History of Today 14 July: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 14 July. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 14 July. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 14 July 2026, 01:01 AM

Important Events on 14 July in History

14 Jul 2019: A GippsAero GA8 Airvan crashes in Umeå, Sweden, killing all nine aboard. Read more
14 Jul 2016: A man ploughs a truck into a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring another 434 before being shot by police. Read more
14 Jul 2015: NASA's New Horizons probe performs the first flyby of Pluto, and thus completes the initial survey of the Solar System. Read more
14 Jul 2013: Dedication of statue of Rachel Carson, a sculpture named for the environmentalist, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Read more
14 Jul 2002: French president Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt from Maxime Brunerie during a Bastille Day parade at Champs-Élysées. Read more
14 Jul 2001: Australian criminal Bradley John Murdoch murders British tourist Peter Falconio and abducted his girlfriend in the Northern Territory. Read more
14 Jul 2001: Rus Flight 9633 crashes during takeoff from Chkalovsky Airport, killing all 10 people on board. Read more
14 Jul 1983: Mario Bros. is released in Japan, beginning the popular Super Mario Bros franchise. Read more
14 Jul 1965: Mariner 4 flyby of Mars takes the first close-up photos of another planet. The photographs take approximately six hours to be transmitted back to Earth. Read more
14 Jul 1960: Jane Goodall arrives at the Gombe Stream Reserve in present-day Tanzania to begin her study of chimpanzees in the wild. Read more
14 Jul 1960: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 1-11 ditches off Polillo Island in the Philippines, killing one person and injuring 44. Read more
14 Jul 1958: In the 14 July Revolution in Iraq, the monarchy is overthrown by popular forces led by Abd al-Karim Qasim, who becomes the nation's new leader. Read more
14 Jul 1957: Rawya Ateya takes her seat in the National Assembly of Egypt, thereby becoming the first female parliamentarian in the Arab world. Read more
14 Jul 1951: Ferrari take their first Formula One grand prix victory at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Read more
14 Jul 1950: Korean War: beginning of the Battle of Taejon. Read more
14 Jul 1948: Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Italian Communist Party, is shot and wounded near the Italian Parliament. Read more
14 Jul 1943: In Diamond, Missouri, the George Washington Carver National Monument becomes the first United States National Monument in honor of an African American. Read more
14 Jul 1942: In the Wardha session of Congress, the "Quit India" resolution is approved, authorising Mahatma Gandhi to campaign for India's independence from Britain. Read more
14 Jul 1933: In a decree called the Gleichschaltung, Adolf Hitler abolishes all German political parties except the Nazis. Read more
14 Jul 1933: Nazi eugenics programme begins with the proclamation of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring requiring the compulsory sterilization of any citizen who suffers from alleged genetic disorders. Read more
14 Jul 1916: Battle of Delville Wood begins as an action within the Battle of the Somme, lasting until 3 September 1916. Read more
14 Jul 1915: Beginning of the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence between Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca and the British official Henry McMahon concerning the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Read more
14 Jul 1911: Harry Atwood, an exhibition pilot for the Wright brothers, is greeted by president William Howard Taft after he lands his aeroplane on the South Lawn of the White House, having flown from Boston. Read more
14 Jul 1902: Peruvian explorer and farmer Agustín Lizárraga discovers Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas". Read more
14 Jul 1902: The Campanile in St Mark's Square, Venice collapses, also demolishing the loggetta. Read more
14 Jul 1900: Armies of the Eight-Nation Alliance capture Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion. Read more
14 Jul 1881: American outlaw Billy the Kid is shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in the Maxwell House at Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Read more
14 Jul 1874: The Chicago Fire of 1874 burns down 47 acres of the city, destroying 812 buildings, killing 20, and resulting in the fire insurance industry demanding municipal reforms from Chicago's city council. Read more
14 Jul 1865: The first ascent of the Matterhorn is completed by Edward Whymper and his party, four of whom die on the descent. Read more
14 Jul 1853: Opening of the first major US world's fair, the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City. Read more
14 Jul 1808: The Finnish War: the Battle of Lapua is fought. Read more

Famous Births on 14 July

14 Jul 2004: Noah Clowney, American basketball player Noah Clowney is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Read more
14 Jul 2003: Haley Winn, American hockey player Haley Maris Winn is an American professional ice hockey player who is a defender for the Boston Fleet of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) and member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. A three-time World Champion with the United States, Winn won gold medals at the 2023 and 2025 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2024 tournament. She also competed at the 2019 and 2020 U18 World Championships, winning silver and gold respectively. Read more
14 Jul 1997: Neekolul, American internet personality Nicole Sanchez, better known as Neekolul, is an American online streamer, YouTuber and internet personality. In March 2020, her popularity online rose when she uploaded a TikTok featuring her lip syncing to the song "Oki Doki Boomer" while wearing a Bernie 2020 crop top; this TikTok was a direct reference to the "OK boomer" Internet meme that was popularized in late 2019. From 2020 to 2023, she was signed as a content creator for the gaming organization 100 Thieves. Read more
14 Jul 1995: Harrison Butker, American football player Harrison Butker is an American professional football placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft. With an 88.4% career field goal percentage, Butker is the fourth most accurate kicker in NFL history. He led the NFL in scoring in 2019, and has won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs. Read more
14 Jul 1995: Kim In-hyeok, South Korean volleyball player (died 2022) Kim In-hyeok was a South Korean indoor volleyball player. He played as an outside hitter for Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm from 2017 to 2020 and Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs from 2020 until his death in 2022. Read more
14 Jul 1994: Lucas Giolito, American baseball player Lucas Frost Giolito is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Cleveland Guardians, and Boston Red Sox. Read more
14 Jul 1990: Paulo Muacho, Portuguese politician Paulo Jorge Velez Muacho is a Portuguese lawyer, politician and member of the Assembly of the Republic, the national legislature of Portugal. A member of the LIVRE party, he has represented Setúbal since March 2024. Read more
14 Jul 1988: Conor McGregor, Irish mixed martial artist Conor Anthony McGregor is an Irish professional mixed martial artist. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight and Lightweight Champion, becoming the first fighter to hold UFC championships in two weight classes simultaneously. He is also a former simultaneous Cage Warriors Fighting Championship (CWFC) Featherweight and Lightweight Champion. Read more
14 Jul 1988: Jérémy Stravius, French swimmer Jérémy Stravius is a French swimmer, swimming freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly. Read more
14 Jul 1987: Adam Johnson, English footballer Adam Johnson is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. A product of the Middlesbrough youth academy, he came to prominence after making his debut aged 17 in a UEFA Cup match. He made 120 appearances for Middlesbrough, also spending time on loan at Leeds United and Watford. Read more
14 Jul 1987: Dan Reynolds, American singer-songwriter Daniel Coulter Reynolds is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons, which he formed in 2008. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Reynolds is a recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award. Read more
