April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 261 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 43 BC Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, who is killed.
- 69 Vitellius, commander of the Rhine armies, defeats Emperor Otho in the Battle of Bedriacum and seizes the throne.
- 966 Christianisation of Poland
- 1028 Henry III, son of Conrad, is elected king of the Germans.
- 1205 Battle of Adrianople between Bulgarians and Crusaders.
- 1341 Sack of Saluzzo (Italy) by Italian-Angevine troops under Manfred V of Saluzzo.
- 1434 The foundation stone of Cathedral St. Peter and St. Paul in Nantes, France is laid.
- 1471 In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeat the Lancastrians under Warwick at the battle of Barnet; the Earl of Warwick is killed and Edward IV resumes the throne.
- 1699 Khalsa: Birth of Khalsa, the brotherhood of the Sikh religion, in Northern India in accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar.
- 1775 The first abolition society in North America is established. The "Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage" is organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
- 1828 Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.
- 1831 Soldiers marching on a bridge in Manchester, England cause it to collapse.
- 1846 The Donner Party of pioneers departs Springfield, Illinois, for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship, cannibalism, and survival.
- 1849 Hungary declares itself independent of Austria with Louis Kossuth as its leader.
- 1860 The first Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California.
- 1864 Battle of Dybbψl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.
- 1865 U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth.
- 1865 U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked in his home by Lewis Powell.
- 1881 The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight erupts in El Paso, Texas.
- 1890 The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.
- 1894 Thomas Edison demonstrates the kinetoscope, a device for peep-show viewing using photographs that flip in sequence, a precursor to movies.
- 1912 The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg at 11.35pm in the North Atlantic, and sinks the following morning with the loss of 1,517 lives.
- 1915 The Turks invade Armenia.
- 1927 The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- 1931 Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the 2nd Spanish Republic.
- 1935 "Black Sunday (storm)", the worst dust storm of the U.S. Dust Bowl.
- 1940 World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
- 1941 World War II: The Ustashe, a Croatian far-right organization is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis Powers after the Axis Operation 25 invasion. In addition, Rommel attacks Tobruk.
- 1944 Bombay Explosion (1944): A massive explosion in the Bombay harbor kills 300 causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
- 1945 Osijek, Croatia, is liberated from fascist occupation.
- 1956 In Chicago, Illinois, videotape is first demonstrated.
- 1958 The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days.
- 1968 At the U.S. Academy Awards, a tie for the Academy Award for Best Actress is achieved by Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand.
- 1978 1978 Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
- 1981 STS-1 The first operational space shuttle, Columbia (OV-102) completes its first test flight.
- 1986 In retaliation for the April 5 bombing in West Berlin that killed two U.S. servicemen, U.S. president Ronald Reagan orders major bombing raids against Libya, killing 60 people.
- 1986 1 kg (2.2 pound) hailstones fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92. These are the heaviest hailstones ever recorded.
- 1988 The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.
- 1988 In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
- 1994 In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
- 1999 NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees Yugoslav officials say 75 people are killed.
- 1999 A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$1.7 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.
- 2000 Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich files a lawsuit against P2P sharing phenomenon Napster. This law-suit eventually leads the movement against file-sharing programs.
- 2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military.
- 2003 The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
- 2003 U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the Achille Lauro in 1985.
- 2005 The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
- 2007 At least 200,000 demonstrators in Ankara, Turkey protest against the possible candidacy of incumbent Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
[edit] Births
- 1336 Emperor Go-Kōgon of Japan (d. 1374)
- 1572 Adam Tanner, Austrian mathematician (d. 1632)
- 1578 King Philip III of Spain (d. 1621)
- 1629 Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician (d. 1695)
- 1668 Magnus Julius De la Gardie, Swedish General (d. 1741)
- 1714 Adam Gib, Scottish religious leader (d. 1788)
- 1738 William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1809)
- 1741 Emperor Momozono of Japan (d. 1762)
- 1773 Jean-Baptiste de Villθle, French statesman (d. 1854)
- 1788 David G. Burnet, interim president of the Republic of Texas (d. 1870)
- 1818 Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, queen of Hanover (d. 1909)
