A Day in the Past

On this day: 14 April

146 things happened on 14 April, from AD 69 to 2023. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 3

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 31

1639 387 years ago

Thirty Years' War: Forces of the Holy Roman Empire and Electorate of Saxony are defeated by the Swedes at the Battle of Chemnitz, ending the military effectiveness of the Saxon army for the rest of the war and allowing the Swedes to advance into Bohemia.

War & peace Find out more: Thirty Years' War (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of”?

    1. 1857
    2. 1983
    3. 1828
    Show the answer

    C: 1828. 1828 — that’s 198 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Let's Dance, English musician David Bowie's best-selling album, was released”?

    1. 1983
    2. 1738
    3. 1904
    Show the answer

    A: 1983. 1983 — that’s 43 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of
    2. Let's Dance, English musician David Bowie's best-selling album, was released
    3. World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, preceding a larger force
    Show the answer

    A: Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of. 1828: Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of · 1983: Let's Dance, English musician David Bowie's best-selling album, was released · 1940: World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, preceding a larger force Find it on the page

  4. “World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, preceding a larger force” happened in 1940. How many years ago was that?

    1. 76 years
    2. 96 years
    3. 86 years
    Show the answer

    C: 86 years. 2026 − 1940 = 86. Find it on the page

Born on this day 38

Famous people whose birthday is 14 April.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 14 April.

Special days 20

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 14 April somewhere in the world.

For older readers 32 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “April 14” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.