14 Jul 1986: Dan Smith, British singer, songwriter and record producer Daniel Campbell Smith is an English singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as the founder, lead singer and primary songwriter of the English pop rock band Bastille. The band formed in 2010 and gained mass popularity in 2013 when the song "Pompeii" was released with their album Bad Blood. The band then released their second album, Wild World in September 2016. In June 2019, the band released their third album Doom Days. In February 2022, they released their fourth album Give Me the Future. In October 2024, they released a solo project by Smith called "&". Read more
14 Jul 1985: Darrelle Revis, American football player Darrelle Shavar Revis is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. A member of the New York Jets for most of his career, Revis is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history. Due to his prowess and ability to shut down the best receiver of opposing teams, his spot on the field was nicknamed "Revis Island". Read more
14 Jul 1985: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, English actress and screenwriter Phoebe Mary Waller-Bridge is an English actress, screenwriter, and producer. As the creator, writer, and lead star of the comedy series Fleabag (2016–2019), she won various accolades, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a BAFTA TV. She received further Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for writing and producing the spy thriller series Killing Eve (2018–2022). Read more
14 Jul 1984: Dagbjört Hákonardóttir, Icelandic politician Dagbjört Hákonardóttir is an Icelandic lawyer, politician and member of the Althing. A member of the Social Democratic Alliance, she has represented Reykjavík North since September 2023. Read more
14 Jul 1984: Samir Handanović, Slovenian footballer Samir Handanović is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
14 Jul 1977: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Sweden's fourth queen regnant and the first since 1720. Her inheritance is secured by Sweden's 1980 Act of Succession, the first law in Western Europe to adopt royal absolute primogeniture. Read more
14 Jul 1975: Tim Hudson, American baseball player Timothy Adam Hudson, nicknamed "Huddy", is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing in college for Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hudson played in the major leagues for the Oakland Athletics (1999–2004), Atlanta Braves (2005–13), and San Francisco Giants (2014–15). With the Giants, he won the 2014 World Series over the Kansas City Royals. Read more
14 Jul 1972: Steph Bridge, British World Champion kitesurfer Stephanie "Steph" Bridge is a British kitesurfer who became the World Formula Kite champion five times between 2009 and 2016. She is the leading figure in the "Team Bridge" family. Read more
14 Jul 1971: Bubba Ray Dudley, American professional wrestler Mark LoMonaco, known by his ring name Bubba Ray Dudley, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as an ambassador. He is best known for being one-half of the Dudley Boyz tag team with D-Von Dudley, during his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and WWE. Read more
14 Jul 1967: Robin Ventura, American baseball player Robin Mark Ventura is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager. Ventura played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also the manager for the White Sox for five seasons. The White Sox selected Ventura with the tenth overall pick in the 1988 amateur draft from Oklahoma State University (OSU). He is a six-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner, two-time MLB All-Star selection and a National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Read more
14 Jul 1966: Matthew Fox, American actor Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five (1994–2000) and Jack Shephard on the drama series Lost (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Fox has also performed in feature films, including We Are Marshall (2006), Vantage Point (2008), Alex Cross (2012), Emperor (2012) and Bone Tomahawk (2015). Read more
14 Jul 1961: Jackie Earle Haley, American actor and director Jack Earle Haley is an American actor. His earliest roles included Moocher in Breaking Away (1979) and Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears (1976), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) and The Bad News Bears Go to Japan (1978). After spending many years as a producer and director of television commercials, he revived his acting career with a supporting role in All the King's Men (2006). This was followed by his performance in Little Children (2006), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Read more
14 Jul 1961: Howard Lutnick, American businessman, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, secretary of commerce in the Trump administration Howard William Lutnick is an American businessman and government official who has served as the 41st United States secretary of commerce since 2025. Read more
14 Jul 1960: Anna Bligh, Australian politician, 37th Premier of Queensland Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian lobbyist and former politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Queensland Labor Party. She was the first woman to hold either position. In 2017, she was appointed CEO of the Australian Banking Association. Read more
14 Jul 1960: Kyle Gass, American musician, comedian, and actor Kyle Richard Gass is an American singer, musician, actor and comedian, best known for being a member of Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He is also a member of Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band. Read more
14 Jul 1960: Angélique Kidjo, Beninese singer-songwriter, activist and actress Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo is a Beninese musician, actress, and activist. Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards and a Polar Music Prize. She has collaborated with artists including Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, John Legend, Philip Glass, Bono, Yo-Yo Ma, and Burna Boy. She is the first Black African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She performed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on July 23, 2021. In 2021, Time magazine included her in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Kidjo is fluent in five languages: Fon, French, Yorùbá, Gen (Mina) and English. She sings in all of them, and she also has her own personal language, which includes words that serve as song titles such as "Batonga". Kidjo often uses Benin's traditional Zilin vocal technique and vocalese. Read more
14 Jul 1960: Jane Lynch, American actress (Glee), comedian, author, and game show host Jane Marie Lynch is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, six Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2013, Lynch received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Read more
14 Jul 1952: Bob Casale, American musician, member of Devo (died 2014) Robert Edward Casale Jr., or "Bob 2", was an American musician, composer and record producer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, which released a Top 20 hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It". The band has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. He was the younger brother of their co-founder and bass guitarist Gerald Casale. Read more
14 Jul 1950: Bruce Oldfield, English fashion designer Bruce Oldfield, OBE is a British fashion designer, best known for his couture occasionwear. Notable clients have included Sienna Miller, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diana Ross, Charlotte Rampling, Jerry Hall, Joan Collins, Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Noor of Jordan, Queen Camilla, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Queen Rania of Jordan. Read more
14 Jul 1950: Andy Newmark, American session and touring drummer (Carly Simon, George Harrison; John Lennon) Andrew Newmark is an American session drummer who was a member of Sly and the Family Stone and has played with George Harrison, John Lennon, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Carly Simon, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood and Roxy Music. Sly Stone, in his memoir Thank You , called Newmark the best drummer he had ever worked with. Read more
14 Jul 1949: Tommy Mottola, American businessman and music publisher Thomas Daniel Mottola is an American businessman, record executive and television producer. Mottola is the chairman of Mottola Media Group and co-founder of Ntertain Studios. He served as chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent company of the Columbia label, for nearly 15 years. He signed and promoted American singer-songwriter and record producer Mariah Carey, to whom he was married for five years.
