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. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday (58 in 400 years each) than on Saturday or Sunday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Thursday (56).

Events

• 557 – Constantinople is severely damaged by an earthquake.
• 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.
• 1287 – St. Lucia's flood: The Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people.
• 1542 – Princess Mary Stuart becomes Mary, Queen of Scots.
• 1751 – The Theresian Military Academy is founded as the first military academy in the world.
• 1782 – The Montgolfier brothers' first balloon lifts off on its first test flight.
• 1812 – The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia.
• 1814 – War of 1812: The Royal Navy seizes control of Lake Borgne, Louisiana.
• 1819 – Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state.
• 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 San Francisco to Honolulu.
• 1903 – The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
• 1907 – The schoonerThomas W. Lawson runs aground and founders near the Hellweather's Reef within the Isles of Scilly in a gale. The pilot and 15 seamen die.
• 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.
• 1911 – Roald Amundsen's team, comprising himself, Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.
• 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.
• 1914 – Lisandro de la Torre and others found the Democratic Progressive Party (Partido Demócrata Progresista, PDP) at the Hotel Savoy, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• 1918 – Friedrich Karl von Hessen, a German prince elected by the Parliament of Finland to become King Väinö I, renounces the Finnish throne.
• 1918 – Portuguese President Sidónio Pais is assassinated.
• 1939 – Winter War: The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.
• 1940 – Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.
• 1941 – World War II: Japan signs a treaty of alliance with Thailand.
• 1947 – Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid C.F., staged its first football match.
• 1955 – Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania and Spain join the United Nations.
• 1958 – The 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition becomes the first to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility.
• 1962 – NASA's Mariner 2 becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
• 1963 – The dam containing the Baldwin Hills Reservoir bursts, killing five people and damaging hundreds of homes in Los Angeles, California.
• 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.
• 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.)
• 1972 – Apollo program: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission.
• 1981 – Arab–Israeli conflict: Israel's Knesset ratifies the Golan Heights Law, extending Israeli law to the occupied Golan Heights.
• 1988 – The ET3 Greek television network is launched in Thessaloniki.
• 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.
• 1994 – Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river.
• 1995 – Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by the leaders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• 1998 – Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav Army ambushes a group of Kosovo Liberation Army fighters attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania into Kosovo, killing 36.
• 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.
• 2003 – Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt.
• 2004 – The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, is formally inaugurated near Millau, France.
• 2008 – Muntadhar al-Zaidi throws his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq.
• 2012 – Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
• 2013 – A reported coup attempt in South Sudan leads to continued fighting and hundreds of casualties.

Births

• 1009 – Emperor Go-Suzaku of Japan (d. 1045)
• 1332 – Frederick III, Landgrave of Thuringia (d. 1381)
• 1546 – Tycho Brahe, Danish astronomer and chemist (d. 1601)
• 1599 – Charles Berkeley, 2nd Viscount Fitzhardinge, English politician (d. 1668)
• 1607 – János Kemény, Hungarian prince (d. 1662)
