What Happened on August 14

Historical Events

  • 1947 Pakistan gains independence from Great Britain
  • 1969 British Army deploys on the streets of Northern Ireland, marking the beginning of Operation Banner
  • 1980 17,000 workers go on strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, marking the beginning of the Solidarity movement
  • More Historical Events

Aug 14 in Film & TV

  • 1938 BBC's 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague)

Aug 14 in Music

  • 1995 "Battle of Brit Pop" rival bands Oasis (Roll with It) and Blur (Country House) release singles on the same day

Aug 14 in Sport

Did You Know?

King Duncan I of Scotland killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth (not murdered in his sleep as in Shakespeare's play). The latter does succeed him as King.

On August 14, 1040

Would You Believe?

The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21.

On August 14, 1901

Famous Weddings

  • 1756 Frontiersman Daniel Boone (21) weds Rebecca Bryan (17) in Yadkin River, North Carolina
  • 1939 "A Star Is Born" actress Janet Gaynor (32) weds MGM costume designer Adrian (36)
  • 1952 UK Prime Minister Anthony Eden (55) weds UK prime minister's niece Clarissa Spencer-Churchill (32) in a civil ceremony at Caxton Hall, London

Famous Divorces

  • 1979 Actors Peter O'Toole and Sian Phillips divorce after nearly twenty years of marriage
  • 2012 "Basketball Wives" TV personality Evelyn Lozada divorces NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson (34) due to irretrievably broken marriage only 41 days after getting married

More Weddings & Divorces