What Happened on April 14

Washington City News

1865 — President Lincoln Shot at Ford's Theatre

The President lies wounded at the Petersen House after being shot at Ford's Theatre by actor John Wilkes Booth, who escaped on horseback.

WASHINGTON, April 14 — President Abraham Lincoln was shot this evening at Ford's Theatre, in the presence of his wife and a crowded house, and now lies at the Petersen House, opposite the theatre, in a condition that leaves little hope of his recovery. The assassin, a man well known to many in the audience as the actor John Wilkes Booth, a zealous sympathizer with the rebellion, discharged a pistol at the President from behind, the ball entering the back of his head, and then, leaping upon the stage, escaped by a rear passage, mounted a horse, and rode off in the darkness toward Southern Maryland.

The President was watching the comedy "Our American Cousin," and the shot was fired at a moment when the merriment of the audience drowned the report of the weapon. So sudden and complete was the surprise that the assassin was gone before the full horror of the deed was comprehended. The wounded President was borne across the street to the house of a Mr. Petersen, where the most skilful surgeons in the city are in attendance upon him. It is feared that the wound is mortal, and the most painful anxiety pervades the community.

This fiendish act is but a part of a more extensive conspiracy, it is believed. The same evening, an attack was made upon Secretary Seward at his residence, and a plot against Vice President Johnson has been discovered.

• Booth shot Lincoln once in the back of the head at Ford's Theatre while Lincoln watched the play 'Our American Cousin'.
• Lincoln was taken to the Petersen House across the street from Ford's Theatre, where he died the next morning on April 15, 1865.
• Booth fled on horseback to Southern Maryland and was tracked down 12 days later at a farm in rural Virginia.
• Union soldier Boston Corbett fatally shot Booth in the neck after authorities set the barn ablaze where Booth was hiding.
• Booth and his conspirators originally plotted to kidnap Lincoln but later decided to assassinate him, Vice President Johnson, and Secretary Seward.

Space Desk

1970 — Swigert's Call: 'Houston, We've Had a Problem'

At 200,000 miles out, an oxygen tank explosion cripples Apollo 13, forcing the crew into the lunar module for survival.

HOUSTON, April 14 — The crackle of a voice from 200,000 miles out, calm and flat: "Houston, we've had a problem here." That was Jack Swigert, the command module pilot of Apollo 13, reporting the explosion of an oxygen tank in the service module two days into the mission. The blast knocked out the spacecraft's electrical and life-support systems, and the three-man crew — Lovell, Haise, and Swigert — have moved into the lunar module, which now serves as a lifeboat for the long journey back.

Mission Control has improvised procedures for a spacecraft designed for two men for two days to support three men for four. The crew has rigged the command module's carbon dioxide scrubber cartridges to work in the lunar module, a patch job that has so far kept the air breathable. Tens of millions of Americans watched the splashdown in the South Pacific on television, a recovery that will be studied for years. An investigative review board has already found fault with preflight testing of the oxygen tank and the Teflon placed inside it. The command module, Odyssey, which carried the crew home, returns to Earth with its own story to tell.

• Jack Swigert, the command module pilot, reported the explosion of an oxygen tank in the service module two days into the mission.
• The explosion disabled the service module's electrical and life-support systems, forcing the crew to use the lunar module as a lifeboat.
• Mission Control improvised procedures for the lunar module, designed for two men for two days, to support three men for four days.
• The crew and mission controllers successfully adapted command module carbon dioxide scrubber cartridges to work in the lunar module.
• Tens of millions watched the splashdown of Apollo 13 in the South Pacific Ocean on television.

Europe Desk

2010 — Icelandic Ash Clouds Ground Europe's Air Travel

Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull shuts down northern skies — over 95,000 flights cancelled, losses of €148 million a day

LONDON, April 14 — Europe's skies have fallen silent, and the cause is a volcano in Iceland. The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull has sent a plume of ash 9 km (30,000 ft) into the air, forcing the cancellation of more than 95,000 flights across the continent in a six-day airspace ban. The International Air Transport Association estimates the airline industry is losing €148 million (US$200 million) a day. (IMAGE) The ash cloud, a vast grey curtain stretching across northern Europe, has grounded everything from transatlantic jumbos to short-haul commuters. The state funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczyński on 18 April was disrupted, with leaders including Barack Obama and Angela Merkel unable to attend.