Since 2000, he has been married to Mexican actress and singer Thalía. Read more
14 Jul 1948: Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, Zulu king (died 2021) Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was the King of the Zulu Nation from 1968 to his death in 2021. Read more
14 Jul 1947: John Blackman, Australian radio and television presenter (died 2024) John Blackman was an Australian radio and television presenter, voice artist, comedy writer and author. He was most widely-known for his voice-over work for the long-running Nine Network comedy variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday from 1971 until 1999, returning for reunion specials in 2009 and in 2021, with a brief relaunch in 2010. Read more
14 Jul 1947: Claudia J. Kennedy, American general Claudia Jean Kennedy is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. She was the first woman to reach the rank of three-star general in the United States Army. She retired in 2000 after 31 years of military service. Read more
14 Jul 1947: Salih Neftçi, Turkish economist and author (died 2009) Salih Nur Neftçi was a leading expert in the fields of financial markets and financial engineering. He served many advisory roles in national and international financial institutions, and was an active researcher in the fields of finance and financial engineering. Neftçi was an avid and highly regarded educator in mathematical finance who was well known for a lucid and accessible approach towards the field. Read more
14 Jul 1947: Navin Ramgoolam, Mauritius physician and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam is a Mauritian politician who is the current prime minister of Mauritius, serving since 2024. He previously held the office from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014 and intermittently served as leader of the opposition. Read more
14 Jul 1946: John Wood, Australian actor and screenwriter John Wood is an Australian television Gold Logie Award-winning actor and scriptwriter. Read more
14 Jul 1945: Jim Gordon, American rock drummer and convicted murderer (died 2023) James Beck Gordon was an American musician, songwriter and convicted murderer. Gordon was a session drummer in the late 1960s and 1970s and played drums in the blues rock supergroup Derek and the Dominos. Read more
14 Jul 1942: Javier Solana, Spanish physicist and politician, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga CYC is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the secretary general of NATO (1995–1999), leading the alliance during Operation Allied Force, he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and Secretary-General of the Western European Union and held these posts from October 1999 until December 2009. Read more
14 Jul 1941: Maulana Karenga, American philosopher, author, and activist, created Kwanzaa Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga, previously known as Ron Karenga, is an American activist, author and professor of Africana studies, best known as the creator of the pan-African and African-American holiday of Kwanzaa. Read more
14 Jul 1941: Andreas Khol, German-Austrian lawyer and politician Andreas Khol is an Austrian politician of the centre-right Austrian People's Party, President of the National Council from 2002 to 2006. Read more
14 Jul 1940: Susan Howatch, English author and academic Susan Howatch is a British author. Her writing career has been distinguished by family saga-type novels that describe the lives of related characters for long periods of time. Her later books have also become known for their religious and philosophical themes. Read more
14 Jul 1939: Karel Gott, Czech singer-songwriter and actor (died 2019) Karel Gott was a Czech singer, considered the most successful male singer in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. He was voted the country's best male singer in the annual Český slavík national music award 42 times, most recently in 2017. Read more
14 Jul 1939: George Edgar Slusser, American scholar and author (died 2014) George Edgar Slusser was an American scholar, professor and writer. Slusser was a well-known science fiction critic. A professor emeritus of comparative literature at University of California, Riverside, he was the first curator of the Eaton collection. Read more
14 Jul 1938: Jerry Rubin, American activist, author, and businessman (died 1994) Jerry Clyde Rubin was an American social activist, anti-war leader, and counterculture icon during the 1960s and early 1970s. Despite being known for holding radical views when he was a political activist, he ceased holding his more extreme views at some point in the 1970s and instead opted for a successful career as a businessman. In the 1960s, during his political activism heyday, he was known for being one of the co-founders of the Youth International Party (YIP) whose members were referred to as Yippies, and standing trial in the Chicago Seven case. Read more
14 Jul 1938: Moshe Safdie, Israel-Canadian-American architect Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian-American architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. He is well known for incorporating principles of socially responsible design throughout his six-decade career. Read more
14 Jul 1938: Tommy Vig, Hungarian vibraphone player, drummer, and composer Tommy Vig is a percussionist, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Read more
14 Jul 1937: Yoshiro Mori, Japanese journalist and politician, 55th Prime Minister of Japan Yoshirō Mori is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party from 2000 to 2001. Read more
14 Jul 1936: Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 1996) Robert Franklyn Overmyer was an American test pilot, naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, physicist, United States Marine Corps officer, and USAF/NASA astronaut. Overmyer was selected by the Air Force as an astronaut for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of the program in 1969, he became a NASA astronaut and served support crew duties for the Apollo program, Skylab program, and Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. In 1976, he was assigned to the Space Shuttle program and flew as pilot on STS-5 in 1982 and as commander on STS-51-B in 1985. He was selected as a lead investigator into the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, retiring from NASA that same year. A decade later, Overmyer died while testing the Cirrus VK-30 homebuilt aircraft. Read more
14 Jul 1935: Ei-ichi Negishi, Japanese chemist (palladium-catalyzed cross couplings) and Nobel Prize winner (died 2021) Ei-ichi Negishi was a Japanese chemist who was best known for his discovery of the Negishi coupling. He spent most of his career at Purdue University in the United States, where he was the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor and the director of the Negishi-Brown Institute. He was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for palladium catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis" jointly with Richard F. Heck and Akira Suzuki. Read more
14 Jul 1934: Lee Elder, American golfer (first African-American to play in the US Masters) (died 2021) Robert Lee Elder was an American professional golfer. In 1975, he became the first black golfer to play in the Masters Tournament. Elder was invited to the tournament after he won the 1974 Monsanto Open. Read more
14 Jul 1934: Lee Friedlander, American portrait, and 'social landscape' photographer, and album cover artist Lee Friedlander is an American photographer and artist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Friedlander evolved an influential and often imitated visual language of urban "social landscape," with many of his photographs including fragments of store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, posters and street signs. His work is characterized by its innovative use of framing and reflection, often using the natural environment or architectural elements to frame his subjects. Over the course of his career, Friedlander has been the recipient of numerous awards and his work has been exhibited in major museums and galleries worldwide. Read more
14 Jul 1933: Robert Bourassa, Canadian lawyer and politician, 22nd Premier of Quebec (died 1996) Robert Bourassa was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just under 15 years as premier. Bourassa's tenure was marked by major events affecting Quebec, including the October Crisis and the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords. Read more
14 Jul 1933: Dumaagiin Sodnom, Mongolian politician; 13th Prime Minister of Mongolia Dumaagiin Sodnom is a retired Mongolian politician and economist who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Mongolia from 1984 to 1990. Read more
