Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Sci-fiStar Wars $538M worldwide
On this day
December 14 Monday, December 14, 2026
A curious almanac of what happened on December 14 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
12
Events
7
Birthdays
4
Holidays
1780
US history 246 years ago
Founding Father Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York.
Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York, beginning a partnership that would sustain him through the Revolutionary War and early republic.
History
What happened on December 14
12 verified entries Full timeline
- 557Disaster
Constantinople is severely damaged by an earthquake, which cracks the dome of Hagia Sophia.
An earthquake damages Constantinople, cracking the dome of Hagia Sophia.
- 835World history
Sweet Dew Incident: Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty conspires to kill the powerful eunuchs of the Tang court, but the plot is foiled.
Emperor Wenzong's plan to eliminate influential eunuchs fails, marking the Sweet Dew Incident.
- 872Religion
Pope John VIII is elected following the death of Hadrian II.
Pope John VIII is elected after the death of Pope Hadrian II.
- 1287Disaster
St. Lucia's flood: The Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses, killing over 50,000 people.
The Zuiderzee sea wall collapses, resulting in a catastrophic flood that kills more than 50,000 people.
- 1542Royalty
Princess Mary Stuart becomes Queen of Scots at the age of one week on the death of her father, King James V.
Mary Stuart becomes Queen of Scots at the age of one week upon her father King James V's death.
- 1780US history
Founding Father Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York.
Alexander Hamilton marries Elizabeth Schuyler at the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York, beginning a partnership that would sustain him through the Revolutionary War and early republic.
- 1782Science
The Montgolfier brothers first test fly an unmanned hot air balloon in France; it floats nearly 2.5 km (1.6 mi).
The Montgolfier brothers successfully test fly an unmanned hot air balloon, which reaches an altitude of nearly 2.5 kilometers.
- 1812War
The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia.
Napoleon's Grande Armée is expelled from Russia, ending a disastrous invasion that cost the French emperor hundreds of thousands of troops.
- 1896UK history
The Glasgow Underground Railway is opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company.
The Glasgow Underground Railway begins operation, becoming Scotland's first urban railway system.
- 1986War
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.
Revenge killings in Qasba Aligarh leave over 400 Muhajirs dead following a security force raid on a Pashtun heroin operation.
- 1995War
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.
The Dayton Agreement is signed, ending the Yugoslav Wars, as NATO deploys ground troops for peacekeeping in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 2017Technology
The Walt Disney Company announces that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion.
The Walt Disney Company announces its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox film studio, for $52.4 billion.
Born today
Famous birthdays on December 14
7 this date All birthdays
Karan Armstrong
American soprano and actress
Karan Armstrong, the American operatic soprano celebrated as a singing actress who won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 1966, was born today in 1941.
Born
1941
Died
2021
Aphra Behn
English playwright and author
1640 – 1689
Roger Fry
English painter and critic
1866 – 1934
Shyam Benegal
Indian director and screenwriter
1934 – 2024
Bill Buckner
American baseball player and manager
1949 – 2019
Craig Biggio
American baseball player and coach
b. 1965 · 61
Beth Orton
English singer-songwriter and guitarist
b. 1970 · 56
Music
The number one songs on December 14
Across the years Full chart history
🇬🇧 #1 on December 14, 1981
"Stand and Deliver"
by Adam and the Ants
The dandy highwayman spent five weeks at the top — a brash, glam-pop coronation.
#1 for 5 weeks
Also #1 on this day
- 1965"Ticket To Ride"— The Beatles
- 1972"Metal Guru"— T. Rex
- 2003"Make Luv"— Room 5 ft. Oliver Cheatham
Film & TV
At the movies
Box office #1 and premieres All releases
🏆 Sport December 14, 1982
Aston Villa shock Bayern Munich for the European Cup
In Rotterdam, late substitute Peter Withe scores the winner as Villa lift the trophy on their first attempt.
Read the story
🔬 Science December 14, 1940
Plutonium (specifically Pu-238) is first isolated at Berkeley, California.
Glenn T. Seaborg and his team isolate plutonium-238 at the University of California, Berkeley.
Read the storyToday is also
Holidays & observances
4 celebrated today
Alabama Day (Alabama)
International
Alabama Day is a holiday celebrated on December 14
Forty-seven Ronin Remembrance Day (Sengaku-ji, Tokyo)
International
The revenge of the forty-seven rōnin , also known as the Akō incident or Akō vendetta, was a historical event in Japan in which a band of rōnin avenged the death of their former master on 31 January
Martyred Intellectuals Day (Bangladesh)
International
Martyred Intellectuals Day is observed on 14 December in Bangladesh to commemorate the large number of Bangladeshi intellectuals killed by Al-Badr, the collaborators of Pakistani forces during the Ban
Monkey Day
International
Monkey Day is an unofficial international holiday celebrated on December 14