• 1625 – Barthélemy d'Herbelot, French orientalist and academic (d. 1695)
• 1631 – Anne Conway, English philosopher and author (d. 1679)
• 1640 – Aphra Behn, English playwright and author (d. 1689)
• 1678 – Daniel Neal, English historian and author (d. 1743)
• 1720 – Justus Möser, German jurist and theorist (d. 1794)
• 1730 – Capel Bond, English organist and composer (d. 1790)
• 1738 – Jan Antonín Koželuh, Czech composer and educator (d. 1814)
• 1775 – Philander Chase, American bishop and educator, founded Kenyon College (d. 1852)
• 1775 – Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1860)
• 1777 – Du Pre Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon, Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (d. 1839)
• 1784 – Princess Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily (d. 1806)
• 1789 – Maria Szymanowska, Polish composer and pianist (d. 1831)
• 1791 – Charles Wolfe, Irish priest and poet (d. 1823)
• 1794 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (d. 1872)
• 1816 – Abraham Hochmuth, Hungarian rabbi and educator (d. 1889)
• 1824 – Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, French painter and illustrator (d. 1898)
• 1832 – Daniel H. Reynolds, American general, lawyer, and politician (d. 1902)
• 1852 – Daniel De Leon, Curaçaoan-American journalist and politician (d. 1914)
• 1853 – Errico Malatesta, Italian activist and theorist (d. 1932)
• 1866 – Roger Fry, English painter and critic (d. 1934)
• 1870 – Karl Renner, Austrian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Austria (d. 1950)
• 1881 – Katherine MacDonald, American actress and producer (d. 1956)
• 1883 – Manolis Kalomiris, Greek pianist and composer (d. 1962)
• 1883 – Morihei Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist, developed aikido (d. 1969)
• 1884 – Jane Cowl, American actress and playwright (d. 1950)
• 1887 – Xul Solar, Argentinian painter and sculptor (d. 1963)
• 1894 – Alexander Nelke, Estonian-American painter and carpenter (d. 1974)
• 1895 – George VI of the United Kingdom (d. 1952)
• 1895 – Paul Éluard, French poet and author (d. 1952)
• 1896 – Jimmy Doolittle, American general and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1993)
• 1897 – Kurt Schuschnigg, Italian-Austrian lawyer and politician, 15th Federal Chancellor of Austria (d. 1977)
• 1897 – Margaret Chase Smith, American educator and politician (d. 1995)
• 1901 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (d. 1987)
• 1901 – Paul of Greece (d. 1964)
• 1902 – Frances Bavier, American actress (d. 1989)
• 1902 – Herbert Feigl, Austrian philosopher from the Vienna Circle (d. 1988)
• 1903 – Walter Rangeley, English sprinter (d. 1982)
• 1908 – Morey Amsterdam, American actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
• 1908 – Claude Davey, Welsh rugby player (d. 2001)
• 1908 – Mária Szepes, Hungarian journalist, author, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
• 1909 – Edward Lawrie Tatum, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1975)
• 1911 – Spike Jones, American singer, actor, and bandleader (d. 1965)
• 1911 – Hans von Ohain, German-American physicist and engineer (d. 1998)
• 1911 – Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, Greek-Polish swimmer and water polo player (d. 1943)
• 1914 – Karl Carstens, German lieutenant and politician, 5th President of the Federal Republic of Germany (d. 1992)
• 1914 – Attila Petschauer, Hungarian fencer (d. 1943)
• 1914 – Rosalyn Tureck, American pianist and harpsichord player (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Rashid Behbudov, Georgian-Azerbaijani singer and actor (d. 1989)
• 1915 – Dan Dailey, American dancer and actor (d. 1978)
• 1916 – Shirley Jackson, American author (d. 1965)
• 1917 – C.-H. Hermansson, Swedish author and politician
• 1917 – Elyse Knox, American actress and fashion designer (d. 2012)
• 1917 – June Taylor, American dancer and choreographer (d. 2004)
• 1918 – James T. Aubrey, American broadcaster (d. 1994)
• 1918 – Radu Beligan, Romanian actor and director
• 1918 – B. K. S. Iyengar, Indian yoga instructor and author, founded Iyengar Yoga (d. 2014)
• 1920 – Clark Terry, American trumpet player, composer, and educator (d. 2015)
• 1922 – Nikolay Basov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