14 Jul 1932: Rosey Grier, American football player and actor Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier is an American former football player, bodyguard, actor, singer, Protestant minister, fiber artist, and motivational speaker. He played professionally as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams where he was a member of the original "Fearsome Foursome". Read more
14 Jul 1932: Del Reeves, American country singer-songwriter (died 2007) Franklin Delano Reeves was an American country music singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell". He is also known for his 1968 trucker's anthem, "Looking at the World Through a Windshield", which demonstrated he was capable of more than just novelty songs. He became one of the most successful male country singers of the 1960s, becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1966 and remaining a regular performer for 40 years, until his death. Read more
14 Jul 1930: Polly Bergen, American actress and singer (died 2014) Polly Bergen was an American actress, singer, television host, writer, and entrepreneur. Read more
14 Jul 1930: Benoît Sinzogan, Beninese military officer and politician (died 2021) Benoît Sinzogan was a Beninese military officer and politician, best known for leading his country's gendarmerie in the late 1960s. He was a member of the Fon ethnic group, which dominated the Beninese army from 1965 to 1967. After Maurice Kouandété usurped the presidency on December 17, Sinzogan was placed under house arrest until December 19. That day, Sinzogan was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, his first political post, which he held until July 1968. He was a member of the Military Directorate, which ruled Dahomey from 1969 to 1970. Academic Samuel Decalo described the man as "too timid to mount a coup" during the 1960s and 1970s, being "one of Dahomey's few senior officers not to attempt to." Read more
14 Jul 1929: Jacqueline de Ribes, French fashion designer and philanthropist (died 2025) Jacqueline, Comtesse de Ribes was a French aristocrat, designer, fashion icon, businesswoman, film producer and philanthropist. She was a member of the International Best Dressed List from 1962 on. Read more
14 Jul 1928: Nancy Olson, American actress Nancy Ann Olson is an American retired actress. She made her film debut Canadian Pacific (1949), before gaining prominence as Betty Schaefer in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard (1950), for which she earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later co-starred with William Holden in three more films Union Station (1950), Force of Arms (1951), and Submarine Command (1951). Read more
14 Jul 1928: William Rees-Mogg, English journalist and public servant (died 2012) William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg was a British newspaper journalist who was Editor of The Times from 1967 to 1981. In the late 1970s, he served as High Sheriff of Somerset, and in the 1980s was Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain and Vice-Chairman of the BBC's Board of Governors. He is the father of the politicians Jacob and Annunziata Rees-Mogg. Read more
14 Jul 1927: John Chancellor, American journalist (died 1996) John William Chancellor was an American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News. He is considered a pioneer in television news. Chancellor served as anchor of the NBC Nightly News from 1970 to 1982 and continued to do editorials and commentaries for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw until 1993. Read more
14 Jul 1927: Mike Esposito, American author and illustrator (died 2010) Michael "Mike" Esposito, who sometimes used the pseudonyms Mickey Demeo, Mickey Dee, Michael Dee, and Joe Gaudioso, was an American comic book artist whose work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics and others spanned the 1950s to the 2000s. As a comic book inker teamed with his childhood friend Ross Andru, he drew for such major titles as The Amazing Spider-Man and Wonder Woman. An Andru-Esposito drawing of Wonder Woman appears on a 2006 U.S. stamp. Read more
14 Jul 1926: Wallace Jones, American basketball player and coach (died 2014) Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians. Read more
14 Jul 1926: Harry Dean Stanton, American actor, musician, and singer (died 2017) Harry Dean Stanton was an American actor and musician. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including Cool Hand Luke (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Dillinger (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), Alien (1979), Escape from New York (1981), Christine (1983), Repo Man (1984), One Magic Christmas (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Wild at Heart (1990), The Straight Story (1999), The Green Mile (1999), The Man Who Cried (2000), Alpha Dog (2006), Inland Empire (2006), Rango (2011), The Avengers (2012), and Seven Psychopaths (2012). He had rare lead roles in Paris, Texas (1984) and Lucky (2017). Read more
14 Jul 1926: Himayat Ali Shair, Urdu poet (died 2019) Himayat Ali Shair was an Urdu poet, writer, film songwriter, actor and radio drama artist from Pakistan. Read more
14 Jul 1925: Bruce L. Douglas, American politician (died 2025) Bruce Lee Douglas was an American politician in the state of Illinois. Read more
14 Jul 1924: Warren Giese, American football player, coach, and politician (died 2013) Warren Kenneth Giese was an American state legislator in South Carolina and a college football coach. He served as the head football coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks for five years at the University of South Carolina. He later served in the South Carolina State Senate. Read more
14 Jul 1924: Dorothy Stanley, American educator (died 1990) Dorothy Amora Stanley was an American educator, consultant, Miwok activist, and politician. Trained in Northern Miwok culture during her youth, she became involved in Native American affairs – particularly the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians – after her fourth marriage. An advocate for Native American interests, she served as vice-chair of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Central California Agency's advisory board and as chair of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Tribal Council in 1980. She was also an educator and demonstrator on Miwok culture, including basket-weaving, as well as an archaeological and academic consultant. Read more
14 Jul 1923: René Favaloro, Argentine surgeon and cardiologist (died 2000) René Gerónimo Favaloro was an Argentine cardiac surgeon and educator best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery using the great saphenous vein. Read more
14 Jul 1923: Dale Robertson, American actor (died 2013) Dayle Lymoine Robertson was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series Tales of Wells Fargo and railroad owner Ben Calhoun in Iron Horse. He often was presented as a deceptively thoughtful and modest Western hero. From 1968 to 1970, Robertson was the fourth and final host of the anthology series Death Valley Days. Described by Time magazine in 1959 as "probably the best horseman on television", for most of his career, Robertson played in Western films and television shows—well over 60 titles in all. Read more
14 Jul 1923: Robert Zildjian, American businessman, founded Sabian (died 2013) Robert Zildjian was the founder of Sabian Cymbals, the second-largest manufacturer of cymbals in the world. Read more
14 Jul 1922: Robin Olds, American general and pilot (died 2007) Robin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. Read more
14 Jul 1922: Elfriede Rinkel, German concentration camp guard at Ravensbruck (died 2018) Elfriede Lina Rinkel was a German Nazi guard at the Ravensbrück concentration camp from June 1944 until April 1945, known for using an SS-trained guard dog to abuse prisoners. Read more
14 Jul 1922: Käbi Laretei, Estonian-Swedish concert pianist (died 2014) Käbi Alma Laretei was an Estonian-Swedish concert pianist. Read more
14 Jul 1921: Sixto Durán Ballén, American-Ecuadorian architect and politician, 48th President of Ecuador (died 2016) Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez was an Ecuadorian political figure and architect who served as the 37th president of Ecuador from 1992 to 1996. He previously served as mayor of Quito between 1970 and 1978. In 1951, he co-founded a political party, the Social Christian Party. In 1991, he left the Social Christian Party and formed a new conservative group, the Republican Union Party (PUR), before running for president for the third time in 1992 where he was elected president. Read more
14 Jul 1921: Leon Garfield, English author (died 1996) Leon Garfield FRSL was a British author. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books and scripted Shakespeare: The Animated Tales for television. His retellings of Shakespeare for young readers were published as Shakespeare Stories. Garfield won the inaugural Guardian Prize for Devil-in-the-Fog, the Carnegie Medal for The God Beneath the Sea, a retelling of Greek mythology cowritten with Edward Blishen and the Whitbread Award for John Diamond. He wrote an ending for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, left unfinished at the death of Charles Dickens. Read more
