Historical Events on April 14

  • 1561: Over Nuremberg in Germany, a celestial phenomenon is reported. Some people believe it to be an extraterrestrial battle, while scientists claim it was most likely a Sun Dog.
  • 1639: At the Battle of Chemnitz, Swedish forces defeat Imperial forces. This victory prolongs the 30 Years War.
  • 1715: In South Carolina in the U.S., the Yamasee War starts. This was was between British colonial settlers and various Native American tribes including but not limited to: the Cherokee, Apalachee, Yuchi, Pee Dee, Cape Fear and Yamasee Native American tribes.
  • 1775: The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage is founded. This is the first abolition society established in North America and was founded by Benjamin Rush and Benjamin Franklin.
  • 1828: Noah Webster seeks and obtains a copyright for the 1st edition of his dictionary.
  • 1865: John Wilkes Booth shoot United States’ President Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theater. The President would die the next day.
  • 1865: Lewis Powell attacks United States’ Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family in their home.
  • 1881: In El Paso, Texas, the “4 Dead in 5-Seconds Gunfight” is fought.
  • 1939: The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is published for the first time by Viking Press.
  • 1940: During WWII, Royal Marines land in Namsos in Norway. A larger force arrives 2-days later.
  • 1941: During WWII, German General Erwin Rommel launches an attack against Tobruk.
  • 1958: The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 drops from orbit. It was in space for over 160-days and was the first satellite to carry a live animal – a dog named Laika.

Famous Birthdays on April 14

  • American actor and comedian Brad Garret is born in 1960.
  • American actor Anthony Michael Hall is born in 1968.
  • American actor Adrien Brody is born in 1973.
  • American rapper Da Brat is born in 1974.
  • American actress Abigail Breslin is born in 1996.