November 14

Historic Events

2019

A mass shooting occurs at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, resulting in three deaths, including that of the perpetrator, and three injuries. ›

2017

A gunman kills four people and injures 12 others during a shooting spree across Rancho Tehama, California. He had earlier murdered his wife in their home. ›

2016

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Kaikōura, New Zealand, at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), resulting in the deaths of two people. ›

2012

Israel launches a major military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to an escalation of rocket attacks by Hamas. ›

2008

The first G-20 economic summit opens in Washington, D.C. ›

2008

Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-126 to continue assembly of the International Space Station. ›

2003

Astronomers discover Sedna, a distant trans-Neptunian dwarf planet. ›

2001

War in Afghanistan: Afghan Northern Alliance fighters take over the capital Kabul. ›

2001

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes a remote part of the Tibetan Plateau. It has the longest known surface rupture recorded on land (~400 km) and is the best documented example of a supershear earthquake. ›

1995

A budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress forces the federal government to temporarily close national parks and museums and to run most government offices with skeleton staffs. ›

1992

In poor conditions caused by Cyclone Forrest, Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 crashes near Nha Trang, killing 30. ›

1991

American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103. ›

1991

Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after thirteen years in exile. ›

1990

After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder–Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland. ›

1990

While on approach to Zurich Airport, Alitalia Flight 404 crashes into Stadlerberg Mountain near Weiach, killing 46. ›

1984

Zamboanga City mayor Cesar Climaco, a prominent critic of the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, is assassinated in his home city. ›

1982

Lech Wałęsa, the leader of Poland's outlawed Solidarity movement, is released after eleven months of internment near the Soviet border. ›

1979

US President Jimmy Carter issues Executive Order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States in response to the hostage crisis. ›

1978

France conducts the Aphrodite nuclear test as 25th in the group of 29 1975–78 French nuclear tests. ›

1977

During a British House of Commons debate, Labour MP Tam Dalyell poses what would become known as the West Lothian question, referring to issues related to devolution in the United Kingdom. ›

1975

With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain abandons Western Sahara. ›

1973

In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey. ›

1973

The Athens Polytechnic uprising, a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–74, begins. ›

1971

Mariner 9 enters orbit around Mars. ›

1970

Soviet Union enters ICAO, making Russian the fourth official language of organization. ›

1970

Southern Airways Flight 932 crashes in the mountains near Huntington, West Virginia, killing 75, including almost all of the Marshall University football team. ›

1969

Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 12, the second crewed mission to the surface of the Moon. ›

1967

The Congress of Colombia, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of Policarpa Salavarrieta, declares this day as "Day of the Colombian Woman". ›

1967

American physicist Theodore Maiman is given a patent for his ruby laser systems, the world's first laser. ›

1965

Vietnam War: The Battle of Ia Drang begins. This is the first major engagement between regular American and North Vietnamese forces. ›

1960

Ruby Bridges becomes the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana. ›

1957

The "Apalachin meeting" in rural Tioga County in upstate New York is raided by law enforcement; many high-level Mafia figures are arrested while trying to flee. ›

1952

The New Musical Express publishes the first regular UK Singles Chart. ›

1941

World War II: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sinks due to torpedo damage from the German submarine U-81 sustained on November 13. ›

1941

World War II: German troops, aided by local auxiliaries, murder nine thousand residents of the Słonim Ghetto in a single day. ›

1940

World War II: In England, Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers. Coventry Cathedral is almost completely destroyed. ›

1938

The Lions Gate Bridge, connecting Vancouver to the North Shore region, opens to traffic. ›

1922

The British Broadcasting Company begins radio service in the United Kingdom. ›

1921

The Communist Party of Spain is founded, and issues the first edition of Mundo obrero. ›

1920

Pesäpallo, the Finnish version of baseball developed by Lauri Pihkala, is played for the first time at Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki. ›

1918

The Provisional National Assembly of the new republic of Czechoslovakia meets to devise a constitution. ›

1914

The Joensuu City Hall, designed by Eliel Saarinen, was inaugurated in Joensuu, Finland. ›

1910

Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performs the first takeoff from a ship in Hampton Roads, Virginia, taking off from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in a Curtiss pusher. ›

1889

Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days. ›

1851

Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville, is published in the USA. ›

1812

Napoleonic Wars: At the Battle of Smoliani, French Marshals Victor and Oudinot are defeated by the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein. ›

1770

James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile. ›

1680

German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovers the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope. ›

332 BC

Alexander the Great is crowned pharaoh of Egypt. ›