- 1827 Augustus Pitt Rivers, English archaeologist (d. 1900)
- 1857 Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, Youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Prince Consort (d. 1944)
- 1866 Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher (d. 1936)
- 1868 Peter Behrens, German architect (d. 1940)
- 1870 Victor Borisov-Musatov, Russian painter (d. 1905)
- 1870 Syd Gregory, Australian cricketer (d. 1929)
- 1872 Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born Islamic scholar and translator (d. 1953)
- 1882 Moritz Schlick, Austrian philosopher, (d. 1936)
- 1886 Ernst Robert Curtius, Alsatian philologist (d. 1956)
- 1891 B. R. Ambedkar, Indian jurist (d. 1956)
- 1892 Vere Gordon Childe, Australian philologist (d. 1957)
- 1897 Claire Windsor, American actress (d. 1972)
- 1902 Sylvio Mantha, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1974)
- 1904 Sir John Gielgud, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1905 Elizabeth Huckaby, American educator (d. 1999)
- 1907 Franηois Duvalier, Haitian politician (d. 1971)
- 1917 Marvin Miller, American labor activist
- 1917 Valerie Hobson, British actress (d. 1998)
- 1921 Thomas Schelling, American economist, Nobel laureate
- 1923 Roberto DeVicenzo, Argentine golf player
- 1924 Shorty Rogers, American jazz musician (d. 1994)
- 1925 Gene Ammons, American jazz saxophonist (d. 1974)
- 1925 Abel Muzorewa, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
- 1925 Rod Steiger, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1926 Frank Daniel, Czech-born writer, director and teacher (d. 1996)
- 1926 Liz Renay, American actress (d. 2007)
- 1927 Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2007)
- 1927 Dany Robin, French actress (d. 1995)
- 1929 Gerry Anderson, English television producer
- 1930 Bradford Dillman, American actor
- 1931 Paul Masnick, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1932 Bob Grant, English actor (d. 2003)
- 1934 Fredric Jameson, American philosopher, cultural theorist
- 1934 Loretta Lynn, American singer/songwriter
- 1935 Erich von Dδniken, Swiss writer
- 1936 Kenneth Mars, American actor
- 1936 Frank Serpico, American policeman
- 1936 Bobby Nichols, American professional golfer
- 1941 Julie Christie, British actress
- 1941 Pete Rose, American baseball player
- 1942 Valentin Lebedev, Russian cosmonaut
- 1942 Bjφrn Rosengren, Swedish politician
- 1945 Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist
- 1945 Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi, 8th Prime Minister of Samoa
- 1948 Anastasios Papaligouras, Greek lawyer and politician
- 1949 DeAnne Julius, American/English economist
- 1949 John Shea, American actor
- 1950 Francis Collins, American scientist
- 1951 Julian Lloyd Webber, English cellist
- 1952 Mickey O'Sullivan, Irish sportsman
- 1953 David Buss, Evolutionary psychologist
- 1954 Bruce Sterling, American science fiction author
- 1957 Lothaire Bluteau, Canadian actor
- 1957 Richard Jeni, American comedian (d. 2007)
- 1957 Mikhail Pletnev, Russian pianist, conductor and composer
- 1958 John D'Aquino, American actor
- 1960 Brad Garrett, American actor
- 1961 Robert Carlyle, British actor
- 1964 Greg Battle, Canadian Football League player
- 1965 Tom Dey, American film director
- 1966 David Justice, American baseball player
- 1966 Greg Maddux, American baseball player
- 1966 Andrι Boisclair, Quebec politician (Parti Quιbιcois)
- 1967 Barrett Martin, American drummer and composer
- 1967 Nicola Berti, Italian International footballer
- 1967 Alain Cτtι, French Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968 Anthony Michael Hall, American actor
- 1969 Brad Ausmus, American baseball player
- 1969 Vebjψrn Selbekk, Norwegian journalist
- 1969 Martyn LeNoble, Dutch musician
- 1969 Mark Macon, American basketball player
- 1970 Shizuka Kudō, Japanese singer
- 1970 Emre Altuğ, Turkish singer
- 1971 Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer
- 1971 Peter Gibson, American writer
- 1971 Gregg Zaun, American baseball player
- 1972 Paul Devlin, England-born Scottish footballer
- 1972 Roberto Mejia, Dominican baseball player
- 1973 Roberto Ayala, Argentine footballer
- 1973 Adrien Brody, American actor
- 1973 David Miller, American tenor (Il Divo)
- 1974 Shawntae Harris, American rapper
- 1975 Amy Dumas, American professional wrestler
- 1975 Veronika Zemanovα, Czech model
- 1975 Avner Dorman, Israeli composer
- 1975 Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1976 Anna DeForge, American basketball player
- 1976 Jason Wiemer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 Kyle Farnsworth, American baseball player
- 1976 Christian Δlvestam, Swedish musician (Scar Symmetry)
- 1977 Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress
- 1978 JMR, American musician
- 1978 Paul O'Brien, Australian actor
- 1979 Rebecca DiPietro, American model
- 1979 Randal McCloy, Survivor of the Sago Mine Disaster
- 1979 Noι Pamarot, French footballer
- 1980 Ben Wells, American actor
- 1980 Win Butler, American/Canadian musician (Arcade Fire)
- 1983 James McFadden, Scottish footballer
- 1983 William Yaw Obeng, Arena Football League lineman
- 1983 Nikoloz Tskitishvili, American basketball player
- 1984 Adαn Sαnchez, Mexican-American singer (d. 2004)
- 1984 Tyler Thigpen, American football player
- 1986 Matt Derbyshire, English footballer
- 1986 Anne Watanabe, Japanese model
- 1986 Todd Gilles, American ice dancer
- 1993 Vivien Cardone, an American actress
- 1993 Graham Phillips (actor), American actor
- 1996 Abigail Breslin, American child actress
[edit] Deaths
- 1132 Mstislav of Kiev (b. 1076).
