March 14

Events

• 1590 - Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguenots defeat the forces of the Catholic League under Charles, Duke of Mayenne, during the French Wars of Religion.
• 1647 - Thirty Years' War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm.
• 1663 - According to his own account, Otto von Guericke completes his book De Vacuo.
• 1674 - The Third Anglo-Dutch War: The Battle of Ronas Voe results in the Dutch East India Company ship Wapen van Rotterdam being captured with a death toll of up to 300 Dutch crew and soldiers.
• 1757 - Admiral Sir John Byng is executed by firing squad aboard for breach of the Articles of War.
• 1780 - American Revolutionary War: Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, Alabama, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
• 1794 - Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
• 1885 - The Mikado, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, receives its first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in London.
• 1900 - The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.
• 1903 - Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first national wildlife refuge in the US, is established by President Theodore Roosevelt.
• 1920 - In the second of the 1920 Schleswig plebiscites, about 80% of the population in Zone II votes to remain part of Weimar Germany.
• 1926 - The El Virilla train accident, Costa Rica, kills 248 people and wounds another 93 when a train falls off a bridge over the Río Virilla between Heredia and Tibás.
• 1931 - Alam Ara, India's first talking film, is released.
• 1939 - Slovakia declares independence under German pressure.
• 1942 - Anne Miller becomes the first American patient to be treated with penicillin, under the care of Orvan Hess and John Bumstead.
• 1943 - The liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto is completed.
• 1945 - The R.A.F. drop the Grand Slam bomb in action for the first time, on a railway viaduct near Bielefeld, Germany.
• 1951 - Korean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul for the second time.
• 1961 - A USAF B-52 bomber crashes near near Yuba City, California whilst carrying nuclear weapons.
• 1964 - Jack Ruby is convicted of killing Lee Harvey Oswald, the assumed assassin of John F. Kennedy.
• 1967 - The body of U.S. President John F. Kennedy is moved to a permanent burial place at Arlington National Cemetery.
• 1978 - The Israel Defense Forces launch Operation Litani, a seven-day campaign to invade and occupy southern Lebanon.
• 1980 - LOT Flight 7 crashes during final approach near Warsaw, Poland, killing 87 people, including a 14-man American boxing team.
• 1982 - The South African government bombs the headquarters of the African National Congress in London.
• 1988 - In the Johnson South Reef Skirmish Chinese forces defeat Vietnamese forces in an altercation over control of one of the Spratly Islands.
• 1995 - Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on board a Russian launch vehicle.
• 2006 - The 2006 Chadian coup d'état attempt ends in failure.
• 2007 - The Nandigram violence in Nandigram, West Bengal results in the deaths of at least 14 people.
• 2008 - A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupt in Lhasa and subsequently spread elsewhere in Tibet.
• 2019 - Cyclone Idai makes landfall near Beira, Mozambique, causing devastating floods and over 1000 deaths.

