On This Day: 14 April

14 April in Indian history

• 2006Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi injure 13 people.India
• 2001Series of bombings at Ramna Park in Dhaka during the Bengali New Year celebrations leave 10 people dead and dozens other injured.India
• 1944The freighter Fort Stikine, carrying cotton bales, gold and ammunition, exploded in the harbour of Bombay, India, sinking surrounding ships and causing about 800 deaths.India

14 April in world history

• 2003The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
• 2002Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military.
• 1994Iraqi 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.
• 1988In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
• 1978Thousands 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.
• 1958The 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 female dog named Laika, who likely lived only a few hours.
• 1945World War II: The German town of Friesoythe was razed by the 4th Canadian Division on the orders of Major General Christopher Vokes.
• 1935Dust Bowl: A severe dust storm swept across Oklahoma and northern Texas, removing an estimated 300 million tons of topsoil from the prairies.
• 1931The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed and King Alfonso XIII goes into exile. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Francesc Macià proclaims the Catalan Republic.
• 1909Following 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.
• 1908Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.
• 1865Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally shot U.S. president Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.
• 1865William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State, and his family are attacked at home by Lewis Powell.
• 1775The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, the first abolition society in North America, is organized in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
• 1471Wars of the Roses: The Yorkists under Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians at the Battle of Barnet, killing Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.

Born on 14 April

• 1940Julie Christie, Indian-English actress and activistIndia
• 1930Arnold Burns, American lawyer and politician, 21st United States Deputy Attorney General (died 2013)
• 1919Shamshad Begum, Pakistani-Indian singer (died 2013)India
• 1891B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (died 1956)India
• 1868Peter Behrens, German architect, designed the AEG turbine factory (died 1940)
• 1819Harriett Ellen Grannis Arey, American educator, author, editor, and publisher (died 1901)

Died on 14 April

• 2013R. P. Goenka, Indian businessman, founded RPG Group (born 1930)India
• 2001Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (born 1939)
• 1963Rahul Sankrityayan, Indian monk and historian (born 1893)India
• 1345Richard de Bury, English bishop and politician, Lord Chancellor of The United Kingdom (born 1287)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 14 April in history?

2006: Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi injure 13 people. 2003: The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%. 2002: Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military. 2001: Series of bombings at Ramna Park in Dhaka during the Bengali New Year celebrations leave 10 people dead and dozens other injured.

What happened on 14 April in Indian history?

2006: Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi injure 13 people. 2001: Series of bombings at Ramna Park in Dhaka during the Bengali New Year celebrations leave 10 people dead and dozens other injured. 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.

Which famous people were born on 14 April?

Julie Christie, Indian-English actress and activist (1940); Arnold Burns, American lawyer and politician, 21st United States Deputy Attorney General (died 2013) (1930); Shamshad Begum, Pakistani-Indian singer (died 2013) (1919); B. R. Ambedkar, Indian economist, jurist, and politician, 1st Indian Minister of Law and Justice (died 1956) (1891).

Which day is observed on 14 April?

Ambedkar Jayanti; Ambedkar Jayanti (India); Bengali New Year (Bangladesh); Black Day (South Korea); Burt Gummer Day.