Cleveland History

  1. April 15, 1931: The Terminal Tower complex, a prominent Cleveland landmark, was officially dedicated. At the time of its completion, it was the second-tallest building in the world.
  2. April 16, 1947: The Cleveland Indians made history by becoming the first Major League Baseball team to feature an African-American player, Larry Doby, breaking the color barrier in the American League.
  3. April 17, 1970: The Apollo 13 astronauts, whose lunar mission was famously aborted due to an in-flight emergency, safely returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The mission’s recovery operations were closely followed by NASA’s Lewis Research Center (now John H. Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland.
  4. April 18, 1925: The Cleveland Museum of Art inaugurated a new wing, significantly expanding its capacity to house and display its rapidly growing collection of fine arts.
  5. April 21, 1965: The Cleveland Trust Company building opened, showcasing modern architectural styles and symbolizing the city’s mid-century economic optimism. It later became a notable example of mid-20th-century modernist architecture in Cleveland.

World History

  1. April 15, 1912: The RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 people, one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history.
  2. April 16, 1947: The Texas City disaster occurred when a ship carrying ammonium nitrate caught fire and exploded in the port of Texas City, Texas, resulting in one of the deadliest industrial accidents in U.S. history.
  3. April 17, 1975: The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh and took control of Cambodia, marking the beginning of a brutal regime that led to the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people.
  4. April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake struck San Francisco, California, followed by devastating fires, destroying much of the city and killing approximately 3,000 people.
  5. April 21, 753 BC: According to tradition, the city of Rome was founded by Romulus, one of the twin brothers and central characters in Rome’s foundation myth. This date marks the celebrated birthday of the city of Rome.