- 1279 Boleslaus of Greater Poland.
- 1322 Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Lord Badlesmere, English soldier (b. 1275).
- 1345 Richard Aungerville, English bishop and writer (b. 1287).
- 1471 Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, English kingmaker (b. 1428).
- 1574 Louis of Nassau, Dutch general (killed in battle) (b. 1538).
- 1578 James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, consort of Mary I of Scotland.
- 1599 Henry Wallop, English statesman.
- 1662 William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele, English statesman (b. 1582).
- 1682 Avvakum, Russian priest and writer (b. 1621).
- 1716 Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, British admiral.
- 1721 Michel Chamillart, French statesman (b. 1652).
- 1759 George Frideric Handel, German composer (b. 1685).
- 1785 William Whitehead, English writer (b. 1715).
- 1792 Maximilian Hell, Hungarian astronomer (b. 1720).
- 1864 Charles Lot Church, Nova Scotia politician (b. 1777).
- 1910 Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (b. 1856).
- 1911 Addie Joss, American baseball player (b. 1880).
- 1911 Henri Elzιar Taschereau, French Canadian jurist and Chief Justice of Canada (b. 1836).
- 1912 Henri Brisson, French statesman (b. 1835).
- 1914 Hubert Bland, English co-founder of the Fabian Society (b. 1855).
- 1917 Ludovich Lazarus Zamenhof, Polish creator of Esperanto (b. 1859).
- 1925 John Singer Sargent, English artist (b. 1856).
- 1930 Vladimir Mayakovsky, Russian writer (b. 1893).
- 1935 Amalie Emmy Noether, German mathematician (b. 1882).
- 1941 Guillermo Kahlo, father of Frida Kahlo (b. 1871).
- 1950 Sri Ramana Maharshi, Indian philosopher (b. 1879).
- 1964 Tatyana Alexeyevna Afanasyeva, Russian/Dutch mathematician (b. 1876).
- 1964 Rachel Carson, American environmentalist (b. 1907).
- 1968 Al Benton, American baseball player (b. 1911).
- 1975 Fredric March, American actor (b. 1897).
- 1976 Josι Revueltas, Mexican writer (b. 1914).
- 1983 Pete Farndon, English bassist (The Pretenders) (b. 1952).
- 1984 Dionisis Papagiannopoulos, Greek actor (b. 1912).
- 1985 Noele Gordon, English actress (b. 1919).
- 1986 Simone de Beauvoir, French feminist writer (b. 1908).
- 1988 John Stonehouse, British politician (b. 1925).
- 1990 Thurston Harris, American singer (b. 1931).
- 1992 Bertram Vere Dean, Brother of Milvina Dean (Last Titanic Survivor) (b. 1910).
- 1994 Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, Pakistani scientist and scholar (b. 1897).
- 1995 Burl Ives, American singer and actor (b. 1909).
- 1999 Ellen Corby, American actress (b. 1911).
- 1999 Anthony Newley, British actor and singer (b. 1931).
- 2000 Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player (b. 1910).
- 2000 Phil Katz, American computer programmer (b. 1962).
- 2000 Wilf Mannion, English footballer (b. 1918).
- 2001 Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japanese director (b. 1927).
- 2001 Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (b. 1939).
- 2004 Micheline Charest, French Canadian television producer (b. 1953).
- 2006 Mahmut Bakalli, Kosovo politician (b. 1936).
- 2007 June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author and social activist (b. 1924).
- 2007 Don Ho, American musician (b. 1930).
- 2008 Tommy Holmes, American baseball player (b. 1918).
- 2008 Ollie Johnston, the last living member of Disney's Nine Old Men. (b. 1912).
- 2008 Miguel Galvan, Mexican actor/comedian. (b. 1957).
[edit] Holidays and observances
- Astrological New Year (sidereal equinox)- celebrated as new year in South and South East Asia. Namely by Bengalis, Burmese, Cambodians, Laotians, Malayalees, Nepalese (Vaishak Ek) Punjabis, Sinhalese, Tamils, Thais and Tuluvas.
- N'Ko Alphabet Day the anniversary of the day the N'Ko alphabet was completed in 1949.
- Black Day Informal celebration day for single people in South Korea.
- Youth Day in Angola.
- Mologa Day in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia.
- Day of the Georgian language in Georgia.
- Ambedkar Jayanti in India.
- Vaisakhi in India.
- Rongali Bihu in Assam, India.
- Bisu as Tulu New Year in Coastal Karnataka.