Unlucky day? Notre Dame fire isn't first major April 15 tragedy

The world reacted with shock and sadness on Monday after news broke that Notre Dame had caught fire.

While the iconic towers were saved, the flames managed to topple the spire and leave a ton of damage behind.

Shockingly, the devastating fire in Paris isn’t the only tragedy that has struck on April 15. In fact, there have been several other tragic news events that have happened on the same day in history.

President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated

President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth, an angry Confederate actor, on April 14, 1865 while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. A day later, on April 15, Lincoln died of his injuries.

A photographic portrait is displayed showing Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. (Photo by Hulton/Archive/Getty Images)

The Titanic sinks

On April 15, 1912, the famous Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland. The luxury British steamship had 2,240 passengers and crew onboard, according to History.com. More than 1,500 people died.

The front page of The New York Times April 15, 1912 edition details the sinking of the Titanic. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Boston Marathon bombing

On April 15, 2013, more than 260 were injured and three spectators were killed when two bombs detonated near the finish line at the Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon.

One suspect was captured and the other was killed in a shootout with law enforcement. The two were brothers who spent part of their childhoods in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, according to History.com

Boston Police officers and a K-9 unit patrol the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

About the Author:

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.