By: HISTORY.com Editors

1918

American pilots engage in first dogfight over the western front

Published: March 03, 2010Last Updated: May 27, 2025

Six days after being assigned for the first time to the western front, two American pilots from the U.S. First Aero Squadron engage in America’s first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft. In a battle fought almost directly over the Allied Squadron Aerodome at Toul, France, U.S. fliers Douglas Campbell and Alan Winslow succeeded in shooting down two German two-seaters. By the end of May, Campbell had shot down five enemy aircraft, making him the first American to qualify as a “flying ace” in World War I.

The First Aero Squadron, organized in 1914 after the outbreak of World War I, undertook its first combat mission on March 19, 1917, in support of the 7,000 U.S. troops that invaded Mexico to capture Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. Despite numerous mechanical and navigational problems, the American fliers flew hundreds of scouting missions for U.S. Brigadier General John J. Pershing and gained important experience that would later be used over the battlefields of Europe in World War I.

How Airplanes Were Used in World War I

Even though airplanes were a relatively new invention, the race for air superiority started during World War I.

By: Dave Roos

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on April 14th

1775

First American abolition society founded in Philadelphia

The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, the first American society dedicated to the cause of abolition, is founded in Philadelphia on April 14, 1775. The society changes its name to the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage […]

1828

“Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language” is printed

Noah Webster, a Yale-educated lawyer with an avid interest in language and education, publishes his American Dictionary of the English Language on April 14, 1828. Webster’s dictionary was one of the first lexicons to include distinctly American words. The dictionary, which took him more than two decades to complete, introduced more than 10,000 “Americanisms.” The […]

0:46m read

1865

John Wilkes Booth shoots Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln is shot in the head at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865 by assassin John Wilkes Booth. President Lincoln died the next day.

1910

Taft becomes first U.S. president to throw out first pitch at MLB game

On April 14, 1910, President William Howard Taft becomes the first president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game. The historic toss on opening day is to star Walter Johnson, the Washington Senators’ starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Athletics at National Park in the nation’s capital. Senators owner Clark […]

1:40m read

1932

Loretta Lynn is born

Loretta Lynn, a singer who greatly expanded the opportunities for women in the male-dominated world of country-western music, is born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky on April 14, 1932. Unlike some country-western stars that sang about a rural working class life but lived an urban middle class existence, Loretta Lynn’s country roots were unquestionably authentic. Born Loretta […]

2:28m read

1935

“Black Sunday” Dust Bowl storm strikes

In what came to be known as “Black Sunday,” one of the most devastating storms of the 1930s Dust Bowl era sweeps across the region on April 14, 1935. High winds kicked up clouds of millions of tons of dirt and dust so dense and dark that some eyewitnesses believed the world was coming to […]

1:40m read

1944

Explosion on cargo ship rocks Bombay, India

The cargo ship Fort Stikine explodes in a berth in the docks of Bombay, India (now known as Mumbai), killing 1,300 people and injuring another 3,000 on April 14, 1944. As it occurred during World War II, some initially claimed that the massive explosion was caused by Japanese sabotage; in fact, it was a tragic […]

1:36m read

1960

Montreal Canadiens win fifth consecutive Stanley Cup

On April 14, 1960, the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup for a record fifth year in a row. The Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Finals after sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in four games, while the Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings, four games to two. The championship […]

1:34m read

1969

Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tie for Best Actress Oscar

On April 14, 1969, during the first internationally televised Oscars ceremony, Ingrid Bergman exclaims “It’s a tie!” upon opening the Best Actress envelope—the first tie in a major acting category in three decades. The award went to both Katharine Hepburn, for her turn as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter, and Barbra Streisand, […]

1:40m read

1986

U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya

On April 14, 1986, the United States launches air strikes against Libya in retaliation for the Libyan sponsorship of terrorism against American troops and citizens. The raid, which began shortly before 7 p.m. EST (2 a.m., April 15 in Libya), involved more than 100 U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft, and was over within an […]

5:28m read

1988

Soviets agree to withdraw from Afghanistan

Representatives of the USSR, Afghanistan, the United States and Pakistan sign an agreement calling for the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan. In exchange for an end to the disputed Soviet occupation, the United States agreed to end its arms support for the Afghan anti-Soviet factions, and Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed not to interfere in […]

1:22m read

1996

Greg Norman blows six-shot Masters lead in epic collapse

On April 14, 1996, third-round leader Greg Norman loses a six-shot lead in the final round of the Masters golf tournament and finishes second—one of the worst collapses in sports history. Nick Faldo wins the green jacket, finishing five strokes ahead of Norman. “I played like a bunch of [expletive],” the Australian tells reporters afterward. […]

1:28m read

World War I

24 videos

World War I

Talking to the Dead: How the 1918 Pandemic Spurred a Spiritualism Craze

After millions perished, people turned to séances, Ouija boards and more to help communicate with their dearly departed.

World War I

Why Was the Battle of the Somme So Deadly?

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of World War I, and among the bloodiest in all of human history.

World War I

26 Photos of Dogs Being Heroes in WWI

Dogs served loyally at the side of soldiers and medics in World War I.

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