Historical Events on May 14

  • 1607: The Jamestown settlement in Virginia is made an English colony.
  • 1610: Louis XIII ascends the French throne after Henry IV is assassinated.
  • 1787: A constitutional Convention is convened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to draft a new Constitution for the U.S. George Washington presides over the proceedings.
  • 1800: On this day, the process of moving the United States’ government from Philadelphia in Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C starts.
  • 1804: Leaving from Camp Dubois, the Lewis & Clark Expedition begins its journey up the Missouri River.
  • 1836: The Treaty of Velasco are signed in Texas.
  • 1863: During the American Civil War, the Battle of Jackson begins.
  • 1878: The last witchcraft trial to ever be held in the U.S starts in Salem, Massachusetts. The trial started because Lucretia Brown accused Daniel Spofford of using his mind to harm her. The case was eventually dismissed.
  • 1879: Over 400 Indian indentured laborers arrives in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.
  • 1940: The German Luftwaffe bomb Rotterdam during World War 2.
  • 1940: The Netherlands surrenders to Germany, thereby ending the Battle of the Netherlands.
  • 1943: Australian hospital ship, the AHS Centaur, is sunk off Queensland’s coast by a Japanese submarine during World War 2.
  • 1961: The bus containing Freedom Riders who were headed down South, are fire bombed near Anniston, Alabama. Many civil rights protesters are also beaten by an angry mob.

Famous Birthdays on May 14

  • American actress Billie Dove is born in 1903.
  • American actor Richard Deacon is born in 1921.
  • English actor and singer Henry McGee is born in 1929.
  • American director and screenwriter, George Lucas is born in 1944.
  • American director and screenwriter, Robert Zemeckis is born in 1952.
  • English actor and director, Tim Roth is born in 1961.
  • American rock bass player and songwriter, Mike Inez is born in 1966.
  • Australian actress Cate Blanchett is born in 1969.