Summary of the Day ✨ 14 March (14/03)
On this day, Burmese security forces killed at least 65 civilians in the Hlaingthaya massacre while Cyclone Idai devastated Mozambique, causing over 1,000 deaths as it made landfall near Beira. Meanwhile, Tokyo hosted a naming ceremony for the chemical element nihonium with Crown Prince Naruhito in attendance, while protests erupted in Lhasa and spread across Tibet, and violence in Nandigram, West Bengal, claimed at least 14 lives.
Historical Events 📜
- 2021: Burmese security forces kill at least 65 civilians in the Hlaingthaya massacre.
- 2019: Cyclone Idai makes landfall near Beira, Mozambique, causing devastating floods and over 1,000 deaths.
- 2017: A naming ceremony for the chemical element nihonium takes place in Tokyo, with then Crown Prince Naruhito in attendance.
- 2008: A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupt in Lhasa and subsequently spread elsewhere in Tibet.
- 2007: The Nandigram violence in Nandigram, West Bengal, results in the deaths of at least 14 people.
- 2006: The 2006 Chadian coup d’état attempt ends in failure.
- 2006: Operation Bringing Home the Goods: Israeli troops raid an American-supervised Palestinian prison in Jericho to capture six Palestinian prisoners, including PFLP chief Ahmad Sa’adat.
- 1995: Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to ride to space on board a Russian launch vehicle.
- 1991: Escondida in Chile’s Atacama Desert – which was to become the worlds most productive copper mine – is officially inaugurated.
- 1988: In the Johnson South Reef Skirmish Chinese forces defeat Vietnamese forces in an altercation over control of one of the Spratly Islands.
- 1982: The South African government bombs the headquarters of the African National Congress in London.
- 1980: LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 crashes during final approach near Warsaw, Poland, killing 87 people, including a 14-man American boxing team.
- 1979: Alia Royal Jordanian Flight 600 crashes at Doha International Airport, killing 45 people.
- 1978: The Israel Defense Forces launch Operation Litani, a seven-day campaign to invade and occupy southern Lebanon.
- 1972: Sterling Airways Flight 296 crashes near Kalba, United Arab Emirates while on approach to Dubai International Airport, killing 112 people.
Famous Births 👶
- 2008: Abby Ryder Fortson, American actress
- 2001: Nico Mannion, Italian-American basketball player
- 2000: Chrisean Rock, American rapper and reality television personality
- 2000: Jihoon, South Korean singer
- 1999: Marvin Bagley III, American basketball player
- 1999: Olivia Dean, English singer-songwriter
- 1998: Tyson Jost, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1997: Simone Biles, American gymnast
- 1996: Batuhan Altıntaş, Turkish footballer
- 1995: Brandon Aubrey, American multi-sport athlete
- 1995: Nick Eh 30, Canadian live streamer and professional gamer
- 1994: Ansel Elgort, American actor and DJ
- 1993: Anthony Bennett, Canadian basketball player
- 1993: J. T. Miller, American ice hockey player
- 1992: Shotzi Blackheart, American wrestler
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2025: Alan Simpson, United States senator from Wyoming (born 1931)
- 2022: Scott Hall, American wrestler (born 1958)
- 2019: Jake Phelps, American skateboarder and Thrasher editor-in-chief (born 1962)
- 2019: Charlie Whiting, British motorsport director (born 1952)
- 2019: Haig Young, Canadian politician (born 1928)
- 2018: Jim Bowen, English stand-up comedian and TV personality (born 1937)
- 2018: Marielle Franco, Brazilian politician and human rights activist (born 1979)
- 2018: Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author (born 1942)
- 2018: Liam O’Flynn, Irish uileann piper (born 1945)
- 2016: John W. Cahn, German-American metallurgist and academic (born 1928)
- 2016: Peter Maxwell Davies, English composer and conductor (born 1934)
- 2016: Suranimala Rajapaksha, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (born 1949)
- 2014: Tony Benn, English politician, Postmaster General of the United Kingdom (born 1925)
- 2014: Meir Har-Zion, Israeli commander (born 1934)
- 2013: Jack Greene, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1930)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Christian feast day:
Leobinus - Christian feast day:
Matilda of Ringelheim - Christian feast day:
March 14 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Constitution Day (Andorra)
- Heroes’ Day (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
- Mother Tongue Day (Estonia)
- Nanakshahi New Year, first day of the month of Chet (Sikhism)
- Pi Day
- Steak and Blowjob Day, a satirical unofficial holiday created in the United States as a male response to Valentine’s Day
- Summer Day (Albania)
- White Day on which men give gifts to women; complementary to Valentine’s Day (Japan and other Asian nations)