What Happened on April 14 in History?
April 14 is often called "Ruination Day" or the most "cursed" day in history due to a remarkable confluence of major tragedies. It is most notably the date on which President Abraham Lincoln was shot and the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg.
Major Historical Events
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1865): While attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., President Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth. He died the following morning, becoming the first U.S. president to be assassinated.
Titanic Hits Iceberg (1912): At 11:40 p.m., the "unsinkable" RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic during its maiden voyage. The ship sank early the next morning, resulting in over 1,500 deaths.
"Black Sunday" Dust Storm (1935): One of the most devastating storms of the Dust Bowl era swept across the U.S. Midwest, displacing millions of tons of topsoil and turning day into night.
Human Genome Project Completion (2003): Scientists announced the successful completion of the project, having sequenced 99% of the human genome with high accuracy.
Boko Haram Abductions (2014): The terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, sparking the global #BringBackOurGirls movement.
Russian Flagship Moskva Sinks (2022): The Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, sank after being struck by Ukrainian missiles.
Culture, Science, & Sports
Noah Webster’s Dictionary (1828): Noah Webster registered the copyright for the first American Dictionary of the English Language, which introduced thousands of "Americanisms".
Pan-American Day (1890): The first International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C., established the Pan-American Union (now the OAS).
The Grapes of Wrath (1939): John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was first published by Viking Press.
First Presidential Pitch (1910): William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day.
Space Shuttle Columbia Landing (1981): The first operational space shuttle, Columbia, successfully completed its maiden test flight (STS-1).
Notable Births and Deaths
Births: Social reformer B.R. Ambedkar (1891), country legend Loretta Lynn (1932), baseball's Pete Rose (1941), and actor Adrien Brody (1973).
Deaths: Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (1759), existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir (1986), and Ponzi scheme operator Bernie Madoff (2021).
