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On This Day in History — December 14
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Highlights of December 14
- 2025 — Filmmakers Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner are stabbed to death in their Brentwood, Los Angeles residence. Read more
- 2012 — A 20-year-old gunman shot twenty children and six adult staff members in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Read more
- 2008 — During a press conference in Baghdad, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at U.S. president George W. Bush and Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, yelling "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq". Read more
- 1999 — Torrential rains caused flash floods in the Venezuelan state of Vargas, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure. Read more
- 1998 — Kosovo War: Yugoslav forces ambushed a group of Kosovo Liberation Army militants attempting to smuggle weapons into Yugoslavia from Albania. Read more
- 1992 — War in Abkhazia: A helicopter carrying evacuees was shot down during the siege of Tkvarcheli, resulting in at least 52 deaths and catalysing more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia. Read more
- 1981 — The Knesset passed the Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli "laws, jurisdiction and administration" to the Golan Heights, effectively annexing the territory internationally recognized as part of Syria. Read more
- 1972 — Upon completing the third extra-vehicular activity of Apollo 17, American astronaut Gene Cernan became the last person to date to walk on the Moon. Read more
- 1960 — Australian cricketer Ian Meckiff was run out on the last day of the first Test match between Australia and the West Indies, resulting in the first tied Test in cricket history. Read more
- 1948 — American physicists Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann were awarded a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the first interactive electronic game. Read more
- 1925 — Wozzeck (poster pictured) by composer Alban Berg, described as the first atonal opera, premiered at the Berlin State Opera. Read more
- 1918 — Giacomo Puccini's comic opera Gianni Schicchi premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Read more
- 1913 — Haruna (pictured), the fourth and last Japanese battlecruiser of the Kongō class, was launched and went on to serve in both world wars. Read more
- 1911 — Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first people to reach the South Pole. Read more
- 1863 — American Civil War: The Battle of Bean's Station, the final battle of the Knoxville campaign, was fought in Grainger County, Tennessee. Read more
- 1836 — The Toledo War, a mostly bloodless territorial dispute between Ohio and the Michigan Territory, was unofficially ended with a resolution passed by the controversial "Frostbitten Convention". Read more
- 1650 — English domestic servant Anne Greene survived being hanged for infanticide. Read more
- 835 — In the Sweet Dew incident, Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspired to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot was foiled. Read more
Events
- 2025 — At least 16 people are killed, including one gunman, and 43 injured in a mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in the deadliest terror incident in Australia. Read more
- 2020 — A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean. Read more
- 2017 — The Walt Disney Company announces that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion. Read more
- 2013 — A reported coup attempt in South Sudan leads to continued fighting and hundreds of casualties. Read more
- 2012 — Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Read more
- 2004 — The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, is formally inaugurated near Millau, France. Read more
- 2003 — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. Read more
- 1999 — Torrential rains cause flash floods in Vargas, Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure. Read more
- 1998 — Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav Army ambushes a group of Kosovo Liberation Army fighters attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania into Kosovo, killing 36. Read more
- 1995 — Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by the leaders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the same day, NATO began ground peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read more
- 1994 — Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river. Read more
- 1992 — War in Abkhazia: Siege of Tkvarcheli: A helicopter carrying evacuees from Tkvarcheli is shot down, resulting in at least 52 deaths, including 25 children. The incident catalyses more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia. Read more
- 1986 — Qasba Aligarh massacre: Over 400 Muhajirs killed in revenge killings in Qasba colony after a raid on Pashtun heroin processing and distribution center in Sohrab Goth by the security forces. Read more
- 1985 — Wilma Mankiller takes office as the first woman elected to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Read more
- 1981 — Arab–Israeli conflict: Israel's Knesset ratifies the Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli law to the Golan Heights. Read more
- 1972 — Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the most recent person to walk on the Moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission. Read more
- 1971 — Bangladesh Liberation War: Over 200 of East Pakistan's intellectuals are executed by the Pakistan Army and their local allies. (The date is commemorated in Bangladesh as Martyred Intellectuals Day.) Read more
- 1964 — American Civil Rights Movement: Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Congress can use the Constitution's Commerce Clause to fight discrimination. Read more
- 1963 — The dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir bursts, killing five people and damaging hundreds of homes in Los Angeles, California. Read more
- 1962 — NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus. Read more
- 1960 — Convention against Discrimination in Education of UNESCO is adopted. Read more
- 1958 — The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility. Read more
- 1955 — Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania and Spain join the United Nations through United Nations Security Council Resolution 109. Read more
- 1948 — Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann are granted a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device, the earliest known interactive electronic game. Read more
- 1942 — An Aeroflot Tupolev ANT-20 crashes near Tashkent, killing all 36 people on board. Read more
- 1940 — Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California. Read more
- 1939 — Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland. Read more
- 1925 — Wozzeck, Alban Berg's first opera, is premiered at the Berlin State Opera conducted by Erich Kleiber. Read more
- 1918 — Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the Parliament of Finland to become King of Finland, renounces the throne. Read more
- 1918 — Portuguese President Sidónio Pais is assassinated. Read more
- 1918 — The 1918 United Kingdom general election occurs, the first where women were permitted to vote. In Ireland the Irish republican political party Sinn Féin wins a landslide victory with nearly 47% of the popular vote. Read more
- 1918 — Giacomo Puccini's comic opera Gianni Schicchi premieres at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Read more
- 1914 — Lisandro de la Torre and others found the Democratic Progressive Party (Partido Demócrata Progresista, PDP) at the Hotel Savoy, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Read more
- 1913 — Haruna, the fourth and last Kongō-class ship, launches, eventually becoming one of the Japanese workhorses during World War I and World War II. Read more
- 1911 — Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole. Read more
- 1909 — New South Wales Premier Charles Wade signs the Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909, formally completing the transfer of State land to the Commonwealth to create the Australian Capital Territory. Read more
- 1907 — The Thomas W. Lawson, the largest ever ship without a heat engine, runs aground and founders near the Hellweather's Reef within the Isles of Scilly in a gale. The pilot and 15 seamen die. Read more
- 1903 — The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Read more
- 1902 — The Commercial Pacific Cable Company lays the first Pacific telegraph cable, from San Francisco to Honolulu. Read more
- 1900 — Quantum mechanics: Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law (quantum theory) at the Physic Society in Berlin. Read more
- 1896 — The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company. Read more
- 1863 — American Civil War: The Confederate victory under General James Longstreet at the Battle of Bean's Station in East Tennessee ends the Knoxville Campaign, but achieves very little as Longstreet returns to Virginia next spring. Read more
- 1836 — The Toledo War unofficially ends as the "Frostbitten Convention" votes to accept Congress' terms for admitting Michigan as a U.S. state. Read more
- 1819 — Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state. Read more
- 1814 — War of 1812: The Royal Navy seizes control of Lake Borgne, Louisiana. Read more
- 1812 — The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia. Read more
- 1782 — The Montgolfier brothers first test fly an unmanned hot air balloon in France; it floats nearly 2.5 km (1.6 mi). Read more
- 1780 — Founding Father Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York. Read more
- 1751 — The Theresian Military Academy is founded in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Read more
- 1542 — Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen of Scots at the age of one week on the death of her father, King James V. Read more
- 1287 — St. Lucia's flood: The Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people. Read more
- 872 — Pope John VIII is elected following the death of Hadrian II. Read more
- 835 — Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspires to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot is foiled. Read more
- 557 — Constantinople is severely damaged by an earthquake, which cracks the dome of Hagia Sophia. Read more
Born on December 14
- 2002 — Francisco Conceição, Portuguese footballer Read more
- 2001 — Joshua Rush, American actor and activist Read more
- 1998 — Lonnie Walker IV, American basketball player Read more
- 1998 — Kim Ji-woong, South Korean singer and actor Read more
- 1997 — DK Metcalf, American football player Read more
- 1996 — Barbie Ferreira, American actress and model Read more
- 1996 — Raphinha, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 1996 — Li Zijun, Chinese figure skater Read more
- 1995 — Ivan Barbashev, Russian ice hockey player Read more
- 1995 — Calvyn Justus, South African swimmer Read more
- 1995 — Álvaro Odriozola, Spanish footballer Read more
- 1994 — Kuldeep Yadav, Indian cricketer Read more
- 1993 — Antonio Giovinazzi, Italian race car driver Read more
- 1992 — Tori Kelly, American singer-songwriter Read more
- 1992 — Ryo Miyaichi, Japanese footballer Read more
- 1991 — Ben Henry, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
- 1991 — Offset, American rapper Read more
- 1990 — Robert Covington, American basketball player Read more
- 1989 — Pedro Botelho, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 1989 — Sam Burgess, English rugby league player Read more
- 1989 — Onew, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer Read more
- 1988 — Nicolas Batum, French basketball player Read more
- 1988 — Nate Ebner, American football player Read more
- 1988 — Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer Read more
- 1988 — Hayato Sakamoto, Japanese baseball player Read more
- 1987 — Kenneth Medwood, Belizean-American hurdler Read more
- 1985 — Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer Read more
- 1985 — Alex Pennie, Welsh keyboard player Read more
- 1985 — Tom Smith, English-Welsh rugby player Read more
- 1985 — Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress and singer Read more
- 1984 — Chris Brunt, Northern Irish footballer Read more
- 1984 — Rana Daggubati, Indian actor and producer Read more
- 1984 — Ed Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer Read more
- 1984 — Jackson Rathbone, American actor, singer, and musician Read more
- 1983 — Leanne Mitchell, English singer-songwriter Read more
- 1982 — Josh Fields, American baseball player Read more
- 1982 — Steve Sidwell, English footballer Read more
- 1982 — Anthony Way, English singer and actor Read more
- 1981 — Amber Chia, Malaysian model Read more
- 1981 — Johnny Jeter, American wrestler Read more
Died on December 14
- 2025 — Rob Reiner, American filmmaker and actor (born 1947) Read more
- 2024 — Isak Andic, Turkish-Spanish billionaire businessman (born 1953) Read more
- 2023 — Tomáš Janovic, Slovak writer (born 1937) Read more
- 2022 — Jean Franco, American academic and literary critic (born 1924) Read more
- 2020 — Gérard Houllier, French Football manager (born 1947) Read more
- 2019 — Chuy Bravo, Mexican-American comedian and actor (born 1956) Read more
- 2017 — Yu Kwang-chung, Chinese writer (born 1928) Read more
- 2016 — Paulo Evaristo Arns, Brazilian cardinal (born 1921) Read more
- 2016 — Bernard Fox, Welsh actor (born 1927) Read more
- 2015 — Terry Backer, American soldier and politician (born 1954) Read more
- 2015 — Glen Sonmor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1929) Read more
- 2015 — Vadym Tyshchenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (born 1963) Read more
- 2015 — Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (born 1927) Read more
- 2014 — Theo Colborn, American zoologist and academic (born 1927) Read more
- 2014 — Irene Dalis, American soprano and pianist (born 1925) Read more
- 2014 — Louis Alphonse Koyagialo, Congolese politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (born 1947) Read more
- 2014 — Bess Myerson, American model, activist, game show panelist and television personality; Miss America 1945 (born 1924) Read more
- 2014 — Fred Thurston, American football player (born 1933) Read more
- 2013 — Janet Dailey, American author (born 1944) Read more
- 2013 — C. N. Karunakaran, Indian painter and illustrator (born 1940) Read more
- 2013 — Dennis Lindley, English statistician and academic (born 1923) Read more
- 2013 — Peter O'Toole, British-Irish actor (born 1932) Read more
- 2013 — George Rodrigue, American painter (born 1944) Read more
- 2012 — John Graham, English general (born 1923) Read more
- 2012 — Edward Jones, American police officer and politician (born 1950) Read more
- 2012 — Victoria Leigh Soto, American educator (born 1985) Read more
- 2011 — Joe Simon, American author and illustrator (born 1913) Read more
- 2011 — Billie Jo Spears, American singer-songwriter (born 1937) Read more
- 2010 — Timothy Davlin, American politician, Mayor of Springfield (born 1957) Read more
- 2010 — Neva Patterson, American actress (born 1920) Read more
- 2010 — Dale Roberts, English footballer (born 1986) Read more
- 2009 — Alan A'Court, English footballer and manager (born 1934) Read more
- 2006 — Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan-English strategist and negotiator (born 1938) Read more
- 2006 — Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American composer and producer, co-founded Atlantic Records (born 1923) Read more
- 2006 — Mike Evans, American actor and screenwriter (born 1949) Read more
- 2004 — Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (born 1934) Read more
- 2004 — Fernando Poe Jr., Filipino actor, director, producer, and politician (born 1939) Read more
- 2003 — Jeanne Crain, American actress (born 1925) Read more
- 2003 — Blas Ople, Filipino journalist and politician, 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines (born 1927) Read more
- 2003 — Frank Sheeran, American union leader and mobster (born 1920) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Folcwin; Christian feast day:
John of the Cross; Christian feast day:
John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church); Christian feast day:
Blessed Mary Frances Schervier; Christian feast day:
Nicasius of Rheims; Christian feast day:
Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church); Christian feast day:
Spyridon (Western Church); Christian feast day:
Venantius Fortunatus; Christian feast day:
December 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Alabama Day (Alabama); Forty-seven Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Tokyo); Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh); Monkey Day
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “December 14”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.