SSgt Woodward, U.S. DoD — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1986 The United States launched Operation El Dorado Canyon, bombing raids against targets in Libya in retaliation for a Libyan-linked bombing of a Berlin discotheque.
HistoryOn this day — April 15 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
SSgt Woodward, U.S. DoD — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1986 More than 400 civilians sheltering in houses of worship and a hospital were killed in the Bentiu massacre, one of the worst atrocities of the South Sudanese Civil War.
History
Carl Van Vechten, Library of Congress — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1894 Bessie Smith, African-American blues singer known as the 'Empress of the Blues' and one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
BirthElizabeth Catlett, African-American and Mexican sculptor and printmaker renowned for her depictions of the Black experience, was born in Washington, D.C.
BirthJosia Thugwane, South African runner who became the first Black South African Olympic gold medalist by winning the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Games, was born.
Birth