• 1922 – Don Hewitt, American journalist and producer, created 60 Minutes (d. 2009)
• 1922 – Junior J. Spurrier, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1984)
• 1923 – Gerard Reve, Dutch-Belgian author and poet (d. 2006)
• 1924 – Raj Kapoor, Pakistani-Indian actor, director, and producer (d. 1988)
• 1925 – Sam Jones, American baseball player (d. 1971)
• 1927 – Richard Cassilly, American tenor and actor (d. 1998)
• 1927 – Koos Rietkerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of the Interior (d. 1986)
• 1930 – David R. Harris, English geographer, anthropologist, and archaeologist (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Jon Elia, Pakistani philosopher, poet, and scholar (d. 2002)
• 1931 – Vladimir-Georg Karassev-Orgusaar, Estonian director and politician (d. 2015)
• 1932 – George Furth, American actor and playwright (d. 2008)
• 1932 – Abbe Lane, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1932 – Charlie Rich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995)
• 1934 – Shyam Benegal, Indian director and screenwriter
• 1935 – Lewis Arquette, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1935 – Barbara Leigh-Hunt, English actress
• 1935 – Lee Remick, American actress (d. 1991)
• 1935 – Arvo Valton, Estonian author and screenwriter
• 1938 – Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian and author
• 1939 – Ann Cryer, English academic and politician
• 1939 – Ernie Davis, American football player (d. 1963)
• 1940 – Lex Gold, Scottish footballer and civil servant
• 1941 – Karan Armstrong, American soprano and actress
• 1941 – Ellen Willis, American journalist, critic, and academic (d. 2006)
• 1942 – Chris Harris, English actor and director (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Dick Wagner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
• 1943 – Tommy McAvoy, Scottish politician
• 1943 – Emmett Tyrrell, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded The American Spectator
• 1944 – Graham Kirkham, Baron Kirkham, English businessman, founded DFS
• 1946 – Antony Beevor, English historian and author
• 1946 – Jane Birkin, English-French actress and singer
• 1946 – Oral Çalışlar, Turkish journalist and author
• 1946 – John Du Prez, English conductor and composer
• 1946 – Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016)
• 1946 – Ruth Fuchs, German javelin thrower and politician
• 1946 – Michael Ovitz, American talent agent, co-founded Creative Artists Agency
• 1946 – Stan Smith, American tennis player and coach
• 1946 – Joyce Vincent Wilson, American singer
• 1947 – Christopher Parkening, American guitarist and educator
• 1947 – Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian economist and politician, 36th President of Brazil
• 1948 – Kim Beazley, Australian politician and diplomat, 9th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
• 1948 – Boudewijn Büch, Dutch author, poet, and television host (d. 2002)
• 1948 – Peeter Kreitzberg, Estonian lawyer and politician (d. 2011)
• 1948 – Peter Thorup, Danish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2007)
• 1948 – Dee Wallace, American actress
• 1949 – Bill Buckner, American baseball player and manager
• 1949 – Cliff Williams, English bass player and singer
• 1951 – Jan Timman, Dutch chess player and author
• 1952 – John Lurie, American actor, saxophonist, painter, director, and producer
• 1953 – Vijay Amritraj, Indian tennis player and sportscaster
• 1953 – Wade Davis, Canadian anthropologist, author, and photographer
• 1953 – René Eespere, Estonian composer
• 1953 – Vangelis Meimarakis, Greek lawyer and politician, 4th Greek Minister for National Defence
• 1953 – Mikael Odenberg, Swedish soldier and politician, 29th Swedish Minister for Defence
• 1954 – Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (d. 1993)
• 1954 – Steve MacLean, Canadian physicist and astronaut
• 1956 – Linda Fabiani, Scottish politician
• 1956 – Hanni Wenzel, German skier
• 1958 – Mike Scott, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1958 – Spider Stacy, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1959 – Bob Paris, American-Canadian bodybuilder and actor
• 1959 – Jorge Vaca, Mexican boxer
• 1960 – Don Franklin, American actor