14 Jul 1921: Armand Gaudreault, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2013) Armand Gérard Gaudreault was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played 44 games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins during the 1944–45 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1940 to 1952, was spent in the Quebec Senior Hockey League and the American Hockey League. Gaudreault was born in Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. Read more
14 Jul 1921: Geoffrey Wilkinson, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1996) Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson FRS was a Nobel laureate English chemist who pioneered inorganic chemistry and homogeneous transition metal catalysis. Read more
14 Jul 1920: Shankarrao Chavan, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Finance (died 2004) Shankarrao Bhavrao Chavan was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Maharashtra twice from 1975 until 1977 and from 13 March 1986 until 26 June 1988. Read more
14 Jul 1918: Fred Baur, American chemist and founder of Pringles (died 2008) Fredric John Baur Jr. was an American organic chemist and food storage scientist notable for designing the Pringles packaging. Baur filed for a patent for the tubular Pringles container and for the method of packaging the curved, stacked potato chip in the container in 1966, and it was granted in 1971. His other accomplishments included development of frying oils and freeze-dried ice cream. Baur was a graduate of the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio, and received both his master's and PhD degrees at Ohio State University. He also served in the U.S. Navy as an aviation physiologist. He was a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. Read more
14 Jul 1918: Ingmar Bergman, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2007) Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest and most important filmmakers in the history of cinema, most notably as a prominent figure of both European film industry and Swedish cinema. His films have been described as "profoundly personal meditations into the myriad struggles facing the psyche and the soul." Read more
14 Jul 1918: Arthur Laurents, American director, screenwriter, and playwright (died 2011) Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. With a career spanning seven decades he received numerous accolades including two Tony Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. Read more
14 Jul 1918: Jay Wright Forrester, American computer engineer and systems scientist (died 2016) Jay Wright Forrester was an American computer engineer, management theorist and systems scientist. He spent his entire career at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, entering as a graduate student in 1939, and eventually retiring in 1989. Read more
14 Jul 1913: Gerald Ford, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 38th President of the United States (died 2006) Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. He assumed the presidency after the resignation of Richard Nixon, under whom he served as the 40th vice president from 1973 to 1974, after the resignation of Spiro Agnew. A member of the Republican Party, Ford previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1973. Read more
14 Jul 1912: Northrop Frye, Canadian literary critic (died 1991) Herman Northrop Frye was a Canadian literary critic and literary theorist, considered one of the most influential of the 20th century. Read more
14 Jul 1912: Woody Guthrie, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1967) Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism and has inspired many generations politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land" and "Tear the Fascists Down". Read more
14 Jul 1911: Pavel Prudnikau, Belarusian poet and author (died 2000) Pavel Ivanovich Prudnikau was a Belarusian writer. He was a cousin of another Belarusian writer, Ales Prudnikau. Read more
14 Jul 1910: William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (died 2001) William Denby Hanna was an American animator, voice actor, and musician. Hanna and Joseph Barbera co-created Tom and Jerry and founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera, with Hanna providing the vocal effects for Tom and Jerry's title characters. Read more
14 Jul 1907: Chico Landi, Brazilian racing driver (died 1989) Francisco Sacco "Chico" Landi was a racing driver from São Paulo, Brazil. He participated in six Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on September 16, 1951. He scored a total of 1.5 championship points, awarded for his fourth-place finish in the 1956 Argentine Grand Prix, a drive he shared with Gerino Gerini. He was the first Brazilian ever to take part in a Formula One Grand Prix, and also the first to score points. Read more
14 Jul 1903: Irving Stone, American author and educator (died 1989) Irving Stone was an American writer, chiefly known for his biographical novels of noted artists, politicians, and intellectuals. Among the best known are Lust for Life (1934), about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961), about Michelangelo. Read more
14 Jul 1901: Gerald Finzi, English composer and academic (died 1956) Gerald Raphael Finzi was an English composer. Finzi is best known as a choral composer, but also wrote in other genres. Large-scale compositions by Finzi include the cantata Dies natalis for solo voice and string orchestra, and his concertos for cello and clarinet. Read more
14 Jul 1898: Happy Chandler, American lawyer and politician, 49th Governor of Kentucky, second Commissioner of Baseball (died 1991) Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Sr. was an American politician from Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second commissioner of baseball from 1945 to 1951 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. His grandson, Ben Chandler, later served as US Representative for Kentucky's sixth district. Read more
14 Jul 1897: Plaek Phibunsongkhram, Thai military officer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Thailand (died 1964) Plaek Phibunsongkhram, commonly known in English language sources as Phibun and as Chomphon Por in Thai, was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Khana Ratsadon, becoming prime minister in 1938 and later consolidating his influence as a military dictator. His regime allied with the Empire of Japan during World War II, and his administration was marked by authoritarian policies and the promotion of Thai nationalism. He was closely involved in both domestic reforms and foreign policy during the war and played a central role in shaping modern Thai state ideology. Phibun's ideology get's described as fascist. Read more
14 Jul 1896: Buenaventura Durruti, Spanish soldier and anarchist (died 1936) José Buenaventura Durruti Dumange was a Spanish anarcho-syndicalist militant and a leading figure in Spanish anarchism before and during the Spanish Civil War. As a prominent member of the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) and the Federación Anarquista Ibérica (FAI), Durruti was a key participant in the Spanish Revolution of 1936, and is remembered as a hero and martyr by the anarchist movement. Read more
14 Jul 1895: F.R. Leavis, British literary critic (died 1978) Frank Raymond "F. R." Leavis was an English literary critic of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. He taught for much of his career at Downing College, Cambridge, and later at the University of York. Read more
14 Jul 1894: Dave Fleischer, American animator, director, and producer (died 1979) Dave Fleischer was an American film director and producer who co-owned Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. Read more
14 Jul 1893: Clarence J. Brown, American publisher and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (died 1965) Clarence James Brown Sr. was an American politician; he represented Ohio as a Republican in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until his death in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1965. Long representing conservative views, near the end of his life, he helped gain House passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which he voted for to provide enforcement of the right to vote for all citizens, while also voting in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, 1960, and 1964. Read more
14 Jul 1893: Garimella Satyanarayana, Indian poet and author (died 1952) Garimella Satyanarayana was a poet and freedom fighter of Andhra Pradesh, India. He influenced and mobilised the Andhra people against the British Raj with his patriotic songs and writings, for which he was jailed several times by the British administration. Read more
