On this day, April 15 …

2019: A massive fire engulfs Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral as it is undergoing renovations, severely damaging one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world.

Also on this day:

1452: Leonardo da Vinci is born in or near the Tuscan town of Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci is born in or near the Tuscan town of Vinci. 1865: President Abraham Lincoln dies nine hours after being shot the night before by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington; Andrew Johnson becomes the nation’s 17th president.

1912: The British luxury liner RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland more than 2 1/2 hours after hitting an iceberg; 1,514 people die, while fewer than half as many survive.

1943: The Ayn Rand novel “The Fountainhead” is first published by Bobbs-Merrill Co.

The Ayn Rand novel “The Fountainhead” is first published by Bobbs-Merrill Co. 1945: During World War II, British and Canadian troops liberate the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.

During World War II, British and Canadian troops liberate the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. 1947: Jackie Robinson, baseball’s first black major league player, makes his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field.

Jackie Robinson, baseball’s first black major league player, makes his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field. 1959: Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrives in Washington to begin a goodwill tour of the United States.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrives in Washington to begin a goodwill tour of the United States. 1974: Members of the Symbionese Liberation Army hold up a branch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco; a member of the group is SLA kidnap victim Patricia Hearst.

Members of the Symbionese Liberation Army hold up a branch of the Hibernia Bank in San Francisco; a member of the group is SLA kidnap victim Patricia Hearst. 1985: South Africa says it would repeal laws prohibiting sex and marriage between whites and non-whites.

South Africa says it would repeal laws prohibiting sex and marriage between whites and non-whites. 1989: Students in Beijing launch a series of pro-democracy protests; the demonstrations would culminate in a government crackdown at Tiananmen Square.

Students in Beijing launch a series of pro-democracy protests; the demonstrations would culminate in a government crackdown at Tiananmen Square. 1998: Pol Pot, the notorious leader of the Khmer Rouge, dies at age 72, evading prosecution for the deaths of 2 million Cambodians.

Pol Pot, the notorious leader of the Khmer Rouge, dies at age 72, evading prosecution for the deaths of 2 million Cambodians. 2009: Tens of thousands of protesters stage “tea parties” around the country to tap into the collective angst stirred up by a bad economy, government spending and bailouts.