Historical events on April 14

APRIL 14, 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.
The 31 March incident was an uprising in the Ottoman Empire in April 1909, during the Second Constitutional Era. The incident broke Read More
APRIL 14, 1945
World War II: The German town of Friesoythe was razed by the 4th Canadian Division on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all Read More
APRIL 14, 1999
A storm dropped around 500,000 tonnes of hailstones on Sydney (examples pictured) and the east coast of New South Wales, causing about A$2.3 billion in damages, the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history.
The 1999 Sydney hailstorm was the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history, causing extensive damage along the east coast of New Read More
APRIL 14, 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.
Fort Stikine was a British Fort ship which was built in Canada in 1942. Owned by the American War Shipping Administration, she Read More
APRIL 14, 2010
Nearly 2,700 people were killed in an earthquake registering 6.9 Mw in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China.
The 2010 Yushu earthquake struck on April 14 and registered a magnitude of 6.9 Mw or 7.1 Ms. It originated in Yushu, Read More
APRIL 14, 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" (audio featured).
Apollo 13 was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and would have been the third Moon landing. The craft Read More
APRIL 14, 966
Polish ruler Mieszko I converted to Christianity, an event considered to be the founding of the Polish state.
Mieszko I was Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified Polish state, Read More
APRIL 14, 1828
Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of American English
Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines:Practical lexicography is Read More
APRIL 14, 2014
Boko Haram militants kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from a government secondary school in the town of Chibok, Nigeria.
Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also Read More
APRIL 14, 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.
On 14 April 1978, demonstrations in Tbilisi, capital of the Georgian SSR, took place in response to an attempt by the Soviet Read More
APRIL 14, 1471
Wars of the Roses: The Yorkists under Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Barnet, killing Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed Read More
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.
The War of Mutina was a civil war between the Roman Senate and Mark Antony in Northern Italy. It was the first Read More
APRIL 14, 1865
Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally shot U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or the South, was an unrecognized Read More
APRIL 14, 1967
After leading a military coup three months earlier, Gnassingbé Eyadéma installed himself as President of Togo, a post that he held until 2005.
Gnassingbé Eyadéma was a Togolese military officer and politician who served as the third president of Togo from 1967 until his death Read More
APRIL 14, 1935
Dust Bowl: A severe dust storm swept across Oklahoma and northern Texas, removing an estimated 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairies.
The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian Read More
APRIL 14, 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.
Between March and June 2010 a series of volcanic events at Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland caused enormous disruption to air travel across Western Europe. (Image Credits)
APRIL 14, 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.
The Iraqi no-fly zones conflict was a low-level conflict in the two no-fly zones (NFZs) in Iraq that were proclaimed by the Read More
APRIL 14, 1908
The first Hauser Dam in the U.S. state of Montana failed, causing severe flooding and damage downstream.
Hauser Dam is a hydroelectric straight gravity dam on the Missouri River about 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Helena, Montana, in the Read More

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