14 Jul 1889: Marco de Gastyne, French painter and illustrator (died 1982) Marc Henri Benoist better known as Marco de Gastyne was a French painter, illustrator and later film director of more than fifteen films. Read more
14 Jul 1889: Ante Pavelić, Croatian fascist dictator during World War II (died 1959) Ante Pavelić was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the Ustaše in 1929 and was dictator of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a fascist puppet state built out of parts of occupied Yugoslavia by the authorities of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, from 1941 to 1945. Pavelić and the Ustaše persecuted many racial minorities and political opponents in the NDH during the war, including Serbs, Jews, Romani, and Yugoslav Partisans, becoming one of the key figures of the genocide of Serbs, the Porajmos and the Holocaust in the NDH. Read more
14 Jul 1888: Scipio Slataper, Italian author and critic (died 1915) Scipio Slataper was an Italian writer, most famous for his lyrical essay My Karst. He is considered, alongside Italo Svevo, the initiator of the prolific tradition of Italian literature in Trieste. Read more
14 Jul 1885: Sisavang Vong, Laotian king (died 1959) King Sisavangvong, known by his courtesy name Sisavangvong, was the last ruler of the Lao Kingdom of Luang Prabang and the founding king of the Kingdom of Laos. Born Prince Khao on 14 July 1885, he ascended the throne at the age of 18 following the death of his father. In keeping with Lao tradition, he took the courtesy name Sisavangvong. Read more
14 Jul 1878: Donald Meek, Scottish-American stage and film actor (died 1946) Thomas Donald Meek was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903. Read more
14 Jul 1874: Abbas II of Egypt (died 1944) Abbas Helmy II was the last Khedive of Egypt and the Sudan, ruling from 8 January 1892 to 19 December 1914. In 1914, after the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers in World War I, the nationalist Khedive was removed by the British, then ruling Egypt, in favour of his more pro-British uncle, Hussein Kamel, marking the de jure end of Egypt's four-century era as a province of the Ottoman Empire, which had begun in 1517. Read more
14 Jul 1874: Crawford Vaughan, Australian politician, 27th Premier of South Australia (died 1947) Crawford Vaughan was an Australian politician, and the Premier of South Australia from 1915 to 1917. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1905 to 1918, representing Torrens (1905–1915) and Sturt (1915–1918). Elected for the United Labor Party, he served as Treasurer in the Verran government, succeeded Verran as Labor leader in 1913, and was elected Premier after the Labor victory at the 1915 state election. Read more
14 Jul 1872: Albert Marque, French sculptor and doll maker (died 1939) Albert Marque was a French sculptor and doll maker of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Read more
14 Jul 1868: Gertrude Bell, English archaeologist and political officer (died 1926) Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became influential in British imperial policy-making as an Arabist due to her knowledge of the region and the contacts built up during her extensive travels there. During her lifetime, she was highly esteemed and trusted by British officials such as High Commissioner for Mesopotamia Percy Cox, giving her great influence. She participated in both the 1919 Paris Peace Conference (briefly) and the 1921 Cairo Conference, which helped decide the territorial boundaries and governments of the post-War Middle East as part of the partition of the Ottoman Empire. Bell believed that the momentum of Arab nationalism was unstoppable, and that the British government should ally with nationalists rather than stand against them. Along with T. E. Lawrence, she advocated for independent Arab states in the Middle East following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and supported the installation of Hashemite monarchies in what is today Jordan and Iraq. Read more
14 Jul 1866: Juliette Wytsman, Belgian painter (died 1925) Juliette Wytsman was a Belgian impressionist painter. She was married to painter Rodolphe Wytsman. Her paintings are in the collections of several museums in Belgium. Read more
14 Jul 1865: Arthur Capper, American journalist and politician, 20th Governor of Kansas (died 1951) Arthur Capper was an American politician from Kansas. He was the 20th governor of Kansas from 1915 to 1919 and a United States senator from 1919 to 1949. He also owned a radio station, and was the publisher of a newspaper, the Topeka Daily Capital. Read more
14 Jul 1862: Florence Bascom, American geologist and educator (died 1945) Florence Bascom was a pioneer American woman geologist and educator. Bascom was the second woman to earn a PhD in geology in the United States. She received her PhD in 1893 from Johns Hopkins University and was the first woman to earn a PhD at the institution in any field. In 1896 Bascom became the first woman to work for the United States Geological Survey. Bascom also founded the department of geology at Bryn Mawr College where she trained many leading women geologists. Read more
14 Jul 1862: Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter and illustrator (died 1918) Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's primary subject was the female body, and his works are marked by a frank eroticism. Amongst his figurative works, which include allegories and portraits, he painted landscapes. He is best known for The Kiss and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Among the artists of the Vienna Secession, Klimt was the most influenced by Japanese art and its methods. Read more
14 Jul 1861: Kate M. Gordon, American activist (died 1931) Kate M. Gordon was an American suffragist, civic leader, and one of the leading advocates of women's voting rights in the Southern United States. Gordon was the organizer of the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference and directed the 1918 campaign for woman suffrage in the state of Louisiana, the first such statewide effort in the American South. Read more
14 Jul 1859: Willy Hess, German violinist and educator (died 1928) Willy Hess was a German violinist and violin teacher. Read more
14 Jul 1829: Edward Benson, English archbishop (died 1896) Edward White Benson was archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death. Before this, he was the first Bishop of Truro, serving from 1877 to 1883, and began construction of Truro Cathedral. Read more
14 Jul 1825: Georgiana Hill, English cookery book writer (died 1903) Georgina Hill was an English cookery book writer who wrote at least twenty-three works. She was born in Kingsdown, Bristol before moving to Tadley, Hampshire in the 1850s. She wrote her first cookery book, The Gourmet's Guide to Rabbit Cooking, there in 1859. Within a year she was writing for the Routledge Household Manuals series of books; her final work was published in 1870. She produced several books that specialised in an ingredient, type of food, method of cooking or meal. Her books appear to have sold well, and were advertised in the UK, India and the US. The recipes assume a prior knowledge of cookery. Her complete canon of publications has been favourably compared with the compendium-style cookery books that were produced in Victorian England, particularly Isabella Beeton's 1861 work A Book of Household Management. Read more
14 Jul 1816: Arthur de Gobineau, French writer who founded Gobinism to promote development of racism (died 1882) Arthur de Gobineau, Count de Gobineau was a French writer and diplomat who is best known for helping introduce scientific race theory and "racial demography", and for developing the theory of the Aryan master race and Nordicism. He was an elitist who, in the immediate aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848, wrote An Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races. In it he argued that aristocrats were superior to commoners and that aristocrats possessed more Aryan genetic traits because of less interbreeding with inferior races. Read more
14 Jul 1801: Johannes Peter Müller, German physiologist and anatomist (died 1858) Johannes Peter Müller was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist, known not only for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge. The paramesonephric duct was named in his honor. Read more

Notable Deaths on 14 July

14 Jul 2025: B. Saroja Devi, Indian actress (born 1938) B. Saroja Devi was an Indian actress who appeared in 200 Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films over seven decades. She was one of the most successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema. She is regarded as the first lady superstar of Kannada cinema. Posthumously, Saroja Devi became the first women to be awarded the Karnataka Ratna, state's highest civilian award. Read more
