December 14

December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 17 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 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, avenge the death of their master.
• 1751 - The Theresian Military Academy is founded as the first Military Academy in the world.
• 1782 - The Montgolfier brothers first balloon lifts on its first test flight.
• 1819 - Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.
• 1825 - Advocates of Liberalism in Russia rise up against Tsar Nicholas I and are put down in the Decembrist Revolt in St. Petersburg.
• 1836 - The Toledo War unofficially ends.
• 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.
• 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 seamen die.
• 1911 - Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.
• 1914 - Lisandro de la Torre and others found the Democratic Progressist Party (Partido Demócrata Progresista, PDP) at the Hotel Savoy, Buenos Aires.
• 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 issues an order, under 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 are shot at Drobitsky Yar.
• 1941 - World War II: Japan signs treaty of alliance with Thailand.
• 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 - Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Portugal, Romania and Spain join the United Nations.
• 1958 - The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first expedition to reach The Pole of Relative Inaccessibility in the Antarctic.
• 1962 - NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
• 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.
• 1972 - Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17. This was the last manned mission to the moon of the 20th century.
• 1981 - Arab-Israeli conflict: Israel's Knesset passes The Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli law to the area of the Golan Heights.
• 1995 - Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by leaders of various governments.
• 2003 - President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.
• 2003 - President George W. Bush announces the capture of Saddam Hussein.
• 2004 - The Millau viaduct, the highest bridge in the world, near Millau, France is officially opened.

Births

• 1009 - Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (d. 1045)
• 1503 - Nostradamus, French astrologer (d. 1566)
• 1546 - Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and alchemist (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)
• 1784 - Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias (d. 1806)
• 1787 - Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria and queen of Hungary and Bohemia (d. 1816)
• 1791 - Charles Wolfe, Irish poet (d. 1823)
• 1794 - Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (d. 1872)
• 1824 - Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter (d. 1898)
• 1866 - Roger Fry, English artist and art critic (d. 1934)
• 1870 - Karl Renner, President of Austria (d. 1950)
• 1881 - Katherine MacDonald, American actress and film 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)
• 1908 - Claude Davey, Welsh rugby union footballer
• 1908 - Mária Szepes, Hungarian authoress (d. 2007)
• 1909 - Edward Tatum, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 1975)
• 1911 - Spike Jones, American comedian and musician (d. 1965)
• 1911 - Hans von Ohain, German/American aerospace engineer (d. 1998)
• 1913 - Dan Dailey, American actor (d. 1978)
• 1914 - Karl Carstens, President of Germany (d. 1992)
• 1914 - Attila Petschauer, Hungarian fencer (d. 1943)
• 1914 - Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichordist (d. 2003)
• 1916 - Shirley Jackson, American writer (d. 1965)
• 1917 - C.-H. Hermansson, Swedish communist leader
• 1917 - June Taylor, American choreographer (d. 2004)
• 1917 - Elyse Knox, American actress
• 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 physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2001)
• 1922 - Don Hewitt, American creator of 60 Minutes
• 1923 - Gerard Reve, Dutch writer (d. 2006)
• 1924 - Raj Kapoor, Indian actor (d. 1988)
• 1925 - Sam Jones, American baseball player (d. 1971)
• 1927 - Richard Cassilly, American tenor (d.1998)
• 1931 - Jon Elia, Pakistani scholar, poet and philosopher (d. 2002)
• 1932 - Abbe Lane, American singer and actress
• 1932 - Charlie Rich, American musician (d. 1995)
• 1935 - Lewis Arquette, American film actor, writer and producer (d. 2001)
• 1935 - Lee Remick, American actress (d. 1991)
• 1938 - Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian
• 1939 - Ernie Davis, American football player (d. 1963)
• 1940 - Lex Gold, Scottish football administrator
• 1941 - Karan Armstrong, American soprano
• 1941 - Ellen Willis, American journalist (d. 2006)
• 1942 - Zoe Laskari, Greek actress
• 1943 - R. Emmett Tyrrell, American magazine publisher
• 1946 - Jane Birkin, English-born French actress and singer
• 1946 - Patty Duke, American actress
• 1946 - Ruth Fuchs, East German athlete
• 1946 - Michael Ovitz, American film producer
• 1946 - Stan Smith, American tennis player
• 1946 - Joyce Vincent Wilson, American singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn)
• 1947 - Christopher Parkening, American guitarist
• 1947 - Linda Sutton, English artist
• 1948 - Lester Bangs, American music journalist (d. 1982)
• 1948 - Kim Beazley, Australian politician
• 1948 - Dee Wallace-Stone, American actress
• 1949 - Bill Buckner, American baseball player
• 1949 - Cliff Williams, English bassist (AC/DC)
• 1951 - Jan Timman, Dutch chess grandmaster
• 1952 - Germain Houde, French Canadian actor
• 1953 - Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player
• 1953 - René Eespere, Soviet-born Estonian composer
• 1953 - Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician
• 1953 - Mikael Odenberg, Swedish politician
• 1954 - James Horan, American actor
• 1954 - Alan Kulwicki, American NASCAR driver (d. 1993)
• 1954 - Steven MacLean, Canadian astronaut
• 1956 - Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein skier
• 1957 - Gary Ferris, American author
• 1958 - Mike Scott, Scottish singer-songwriter (The Waterboys)
• 1958 - Spider Stacy, English musician (The Pogues)
• 1959 - Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer
• 1960 - Bob Paris, American bodybuilder and gay rights advocate
• 1960 - Chris Waddle, English footballer
• 1962 - Ginger Lynn (Ginger Lynn Allen), American adult film actress
• 1963 - Greg Abbott, English former football player
• 1963 - Cynthia Gibb, American actress
• 1965 - Craig Biggio, American baseball player
• 1965 - Ken Hill, American baseball player
• 1966 - Fabrizio Giovanardi, Italian racecar driver
• 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 - Nadine Garner, Australian actress
• 1970 - Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer
• 1970 - Beth Orton, English singer-songwriter
• 1971 - Natascha McElhone, English actress
• 1972 - Eric Anderson, American musical theatre actor
• 1972 - Marcus Jensen, American baseball player
• 1973 - Tomasz Radzinski, Polish-born Canadian soccer player
• 1973 - Tia Texada, American actress and singer
• 1973 - Thuy Trang, American actress (d. 2001)
• 1974 - Billy Koch, American baseball player
• 1975 - Justin Furstenfeld, American rock singer
• 1976 - Leland Chapman, American bounty hunter
• 1976 - André Couto, Portuguese racing driver
• 1976 - Santiago Ezquerro, Spanish footballer
• 1977 - KaDee Strickland, American actress
• 1978 - Kim St-Pierre, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 - Radu Sârbu, Moldovan singer (O-Zone)
• 1978 - Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player
• 1979 - Sophie Monk, Australian actress, singer, and model
• 1979 - Michael Owen, English footballer
• 1980 - Frankie J, American singer
• 1980 - Tata Young, Thai-American singer
• 1980 - Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer
• 1981 - Amber Chia, Malaysian model and actress
• 1981 - Emilie Heymans, Canadian diver
• 1981 - Johnny Jeter, American professional wrestler
• 1981 - Shaun Marcum, American baseball player
• 1981 - Liam Lawrence, English footballer
• 1982 - Josh Fields, American baseball player
• 1982 - Steve Sidwell, English footballer
• 1982 - Anthony Way, English singer and actor
• 1984 - Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer
• 1984 - Edward Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1985 - Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer
• 1985 - Paul Rabil, professional lacrosse player
• 1985 - Julio Pimentel, Dominican baseball player
• 1985 - Tom Smith, Welsh rugby union footballer
• 1985 - Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress
• 1988 - Nicolas Batum, French basketball player
• 1988 - Vanessa Hudgens, American singer and actress
• 1989 - Pedro Silva, Brazilian footballer
• 1992 - Tori Kelly, American singer
• 1995 - Princess Olimpia Preslavska of Bulgaria

Deaths

• 1460 - Guarino da Verona (b. 1370)
• 1476 - Vlad III the Impaler (b. 1431)
• 1510 - Friedrich of Saxony (b. 1473)
• 1542 - King James V of Scotland (b. 1512)
• 1553 - Hanibal Lucić, Croatian writer (b. 1485)
• 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)
• 1912 - Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, British Army lieutenant (b. 1887)
• 1920 - George Gipp, American football player (b. 1895)
• 1927 - Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski, Russian mathematician (b. 1842)
• 1935 - Stanley G. Weinbaum, American science-fiction author (b. 1902)
• 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)
• 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, Nigerian-born boxer (b. 1929)
• 1974 - Walter Lippman, American writer, journalist, and political commentator (b. 1889)
• 1975 - Arthur Treacher, English actor (b. 1894)
• 1978 - Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish diplomat, writer, historian and pacifist (b. 1886)
• 1984 - Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer and Nobel laureate (b. 1898)
• 1985 - Catherine Doherty, social justice activist (b. 1896)
• 1985 - Roger Maris, American baseball player (b. 1934)
• 1989 - Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (b. 1919)
• 1989 - Andrei D. Sakharov, Russian physicist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1921)
• 1990 - Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss writer (b. 1921)
• 1993 - Jeff Alm, American football player (b. 1968)
• 1993 - Myrna Loy, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1994 - Orval Faubus, Governor of Arkansas (b. 1910)
• 1996 - Gaston Miron, French Canadian poet and editor (b. 1928)
• 1997 - Stubby Kaye, American actor (b. 1918)
• 1997 - Kurt Winter, Canadian musician (The Guess Who) (b. 1946)
• 1998 - Norman Fell, American actor (b. 1924)
• 1998 - Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American civil rights activist and author (b. 1928)
• 1998 - Annette Strauss, American philanthropist (b. 1924)
• 2001 - W. G. Sebald, German writer (b. 1944)
• 2003 - Jeanne Crain, American actress (b. 1925)
• 2003 - Blas Ople, foreign minister of the Philippines (b. 1927)
• 2004 - Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (b. 1934)
• 2004 - Fernando Poe, Jr., Filipino actor and presidential candidate (b. 1939)
• 2005 - Trevanian, American author (b. 1931)
• 2006 - Anton Balasingham, chief political strategist of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (b. 1938)
• 2006 - Ahmet Ertegün, co-founder of Atlantic Records (b. 1923)
• 2006 - Mike Evans, American actor (b. 1949)

Holidays and observances

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada