# On this day: April 14

April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years), with 261 days left until the end of the year.

## April 14 in one line

Headline entries for April 14, from Wikipedia: in 1865, Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally shot U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C; born 1891: B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (died 1956); died 1986: Simone de Beauvoir, French novelist and philosopher (born 1908). In 2026 it is a Tuesday, in 2027 a Wednesday.

## Events on April 14

- 43 BC War of Mutina: Despite initial success, troops loyal to Mark Antony were defeated near the Via Aemilia in northern Italy by legions loyal to the Roman Senate. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Senate)
- 966 Mieszko I, the ruler of Poland, converted to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_Poland)
- 1471 Wars of the Roses: The Yorkists under Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Barnet, killing Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barnet)
- 1828 Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of American English [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah_Webster)
- 1865 Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally shot U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln)
- 1906 The Azusa Street Revival, the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century, opened in Los Angeles. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azusa_Street_Revival)
- 1908 The first Hauser Dam in the U.S. state of Montana failed, causing severe flooding and damage downstream. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauser_Dam)
- 1909 Following a reactionary military revolt against the Committee of Union and Progress, a mob began a massacre of Armenian Christians in the Adana Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adana_massacre)
- 1912 The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic and begins to sink. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic)
- 1931 After King Alfonso XIII left Spain, the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed by a provisional government led by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Spanish_Republic)
- 1935 Dust Bowl: A severe dust storm swept across Oklahoma and northern Texas, removing an estimated 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairies. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sunday_(storm))
- 1944 The freighter Fort Stikine, carrying cotton bales, gold and ammunition, exploded in the harbour of Bombay, India, sinking surrounding ships and causing about 800 deaths. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Fort_Stikine)
- 1945 World War II: The German town of Friesoythe was razed by the 4th Canadian Division on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razing_of_Friesoythe)
- 1967 After leading a military coup three months earlier, Gnassingbé Eyadéma installed himself as President of Togo, a post that he held until 2005. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnassingb%C3%A9_Eyad%C3%A9ma)
- 1970 After an oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 exploded, disabling the spacecraft's electrical and life-support systems, astronaut Jack Swigert reported: "Houston, we've had a problem here". [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13)
- 1978 Thousands of Georgians demonstrated in Tbilisi against an attempt by the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_Georgian_demonstrations)
- 1983 Let's Dance, English musician David Bowie's best-selling album, was released. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let's_Dance_(David_Bowie_album))
- 1994 Iraqi no-fly zones conflict: In a friendly-fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort, two U.S. Air Force aircraft mistakenly shot down two U.S. Army helicopters over northern Iraq, killing 26 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Black_Hawk_shootdown_incident)
- 1999 A storm dropped around 500,000 tonnes of hailstones on Sydney and the east coast of New South Wales, causing about A$2.3 billion in damages, the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Sydney_hailstorm)
- 2002 Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez)
- 2005 The Oregon Supreme Court nullified marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Oregon)
- 2010 Plumes of ash from a major eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland led to widespread disruption of air travel throughout Europe for several days. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_travel_disruption_after_the_2010_Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull_eruption)
- 2010 Nearly 2,700 people were killed in an earthquake registering 6.9 Mw in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Yushu_earthquake)
- 2015 Western Kentucky University announced a five-year suspension of their swimming and diving programs as a result of a hazing scandal. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Kentucky_University_swim_team_hazing_scandal)
- 2023 The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the European Space Agency. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Explorer)
- 2024 Flooding in the Persian Gulf began, killing 19 in Oman. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Persian_Gulf_floods)

## Born on April 14

- 1126 Averroes, Andalusian Arab physician and philosopher (died 1198) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Averroes)
- 1527 Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (died 1598) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Ortelius)
- 1578 Philip III of Spain (died 1621) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_III_of_Spain)
- 1629 Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (died 1695) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Huygens)
- 1868 Peter Behrens, German architect, designed the AEG turbine factory (died 1940) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Behrens)
- 1882 Moritz Schlick, German-Austrian physicist and philosopher (died 1936) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritz_Schlick)
- 1889 Arnold J. Toynbee, English historian and academic (died 1975) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_J._Toynbee)
- 1891 B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (died 1956) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._R._Ambedkar)
- 1904 John Gielgud, English actor, director, and producer (died 2000) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gielgud)
- 1906 Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (died 1975) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faisal_of_Saudi_Arabia)
- 1907 François Duvalier, Haitian physician and politician, 40th President of Haiti (died 1971) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Duvalier)
- 1912 Robert Doisneau, French photographer and journalist (died 1994) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Doisneau)
- 1921 Thomas Schelling, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2016) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Schelling)
- 1925 Rod Steiger, American soldier and actor (died 2002) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Steiger)
- 1927 Alan MacDiarmid, New Zealand chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2007) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_MacDiarmid)
- 1935 Erich von Däniken, Swiss pseudohistorian and author (died 2026) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken)
- 1940 Julie Christie, Indian-English actress and activist [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Christie)
- 1945 Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist and songwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritchie_Blackmore)
- 1973 Adrien Brody, American actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrien_Brody)
- 1973 Roberto Ayala, Argentinian footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Ayala)
- 1977 Sarah Michelle Gellar, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Michelle_Gellar)
- 1996 Abigail Breslin, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Breslin)

## Died on April 14

- 911 Pope Sergius III, pope of the Roman Catholic Church [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sergius_III)
- 1759 George Frideric Handel, German-English organist and composer (born 1685) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Frideric_Handel)
- 1917 L. L. Zamenhof, Polish physician and linguist, created Esperanto (born 1859) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._L._Zamenhof)
- 1925 John Singer Sargent, American painter (born 1856) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent)
- 1930 Vladimir Mayakovsky, Georgian-Russian actor, playwright, and poet (born 1893) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Mayakovsky)
- 1935 Emmy Noether, German-American mathematician and academic (born 1882) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Noether)
- 1950 Ramana Maharshi, Indian guru and philosopher (born 1879) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramana_Maharshi)
- 1964 Rachel Carson, American biologist and author (born 1907) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson)
- 1975 Fredric March, American actor (born 1897) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredric_March)
- 1983 Gianni Rodari, Italian journalist and author (born 1920) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Rodari)
- 1986 Simone de Beauvoir, French novelist and philosopher (born 1908) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_de_Beauvoir)
- 2009 Maurice Druon, French author (born 1918) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Druon)
- 2021 Bernie Madoff, American mastermind of the world's largest Ponzi scheme (born 1938) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Madoff)
- 2025 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysian civil servant and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia (born 1939) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Ahmad_Badawi)

## Holidays and observances

- Ambedkar Jayanti (India) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambedkar_Jayanti)
- Bengali New Year (Bangladesh) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pohela_Boishakh)
- Black Day (South Korea) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Day_(South_Korea))
- Burt Gummer Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tremors:_Shrieker_Island)
- Cake and Cunnilingus Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake_and_Cunnilingus_Day)
- Christian feast day: Anthony, John, and Eustathius [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony%2C_John%2C_and_Eustathius)
- Christian feast day: Bénézet [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9n%C3%A9zet)
- Christian feast day: Henry Beard Delany (U.S. Episcopal Church) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Beard_Delany)
- Christian feast day: Domnina of Terni [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domnina_of_Terni)
- Christian feast day: Lidwina [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidwina)
- Christian feast day: Peter González [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gonz%C3%A1lez)
- Christian feast day: Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiburtius%2C_Valerian%2C_and_Maximus)
- Christian feast day: April 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_14_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Iraq)
- Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mologa)
- Day of the Georgian language (Georgia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_Georgian_demonstrations)
- Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldivian_language)
- N'Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N'Ko_script)
- Pan American Day (several countries in the Americas) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_American_Day)
- Takayama Spring Festival begins (Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takayama_Festival)
- Vaisakhi (Since 2011) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaisakhi)
- Youth Day (Angola) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Angola)
- World Quantum Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Quantum_Day)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “April 14”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_14) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/April 14”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_14) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“April 14”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_14) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_14?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 14 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## April 14 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Tuesday | 2026-W16 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2027 | Wednesday | 2027-W15 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2028 | Friday | 2028-W15 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2029 | Saturday | 2029-W15 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Sunday | 2030-W15 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on April 14

- [🇮🇳 India](https://whathappen.today/holidays/india/): Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's Birthday (2026 and 2027)

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← April 13](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-13/) · [April 15 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-15/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

---

Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-14/