From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 17 days remaining.
[edit] Events
- 867 - Adrian II becomes Pope.
- 872 - John VIII becomes Pope.
- 1287 - St. Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people.
- 1542 - Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen Mary I of Scotland.
- 1702 (according to the old calendar; January 30, 1703 by the new calendar) - The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenged the death of their master, Asano Takumi no kami Naganori, by beheading Kira Kōzukenosuke Yoshinaka. Later 46 of the surviving ronin would commit seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment), and would later achieve heroic status as the embodiments of the ideals of the samurai.
- 1751 - The Theresian Military Academy was founded as the first Military Academy in the world.
- 1769 - Dartmouth College is chartered by King George III of England.
- 1819 - Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.
- 1836 - The Toledo War unofficially ended.
- 1896 - The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company.
- 1900 - Quantum Mechanics: Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law.
- 1902 - The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii.
- 1903 - The Wright Brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It crashes, and 3 days later, after repairs, they get it to fly.
- 1907: The schooner Thomas W. Lawson runs aground and founders near the Hellweather's Reef within the Scilly Isles in a gale. The pilot and 15 able seamen are lost.
- 1911 - Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.
- 1918 - Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the Parliament of Finland to become King Väinö I, renounces the Finnish throne.
- 1939 - Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations.
- 1941 - German military commander of Kharkiv, Ukraine issued an order, according to which the Jewish population was to move to the city periphery within 2 days, into the barracks of the works of a machine factory. In the next days 15.000 Jews were shot at Drobitsky Yar.
- 1942 - Ethiopia joins Declaration by United Nations
- 1946 - The UN General Assembly votes to establish its headquarters in New York City.
- 1947 - The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded in Daytona Beach, Florida.
- 1955 - Ireland and Portugal join the United Nations.
- 1958 - The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first-ever to reach The Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Antarctic.
- 1959 - The Motown record label is founded in Detroit, Michigan by Berry Gordy.
- 1962 - NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
- 1962 - The Mona Lisa is assessed at US$100 million, the highest insurance valuance for a painting in history.
- 1964 - American Civil Rights Movement: Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States - The United States Supreme Court rules that the U.S. Congress can use its Commerce Clause power to fight discrimination.
- 1977 - Releasing of Saturday Night Fever film.
- 1981 - Arab-Israeli conflict: Israel's Knesset passes The Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli law to the area of the Golan Heights.
- 1982 - Government of the 23rd Dáil first sits
- 1989 - Patricio Aylwin is elected President of Chile.
- 1995 - Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by President Slobodan Milošević, President Franjo Tuđman, President Alija Izetbegović, President Jacques Chirac, President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister John Major, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
- 1999 - Charles M. Schulz, creator of the comic strip Peanuts, announces his retirement.
- 2003 - The La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, rebuilt following arson, is reopened.
- 2003 - President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.
- 2004 - The Millau viaduct, the highest bridge in the world, spanning the valley of the River Tarn near Millau, France and designed by British architect Lord Foster in collaboration with French bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux, is officially opened.
- 2005 - The Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales, Australia starts to issue NSW Photo Card.
[edit] Births
- 1009 - Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (d. 1045)
- 1503 - Nostradamus, French astrologer (d. 1566)
- 1546 - Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer (d. 1601)
- 1625 - Barthélemy d'Herbelot de Molainville, French orientalist (d. 1695)
- 1631 - Anne Conway, Viscountess Conway, English philosopher (d. 1679)
- 1640 - (baptism date) - Aphra Behn, English playwright and novelist (d. 1689)
- 1678 - Daniel Neal, English historian (d. 1743)
- 1720 - Justus Möser, German statesman (d. 1794)
- 1775 - Philander Chase, American founder of Kenyon College (d. 1852)
- 1775 - Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, British admiral (d. 1860)
- 1824 - Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter (d. 1898)
- 1866 - Roger Fry, British artist and art critic (d. 1934)
- 1870 - Karl Renner, President of Austria (d. 1950)
- 1881 - Katherine MacDonald, American actress and fim producer (d. 1956)
- 1884 - Jane Cowl, American actress and playwright (d. 1950)
- 1895 - Paul Eluard, French poet (d. 1952)
- 1895 - King George VI of the United Kingdom (d. 1952)
- 1896 - Jimmy Doolittle, American General (d. 1993)
- 1897 - Margaret Chase Smith, American politician (d. 1995)
- 1897 - Kurt Schuschnigg, Austrian politician (d. 1977)
- 1902 - Frances Bavier, American actress (d. 1989)
- 1908 - Morey Amsterdam, American comedian and actor (d. 1996)
- 1909 - Edward Tatum, American geneticist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
- 1911 - Spike Jones, American comedian and musician (d. 1965)
- 1913 - Dan Dailey, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1914 - Karl Carstens, President of Germany (d. 1992)
- 1914 - Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (d. 2003)
- 1916 - Shirley Jackson, American writer (d. 1965)
- 1918 - James T. Aubrey, American television executive (d. 1994)
- 1918 - B.K.S. Iyengar, Indian yoga advocate
- 1920 - Clark Terry, American trumpeter
- 1922 - Nikolay Basov, Soviet-born Russian physicist and Noble Prize laureate (d. 2001)
- 1923 - Gerard Reve, Dutch writer