  Births

• 1638 - Johann Georg Gichtel, German mystic
• 1790 - Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver
• 1800 - James Bogardus, American inventor and architect
• 1801 - Kristjan Jaak Peterson, Estonian poet
• 1804 - Johann Strauss I, Austrian composer and conductor
• 1813 - Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist
• 1820 - Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
• 1822 - Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
• 1823 - Théodore de Banville, French poet and critic
• 1833 - Frederic Shields, English painter and illustrator
• 1833 - Lucy Hobbs Taylor, American dentist and educator
• 1835 - Giovanni Schiaparelli, Italian astronomer and historian
• 1836 - Isabella Beeton, English author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
• 1837 - Charles Ammi Cutter, American librarian
• 1844 - Umberto I of Italy
• 1844 - Arthur O'Shaughnessy, English poet and herpetologist
• 1847 - Castro Alves, Brazilian poet and playwright
• 1853 - Ferdinand Hodler, Swiss painter
• 1854 - Paul Ehrlich, German physician and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1854 - John Lane, English publisher, co-founded The Bodley Head
• 1854 - Alexandru Macedonski, Romanian author and poet
• 1854 - Thomas R. Marshall, American lawyer and politician, 28th Vice President of the United States of America
• 1862 - Vilhelm Bjerknes, Norwegian physicist and meteorologist
• 1863 - Casey Jones, American engineer
• 1868 - Emily Murphy, Canadian jurist, author, and activist
• 1869 - Algernon Blackwood, English author and playwright
• 1874 - Anton Philips, Dutch businessman, co-founded Philips Electronics
• 1879 - Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1882 - Wacław Sierpiński, Polish mathematician and academic
• 1885 - Raoul Lufbery, French-American soldier and pilot
• 1886 - Firmin Lambot, Belgian cyclist
• 1887 - Sylvia Beach, American-French publisher, founded Shakespeare and Company
• 1898 - Reginald Marsh, French-American painter and illustrator
• 1899 - K. C. Irving, Canadian businessman, founded Irving Oil
• 1901 - Sid Atkinson, South African hurdler and long jumper
• 1903 - Adolph Gottlieb, American painter and sculptor
• 1904 - Doris Eaton Travis, American actress and dancer
• 1905 - Raymond Aron, French journalist, sociologist, and philosopher
• 1906 - Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Turkish composer and educator
• 1908 - Ed Heinemann, American designer of military aircraft
• 1908 - Maurice Merleau-Ponty, French philosopher and academic
• 1908 - Philip Conrad Vincent, English engineer and businessman, founded Vincent Motorcycles
• 1911 - Akira Yoshizawa, Japanese origamist
• 1912 - Cliff Bastin, English footballer
• 1912 - Les Brown, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
• 1912 - W. Graham Claytor, Jr. American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of the Navy
• 1912 - W. Willard Wirtz, American lawyer and politician, 10th United States Secretary of Labor
• 1914 - Lee Hays, American singer-songwriter
• 1914 - Bill Owen, English actor and songwriter
• 1914 - Lee Petty, American race car driver and businessman, founded Petty Enterprises
• 1915 - Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor
• 1916 - Horton Foote, American author, playwright, and screenwriter
• 1917 - Alan Smith, English lieutenant and pilot
• 1918 - Zoia Horn, American librarian
• 1919 - Max Shulman, American author and screenwriter
• 1920 - Hank Ketcham, American author and cartoonist, created Dennis the Menace
• 1920 - Dorothy Tyler-Odam, English high jumper
• 1921 - S. Truett Cathy, American businessman, founded Chick-fil-A
• 1921 - Ada Louise Huxtable, American author and critic
• 1922 - Les Baxter, American pianist and composer
• 1923 - Diane Arbus, American photographer
• 1925 - William Clay Ford, Sr., American businessman
• 1925 - Joseph A. Unanue, American sergeant and businessman
• 1926 - François Morel, Canadian pianist, composer, conductor, and educator
• 1928 - Frank Borman, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut
• 1928 - Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist
• 1929 - Bob Goalby, American golfer
• 1932 - Mark Murphy, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1932 - Naina Yeltsina, Russian wife of Boris Yeltsin, First Lady of Russia
• 1933 - Michael Caine, English actor and author
• 1933 - Quincy Jones, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer
• 1934 - Eugene Cernan, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
• 1934 - Paul Rader, American 15th General of The Salvation Army
• 1936 - Bob Charles, New Zealand golfer
• 1937 - Peter van der Merwe, South African cricketer and referee
• 1938 - Eleanor Bron, English actress and screenwriter
