October 14 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2012

Felix Baumgartner jumped from 128,000 feet above Earth, breaking the sound barrier with his body

The Austrian skydiver leaped from a helium balloon at the edge of space, reaching speeds of 843.6 mph during his freefall. Over 8 million people watch...

1968

Jim Hines became the first person to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds at the Olympics

Running in Mexico City's high altitude, Hines clocked an electrifying 9.95 seconds in the Olympic final. His world record stood for 15 years, and he b...

1964

Martin Luther King Jr. became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35

Major

King was awarded the prize for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in America. He donated the entire $54,123 prize money to the civil rights...

1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis began when U.S. reconnaissance photos revealed Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba

Major

President Kennedy was shown aerial photographs of missile sites being constructed just 90 miles from Florida. This sparked a 13-day confrontation that...

1947

A U.S. Air Force test pilot broke the sound barrier for the first time while flying with broken ribs

Test pilot Chuck Yeager achieved this historic feat despite suffering two cracked ribs from a horseback riding accident two days earlier. He was in so...

1947

Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 aircraft

Major

Flying at Mach 1.06 at an altitude of 45,000 feet, Yeager shattered what many thought was an impossible barrier. What makes it even more remarkable is...

1944

Nazi Germany was forced to deploy the youngest and oldest soldiers in a desperate last-ditch effort

German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel died by forced suicide on this day after being implicated in a plot to kill Hitler. To protect his family, he took c...

1926

Winnie-the-Pooh was published for the first time by A.A. Milne

The beloved bear and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood made their debut, inspired by Milne's son Christopher Robin and his stuffed animals. The rea...

1912

Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest before a campaign speech but insisted on delivering his 90-minute address anyway

Major

The bullet lodged in his chest after passing through his steel eyeglass case and thick speech manuscript. Roosevelt opened his coat to show the crowd...

1884

George Eastman received a patent for paper-strip photographic film, revolutionizing photography

This invention made photography accessible to ordinary people and paved the way for Eastman's Kodak camera. Before this, photography required bulky eq...

1758

The Austrian army accidentally attacked itself in the Battle of Karánsebes, suffering thousands of casualties

Due to miscommunication and drunkenness, different units of the Austrian army mistook each other for Ottoman Turks and opened fire. The chaos escalate...

1633

The first town meeting was held in Boston, establishing a tradition of direct democracy in America

This gathering at Faneuil Hall created a model of local self-governance that would influence American democracy for centuries. Citizens could directly...

1586

Mary, Queen of Scots went on trial for treason in England after nearly 20 years of imprisonment

The trial was held at Fotheringhay Castle, where Mary defended herself brilliantly despite having no legal training and being denied access to counsel...