The world marks tragic day in history: How the sinking of the Titanic, death of Abraham Lincoln, the Hillsborough disaster, the Notre-Dame blaze and the Boston Marathon bombing all took place on April 15

Today might seem like any other Monday, but, to many, it will bring back memories of horror and tragedy.

For April 15 is the anniversary of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the 2019 Notre-Dame fire.

The Titanic also sank on April 15, 1912 with the loss of more than 1,500 lives, whilst US President Abraham Lincoln was shot dead at the theatre on this day in 1865.

Below, MailOnline delves into the stories of each.

Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, the US President who led his country through the American Civil War, was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865.

Lincoln had been visiting the Ford's Theatre in Washington DC with his wife Mary and companions Major Henry R. Rathbone and Clara Harris when he was attacked.

The president, who was shot in the back of the head, succumbed to his wounds the  following morning.

The assassinations were part of a conspiracy to kill the president, Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H Seward.

Abraham Lincoln had been visiting the Ford's Theatre in Washington DC with his wife Mary and companions Major Henry R. Rathbone and Clara Harris when he was attacked

Lincoln, the US President who led his country through the American Civil War, was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 15, 1865

Booth fled to Garrett's Farmhouse in Virginia, where he was found by soldiers 11 days afterwards. 

After refusing to surrender, he died in a shootout with his would-be captors. 

Booth was a Confederate sympathiser and was also virulently opposed to the abolition of slavery. 

In an attack that took place on the same night as Lincoln's assassination, Seward - who had been injured in an accident a few days before - was targeted at his home.

He was stabbed in the face and neck but survived, whilst Johnson was never attacked.

Lincoln's body lay in state in the White House and then the Capitol Rotunda before it was taken by train to Springfield, Illinois, where it was buried.  

Sinking of the Titanic

At just before midnight on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg while travelling on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.

Within three hours, the ship had slipped beneath the waves of the freezing Atlantic Ocean, killing more than 1,500 people.

At its launch, the luxurious Titanic - the largest ship in the world - was touted as being 'unsinkable' and was carrying some of the planet's wealthiest people. 

Also on board were hundreds of people from Britain, Ireland and elsewhere who were seeking a new life in the United States.

At just before midnight on April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg while travelling on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. Within three hours, the ship had slipped beneath the waves of the freezing Atlantic Ocean, killing more than 1,500 people

The world did not learn of the full horror of the disaster until three days afterwards, when rescue ship the Carpathia made it to New York.

Until then, headlines had proclaimed 'no lives lost', or 'all passengers being taken off'.

Ever since its sinking, the Titanic has remained a subject of enduring global fascination.

The ship's wreck was finally discovered in September 1985 by a team led by US Navy officer Robert Ballard.

Since then, there have been dozens of dives to the site and objects including crockery, shoes and jewellery have been recovered.

However, the dangers of visiting the wreck were brought into sharp focus last year with the deaths of the occupants of the OceanGate Titan submersible.

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush died along with French expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, businessmen Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood, and Mr Dawood's teenage son Suleman.

The five's initial disappearance led to a frantic global rescue operation as searchers hoped they would find them alive in the ocean.

However, after days of searching, a search team found debris from the sub around 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.

Titan had imploded as a result of enormous water pressure bearing down on the vessel - killing everyone on board in what was likely a matter of milliseconds.

Hillsborough disaster

On April 15, 1989, 97 men, women and children were crushed during the FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

A jury concluded in 2016 that the victims were unlawfully killed and said a catalogue of errors by police and ambulance services contributed to their deaths.

South Yorkshire Police built a narrative of lies to evade responsibility for its failures and instead blamed Liverpool fans for the disaster. 

The tragedy - in which more than 700 people were also injured - marked the worst loss of life in British sporting history.

The police commander on the day of the 1989 match, David Duckenfield, was charged with gross negligence manslaughter in 2017, but was cleared in 2019 at a retrial held after the jury in his first trial was unable to reach a verdict.

In 2021, retired officers Donald Denton and Alan Foster and former force solicitor Peter Metcalf, who were accused of amending statements to minimise the blame on South Yorkshire Police, were acquitted of perverting the course of justice after a judge ruled there was no case to answer.

On April 15, 1989, 97 men, women and children were crushed during an FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield

Boston Marathon bombing

On April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs planted by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev exploded at the Boston Marathon.

The attack ultimately claimed the lives of five people. The bombs themselves killed eight-year-old Martin Richard, Lingzi Lu, 23, and Krystle Campbell, 29. 

MIT police officer Sean Collier, 27, was shot dead three days later by the bombers, and Boston cop Dennis Simmonds, 28, died a year after being injured in the manhunt that followed the attack 

On April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs planted by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev exploded at the Boston Marathon

Hundreds more were injured in the initial blasts, including 17 who lost limbs. 

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed when he was run over by his brother as he fled, following a shootout with police.

Dzhokhar, who remains on death row, was captured by police on the same day of his brother's death in the Boston suburb of Watertown, where he was found hiding in a boat parked in a back yard.

He is now being held at a maximum security federal prison in Florence, Colorado.

In 2010, a court overturned his death sentence but this decision was reversed by the US Supreme Court in 2022.  

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed when he was run over by his brother as he fled, following a shootout with police. Dzhokhar, who remains on death row, was captured by police on the same day of his brother's death in the Boston suburb of Watertown

Notre-Dame fire 

On April 15, 2019, Paris's historic Notre-Dame cathedral was ravaged by fire.

The blaze destroyed much of the roof of the 13th century building, although many works of art and relics inside the church were moved to safety before they were consumed by flames.

Investigators later said that the fire was caused either by a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system.  

On April 15, 2019, Paris's historic Notre-Dame cathedral was ravaged by fire. The blaze destroyed much of the roof of the 13th century building, although many works of art and relics inside the church were moved to safety before they were consumed by flames

A remarkable image of the ruined interior of Notre-Dame, with the cross at the altar undamaged

The blaze destroyed much of the roof of the 13th century building, although many works of art and relics inside the church were moved to safety before they were consumed by flames

The construction of the famous cathedral in the heart of the French capital began in 1160 and was not completed until almost a century later.

It was the tallest building of its time, with vaults reaching more than 100feet.

After the fire, French president Emmanuel Macron vowed to faithfully rebuild it.

The cathedral is still undergoing renovation works and is set to re-open at the end of this year. 

Last December, a golden rooster was installed on the cathedral's new spire.