• The eruption on 14 April 2010 led to an initial uninterrupted shutdown over much of northern Europe from 15 to 23 April.
• Over 95,000 flights were cancelled across Europe during the six-day airspace ban, with later figures suggesting 107,000 flights cancelled over eight days.
• The International Air Transport Association estimated the airline industry worldwide would lose €148 million (US$200 million) a day during the disruption.
• The second eruption phase ejected an estimated 250 million cubic metres of tephra and an ash plume that rose to around 9 km (30,000 ft).
• The state funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczyński on 18 April 2010 was affected as leaders including Barack Obama and Angela Merkel were unable to attend.

Realm Chronicle

1471 — Warwick Slain at Barnet; Yorkists Triumph

In thick mist at Barnet, Yorkist and Lancastrian forces clashed, with men striking down comrades in the confusion of battle.

LONDON, April 14 — In the long and bitter quarrel between the houses of York and Lancaster, this day at Barnet has turned the tide decisively for King Edward IV. In thick mist, the Yorkists met the Lancastrians, and in the confusion of battle, men struck down their own comrades, their heraldic symbols too alike to tell friend from foe.

• The Battle of Barnet was fought on 14 April 1471 between Yorkists and Lancastrians.
• Thick mist and similar heraldic symbols caused Lancastrians to attack their own men during the battle.
• Warwick was unhorsed and killed during the rout, along with his brother John Neville, Marquess of Montagu.
• Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, was captured at Barnet and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
• Poor weather prevented French reinforcements under Margaret of Anjou from joining Warwick at Barnet.

Western Plains Desk

1935 — Black Sunday Dust Storm Engulfs Oklahoma, Texas

300 million tons of topsoil stripped — AP reporter witnesses the blizzard at Boise City

BOISE CITY, Okla., April 14 — Robert E. Geiger, an Associated Press reporter, stood in Boise City as the sky turned black Sunday afternoon, watching a dust storm that stripped an estimated 300 million tons of topsoil from Oklahoma and northern Texas prairies. The day had started clear and warm, but a diving cold front from Canada plowed south at 60 mph. The only warning was static electricity and flocks of birds and rabbits fleeing south. Geiger's report later inspired the term 'Dust Bowl.'

• On April 14, 1935, Black Sunday, the day started clear and warm with temperatures in the 80s and still air.
• A diving cold front from Canada kicked up dust in the Dakotas and plowed south across the Great Plains at 60 mph.
• The only sign of the advancing dust storm was the snapping of static electricity and flocks of screeching birds and rabbits streaming south.
• Associated Press reporter Robert E. Geiger witnessed the Black Sunday blizzards in Boise City, Oklahoma.
• Edward Stanley, the Kansas City news editor of the Associated Press, coined the term 'Dust Bowl' while rewriting Geiger's story.

City Desk

1999 — 500,000 Tonnes of Hail Pummels Sydney

Costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history — A$2.3 billion damage bill

SYDNEY, April 14 — Some 500,000 tonnes of hailstones slammed Sydney and the New South Wales east coast, inflicting about A$2.3 billion in damages, the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history. Insured losses topped A$1.7 billion. Lightning killed one person and injured roughly 50. The Bureau of Meteorology, constantly surprised by the storm's shifts in direction and severity, classified it a supercell after analysis.

• The hailstorm was the costliest natural disaster in Australian insurance history, with insured damage over A$1.7 billion.
• Lightning during the storm killed one person and caused approximately 50 injuries.
• The storm was classified as a supercell after analysis of its erratic nature and extreme attributes.
• The Bureau of Meteorology was constantly surprised by the storm's frequent changes in direction and severity.
• The total damage bill, including uninsured damage, was estimated at around A$2.3 billion.

