Daily Archives: April 15, 2025

Soviet forces launch Battle of Berlin against Nazi Germany 80 years ago this hour (Apr 16 1945)

1940s, World War II

Video: 'The World at War Episode 21 - Nemesis - Germany (February - May 1945)' (Apr. 16, 1945, at 16:04)

(Monday, April 16, 1945, 4:00 a.m. Central Euroopean Summer Time; during the Battle of Berlin on the Eastern Front during World War II) — The final chapter in the destruction of Hitler’s Third Reich began today when the Soviets unleashed the brutal power of 20 armies, 6,300 tanks and 8,500 aircraft with the objective of crushing German resistance and capturing Berlin. Continue reading Soviet forces launch Battle of Berlin against Nazi Germany 80 years ago this hour (Apr 16 1945) →

U.S. forces invade Japanese island of Ie Shima 80 years ago this hour (Apr 16 1945)

1940s, World War II


Video: 'Lost in the Fog of War: Battle of Ie Shima 1945'

(Monday, April 16, 1945, first waves of assault troops landed at 7:58 a.m. Japan Standard Time; during the Battle of Okinawa, part of the Pacific Theatre of World War II) — The 77th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army assaulted Ie Island (Ie Shima), a small island off the western end of the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa. Continue reading U.S. forces invade Japanese island of Ie Shima 80 years ago this hour (Apr 16 1945) →

First franchised McDonald’s restaurant opens in Des Plaines, Illinois 70 years ago today (Apr 15 1955)

1950s


Video: 'Ray Kroc's First McDonald's Franchise Opens in Des Plaines, Illinois'

(Friday, April 15, 1955) — Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDonald’s restaurant today at 400 North Lee Avenue in Des Plaines, Illinois, near Chicago. Continue reading First franchised McDonald’s restaurant opens in Des Plaines, Illinois 70 years ago today (Apr 15 1955) →

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt buried at Hyde Park 80 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1945)

1940s, U.S. Presidents, World War II


Video: 'FDR: A Presidency Revealed: Part 19' (Apr. 15, 1945, at 2:35)

(Sunday, April 15, 1945, 11:00 a.m. EWT; during World War II) — In the hedge-enclosed garden of his ancestral Hyde Park estate in New York, high above the eternal flow of the Hudson, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was laid at rest this morning in the presence of President Harry S. Truman and ranking officials of this country and representatives of other nations. Continue reading U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt buried at Hyde Park 80 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1945) →

Andrew Johnson sworn in as 17th president of the United States following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination 160 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1865)

1860s, American Civil War, U.S. Presidents


Video: ‘Andrew Johnson: The President Who Wasn’t Lincoln | 5-Minute Videos’

(Saturday, April 15, 1865, 10:00 a.m. local time; during the American Civil War) — Vice President Andrew Johnson, 56, was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States this morning, following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Continue reading Andrew Johnson sworn in as 17th president of the United States following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination 160 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1865) →

Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen liberated 80 years ago today (Apr 15 1945)

1940s, The Holocaust, World War II


Video: 'Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp — Footage from Liberation // Colorized & Restored'

(Sunday, April 15, 1945, afternoon Central European Summer Time; part of The Holocaust during World War II) — 60,000 (mostly sick) prisoners at the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle, were liberated today by British and Canadian troops. Continue reading Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen liberated 80 years ago today (Apr 15 1945) →

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln dies, ‘now belongs to the ages’ 160 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1865)

1860s, American Civil War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'Ken.Burns.The.Civil.War.9of9.The.Better.Angels.Of.Our.Nature' (Lincoln dies at 17:53)

(Saturday, April 15, 1865, 7:22:10 a.m.; during the American Civil War) — U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, 56, died this morning at the Petersen House in Washington, nine hours after he was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. Continue reading U.S. President Abraham Lincoln dies, ‘now belongs to the ages’ 160 years ago this hour (Apr 15 1865) →