• 1960 – Chris Waddle, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
• 1960 – Diane Williams, American sprinter
• 1961 – Jeff Robinson, American baseball player (d. 2014)
• 1961 – Patrik Sundström, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1963 – Greg Abbott, English footballer and manager
• 1963 – Diana Gansky, German discus thrower
• 1963 – Michael Moloney, American interior designer
• 1963 – Mario Yamasaki, Brazilian-American martial artist and referee
• 1964 – Rebecca Gibney, New Zealand-Australian actress and producer
• 1965 – Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, Kuwaiti terrorist
• 1965 – Aljoša Asanović, Croatian footballer and manager
• 1965 – Craig Biggio, American baseball player and coach
• 1965 – Ken Hill, American baseball player
• 1965 – Ted Raimi, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1966 – Fabrizio Giovanardi, Italian race car driver
• 1966 – Anthony Mason, American basketball player (d. 2015)
• 1966 – Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Danish academic and politician, 41st Prime Minister of Denmark
• 1966 – Bill Ranford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1966 – Tim Sköld, Swedish bass player and producer
• 1967 – Ewa Białołęcka, Polish author
• 1967 – Hanne Haugland, Norwegian high jumper and coach
• 1968 – Kelley Armstrong, Canadian author
• 1969 – Scott Hatteberg, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1969 – Archie Kao, American actor and producer
• 1969 – Arthur Numan, Dutch footballer and manager
• 1970 – Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
• 1970 – Beth Orton, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1971 – Brian Gay, American golfer
• 1971 – Tia Texada, American actress and singer
• 1971 – Michaela Watkins, American actress and screenwriter
• 1971 – Natascha McElhone, English actress
• 1972 – Miranda Hart, English actress
• 1972 – Marcus Jensen, American baseball player and coach
• 1973 – Falk Balzer, German hurdler
• 1973 – Pat Burke, Irish basketball player
• 1973 – Boris Henry, German javelin thrower
• 1973 – Tomasz Radzinski, Polish-Canadian footballer
• 1973 – Saulius Štombergas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach
• 1974 – Billy Koch, American baseball player
• 1975 – Justin Furstenfeld, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1976 – Tammy Blanchard, American actress and singer
• 1976 – Leland Chapman, American bounty hunter
• 1976 – Sebastien Chaule, French-German rugby player
• 1976 – André Couto, Portuguese race car driver
• 1976 – Santiago Ezquerro, Spanish footballer
• 1977 – Brain Damage, American wrestler (d. 2012)
• 1977 – Jamie Peacock, English rugby player and manager
• 1978 – Dean Brogan, Australian footballer and coach
• 1978 – Shedrack Kibet Korir, Kenyan runner
• 1978 – Zdeněk Pospěch, Czech footballer
• 1978 – Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player
• 1978 – Kim St-Pierre, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Jean-Alain Boumsong, French footballer
• 1979 – Andrei Makrov, Estonian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Sophie Monk, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1979 – Michael Owen, English footballer and sportscaster
• 1980 – Gordon Greer, Scottish footballer
• 1980 – Didier Zokora, Ivorian footballer
• 1981 – Amber Chia, Malaysian model and actress
• 1981 – Émilie Heymans, Canadian diver
• 1981 – Rebecca Jarvis, American journalist
• 1981 – Johnny Jeter, American wrestler
• 1981 – Liam Lawrence, Irish footballer
• 1981 – Shaun Marcum, American baseball player
• 1982 – Josh Fields, American baseball player
• 1982 – Steve Sidwell, English footballer
• 1982 – Anthony Way, English singer and actor
• 1983 – Leanne Mitchell, English singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Chris Brunt, Irish footballer
• 1984 – Rana Daggubati, Indian actor and producer
• 1984 – Ed Rainsford, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1985 – Jakub Błaszczykowski, Polish footballer
• 1985 – Alex Pennie, Welsh keyboard player
• 1985 – Paul Rabil, American lacrosse player
• 1985 – Tom Smith, English-Welsh rugby player
• 1985 – Nonami Takizawa, Japanese actress and singer
• 1986 – Jang Jae-ho, South Korean gamer
• 1987 – Kenneth Medwood, Belizean-American hurdler