- 1924 - Raj Kapoor, Indian actor (d. 1988)
- 1925 - Sam Jones, baseball player (d. 1971)
- 1931 - Jon Elia, Pakistani scholar, poet and philosopher (d. 2002)
- 1932 - Charlie Rich, American musician (d. 1995)
- 1932 - Abbe Lane, American singer and actress
- 1935 - Lee Remick, American actress (d. 1991)
- 1938 - Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian
- 1941 - Ellen Willis, American journalist
- 1946 - Jane Birkin, British-born actress
- 1946 - Patty Duke, American actress
- 1946 - Michael Ovitz, American film producer
- 1946 - Stan Smith, American tennis player
- 1946 - Ruth Fuchs, East German athlete
- 1947 - Christopher Parkening, American guitarist
- 1947 - Linda Sutton, British artist
- 1948 - Lester Bangs, American music journalist (d. 1982)
- 1949 - Bill Buckner, American baseball player
- 1949 - Cliff Williams, British-born bassist (AC/DC)
- 1949 - Dee Wallace-Stone, American actress
- 1951 - Jan Timman, Dutch chess grandmaster
- 1953 - René Eespere, Soviet-born Estonian composer
- 1954 - Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (d. 1993)
- 1954 - James Horan, American actor
- 1954 - Steven MacLean, Canadian astronaut
- 1956 - Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein skier
- 1957 - Gary Ferris, American author
- 1958 - Mike Scott, British singer and songwriter (The Waterboys)
- 1958 - Spider Stacy (Peter Richard Stacy), British-born tin whistle player (The Pogues)
- 1960 - Bob Paris, American bodybuilder and gay rights advocate
- 1962 - Ginger Lynn (Ginger Lynn Allen), American adult film actress
- 1963 - Cynthia Gibb, American actress
- 1965 - Craig Biggio, American baseball player
- 1965 - Ken Hill, baseball player
- 1966 - Bill Ranford, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 - Tim Skold, Swedish/American musician
- 1967 - Ewa Białołęcka, Polish writer
- 1969 - Scott Hatteberg, American baseball player
- 1970 - Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer
- 1972 - Marcus Jensen, baseball player
- 1973 - Tomasz Radzinski, Polish-born Canadian international footballer
- 1973 - Thuy Trang, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1974 - Billy Koch, baseball player
- 1976 - Leland Chapman, Bounty Hunter, son of Duane "Dog" Chapman.
- 1977 - KaDee Strickland, American actress
- 1978 - Kim St-Pierre, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Michael Owen, English international footballer
- 1979 - Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
- 1980 - Tata Young, Thai-American singer
- 1981 - Johnny Jeter, Professional wrestler
- 1981 - Emilie Heymans, Canadian diver
- 1982 - Anthony Way, British singer and actor
- 1984 - Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer
- 1984 - Edward Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1985 - Tom Smith, Welsh Rugby Union Player
- 1985 - Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress
- 1988 - Nicolas Batum, French basketball player
- 1988 - Vanessa Anne Hudgens, American actress
[edit] Deaths
- 1460 - Guarino da Verona, Italian humanist and translator (b. 1370)
- 1510 - Friedrich of Saxony (b. 1473)
- 1542 - King James V of Scotland (b. 1512)
- 1591 - Saint John of the Cross, Spanish friar and poet (b. 1542)
- 1624 - Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English statesman (b. 1536)
- 1651 - Pierre Dupuy, French scholar (b. 1582)
- 1713 - Thomas Rymer, English historian (b. 1641)
- 1715 - Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1636)
- 1735 - Thomas Tanner, English bishop and antiquarian (b. 1674)
- 1741 - Charles Rollin, French historian (b. 1661)
- 1788 - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German composer (b. 1714)
- 1788 - King Charles III of Spain (b. 1716)
- 1799 - George Washington, first President of the United States (b. 1732)
- 1838 - Jean-Olivier Chénier, French Canadian physician and Patriote (b. 1806)
- 1860 - George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1784)
- 1861 - Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, consort of Queen Victoria (b. 1819)
- 1865 - Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist (b. 1794)
- 1873 - Louis Agassiz, Swiss-born American zoologist and geologist (b. 1807)
- 1902 - Julia Grant, wife of President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant (b. 1826)
- 1927 - Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski, Russian mathematician (b. 1842)
- 1947 - Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
- 1947 - Edward Higgins, General of The Salvation Army (b. 1864)
- 1956 - Juho Kusti Paasikivi, president of Finland (b. 1870 (as Johan Gustaf Hellstén)).
- 1963 - Dinah Washington, American singer (b. 1924)
- 1964 - William Bendix, American actor (b. 1906)
- 1970 - Franz Schlegelberger, German Nazi politician (b. 1876)
- 1971 - Dick Tiger, African-born boxer (b. 1929)
- 1978 - Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish diplomat, writer, historian and pacifist (b. 1886)
- 1984 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- 1985 - Catherine Doherty, social justice activist (b. 1896)
- 1985 - Roger Maris, baseball player (b. 1934)
- 1989 - Andrei D. Sakharov, Russian physicist, activist and Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
- 1990 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer (b. 1921)
- 1993 - Myrna Loy, American actress (b. 1905)
- 1997 - Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist (The Guess Who) (b. 1946)
- 1997 - Stubby Kaye, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1998 - Norman Fell, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1998 - Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and Mayor of Dallas, Texas (b. 1924)
- 1998 - Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights activist and author (b. 1928)
- 2003 - Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2003 - Blas Ople, foreign minister of the Philippines (b. 1927)
- 2004 - Rod Kanehl, baseball player (b. 1934)
- 2004 - Fernando Poe, Jr., Filipino actor and presidential candidate (b. 1939)
- 2005 - Dr. Rodney William Whitaker, of pen name Trevanian, American author (b. 1931)
[edit] Holidays and observances
- R.C. Saints - Memorial of Saint John of the Cross
- Precalentines Day - Unofficial Mathematics Holiday
- National Energy Conservation Day - India
[edit] External links
December 13 - December 15 - November 14 - January 14 -- listing of all days
