April 14Birthdays & History

On this day: April 14 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 43 BCLegions loyal to the Roman Senate, commanded by Gaius Pansa, defeat the forces of Mark Antony in the Battle of Forum Gallorum.Europe
2. 69Vitellius, commanding Rhine-based armies, defeats Roman emperor Otho in the First Battle of Bedriacum to take power over Rome.Europe
3. 966Following his marriage to the Christian Doubravka of Bohemia, the pagan ruler of the Polans, Mieszko I, converts to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.Europe
4. 972Otto II, Co-Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, marries Byzantine princess Theophanu. She is crowned empress by Pope John XIII in Rome the same day.Europe
5. 1205Combined Bulgarian and Cuman army under Kalojan ambushes and defeats forces of the Latin Empire of Constantinople in the Battle of Adrianople.EuropeMiddle East
6. 1395Tokhtamysh–Timur war: At the Battle of the Terek River, Timur defeats the army of the Golden Horde, beginning the khanate's permanent military decline.Europe
7. 1471In England, the Yorkists under Edward IV defeat the Lancastrians under the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Barnet; the Earl is killed and Edward resumes the throne.Europe
8. 1561A celestial phenomenon is reported over Nuremberg, described as an aerial battle.Europe
9. 1639Thirty Years' War: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Electorate of Saxony are defeated by the Swedes at the Battle of Chemnitz, ending the military effectiveness of the Saxon army for the rest of the war and allowing the Swedes to advance into Bohemia.Europe
10. 1775The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, the first abolition society in North America, is organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.North America
11. 1793The French troops led by Léger-Félicité Sonthonax defeat the slaves settlers in the Siege of Port-au-Prince.Europe
12. 1816Bussa, a slave in British-ruled Barbados, leads a slave rebellion, for which he is remembered as the country's first national hero.EuropeLatin America
13. 1849Hungary declares itself independent of Austria with Lajos Kossuth as its leader.Europe
14. 1858The 1858 Christiania fire severely destroys several city blocks near Stortorvet in Christiania, Norway, and about 1,000 people lose their homes.Europe
15. 1865William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State, and his family are attacked at home by Lewis Powell.North America
16. 1865U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth; Lincoln dies the following day.North America
17. 1881The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight occurs in El Paso, Texas.North America
18. 1890The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.North America
19. 1894The first ever commercial motion picture house opens in New York City, United States. It uses ten Kinetoscopes, devices for peep-show viewing of films.North America
20. 1895The 1895 Ljubljana earthquake, both the most and last destructive earthquake in the area, occurs.Europe
21. 1900The world's fair Exposition Universelle opens in Paris.Europe
22. 1906The first meeting of the Azusa Street Revival, which will launch Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement, is held in Los Angeles.North America
23. 1908Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.North America
24. 1909Muslims in the Ottoman Empire begin a massacre of Armenians in Adana.Middle East
25. 1912The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic and begins to sink.Europe
26. 1929The inaugural Monaco Grand Prix takes place in the Principality of Monaco. William Grover-Williams wins driving a Bugatti Type 35.Europe
27. 1931The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed and King Alfonso XIII goes into exile. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Francesc Macià proclaims the Catalan Republic.Europe
28. 1935The Black Sunday dust storm, considered one of the worst storms of the Dust Bowl, sweeps across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and neighboring areas.North America
29. 1940World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, preceding a larger force which will arrive two days later.Europe
30. 1941World War II: German and Italian forces attack Tobruk, Libya.EuropeAfrica
31. 1945World War II: In what becomes known as the Razing of Friesoythe, the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division deliberately destroys the German town of Friesoythe on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.North AmericaEurope
32. 1958The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days. This was the first spacecraft to carry a living animal, a female dog named Laika, who likely lived only a few hours.Europe
33. 1967Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrows Nicolas Grunitzky and installs himself as the new President of Togo, a title he will hold for the next 38 years.Africa
34. 1978Tbilisi demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.Europe
35. 1979The Progressive Alliance of Liberia stages a protest, without a permit, against an increase in rice prices proposed by the government, with clashes between protestors and the police resulting in over 70 deaths and over 500 injuries.Africa
36. 1981STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia, completes its first test flight.North America
37. 1986The heaviest hailstones ever recorded, each weighing 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.Asia
38. 1988In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.EuropeAsia
39. 1988The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.Middle East
40. 1991The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President following its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.Europe
41. 1994In a friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two U.S. Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two U.S. Army helicopters, killing 26 people.Middle EastNorth America
42. 1997Pai Hsiao-yen, daughter of Taiwanese artiste Pai Bing-bing, is kidnapped on her way to school, preceding her murder.Asia
43. 1999NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees. Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.Europe
44. 1999A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.Oceania
45. 2001Series of bombings at Ramna Park in Dhaka during the Bengali New Year celebrations leave 10 people dead and dozens other injured.Asia
46. 2002Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military.Latin America
47. 2003U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner MS Achille Lauro in 1985.North AmericaMiddle East
48. 2003The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.World
49. 2005The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.North America
50. 2006Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi injure 13 people.Asia
51. 2014Boko Haram abducts 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria.Africa
52. 2014Two bombs detonate at a bus station in Nyanya, Nigeria, killing at least 88 people and injuring hundreds. Boko Haram claims responsibility.Africa
53. 2016The foreshock of a major earthquake occurs in Kumamoto, Japan.Asia
54. 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Russian warship Moskva is struck by two anti-ship missiles and sinks into the Black Sea.Europe
55. 2023The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the European Space Agency.Europe
56. 2024Flooding in the Persian Gulf starts, killing 19 in Oman.Middle East

Source: Wikipedia "April 14" / CC BY-SA 4.0