• 1988 – Nicolas Batum, French basketball player
• 1988 – Nate Ebner, American football player
• 1988 – Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer
• 1988 – Hayato Sakamoto, Japanese baseball player
• 1989 – Onew, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
• 1989 – Pedro Roberto Silva Botelho, Brazilian footballer
• 1991 – Samantha Peszek, American gymnast
• 1991 – Bryan Van Den Bogaert, Belgian footballer
• 1992 – Tori Kelly, American singer-songwriter
• 1992 – Alexandra Kolesnichenko, Uzbekistani tennis player
• 1992 – Ryo Miyaichi, Japanese footballer

Deaths

• 872 – Pope Adrian II (b. 792)
• 1460 – Guarino da Verona, Italian scholar and translator (b. 1370)
• 1510 – Friedrich of Saxony (b. 1473)
• 1542 – James V of Scotland (b. 1512)
• 1553 – Hanibal Lucić, Croatian poet and playwright (b. 1485)
• 1591 – John of the Cross, Spanish priest and saint (b. 1542)
• 1624 – Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, English politician, Lord High Admiral (b. 1536)
• 1651 – Pierre Dupuy, French historian and scholar (b. 1582)
• 1715 – Thomas Tenison, English archbishop (b. 1636)
• 1735 – Thomas Tanner, English bishop and historian (b. 1674)
• 1741 – Charles Rollin, French historian and educator (b. 1661)
• 1785 – Giovanni Battista Cipriani, Italian painter and engraver (b. 1727)
• 1788 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (b. 1714)
• 1788 – Charles III of Spain (b. 1716)
• 1799 – George Washington, American general and politician, 1st President of the United States (b. 1732)
• 1831 – Martin Baum, American businessman and politician, 5th Mayor of Cincinnati (b. 1765)
• 1838 – Jean-Olivier Chénier, Canadian physician (b. 1806)
• 1860 – George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, Scottish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1784)
• 1861 – Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
• 1865 – Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist and mineralogist (b. 1794)
• 1873 – Louis Agassiz, Swiss-American zoologist and geologist (b. 1807)
• 1878 – Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (b. 1843)
• 1912 – Belgrave Edward Sutton Ninnis, English lieutenant and explorer (b. 1887)
• 1917 – Phil Waller, Welsh rugby player (b. 1889)
• 1920 – George Gipp, American football player (b. 1895)
• 1927 – Julian Sochocki, Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1842)
• 1935 – Stanley G. Weinbaum, American author (b. 1902)
• 1937 – Fabián de la Rosa, Filipino painter and educator (b. 1869)
• 1940 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1872)
• 1943 – John Harvey Kellogg, American physician and businessman, co-invented corn flakes (b. 1852)
• 1947 – Stanley Baldwin, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1867)
• 1947 – Edward Higgins, English-American 3rd General of The Salvation Army (b. 1864)
• 1953 – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, American author and academic (b. 1896)
• 1956 – Juho Kusti Paasikivi, Finnish lawyer and politician, 7th President of Finland (b. 1870)
• 1963 – Dinah Washington, American singer and pianist (b. 1924)
• 1964 – William Bendix, American actor (b. 1906)
• 1966 – Shailendra, Pakistani-Indian songwriter (b. 1923)
• 1970 – Franz Schlegelberger, German judge and politician, German Reich Minister of Justice (b. 1876)
• 1971 – Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury, Bangladeshi linguist and scholar (b. 1926)
• 1971 – Munier Choudhury, Bangladeshi author, playwright, and critic (b. 1925)
• 1971 – Shahidullah Kaiser, Bangladeshi journalist and author (b. 1927)
• 1971 – Selina Parvin, Bangladeshi journalist and poet (b. 1931)
• 1971 – Dick Tiger, Nigerian boxer (b. 1929)
• 1974 – Walter Lippmann, American journalist and author (b. 1889)
• 1975 – Arthur Treacher, English-American actor and singer (b. 1894)
• 1978 – Salvador de Madariaga, Spanish historian and diplomat, co-founded the College of Europe (b. 1886)
• 1980 – Elston Howard, American baseball player and coach (b. 1929)
• 1984 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish poet and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
• 1985 – Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist, founded the Madonna House Apostolate (b. 1896)
