This Day In History : September 14

1939 United States

World’s 1st practical helicopter, the VS-300 designed by Igor Sikorsky takes (tethered) flight in Stratford, Connecticut

The world’s first practical helicopter, the VS-300, designed by Igor Sikorsky, took its first tethered flight in Stratford, Connecticut, on September 14, 1939. This milestone marked a significant advancement in aviation technology, paving the way for modern helicopters.

Also on This Day in History September 14

Discover what happened on September 14 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, September 14
  • 1965 Dmitry Medvedev

    Russian politician (President and Prime Minister of Russia)

  • 1914 Robert S. Dietz

    American geophysicist who proposed a theory of seafloor spreading in 1961

  • 1879 Margaret Sanger

    American nurse, birth control proponent and feminist

  • 1847 Pavel Yablochkov

    Russian electrical engineer who invented an improved arc lamp, known as the Yablochkov candle (1876)

  • 1920 Lawrence Klein

    American economist who created computer models to forecast economic trends (1980 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences)

Deaths on This Day, September 14
  • 1852 Arthur Wellesley

    Duke of Wellington and British Prime Minister (Tory: 1828-30)

  • 1916 Pierre Duhem

    French naturalist, philosopher and historian

  • 1882 Georges Leclanché

    French engineer who invented the wet cell Leclanché battery (1866)

  • 1712 Giovanni Domenico Cassini

    Italian French mathematician and astronomer (discovered four moons of Saturn)

  • 1637 Pierre Vernier

    French mathematician and inventor of the vernier scale

1956

The first commercial computer to use disk storage, the IBM 305 TAMAC is introduced

The first commercial computer to use disk storage, the IBM 305 RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control), was introduced in September 1956. This groundbreaking computer system included the world's first hard disk drive (HDD), known as the IBM 350 Disk File. It revolutionized data storage and retrieval capabilities, offering faster and more efficient access to large volumes of data compared to previous technologies like magnetic tape.
1682

Bishop Gore School, one of the oldest schools in Wales is founded

Bishop Gore School, one of the oldest schools in Wales, was founded in 1682. Located in Swansea, Wales, it has a long history of providing education to students in the region.
1960

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countes is founded (OPEC)

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded on September 14, 1960. It was established by five founding member countries: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, during a conference in Baghdad, Iraq. OPEC coordinates and regulates the petroleum policies of its member countries, aiming to stabilize oil markets and ensure fair prices for both producers and consumers globally.
1949

India's Constituent Assembly adopts Hindi as an official language

India's Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as an official language on September 14, 1949. This day is now celebrated annually as Hindi Day (Hindi Diwas) in India, recognizing the significance of Hindi in the country's cultural and linguistic heritage.
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