1861 – President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes President.
1892 – The General Electric Company is formed.
1922 – Senator John B. Kendrick of Wyoming introduces a resolution calling for an investigation of a secret land deal, which leads to the discovery of the Teapot Dome scandal.
1923 – Insulin becomes generally available for use by people with diabetes.
1947 – Jackie Robinson debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking baseball’s color line.
1955 – McDonald’s restaurant dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois.