Today August 14th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1183 – Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures and flee to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan. (Traditional Japanese date: Twenty-fifth Day of the Seventh Month of the Second Year of Juei).
1385 – Portuguese Crisis of 1383–1385: Battle of Aljubarrota – Portuguese forces commanded by King João I and his general Nuno Álvares Pereira defeat the Castilian army of King Juan I.
1598 – Nine Years War: Battle of the Yellow Ford – Irish forces under Hugh O Neill, Earl of Tyrone, defeat an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal.
1842 – Indian Wars: Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma.
1846 – The Cape Girardeau meteorite, a 2.3 kg chondrite-type meteorite strikes near the town of Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.
1848 – Oregon Territory is organized by Act of U.S. Congress.
1880 – Construction of Cologne Cathedral, the most famous landmark in Cologne, Germany, is completed.
1885 – Japan s first patent is issued to the inventor of a rust-proof paint.
1893 – France introduces motor vehicle registration.
1897 – The town of Anosimena is captured by French troops from Menabe defenders in Madagascar.
1900 – A joint European-Japanese-United States force (Eight-Nation Alliance) occupies Beijing, in a campaign to end the bloody Boxer Rebellion in China.
1901 – The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21.
1908 – The first beauty contest is held in Folkestone, England.
1911 – United States Senate leaders agree to rotate the office of President pro tempore of the Senate among leading candidates to fill the vacancy left by William P. Frye s death.
1912 – United States Marines invade Nicaragua to support the U.S.-backed government installed there after José Santos Zelaya had resigned three years earlier.
1921 – Tannu Tuva, later Tuvinian People s Republic is established as a completely independent country (which is supported by Russia).
1925 – The original Hetch Hetchy Moccasin Powerhouse is completed and goes on line.
1933 – Loggers cause a forest fire in the Coast Range of Oregon, later known as the first forest fire of the Tillamook Burn. It is extinguished on September 5, after destroying 240,000 acres (970 km²).
1935 – United States Social Security Act passes, creating a government pension system for the retired.
1936 – Rainey Bethea is hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky in the last public execution in the United States.
1937 – The beginning of air-to-air combat of the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II in general, when 6 Imperial Japanese Mitsubishi G3M bombers are shot down by the Nationalist Chinese Air Force while raiding Chinese air bases. 14 August has thus become acknowledged and celebrated as Chinese Air Force Day.
1941 – World War II – Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt sign the Atlantic Charter of war stating postwar aims.
1945 – Japan accepts the Allied terms of surrender in World War II and the Emperor records the Imperial Rescript on Surrender (August 15 in Japan standard time).
1947 – Pakistan gains Independence from the British Indian Empire under the administration of United Kingdom and joins the British Commonwealth.
1967 – UK Marine Broadcasting Offences Act declares participation in offshore pirate radio illegal.
1969 – British troops are deployed in Northern Ireland.
1972 – An East German Ilyushin Il-62 crashes during takeoff from East Berlin, killing 156.
1973 – The constitution of 1973 comes into effect in Pakistan
1976 – The Senegalese political party PAI-Rénovation is legally recognized. PAI-Rénovation thus becomes the third legal party in the country.
1980 – Lech Walesa leads strikes at the Gdansk, Poland shipyards.
1994 – Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, the terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal, is captured.
2003 – Widescale power blackout in the northeast United States and Canada.
2007 – The 2007 Kahtaniya bombings kills at least 400 people.
Births
1297 – Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of Japan (d. 1348)
1473 – Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence (d. 1541)
1479 – Princess Catherine of York (d. 1527)
1575 – Robert Hayman, English-born poet (d. 1629)
1586 – William Hutchinson, Rhode Island colonist (d. 1642)
1599 – Méric Casaubon, English classical scholar (d. 1671)
1625 – François de Harlay de Champvallon, Archbishop of Paris (d. 1695)
1642 – Cosimo III de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1723)
1653 – Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, English statesman (d. 1688)
1688 – Frederick William I of Prussia (d. 1740)
1714 – Claude Joseph Vernet, French painter (d. 1789)
1727 – Henriette-Anne of France, daughter of king Louis XV (d. 1752)