• 1985 – Roger Maris, American baseball player and coach (b. 1934)
• 1989 – Jock Mahoney, American actor and stuntman (b. 1919)
• 1989 – Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
• 1990 – Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1921)
• 1991 – Robert Eddison, Japanese-English actor (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Jeff Alm, American football player (b. 1968)
• 1993 – Myrna Loy, American actress (b. 1905)
• 1994 – Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (b. 1910)
• 1995 – G. C. Edmondson, American soldier and author (b. 1922)
• 1996 – Gaston Miron, Canadian poet and author (b. 1928)
• 1997 – Stubby Kaye, American actor and comedian (b. 1918)
• 1997 – Emily Cheney Neville, American author (b. 1919)
• 1997 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (b. 1946)
• 1998 – Norman Fell, American actor (b. 1924)
• 1998 – A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., American lawyer, judge, and activist (b. 1928)
• 1998 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and politician, Mayor of Dallas (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Gré Brouwenstijn, Dutch soprano (b. 1915)
• 2000 – Uldis Pūcītis, Latvian actor and director (b. 1937)
• 2001 – W. G. Sebald, German novelist, essayist, and poet (b. 1944)
• 2003 – Jeanne Crain, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
• 2003 – Blas Ople, Filipino journalist and politician, 21st President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1927)
• 2003 – Frank Sheeran, American union leader and mobster (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Rod Kanehl, American baseball player (b. 1934)
• 2004 – Fernando Poe, Jr., Filipino actor, director, producer, and politician (b. 1939)
• 2005 – Trevanian, American author and scholar (b. 1931)
• 2006 – Anton Balasingham, Sri Lankan-English strategist and negotiator (b. 1938)
• 2006 – Ahmet Ertegün, Turkish-American composer and producer, co-founded Atlantic Records (b. 1923)
• 2006 – Mike Evans, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1949)
• 2009 – Alan A'Court, English footballer and manager (b. 1934)
• 2010 – Timothy Davlin, American politician, Mayor of Springfield (b. 1957)
• 2010 – Neva Patterson, American actress (b. 1920)
• 2010 – Dale Roberts, English footballer (b. 1986)
• 2011 – Joe Simon, American author and illustrator (b. 1913)
• 2011 – Billie Jo Spears, American singer-songwriter (b. 1937)
• 2012 – John Graham, English general (b. 1923)
• 2012 – Edward Jones, American police officer and politician (b. 1950)
• 2012 – Victoria Leigh Soto, American educator (b. 1985)
• 2013 – Janet Dailey, American author (b. 1944)
• 2013 – C. N. Karunakaran, Indian painter and illustrator (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Dennis Lindley, English statistician and academic (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Peter O'Toole, British-Irish actor (b. 1932)
• 2013 – George Rodrigue, American painter (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Theo Colborn, American zoologist and academic (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Irene Dalis, American soprano and pianist (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Louis Alphonse Koyagialo, Congolese politician, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Bess Myerson, American model, activist, game show panelist and television personality; Miss America 1945 (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Fred Thurston, American football player (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Terry Backer, American soldier and politician (b. 1954)
• 2015 – Glen Sonmor, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Vadym Tyshchenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1963)
• 2015 – Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • John of the Cross
  • Nimatullah Kassab (Maronite Church)
  • Spyridon (Western Church)
  • December 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Alabama Day (Alabama)
• Forty-seven Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Tokyo)
• Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh)
• Monkey Day (International)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to December 14.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History