• 1938 - Jan Crouch, American televangelist, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network
• 1938 - John Gleeson, Australian cricketer
• 1939 - Raymond J. Barry, American actor
• 1939 - Bertrand Blier, French director and screenwriter
• 1939 - Yves Boisset, French director and screenwriter
• 1941 - Wolfgang Petersen, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1942 - Rita Tushingham, English actress
• 1943 - Anita Morris, American actress and singer
• 1944 - Boris Brott, Canadian composer and conductor
• 1944 - Václav Nedomanský, Czech ice hockey player and manager
• 1944 - Bobby Smith, English footballer and manager
• 1944 - Tom Stannage, Australian historian and academic
• 1945 - Jasper Carrott, English comedian, actor, and game show host
• 1945 - Michael Martin Murphey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1945 - Walter Parazaider, American saxophonist
• 1946 - William Lerach, American securities and class action attorney
• 1946 - Wes Unseld, American basketball player, coach, and manager
• 1947 - Roy Budd, English pianist and composer
• 1947 - William J. Jefferson, American lawyer and politician
• 1947 - Jona Lewie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1948 - Tom Coburn, American physician and politician
• 1948 - Billy Crystal, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1948 - Theo Jansen, Dutch sculptor
• 1950 - Rick Dees, American actor and radio host
• 1951 - Jerry Greenfield, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben & Jerry's
• 1953 - Nick Keir, Scottish singer-songwriter
• 1955 - Jonathan Kaufer, American director and screenwriter
• 1956 - Alexey Pajitnov, Russian video game designer and computer engineer, creator of Tetris
• 1956 - Butch Wynegar, American baseball player and coach
• 1957 - Tad Williams, American author
• 1958 - Albert II, Prince of Monaco
• 1959 - Laila Robins, American actress
• 1959 - Tamara Tunie, American actress
• 1960 - Heidi Hammel, American astronomer and academic
• 1961 - Garry Jack, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1961 - Mike Lazaridis, Turkish–Canadian businessman and philanthropist, founded BlackBerry Limited
• 1963 - Bruce Reid, Australian cricketer and coach
• 1965 - Kevin Brown, American baseball player and coach
• 1965 - Aamir Khan, Indian film actor, producer, and director
• 1965 - Billy Sherwood, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1965 - Kevin Williamson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1966 - Jonas Elmer, Danish actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1966 - Elise Neal, American actress and producer
• 1968 - Megan Follows, Canadian-American actress
• 1969 - Larry Johnson, American basketball player and actor
• 1970 - Kristian Bush, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1972 - Irom Chanu Sharmila, Indian poet and activist
• 1973 - Rohit Shetty, Indian film director and producer
• 1974 - Patrick Traverse, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1975 - Steve Harper, English footballer and referee
• 1975 - Dmitri Markov, Belarusian-Australian pole vaulter
• 1976 - Phil Vickery, English rugby player and sportscaster
• 1977 - Vadims Fjodorovs, Latvian footballer and coach
• 1977 - Naoki Matsuda, Japanese footballer
• 1977 - Jeremy Paul, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
• 1978 - Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
• 1979 - Nicolas Anelka, French footballer and manager
• 1979 - Chris Klein, American actor
• 1979 - Sead Ramović, German-Bosnian footballer
• 1980 - Aaron Brown, English footballer and coach
• 1980 - Ben Herring, New Zealand rugby player
• 1981 - Bobby Jenks, American baseball player
• 1981 - George Wilson, American football player
• 1982 - Carlos Marinelli, Argentinian footballer
• 1982 - François Sterchele, Belgian footballer
• 1983 - Bakhtiyar Artayev, Kazakh boxer
• 1986 - Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwean cricketer
• 1986 - Jessica Gallagher, Australian skier and cyclist
• 1986 - Andy Taylor, English footballer
• 1988 - Stephen Curry, American basketball player
• 1988 - Rico Freimuth, German decathlete
• 1989 - Kevin Lacroix, Canadian race car driver
• 1990 - Joe Allen, Welsh footballer
• 1990 - Tamás Kádár, Hungarian footballer
• 1990 - Haru Kuroki, Japanese actress
• 1990 - Kolbeinn Sigþórsson, Icelandic footballer
• 1991 - Emir Bekrić, Serbian hurdler
• 1991 - László Szűcs, Hungarian footballer
• 1991 - Steven Zellner, German footballer
• 1993 - Philipp Ziereis, German footballer
• 1994 - Ansel Elgort, American actor and DJ
• 1996 - Batuhan Altıntaş, Turkish footballer
• 1997 - Simone Biles, American gymnast
• 2008 - Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress

