DECEMBER 14 ~ ON THiS DAY in History

0557 – Constantinople was severely damaged by an earthquake on the 14th December 557.

1287 – St. Lucia’s flood killed over 50,000 people on the 14th December 1287, when the Zuiderzee sea wall in the Netherlands collapsed.

1503 – Nostradamus the French astrologer was born on the 14th December 1503 (died 1566).

1542 – Princess Mary Stuart became Mary, Queen of Scots on the 14th December 1542.

1546 – Tycho Brahe the Danish astronomer and chemist was born on the 14th December 1546 (died 1601).

1751 – The Theresian Military Academy in Austria was founded as the 1st Military Academy in the world on the 14th December 1751.

1782 – The Montgolfier brothers‘ first balloon lifted off on its first test flight on the 14th December 1782.

1819 – Alabama became the 22nd U.S. state on the 14th December 1819.

1824 – Pierre Puvis de Chavannes the French painter was born on the 14th December 1824 (died 1898).

1866 – Roger Fry the English painter and critic was born on the 14th December 1866 (died 1934).

1870 – Karl Renner the Austrian politician and 4th President of Austria was born on the 14th December 1870 (died 1950).

1883 – Morihei Ueshiba the Japanese martial artist and founder of aikido was born on the 14th December 1883 (died 1969).

1887 – Xul Solar the Argentine painter and sculptor was born on the 14th December 1887 (died 1963).

1896 – The Glasgow Underground Railway was opened by the Glasgow District Subway Company on the 14th December 1896.

1902 – The Commercial Pacific Cable Company layed the first Pacific telegraph cable, from Ocean Beach, San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii on the 14th December 1902.

1903 – The Wright brothers made their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on the 14th December 1903.

1909 – New South Wales Premier Charles Wade signed the Seat of Government Surrender Act 1909 on the 14th December 1909, formally completing the transfer of State land to the Commonwealth to create the Australian Capital Territory.

1911 – Roald Amundsen‘s team became the first to reach the South Pole on the 14th December 1911.

1911 – Spike Jones the American singer and bandleader was born on the 14th December 1911 (died 1965).

1947 – Linda Sutton the English painter was born on the 14th December 1947.

1948 – Kim Beazley the Australian politician and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 14th December 1948.

1949 – Cliff Williams the English bass player and singer from AC/DC was born on the 14th December 1949.

1958 – Mike Scott the Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from The Waterboys was born on the 14th December 1958. Official website: www.MikeScottWaterboys.com | YouTube video: The Whole of The Moon (1985) ~ The Waterboys ~ song written by Mike Scott…

1962 – NASA‘s Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to fly by Venus on the 14th December 1962.

1964 – Rebecca Gibney the Australian actress was born on the 14th December 1964.

1970 – Nadine Garner the Australian actress was born on the 14th December 1970.

1970 – Beth Orton the English singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 14th December 1970.

1972 – Eugene Cernan was the last person to walk on the moon on the 14th December 1972, after he and Harrison Schmitt completed the 3rd and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of the Apollo 17 mission.

1979 – Sophie Monk the Australian singer-songwriter and actress was born on the 14th December 1979.

2004 – The Millau Viaduct in France was officially opened on the 14th December 2004, becoming the tallest bridge in the world.

2006 – American spy satellite USA-193 was launched on the 14th December 2006.

2008 – President George W. Bush mades his 4th and final trip to Iraq as president on the 14th December 2008, and was almost struck by 2 shoes thrown at him by Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi during a news conference in Baghdad.

2012 – 28 people, including the gunman, were killed in a mass shooting in Sandy Hook villageNewtown, Connecticut on the 14th December 2012.

2013 ~ Peter O’Toole the Irish actor died on the 14th December 2013 aged 81 (born 2nd August 1932). Peter O’Toole was known for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ~ Becket (1964) ~ The Night of the Generals (1967) ~ The Lion in Winter (1968) ~ Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) ~ Man of La Mancah (1972) ~ The Ruling Class (1972) ~ The Stunt Man (1980) ~ My Favorite Year (1982) ~ Troy (2004) ~ Venus (2006) and more. YouTube video: Peter O’Toole Died | Lawrence of Arabia star Peter O’Toole Dead…

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