14 Jul 2025: Andrea Gibson, American poet and activist (born 1975) Andrea Faye Gibson was an American poet and activist. Their poetry focused on gender norms, politics, social justice, LGBTQ topics, life, and mortality. Gibson was appointed as the Poet Laureate of Colorado in 2023. Read more
14 Jul 2025: John MacArthur, American evangelical preacher (born 1939) John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. was an American Calvinistic Baptist pastor, theologian, author, and broadcaster. He was the founder of Grace to You, a nationally syndicated radio and television Bible teaching program. He was also the longtime pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California from 1969 until his death in 2025. Additionally, MacArthur served as the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University and The Master's Seminary, both based in Santa Clarita, California. Read more
14 Jul 2025: Fauja Singh, British-Indian centenarian marathon runner Fauja Singh was a British Indian marathon runner. At the time of his birth in Punjab province in British India, birth certificates were not typically issued, so his age could not be verified by third parties. Later in life, he became a marathon runner, participating in marathons all over the world. Read more
14 Jul 2024: Jacoby Jones, American football player (born 1984) Jacoby Rashi'd Jones was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, Jones also played with the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League in 2017. Read more
14 Jul 2022: Ivana Trump, Czech-American socialite and model (born 1949) Ivana Marie Trump was a Czech and American businesswoman, socialite, and model. She lived in Canada in the 1970s, before relocating to the United States and marrying Donald Trump in 1977. She held key managerial positions in the Trump Organization, as vice president of interior design, CEO and president of Trump's Castle casino resort, and manager of the Plaza Hotel. Read more
14 Jul 2020: Rosa, Spanish-born cow on French television (born 2001) Rosa was a Spanish-born Landes cow known for her participation in the French game show Intervilles. She became a popular part of the programme due to her intelligence and aggressiveness. She died in 2020 of a gastric illness. Read more
14 Jul 2017: Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (born 1977) Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Her research focused on hyperbolic geometry, dynamical systems, complex analysis, and topology. In 2014, she was awarded the Fields Medal for her work in "the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces", becoming the first woman and the first Iranian citizen to win the prize. Along with the Fields Medal, her work earned numerous honors, including the Blumenthal Award, the Satter Prize, and the Clay Research Award. Read more
14 Jul 2005: Cicely Saunders, English hospice founder (born 1918) Dame Cicely Mary Strode Saunders was an English nurse, social worker, physician and writer. She is noted for her work in terminal care research and her role in the birth of the hospice movement, emphasising the importance of palliative care in modern medicine, and opposing the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia. Read more
14 Jul 2000: Pepo, Chilean cartoonist; creator of Condorito (born 1911) René Ríos Boettiger, also known as Pepo, was a Chilean cartoonist, creator of the famous character Condorito. He has been credited as the most prominent Chilean graphic humorist of the 20th century. Read more
14 Jul 1998: Richard McDonald, American businessman, co-founded McDonald's (born 1909) Richard James McDonald and Maurice James "Mac" McDonald, known as the McDonald brothers, were American entrepreneurs who founded the fast food company McDonald's. Read more
14 Jul 1993: Léo Ferré, Monacan singer-songwriter, pianist, and poet (born 1916) Léo Ferré was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released many hit singles, particularly between 1960 and the mid-1970s. Some of his songs have become classics of the French chanson repertoire, including "Avec le temps", "C'est extra", "Jolie Môme" and "Paris-Canaille". Read more
14 Jul 1991: Constance Stokes, Australian painter (born 1906) Constance Stokes was an Australian modernist painter who worked in Victoria. She trained at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School until 1929, winning a scholarship to continue her study at London's Royal Academy of Arts. Although Stokes painted few works in the 1930s, her paintings and drawings were exhibited from the 1940s onwards. She was one of only two women, and two Victorians, included in a major exhibition of twelve Australian artists that travelled to Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy in the early 1950s. Read more
14 Jul 1986: Raymond Loewy, French-American industrial designer (born 1893) Raymond Loewy was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by Time magazine and featured on its cover on October 31, 1949. Read more
14 Jul 1984: Ernest Tidyman, American author and screenwriter; Academy Award winner for The French Connection (born 1928) Ernest Ralph Tidyman was an American author, journalist, and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. His screenplay for the 1971 film The French Connection garnered him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, among other accolades. Read more
14 Jul 1984: Philippe Wynne, American soul singer (The Spinners) (born 1941) Philippé Wynne was an American singer, best known for his role as a lead vocalist of The Spinners. Wynne scored notable hits such as "How Could I Let You Get Away", "The Rubberband Man", and "One of a Kind ". After leaving The Spinners, Wynne never regained the same success, although he was featured in hits by other artists such as "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic. Wynne died of a heart attack while performing at a nightclub. Read more
14 Jul 1980: Carlos López Moctezuma, Mexican actor (born 1909). Carlos López Moctezuma Pineda was a Mexican film actor. He appeared in more than 210 films between 1938 and 1980. He starred in the film Happiness, which was entered into the 7th Berlin International Film Festival. Read more
14 Jul 1974: Carl Spaatz, American World War II general; commander of the Strategic Air Forces in Europe (born 1891) Carl Andrew Spaatz, nicknamed "Tooey", was an American World War II general. As commander of Strategic Air Forces in Europe in 1944, he successfully pressed for the bombing of the enemy's oil production facilities as a priority over other targets. He became Chief of Staff of the newly formed United States Air Force in 1947. Read more
14 Jul 1970: Preston Foster, American actor (born 1900) Preston Stratton Foster, was an American actor of stage, film, radio, and television, whose career spanned nearly four decades. He also had a career as a vocalist. Read more
14 Jul 1968: Konstantin Paustovsky, Russian author and poet (born 1892) Konstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky was a Soviet writer nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968. Read more
14 Jul 1967: Tudor Arghezi, Romanian author and poet (born 1880) Tudor Arghezi was a Romanian writer and political figure, widely considered one of his country's greatest poets. An illegitimate, part-Hungarian child who was purposely vague about his roots, he had a troubled youth during which he held a variety of jobs—including a stint as a hierodeacon of the Romanian Orthodox Church, from which he gathered his extreme anti-clericalism. He debuted in the 1890s as an affiliate of the Symbolist movement, being welcomed as an outstanding poet. Arghezi renounced this career to study theology in Switzerland, but never graduated, training instead as a watchmaker and typographer. From 1910, his social poetry and leftist journalism became widely read, allowing him to return as a professional writer and art columnist. He soon became highly controversial for his apparent corruption and his mordant satire, as well as for his political positions during World War I—when, as editor of Seara and Cronica, he favored the Central Powers. Arghezi stayed behind in occupied Bucharest after the Romanian Debacle of 1916, collaborating with the German Empire in a manner that was judged as treasonous. In postwar Greater Romania, he was initially punished with imprisonment at Văcărești, but amnestied within months. Read more
14 Jul 1966: Julie Manet, French painter and art collector (born 1878) Eugénie Julie Manet was a French painter, model, diarist, and art collector. Read more