  Deaths

• 840 - Einhard, Frankish scholar
• 968 - Matilda of Ringelheim, Saxon queen
• 1555 - John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford
• 1647 - Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
• 1648 - Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general and politician
• 1696 - Jean Domat, French lawyer and jurist
• 1748 - George Wade, Irish field marshal and politician
• 1757 - John Byng, British admiral and politician, 11th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland
• 1791 - Johann Salomo Semler, German historian and critic
• 1803 - Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet
• 1811 - Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1823 - Charles François Dumouriez, French general and politician, French Minister of War
• 1860 - Carl Ritter von Ghega, Italian engineer, designed the Semmering railway
• 1877 - Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentinian general and politician, 17th Governor of Buenos Aires Province
• 1883 - Karl Marx, German philosopher and theorist
• 1884 - Quintino Sella, Italian economist and politician, Italian Minister of Finances
• 1932 - George Eastman, American inventor and businessman, founded Eastman Kodak
• 1953 - Klement Gottwald, Czechoslovak Communist politician and 14th President of Czechoslovakia
• 1957 - Evagoras Pallikarides, Cypriot activist
• 1965 - Marion Jones Farquhar, American tennis player
• 1968 - Erwin Panofsky, German historian and academic
• 1969 - Ben Shahn, Lithuanian-American painter, illustrator, and educator
• 1973 - Howard H. Aiken, American computer scientist and engineer
• 1973 - Chic Young, American cartoonist
• 1975 - Susan Hayward, American actress
• 1976 - Busby Berkeley, American director and choreographer
• 1977 - Fannie Lou Hamer, American activist and philanthropist
• 1980 - Mohammad Hatta, Indonesian politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Indonesia
• 1980 - Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Spanish environmentalist
• 1984 - Hovhannes Shiraz, Armenian poet
• 1989 - Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary
• 1991 - Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer
• 1995 - William Alfred Fowler, American physicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1997 - Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-American director and producer
• 1999 - Kirk Alyn, American actor
• 1999 - John Broome, American author
• 2003 - Jack Goldstein, Canadian-American painter
• 2003 - Jean-Luc Lagardère, French engineer and businessman
• 2006 - Lennart Meri, Estonian director and politician, 2nd President of Estonia
• 2007 - Lucie Aubrac, French educator and activist
• 2008 - Chiara Lubich, Italian activist, co-founded the Focolare Movement
• 2010 - Peter Graves, American actor
• 2012 - Pierre Schoendoerffer, French director and screenwriter
• 2012 - Ċensu Tabone, Maltese general and politician, 4th President of Malta
• 2013 - Jack Greene, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 2013 - Aramais Sahakyan, Armenian poet and author
• 2013 - Ieng Sary, Vietnamese-Cambodian politician, Cambodian Minister for Foreign Affairs
• 2014 - Tony Benn, English politician, Postmaster General of the United Kingdom
• 2014 - Meir Har-Zion, Israeli commander
• 2016 - John W. Cahn, German-American metallurgist and academic
• 2016 - Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor
• 2016 - Suranimala Rajapaksha, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician
• 2018 - Jim Bowen, English stand-up comedian and TV personality
• 2018 - Marielle Franco, Brazilian politician and human rights activist
• 2018 - Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author
• 2018 - Liam O'Flynn, Irish uileann piper
• 2019 - Jake Phelps, American skateboarder and Thrasher editor-in-chief

  Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
• *Leobinus
• *March 14
• Constitution Day
• Heroes' Day
• Mother Tongue Day
• Nanakshahi New Year, first day of the month of Chet
• Pi Day
• Summer Day
• White Day on which men give gifts to women; complementary to Valentine's Day