1727 – Louise-Elisabeth of France, daughter of king Louis XV (d. 1759)
1740 – Pope Pius VII (d. 1823)
1758 – Antoine Charles Horace Vernet, French painter (d. 1835)
1777 – Francis I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1830)
1777 – Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist (d. 1851)
1817 – Alexander H. Bailey, American politician (d. 1874)
1840 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing, German psychologist (d. 1902)
1847 – Robert Comtesse, member of the Swiss Federal Council (d. 1922)
1851 – Doc Holliday, American gambler and dentist (d. 1887)
1857 – Max Wagenknecht, German composer (d. 1922)
1863 – Ernest Thayer, American poet (d. 1940)
1865 – Guido Castelnuovo, Italian mathematician (d. 1952)
1866 – Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician (d. 1962)
1867 – John Galsworthy, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1933)
1867 – Cupid Childs, American baseball player (d. 1912)
1876 – Aleksandar Obrenovic, King of Serbia (d. 1903)
1881 – Francis Ford, American actor (d. 1953)
1882 – Gisela Richter, English art historian (d. 1972)
1887 – Marija Leiko, Latvian film actress (d. 1937)
1895 – Jack Gregory, Australian cricketer (d. 1973)
1908 – Manos Katrakis, Greek actor (d. 1984)
1910 – Pierre Schaeffer, French composer (d. 1995)
1913 – Paul Dean, American baseball player (d. 1981)
1915 – B.A. Santamaria, Australian political activist and journalist (d. 1998)
1916 – Wellington Mara, Co-Owner of the New York Giants (d. 2005)
1924 – Georges Prêtre, French conductor
1925 – Russell Baker, American columnist
1926 – Alice Ghostley, American actress (d. 2007)
1926 – René Goscinny, French comic-strip author (d. 1977)
1926 – Lina Wertmüller, Italian film director
1929 – Dick Tiger, Nigerian boxer (d. 1971)
1930 – Earl Weaver, American baseball manager
1932 – Lee Hoffman, American author (d. 2007)
1933 – Richard R. Ernst, Swiss chemist and Nobel Prize Laureate
1935 – John Brodie, American football player
1936 – Trevor Bannister, British actor
1940 – Dash Crofts, American musician
1940 – Galen Hall, American football coach
1941 – David Crosby, American musician
1941 – Connie Smith, American singer
1942 – Jackie Oliver, English race car driver
1943 – Jimmy Johnson, American football coach
1945 – Steve Martin, American comedian
1945 – Wim Wenders, German-born film director
1946 – Antonio Fargas, American actor
1946 – Susan Saint James, American actress
1946 – Larry Graham, American musician
1947 – Peter Christian, English actor
1947 – Danielle Steel, American novelist
1947 – Bruce Nash, American television producer
1947 – Maddy Prior, English folk singer
1948 – Terry Adams, American musician (NRBQ)
1949 – Bob Backlund, American wrestler
1950 – Gary Larson, American cartoonist (The Far Side)
1951 – Peter Blegvad, American musician (Slapp Happy)
1952 – Carl Lumbly, American actor
1952 – Debbie Meyer, American swimmer
1953 – James Horner, American composer
1953 – Cliff Johnson, American computer game author
1954 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player
1956 – Jackée Harry, American actress
1956 – Johnny Lever, Indian actor
1956 – Andy King, English footballer
1956 – Rusty Wallace, American race car driver
1957 – Peter Costello, Australian politician
1957 – Gino Hernandez, American professional wrestler (d. 1986)
1958 – Bobby Eaton, American professional wrestler
1959 – Marcia Gay Harden, American actress
1959 – Magic Johnson, American basketball player
1960 – Sarah Brightman, English soprano
1960 – Cecilia Gasdia, Italian soprano
1961 – Susan Olsen, American actress
1961 – Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert, American wrestler (d. 1995)
1962 – Rameez Raja, Pakistani cricketer
1964 – Brannon Braga, American scriptwriter
1965 – Emmanuelle Béart, French actress
1966 – Halle Berry, American actress
1966 – Karl Petter Løken, Norwegian footballer
1968 – Catherine Bell, American actress
1968 – Darren Clarke, Northern Irish golfer
1968 – Adrian Lester, English actor
1968 – Billy Mavreas, Greek-Canadian cartoonist
1968 – Pravin Amre, Indian cricketer
1969 – Tracy Caldwell, American Astronaut
1969 – DJ Uncle Al, American hip-hop DJ (d. 2001)
1969 – Stig Tøfting, Danish footballer
1971 – Raoul Bova, Italian actor
1971 – Pramodya Wickramasinghe, Sri Lankan cricketer
1972 – Jay Manuel, Canadian make-up artist
1973 – Jared Borgetti, Mexican footballer
1973 – Daisuke Ishiwatari, Japanese game developer and composer
1973 – Jay-Jay Okocha, Nigerian footballer
1973 – Kieren Perkins, Australian swimmer
1974 – Chucky Atkins, American basketball player
1974 – Martin Bulloch, Scottish musician (Mogwai)
1974 – Christopher Gorham, American actor
1974 – Ana Matronic, American singer (Scissor Sisters)
1975 – Mike Vrabel, American football player
1976 – Alex Albrecht, American actor
1976 – Maya Nasri, Lebanese actress and singer
