April 14 Historical Events

The following events took place on April 14. The list is arranged in chronological order.

Found 61 events. Showing 31 - 60.

• 1931
  The Spanish Cortes deposes King Alfonso XIII and proclaims the Second Spanish Republic.
• 1931
  First edition of The Highway Code published in Great Britain.
• 1935
  “Black Sunday Storm”, the worst dust storm of the U.S. Dust Bowl.
• 1939
  The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press.
• 1940
  World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
• 1941
  World War II: German general Erwin Rommel attacks Tobruk.
• 1942
  Malta receives the George Cross for its gallantry. The George Cross was given by King George VI himself and is now an emblem on the Maltese national flag.
• 1944
  Bombay Explosion: A massive explosion in Bombay harbor kills 300 and causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
• 1945
  Osijek, Croatia, is liberated from fascist occupation.
• 1956
  In Chicago, videotape is first demonstrated.
• 1958
  The 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 dog named Laika. The female dog likely lived only a few hours.
• 1967
  Gnassingbé Eyadéma overthrows President of Togo Nicolas Grunitzky and installs himself as the new president, a title he would hold for the next 38 years.
• 1968
  At the U.S. Academy Awards there is a tie for the Academy Award for Best Actress between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand.
• 1978
  Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
• 1981
  STS-1: The first operational Space Shuttle, Columbia completes its first test flight.

• 1986
  In retaliation for the April 5 bombing in West Berlin that killed two U.S. servicemen, U.S. president Ronald Reagan orders major bombing raids against Libya, killing 60 people.
• 1986
  The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1 kg) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.
• 1988
  The USS Samuel B. Roberts strikes a mine in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will.
• 1988
  In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
• 1991
  The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
• 1994
  In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
• 1999
  NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees. Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.
• 1999
  A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian history.
• 2002
  Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country’s military.
• 2003
  The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
• 2003
  U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
• 2005
  The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
• 2007
  At least 200,000 demonstrators in Ankara, Turkey, protest against the possible candidacy of incumbent Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
• 2010
  Nearly 2,700 are killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai, China.
• 2014
  Twin bomb blasts in Abuja, Nigeria, kill at least 75 people and injures 141 others.