Sunday, 14th April 1940 in London
Welcome to your daily snapshot of London! It's World Dolphin Day. Explore 56 historical events, birthdays, deaths, and milestones that shaped this day in London. From remarkable moments in local and world history to the people who left their mark — find out what makes today special. Today's weather in London brings drizzly with temperatures between 6°C and 11°C. Tonight's moon is in its waning gibbous phase, and the zodiac sign of the day is Aries. If you're curious about the history of a day — this page brings together everything worth knowing about this Sunday, 14th April in London, GB.
On Sunday, 14th April 1940, London experienced drizzly weather typical of spring in the British capital. The city, situated on the River Thames in southeastern England, serves as the United Kingdom's political and cultural centre, though at this moment in history it faced the mounting pressures of the Second World War. The moon was in its waning gibbous phase, and those born on this date fell under the Aries zodiac sign.
The date marks several significant moments in historical record. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma consolidated his position as President of Togo following a military coup, establishing a presidency that would endure until 2005. Similarly, the year 1970 witnessed a pivotal moment in space exploration when an oxygen tank explosion aboard Apollo 13 prompted astronaut Jack Swigert's now-famous report to Houston about the spacecraft's critical systems failure, a technical crisis that would test the limits of human ingenuity and problem-solving under extreme pressure.
The passage of time has seen numerous events occur on this date, ranging from natural disasters to human achievements. From volcanic eruptions disrupting European air traffic in 2010 to David Bowie's release of Let's Dance in 1983, April 14th has consistently registered as a date of consequence across multiple fields of human activity and natural occurrence.
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What the Weather Had in Store for London on 14th April 1940
The known and unknown are neighbors, not enemies.
Fortune of the Day
14th April in the Stars – Star Sign Pisces
Personality Profile
Personality People born on April 14th blend Aries drive with sunny vitality and self-expression. They're enthusiastic, pioneering, and naturally charismatic. Their authenticity inspires others and makes them natural catalysts for change.
Strengths & Weaknesses Their strengths include courage, initiative, and genuine compassion. They can be impulsive and tactless, sometimes rushing decisions. The numerological 9 adds empathy but can soften their usual directness.
Love Those born on this day love intensely and authentically, yet fiercely value independence. They seek partners who share their passion and respect their freedom. Romance thrives on shared adventure and mutual growth.
Caree & Finance April 14th natives excel in leadership and creative fields, driven by vision and courage. Their determination creates strong results. They benefit from cultivating patience and avoiding impulsive financial choices.
Health These individuals thrive with physical activity and mental stimulation. Their restless nature needs grounding practices like yoga or meditation. Avoiding burnout through adequate rest ensures sustained energy.
That night, the moon was in its waning gibbous phase.
Chinese year of the Dragon (Metal).
Fun Facts About 14th April
Name Days in Your Language: Caradoc, Carey, Cary, Hudson
Someone born on this day in 1940 would be 85 years old today — just 31,407 days into life, which is roughly 753,779 hours, 45,226,760 minutes, or 2,713,605,643 seconds spent on Earth so far.
It's the 105. day of the year.
As this is a leap year, there are 261 days still to come.
We’re currently in Week 15 — the year marches on.
Famous Birthdays on 14th April
- Valeriy Brumel, Soviet high jumper (died 2003) (1942)
- Valentin Lebedev, Russian engineer and astronaut (1942)
- Björn Rosengren, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Innovation (1942)
- Pete Rose, American baseball player and manager (died 2024) (1941)
- Julie Christie, Indian-English actress and activist (1940)
- David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes, English archbishop and academic (1940)
- Richard Thompson, English physician and academic (1940)
- Mahmud Esad Coşan, Turkish author and academic (died 2001) (1938)
- Ralph Willis, Australian politician (1938)
- Efi Arazi, Israeli businessman, founded the Scailex Corporation (died 2013) (1937)
Lives Remembered on 14th April
- Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysian civil servant and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia (born 1939) (2025)
- Ken Holtzman, American baseball player (born 1945) (2024)
- Mark Sheehan, Irish guitarist (The Script) (born 1976) (2023)
- Mike Bossy, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1957) (2022)
- Ilkka Kanerva, Finnish politician (born 1948) (2022)
- Orlando Julius, Nigerian saxophonist, singer (born 1943) (2022)
- Bernie Madoff, American mastermind of the world's largest Ponzi scheme (born 1938) (2021)
- Carol D'Onofrio, American public health researcher (born 1936) (2020)
- Bibi Andersson, Swedish actress (born1935) (2019)
- Klaus Bednarz, German journalist and author (born 1942) (2015)
Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 14th April
- Ambedkar Jayanti (India)
- Bengali New Year (Bangladesh)
- Black Day (South Korea)
- Cake and Cunnilingus Day
- Christian feast day: Anthony, John, and Eustathius
- Christian feast day: Bénézet
- Christian feast day: Henry Beard Delany (U.S. Episcopal Church)
- Christian feast day: Domnina of Terni
- Christian feast day: Lidwina
- Christian feast day: Peter González
- Christian feast day: Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
- Christian feast day: April 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Commemoration of Anfal Genocide Against the Kurds (Iraqi Kurdistan)
- Day of Mologa (Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia)
- Day of the Georgian language (Georgia)
- Dhivehi Language Day (Maldives)
- N'Ko Alphabet Day (Mande speakers)
- Pan American Day (several countries in the Americas)
- Takayama Spring Festival begins (Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan)
- Vaisakhi (Since 2011)
- Youth Day (Angola)
- World Quantum Day
What Happened on 14th April?
- Flooding in the Persian Gulf starts, killing 19 in Oman. (2024)
- The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is launched by the European Space Agency. (2023)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Russian warship Moskva sinks. (2022)
- The foreshock of a major earthquake occurs in Kumamoto, Japan. (2016)
- Two bombs detonate at a bus station in Nyanya, Nigeria, killing at least 88 people and injuring hundreds. Boko Haram claims responsibility. (2014)
- Boko Haram abducts 276 girls from a school in Chibok, Nigeria. (2014)
- Twin blasts triggered by crude bombs during Asr prayer in the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi injure 13 people. (2006)
- The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples a year earlier by Multnomah County. (2005)
- The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%. (2003)
- U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner MS Achille Lauro in 1985. (2003)