1976 – Steve Braun, Canadian actor
1977 – Juan Pierre, American baseball player
1978 – Anastasios Kyriakos, Greek footballer
1978 – Kate Ritchie, Australian actress
1979 – Paul Burgess, Australian athlete
1979 – Yoichiro Morikawa, Japanese film director
1980 – Estrella Morente, Spanish flamenco singer
1980 – Roy Williams, American football player
1981 – Matthew Etherington, English footballer
1981 – Julius Jones, American football player
1983 – Elena Baltacha, Ukrainian/British tennis player
1983 – Mila Kunis, Ukrainian/American actress
1983 – Leo Núñez, Dominican baseball player
1984 – Clay Buchholz, American baseball player
1984 – Josh Gorges, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Nick Grimshaw, English DJ/Television presenter
1985 – Christian Gentner, German footballer
1986 – Terin Humphrey, American gymnast
1987 – Tim Tebow, American football player
1987 – Chrystina Sayers, American singer and dancer (Girlicious)
1988 – Shahd Barmada, Syrian singer
1989 – Kyle Turris, Canadian ice hockey player
1990 – Jaydee Bixby, Canadian singer
Deaths
582 – Tiberius II Constantine, Byzantine Emperor
1167 – Rainald of Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne
1204 – Minamoto no Yoriie, Japanese shogun (b. 1182)
1390 – John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel, English soldier (b. 1364)
1430 – Philip I, Duke of Brabant (b. 1404)
1433 – King John I of Portugal (b. 1357)
1464 – Pope Pius II (b. 1405)
1573 – Saito Tatsuoki, Japanese warlord (b. 1548)
1691 – Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel, Irish rebel (b. 1630)
1704 – Roland Laporte, French Protestant leader (b. 1675)
1727 – William Croft, English composer (b. 1678)
1774 – Johann Jakob Reiske, German physician (b. 1716)
1784 – Nathaniel Hone, Irish-born painter (b. 1718)
1856 – Constant Prévost, French geologist (b. 1787)
1860 – André Marie Constant Duméril, French zoologist (b. 1774)
1870 – David Farragut, American officer of the United States Navy (b. 1801)
1874 – Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American politician (b. 1821)
1905 – Simeon Solomon, British artist (b. 1840)
1928 – Alfred Henschke, ps. Klabund, German writer, poet (b. 1890)
1926 – John H. Moffitt, American politician (b. 1843)
1938 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer (b. 1876)
1941 – Paul Sabatier, French chemist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1854)
1941 – Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Polish martyr (b. 1894)
1943 – Joe Kelley, American baseball player (b. 1871)
1951 – William Randolph Hearst, American newspaper magnate (b. 1863)
1955 – Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress (b. 1861)
1956 – Bertolt Brecht, German writer (b. 1898)
1958 – Frédéric Joliot, French physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1900)
1958 – Konstantin von Neurath, German diplomat (b. 1873)
1964 – Johnny Burnette, American Rockabilly singer (b. 1934)
1966 – Tip Snooke, South African cricketer (b. 1881)
1967 – Bob Anderson, British racing driver (b. 1931)
1972 – Pierre Brasseur, French actor (b. 1905)
1972 – Oscar Levant, American actor (b. 1906)
1972 – Jules Romains, French author (b. 1885)
1978 – Nicolas Bentley, British writer (b. 1907)
1980 – Dorothy Stratten, Canadian actress and model (b. 1960)
1981 – Karl Böhm, Austrian conductor (b. 1894)
1981 – Dudley Nourse, South African cricketer (b. 1910)
1984 – Spud Davis, American baseball player (b. 1904)
1984 – J. B. Priestley, English playwright (b. 1894)
1985 – Gale Sondergaard, American actress (b. 1899)
1988 – Roy Buchanan, American guitarist (b. 1939)
1988 – Robert Calvert, South African singer (Hawkwind) (b. 1945)
1988 – Enzo Ferrari, Italian car maker (b. 1898)
1991 – Alberto Crespo, Argentine racing driver (b. 1920)
1992 – John Sirica, American judge (b. 1904)
1992 – Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters) (b. 1928)
1994 – Elias Canetti, British-Austrian novelist (b. 1905)
1996 – Tom Mees, American sportscaster (b. 1949)
1999 – Pee Wee Reese, American baseball player (b. 1918)
2000 – Alain Fournier, French-born computer graphics researcher (b. 1943)
2000 – Cuan McCarthy, South African cricketer (b. 1929)
2002 – Dave Williams, American singer (Drowning Pool) (b. 1972)
2003 – Helmut Rahn, German footballer (b. 1929)
2004 – Czeslaw Milosz, Polish-born writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (b. 1911)
2004 – Trevor Skeet, New Zealand-born British politician (b. 1918)
2005 – Coo Coo Marlin, American race car driver (b. 1932)
2006 – Bruno Kirby, American actor (b. 1949)
2007 – Tikhon Khrennikov, Russian composer (b. 1913)
Holidays and observances
Morocco – Allegiance of Oued Eddahab or Río de Oro.
Pakistan – Independence Day (From United Kingdom, 1947).
Paraguay – Flag Day.
United States – National Creamsicle Day.
RC saints
