978 Ethelred II crowned King of England at 10 years old, after the murder of his half brother Edward, possibly arranged by his mother
On 14th April 1587 printing material for illicit Catholic literature was found in a cave on the Little Orme. It had been used by Robert Pugh, squire of Penrhyn Hall, and his chaplain William Davies to print Y Drych Gristianogawl ('The Christian Mirror'). Arguably this would make Y Drych Gristianogawl the first book to be printed in Wales. It was written by Gruffydd Robert, Archdeacon of Anglesey, who went into exile in Italy after the accession of Elizabeth I of England. He also wrote a pioneering Welsh grammar in Welsh.
..... The act of union between Wales and England received the royal assent of Henry VIII on 14th April 1536.
The Act divided Wales into 13 counties, with much of the border territory being annexed to England despite being Welsh speaking.
The consequences of the act were; * All administration in Wales was to be carried out in the English language and no one using the Welsh language 'shall have or enjoy any manner of office'. * The modern borders of Wales were established. * Wales elected members to the English Parliament; the first members took their seats in the Tudor Parliament in 1542. * The Court of Great Sessions was introduced, a system particular to Wales. They met twice a year in each county, administering English law in the English language. Of its 217 judges in its 288 years of existence only 30 were Welshmen.
* Every county appointed a Sheriff and 9 offices of Justice of the Peace.
* The Welsh law of cyfran, which meant that all sons inherited equally, was abolished in favour of the English law of primogeniture, inheritance by the eldest son only.
It has been argued that the act's main intention was to gain control over the Marches and not to achieve political union. The changes were welcomed by the Welsh gentry, who recognised that they would be granted equality under the law with English citizens. However, the cultural impact on Wales was catastrophic and remains so to this day.
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1865U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre.
The RMS Titanic, a British passenger liner, struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912, at 11:40 p.m. The ship, which had set sail from Southampton on April 10, was the largest and most luxurious liner of its time. It was operated by the White Star Line, a British shipping company.
The first recorded meteorite fall in Wales happened on 14th April 1931 in Pontllynfi, near Caernarfon.
1950 Comic strip hero Dan Dare, the pilot of a space ship, made his first appearance in the first edition of the comic, the Eagle. The comic merged with Lion comic in 1969. All 900,000 copies of the first issue were sold. Its founders were Mancunian Frank Hampson and an Oxford-educated vicar Marcus Morris.
On April 14, 1967, the UK government announced the findings of the inquiry into the Aberfan disaster, which had occurred on October 21, 1966. The tragedy took place in Wales when a coal waste tip collapsed, engulfing Pantglas Junior School and killing 144 people, including 116 children.The inquiry revealed gross negligence by the National Coal Board (NCB). The government's announcement on April 14 held the NCB accountable for failing to act despite warnings. However, the lack of severe penalties for those responsible disappointed many.
1983The first cordless telephone, capable of operating up to 600 feet from base, was introduced. It was made by Fidelity and British Telecom and sold for £170.
