Famous people born on April 14th
April 14 brings together an unusually wide range of influential figures across politics, literature, music, film, and science. The date spans monarchs and reformers, modernist thinkers and pop-culture mainstays, with achievements that shaped public life and everyday culture alike. From constitutional change to stagecraft, April 14 birthdays reflect both global reach and distinctive individual craft.
Notable highlights
- B. R. Ambedkar (1891) - Principal architect of India"s Constitution and a leading voice for Dalit rights and social reform.
- Arnold J. Toynbee (1889) - Influential historian known for the sweeping civilizational analysis in A Study of History.
- Loretta Lynn (1935) - Country music trailblazer whose candid songwriting expanded what mainstream Nashville would say out loud.
- Pete Rose (1941) - Record-setting MLB hit leader whose legacy remains inseparable from baseball"s debates about gambling and ethics.
- Julie Christie (1941) - Defining screen presence of 1960s cinema, celebrated for nuanced performances in films like Darling.
- Adrien Brody (1973) - Became the youngest Best Actor Oscar winner for his role in The Pianist.
- Ritchie Blackmore (1945) - Guitar architect of hard rock and metal style through Deep Purple and Rainbow.
- Yukihiro Matsumoto (1965) - Creator of the Ruby programming language, designed around developer happiness and readability.
- Anne Sullivan (1866) - Pioneering educator whose work with Helen Keller became a landmark in special education history.
- John Paul Stevens (1920) - Long-serving U.S. Supreme Court Justice known for pragmatic reasoning and influential dissents.
On this day
- 1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot at Ford"s Theatre in Washington, D.C., dying the next morning.
- 1912 - The RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic, leading to one of history"s most infamous maritime disasters.
- 1931 - The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed after municipal election results prompt King Alfonso XIII to leave the country.
- 1956 - Videotape is publicly demonstrated for television broadcasting, foreshadowing a major shift in how TV would be produced and archived.