Foreign Desk

2010 — Quake Kills Nearly 2,700 in Yushu, China

6.9-magnitude temblor devastates Tibetan prefecture — 12,135 injured, 270 missing, monastery ruined

BEIJING, April 14 — A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture at 7:49 a.m. local time, killing nearly 2,700 people, with the official Xinhua news agency reporting 2,698 dead, 270 missing and 12,135 injured, including 1,434 severely. The epicenter was in Rima village, Upper Laxiu township, Yushu County, about 30 km from Gyêgu town, where the 12th-century Thrangu Monastery and surrounding villages were severely damaged, killing many monks and villagers. Rescue workers reopened Yushu Batang Airport at noon, and the first relief flight landed at 8 p.m. The American Red Cross sent an initial $50,000 in relief funds to help affected families in Qinghai.

• The earthquake struck at 7:49 am local time on April 14, 2010, with a magnitude of 6.9 Mw (USGS) or 7.1 Ms (CEA).
• Xinhua reported 2,698 dead, 270 missing, and 12,135 injured, including 1,434 severely.
• The epicenter was in Rima village, Upper Laxiu township, Yushu County, about 30 km from Gyêgu town.
• The 12th century Thrangu Monastery and surrounding villages were severely damaged, killing many monks and villagers.
• Yushu Batang Airport reopened at noon on April 14, and the first rescue flight landed at 8 pm.

European Politics Desk

1931 — Second Spanish Republic Proclaimed After King Alfonso Leaves

Monarch flees after municipal election defeat — provisional government under Alcalá-Zamora takes power peacefully

MADRID, April 14 — With the royal palace empty, the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed peacefully today, after King Alfonso XIII left Spain. The provisional government, led by Niceto Alcalá-Zamora, raised the tricolor over the capital. The king's departure followed the 12 April municipal elections, in which the Republican coalition won a sweeping majority in major cities.

• On 12 April 1931, the Republican coalition won a sweeping majority in major cities in the municipal elections, seen as a plebiscite on monarchy.
• Foreign minister Romanones admitted to the press an 'absolute monarchist defeat' after the election results.
• Civil Guard chief José Sanjurjo reportedly told ministers the Armed Forces could not be 'absolutely' relied upon to sustain the monarchy.
• Alfonso XIII fled Spain voluntarily after the elections, and the Second Spanish Republic was peacefully proclaimed on 14 April 1931.

Christendom

966 — Mieszko's Baptism Lays Foundation of Christian Poland

Duke Mieszko I's conversion in 966 joined Poland to Western Christendom, as chronicled from Gniezno on April 14.

GNIEZNO, April 14 — The baptism of Duke Mieszko I has set Poland upon the path of Western Christendom, a step that will shape the nation's destiny for ages. His conversion, completed in this year of Our Lord 966, has brought the Polish ruler and his people into the fold of the Roman Church, placing them among the civilized nations of Europe.

• Mieszko I's baptism in 966 placed him and his country in the cultural sphere of Western Christianity.
• He is sometimes called the 'Clovis of Poland' for his role in laying the foundations for a Christian Poland.
• His marriage in 965 to the Přemyslid princess Dobrawa brought the Christian faith to Poland.
• The religious vocabulary of Polish Christianity was adopted from the Czech language through Dobrawa's entourage.
• The first bishop of Poland, Jordan, may have arrived with Dobrawa.

Records

1983 — Bowie's 'Let's Dance' Album Set for Release Today

Album released today finds Bowie at his most accessible

NEW YORK, April 14 — David Bowie, the chameleon of rock, unveils 'Let's Dance' today on EMI America Records, an album that finds him at his most accessible. The title track, with Stevie Ray Vaughan's biting lead guitar, is already climbing charts in advance of the LP's street date. Sessions at the Power Station in December paired Bowie with co-producer Nile Rodgers and members of Chic. For this outing, Bowie sang only, playing no instruments. The record follows his reported $17 million EMI America pact.

• Let's Dance is David Bowie's fifteenth studio album, released on 14 April 1983 through EMI America Records.
• The album was co-produced by Bowie and Nile Rodgers and recorded in December 1982 at the Power Station in New York City.
• The sessions featured players from Rodgers' band Chic and the then-unknown Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitar.
• For the first time on an album, Bowie only sang and played no instruments.
• The album's four singles, including the title track, were all commercially successful.