This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 14th April.”
1891: B.R. Ambedkar’s birth
Father and the Chief architect of the Indian Constitution, Babasaheb Ambedkar was born on this day 130 years back. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh in a Dalit Mahar family. He fought against social evils of casteism throughout his life. A social reformer who is still the force behind today’s struggle against discriminating evils of society.
1865: Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The 16th President of the United States was shot while watching a play in the Ford’s Theatre on this day. The assassinator, John Wilkes Booth had previously planned various abductions of Lincoln but failed. The assassination plan wasn’t just to kill Lincoln but also the Vice President and The Secretary of State. Lincoln died the next day after being shot in the back of his head.
1912: Titanic hits the iceberg
RMS Titanic that set sail on its maiden voyage on the 10th of April met its fate on this day in 1912. With 2,223 people aboard, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and the ship that was considered as the most advanced of that time sunk to the depths leaving only 706 survivors.
1944: Bombay dock explosion
On the afternoon of this day in 1944, Bombay faced two lethal explosions. Fort Stikine, a British freighter was carrying £890,000 of gold bullion in bars and 1,395 tons of explosives. As the freighter caught fire Bombay saw the shower of ship metal and gold. Reportedly, 800 people were killed in the blasts, tremors of which were recorded in Shimla as well. This day is observed as Fire Brigade Day in Mumbai.
2008: Maitree express was launched
After years of negotiation and diplomacy, on this day in 2008, Maitree Express was launched to run between Dhaka, Bangladesh and Kolkata. Its goal, clearly evident from its name. In the start, it ran twice a week with stops at the Gede and Darshana border stations.