14 Jul 1965: Adlai Stevenson II, American soldier and politician, 5th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (born 1900) Adlai Ewing Stevenson II was an American politician and diplomat who was the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 1961 until his death in 1965. He served as the 31st governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953 and was the Democratic Party nominee for president of the United States in 1952 and 1956, losing both elections to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Read more
14 Jul 1954: Jacinto Benavente, Spanish author and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1866) Jacinto Benavente y Martínez was one of the foremost Spanish dramatists of the 20th century. He was awarded the 1922 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the happy manner in which he has continued the illustrious traditions of the Spanish drama". Read more
14 Jul 1939: Alphonse Mucha, Czech painter and illustrator (born 1860) Alfons Maria Mucha, known in English as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. Living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, he was widely known for his distinctly stylised and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, as well as designs, which became among the best-known images of the period. Read more
14 Jul 1937: Julius Meier, American businessman and politician, 20th Governor of Oregon (born 1874) Julius L. Meier was an American businessman, civic leader, and politician in the state of Oregon. The son of the Meier & Frank department store founder, he would become a lawyer before entering the family business in Portland. Politically an independent, Meier served a single term as the 20th governor of Oregon from 1931 to 1935. He is the only independent to be elected Governor of Oregon, as well as the state’s first Jewish governor. Read more
14 Jul 1936: Dhan Gopal Mukerji, Indian-American author and scholar (born 1890) Dhan Gopal Mukerji was the first successful Indian man of letters in the United States and won a Newbery Medal in 1928. He studied at Duff School, and at Duff College, both within the University of Calcutta in India, at the University of Tokyo in Japan and at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University in the US. Read more
14 Jul 1918: Quentin Roosevelt, American lieutenant and pilot (born 1897) Quentin Roosevelt I was the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt and Edith Roosevelt. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service where he became a pursuit pilot during World War I and shot down one German aircraft. He was killed in aerial combat over France on Bastille Day, 1918. He is the only child of a U.S. president to have been killed in action. Read more
14 Jul 1917: Octave Lapize, French cyclist (born 1887) Octave Lapize was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist. Read more
14 Jul 1910: Marius Petipa, French dancer and choreographer (born 1818) Marius Ivanovich Petipa was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history. Read more
14 Jul 1907: William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (born 1838) Sir William Henry Perkin was an English chemist and entrepreneur best known for his serendipitous discovery of the first commercial synthetic organic dye, mauveine, made from aniline. Though he failed in trying to synthesise quinine for the treatment of malaria, he became successful in the field of dyes after his first discovery at the age of 18. Read more
14 Jul 1904: Paul Kruger, South African politician, 5th President of the South African Republic (born 1824) Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger was a South African politician. He was one of the dominant political and military figures in 19th-century South Africa, and State President of the South African Republic from 1883 to 1900. Nicknamed "Oom Paul", he came to international prominence as the face of the Boer cause—that of the Transvaal and its neighbour the Orange Free State—against Britain during the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. He has been called a personification of Afrikanerdom and admirers venerate him as a tragic folk hero. Read more
14 Jul 1881: William H. Bonney aka Billy the Kid, American gunfighter and outlaw (born 1859 or 1860) Henry McCarty, alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders. He was solely responsible for four of them, and he may have played a role in five, alongside other men. He is also noted for his involvement in New Mexico's Lincoln County War. Read more
14 Jul 1876: John Buckley, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1813) Major John Buckley VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was the 115th recipient of the award and the first of 182 awarded during the Indian Mutiny. Read more
14 Jul 1856: Edward Vernon Utterson, English lawyer and historian (born 1775) Edward Vernon Utterson was a British lawyer, literary antiquary, collector and editor. He was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, one of the original members of the Roxburghe Club, a member of the Athenaeum Club, Camden Society and Royal Society of Arts, Recorder of Chichester and a Trustee of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. He went on to become one of the Six Clerks in Chancery, a position which he kept until his retirement on the abolition of the post in 1842, and also founded the Beldornie Press. Read more
14 Jul 1850: August Neander, German historian and theologian (born 1789) Johann August Wilhelm Neander was a German theologian and church historian. Read more
14 Jul 1840: Sir George Pocock, 1st Baronet, English politician and peer (died 1840) Sir George Pocock, 1st Baronet was an English politician and peer who served as MP for Bridgwater from 1796 till 1806 and 1807 till 1820. Read more
14 Jul 1834: Edmond-Charles Genêt, French-American diplomat (born 1763) Edmond-Charles Genêt, also known as Citizen Genêt, was the French envoy to the United States appointed by the Girondins during the French Revolution. His actions on arriving in the United States led to a major political and international incident termed the "Citizen Genêt Affair." Because of his actions, President George Washington asked the French government to recall him. The Montagnards, having risen to power at the same time, replaced Genêt and issued a warrant for his arrest. Fearing for his life, Genêt asked for asylum in America, which was granted by Washington. Genêt stayed in the United States until his death. Historian Carol Berkin argues that the Genêt affair bolstered popular respect for the president and strengthened his role in dealing with foreign affairs. Read more
14 Jul 1827: Augustin-Jean Fresnel, French physicist and engineer, reviver of wave theory of light, inventor of catadioptric lighthouse lens (born 1788) Augustin-Jean Fresnel was a French civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the almost unanimous acceptance of the wave theory of light, fully supplanting Newton's corpuscular theory, from the late 1830s until the end of the 19th century. He is perhaps better known for inventing the catadioptric (reflective/refractive) Fresnel lens and for pioneering the use of "stepped" lenses to extend the visibility of lighthouses, saving countless lives at sea. The simpler dioptric stepped lens, first proposed by Count Buffon and independently reinvented by Fresnel, is used in screen magnifiers and in condenser lenses for overhead projectors. Read more
14 Jul 1817: Germaine de Staël, French philosopher and author (born 1766) Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein, commonly known as Madame de Staël, was a prominent Genevan and French novelist, woman of letters, philosopher, and political theorist in both Parisian and Genevan intellectual circles. She was the daughter of banker and French finance minister Jacques Necker and Suzanne Curchod, a respected salonist and writer. Throughout her life, she held a moderate stance during the tumultuous periods of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, persisting until the time of the French Restoration. Read more
14 Jul 1816: Francisco de Miranda, Venezuelan general (born 1750) Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza, commonly known as Francisco de Miranda, was a Hispanic military leader and revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolution and the Spanish American wars of independence. He is regarded as a precursor of South America's liberation from the Spanish Empire, and remains known as the "First Universal Hispanic" and the "Great Universal American". Read more
14 Jul 1809: Nicodemus the Hagiorite, Greek monk and saint (born 1749) Nicodemus the Hagiorite or Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain was a Greek ascetic monk, mystic, theologian, and philosopher, venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. His life's work was a revival of traditional Christian practices and patristic literature. Read more

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