons, which later becomes known as the American School for the Deaf.

1865 - President Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by actor John Wilkes Booth.

1877 - The first home telephone is installed at a house in Somerville, MA.

1892 - The General Electric Company is formed.

1912 - The RMS Titanic sinks at 2:27 AM off Newfoundland enroute to the U.S.

1923 - Insulin becomes available to people diabetes.

1923 - The first film with sound plays at the Rialto Theater in NY City.

1924 -  The first road atlas is published by Rand McNally.

1947 - Jackie Robinson becomes the first professional black MLB player for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1955 - Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, IL.

1989 - The largest lottery of the time is drawn in Illinois in the amount of $69 million.