Today is Saturday, April 14, the 104th day of 2018. There are 261 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight in history:

1865: Lincoln is shot

On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington.

On this day in 1865, John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, fatally shoots President Abraham Lincoln at a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his massive army at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the American Civil War.

Booth, a Maryland native born in 1838, who remained in the North during the war despite his Confederate sympathies, initially plotted to capture President Lincoln and take him to Richmond, the Confederate capital. However, on March 20, 1865, the day of the planned kidnapping, the president failed to appear at the spot where Booth and his six fellow conspirators lay in wait. Two weeks later, Richmond fell to Union forces.

In April, with Confederate armies near collapse across the South, Booth hatched a desperate plan to save the Confederacy. Learning that Lincoln was to attend a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater on April 14, Booth masterminded the simultaneous assassination of Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward. By murdering the president and two of his possible successors, Booth and his conspirators hoped to throw the U.S. government into disarray.

On the evening of April 14, conspirator Lewis T. Powell burst into Secretary of State Seward’s home, seriously wounding him and three others, while George A. Atzerodt, assigned to Vice President Johnson, lost his nerve and fled. Meanwhile, just after 10 p.m., Booth entered Lincoln’s private theater box unnoticed and shot the president with a single bullet in the back of his head. Slashing an army officer who rushed at him, Booth leapt to the stage and shouted “Sic semper tyrannis! [Thus always to tyrants]–the South is avenged!” Although Booth broke his leg jumping from Lincoln’s box, he managed to escape Washington on horseback.

The president, mortally wounded, was carried to a lodging house opposite Ford’s Theater. About 7:22 a.m. the next morning, Lincoln, age 56, died–the first U.S. president to be assassinated. Booth, pursued by the army and other secret forces, was finally cornered in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia, and died from a possibly self-inflicted bullet wound as the barn was burned to the ground. Of the eight other people eventually charged with the conspiracy, four were hanged and four were jailed. Lincoln, the 16th U.S. president, was buried on May 4, 1865, in Springfield, Illinois.

1912 – Atlantic Ocean Titanic Strikes Iceberg



1912 : The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg just before midnight on 14th April. Find More From What happened in 1912

1935 – U.S.A. Black Sunday

1935 : Twenty of the worst Black Blizzards that occurred throughout the Dust Bowl years happen on a single day often referred to as Black Sunday which turned day into night. Witnesses reported that they could not see five feet in front of them at certain points and the storms traveled thousands of miles across the country dumping the black mess wherever they went. It should be remembered that these storms did not look like a normal dust storm as they were black and given nicknames like Black Dark Blizzards and Black Rollers because visibility was reduced to a few feet. The Dust Bowl years were caused by misuse of land through intensive farming with little thought of soil conservation and years of sustained drought causing millions of acres of farmland became useless, and hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes.

2005 – U.S.A. Gay Couples Marriage Licenses Oregon

2005 : The Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Portland’s Multnomah County. Basic Timeline of Same Sex marriage Licenses In Oregon March 2, 2004: Multnomah County Chair Linn announced the county would begin granting licenses for same-sex marriages. November 2nd, 2004: Oregonians voted 57% to 43% to pass Ballot Measure 36, a constitutional amendment defining marriage to be between one man and one woman. On This Day 2005: The Oregon State Supreme Court decided Li & Kennedy vs. State of Oregon, ruling that Multnomah County lacked the authority to remedy a perceived violation of the Oregon Constitution.

1906 – Italy Mount Vesuvius Erupted

1906 : Mount Vesuvius Erupts on April 14th, 1906 and the eruptions last until April 21st 1906 during the 7 days the crater rim cracked and lava flowed over wide areas.

1924 – Italy Airship Accident

1924 : The Italian Airship Number 1 was torn away from its moorings today in strong winds and 3 crewmen were carried 200 ft and hurled to their deaths.

1931 – Spain King Alfonso XIII

1931 : The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed forcing King Alfonso XIII of Spain leaves Spain, he lived in Exile in Rome but did not abdicate the throne.

1933 – U.S.A. Milk Price War

1933 : A Milk Price War is going on and the stable prices of 10 cents per quart are currently 8 cents and in some shops 7 cents per quart.

1941 – Balkans Britain Pulling Out

1941 : Britain admits troops pulling back from Balkans and says the situation is a gloomy one at present, also High Flying German Bombers are dropping bombs on Northeastern England Coastal Towns.

1952 – U.S.A. Bomber Crash



1952 : A B36 Bomber failed to take off from Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane This was the worlds largest bomber with 10 engines and 15 out of the 17 crew were killed during take off.

1956- U.S.A. Videotape Recorder

1961 – Brazil The Xingu National Park

1964 – Cyprus Fighting Continues

1968 – Germany Student Unrest

1968 : Student unrest continues in Berlin during a massive student rally which ends in violent clashes between police and protesters. The protests are at the shooting last week of one of their leaders, Rudi Dutschke.

1972 – Canada Free Trade Talks

1972 : President Nixon addresses Canadian Parliament seeking free trade talks to continue between the two countries.

1979 – Uganda New President

1979 : A new president Yusufu Lule has been sworn in after Uganda dictator Idi Amin is forced to leave the country during a Tanzanian army backed military coup.

1984 – U.S.A. Aid to El Salvador

1984 : President Reagan Said he will continue aid to El Salvador despite critics as it was an important step in stopping the influence of Soviet Union in South America.

1988 – Afghanistan Soviet Union Leaves

1988 : The Soviet Union agrees to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan ending nine years of occupation by the Soviet Union.

1999 – Yugoslav Albanian Refugees

1999 : NATO mistakenly bombed a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees on a stretch of road between Dakovica and Decani in western Kosovo, killing 73 civilians. NATO and U.S. spokespersons initially claimed the target was a military convoy but later admitted mistakenly firing on what they believed to be military trucks, and expressed deep regret.

2000 – UK M25 Road Rage Killer

2000 : M25 road rage killer Kenneth Noye, is beginning a life sentence after being convicted of murder at the Old Bailey in London.

2003 – Iraq Abul Abbas Captured

2003 : U.S. commandos in Baghdad capture the wanted terrorist Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985.

2007 – Garry Kasparov is arrested in Moscow

2007 : The Russian opposition activist, Garry Kasparov, was among the 170 people that were arrested as police prevented a banned anti-Kremlin rally in Moscow from escalating. The former chess player was freed several hours later, and was fined $40 for public order offences. The security operation was launched to stop protesters from gathering at Pushkin Square. President Putin denies that he is trampling on democracy, and accuses the opposition of destabilizing the state.

2008 – Merger for Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines

2008 : Air carriers Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines have agreed to merge in a $5 billion deal that will make them world’s biggest commercial passenger line. The new airline will be called Delta, and have an annual revenue of over $35 billion. It is predicted to have about 75,000 staff. Analysts say this deal might prompt other U.S. airlines to join together as they struggle with rising oil prices.

2009 – Cuba Fidel Castro

2009 : The United States lifts Cuba Restrictions allowing unlimited family travel and financial transfers to Cuba. The former Cuban President Fidel Castro has described the U.S. rules that allow unlimited family travel and financial transfers to the island as “positive, although minimal.” He has welcomed these changes in a column that was posted on a Cuban web site. The changes will allow Cuban-Americans to travel more freely into Cuba, and allow them to send more money to relatives that live there. The restrictions were lifted on Monday, April 13th.

2010 – Sarah Palin at a Tea Party rally in Boston

2010 : Sarah Palin has condemned the Obama Administration policies at a rally for the Tea Party Express on Boston Common. Some in the crowd were enthusiastic in their disapproval of the President, and others were skeptical of Palin. Palin’s message was to lower taxes, lessen spending and smaller government.

2010 – Neil Armstrong is critical of Obama space planning

2010 : Neil Armstrong has criticized the Obama administration’s stripped-down space plans, describing the President’s proposals as devastating. Supporters of the President’s latest plan, which will be unveiled on the 15th, have insisted that the accelerated rocket program will set new goals for the American effort in outer space. Armstrong, in an open letter that was co-signed by the Apollo Commanders James Lovell and Eugene Cernan, wrote that “The … decision to cancel the Constellation program, its Ares 1 and Ares V rockets, and the Orion spacecraft, is devastating.

2010 – China Yushu earthquake

2010 : Six quakes in the Yushu region of China leave more than 500 dead and over ten thousand people were injured. Over the coming days as rescuers travel to outlying area’s the death toll continues to rise to an estimated 1,500.

2011 – Colombia Bus Engulfed by Mudslide

2011 : A mudslide engulfed a bus in Colombia, killing at least fourteen people. Six people were also missing after the bus was swept away by a mudslide and covered completely by mud in the heavy rains. Emergency workers tried to recover bodies from the wreck

2012 – President of Turkmenistan Orders Ice Hockey Teams to be Created

2012 : President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan declared that his government ministries must each create their own ice hockey teams. The leader of the desert nation has prodded his nation to become a sporting power since he came to power in 2007. The leader has absolute power over the country but has tried to encourage foreign investment since coming to power.

2013 – Venezuela Post-Chavez Presidential Election

2013 : Venezuelans voted in the first presidential election held since the death of former leader Hugo Chavez. Voters chose between Nicolas Maduro, who had been chosen by Chavez as his successor, and Henrique Capriles, who had run against Chavez in the previous elections. Maduro won the election.

2014 – Netherlands Glow In the Dark Road Introduced

2014 : The Netherlands introduced glow in the dark road markings on a small stretch of highway in the country to test the concept. The markings are made with a glow in the dark paint that charges during the day and glows at night. It was done as an effort to replace streetlights and save energy in the country.

Born This Day In History 14th April

Today’s birthdays: Country singer Loretta Lynn is 86. Actress Julie Christie is 78. Retired MLB All-Star Pete Rose is 77. Rock musician Ritchie Blackmore is 73. Actor John Shea is 69. Actor-turned-race car driver Brian Forster and actor Brad Garrett are 58. Actor Robert Carlyle is 57. Singer-musician John Bell (Widespread Panic) is 56. Actor Robert Clendenin is 54. Actress Catherine Dent is 53. Actor Lloyd Owen and Baseball Hall of Famer Greg Maddux are 52. Rock musician Barrett Martin is 51. Actor Anthony Michael Hall is 50. Actor Adrien Brody and classical singer David Miller (Il Divo) are 45. Rapper DaBrat is 44. Actor Antwon Tanner is 43. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, actor-producer Rob McElhenney and roots singer JD McPherson are 41. Singer Win Butler (Arcade Fire) and actress Claire Coffee are 38. Actor Christian Alexander is 28. Actor Nick Krause is 26. Actors Vivien Cardone and Graham Phillips are 25. Actress Skyler Samuels is 24. Actress Abigail Breslin is 22.

Thought for today: “When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad, and that’s my religion.” — Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).

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