Today in history—April 14

1759: Georg Friedrich Händel, who against his father’s wishes gave up the study of law for a musical career, dies at London.

1828: Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his new Dictionary.

1860: Working for the Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Co., the first “Pony Express” rider reaches Sacramento, ten days after leaving St. Joseph, Missouri.

1865: John Wilkes Booth becomes the first actor to become prominent in American politics when he assassinates President Lincoln.

1910: President Taft becomes the first president to throw out the first ball on baseball’s opening day, at a game between the Washington Senators and the Philadelphia Athletics.

1914: The city of Irving, Texas, is incorporated, a matter of relatively little importance unless you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan.

1917: Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, the ophthalmologist who is best known for inventing the Esperanto language, dies at age 57. Today Esperanto is the official language of the World Esperanto Association.

1975: Actor Fredric March, who played the bigoted buffoon in Inherit the Wind (1960), dies at Los Angeles, California.

1977: Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is born in New York City. Her first real acting job will be a Burger King commercial at age 4.

1986: The heaviest hailstones ever recorded—2.2 pounds each—hit Bangladesh.