Box-office #1
The Empire Strikes Back
1980 · dir. Irvin Kershner
Wide US release on May 23, 1980. Goes on to become the highest-grossing film of the year.
Sci-fiStar Wars $538M worldwide
On this day
March 14 Saturday, March 14, 2026
A curious almanac of what happened on March 14 across the years — history, birthdays, the songs that ruled the charts, the films that packed cinemas, and the science that nudged the world forward.
12
Events
7
Birthdays
8
Holidays
War 246 years ago
American Revolutionary War: Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, Alabama, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, eliminating the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
History
What happened on March 14
12 verified entries Full timeline
- 1074European history
Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland.
Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, at the Battle of Mogyoród, forcing him to flee to the western borderlands.
- 1590European history
Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguenots defeat the forces of the Catholic League under Charles, Duke of Mayenne, during the French Wars of Religion.
Henry of Navarre defeats the Catholic League's forces at the Battle of Ivry, securing a crucial victory in the French Wars of Religion.
- 1647European history
Thirty Years' War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm.
Bavaria, Cologne, France, and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm, marking a temporary pause in the Thirty Years' War.
- 1663Science
According to his own account, Otto von Guericke completes his book Experimenta Nova (ut vocantur) Magdeburgica de Vacuo Spatio, detailing his experiments on vacuum and his discovery of electrostatic repulsion.
Otto von Guericke publishes "Experimenta Nova," detailing his experiments on vacuums and the discovery of electrostatic repulsion.
- 1780War
American Revolutionary War: Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, Alabama, the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
Spanish forces capture Fort Charlotte in Mobile, eliminating the last British frontier post capable of threatening New Orleans.
- 1794Technology
Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin.
Eli Whitney receives a patent for the cotton gin, revolutionizing the cotton industry and increasing Southern dependence on slavery.
- 1864Culture
Rossini's Petite messe solennelle is first performed, by twelve singers, two pianists and a harmonium player in a mansion in Paris.
Rossini's Petite messe solennelle debuts with twelve singers, two pianists, and a harmonium player in a Parisian mansion.
- 1885Culture
The Mikado, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, receives its first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in London.
The Mikado, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, debuts at the Savoy Theatre in London.
- 1943World history
The Holocaust: The liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto is completed.
The liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto is completed, marking a tragic chapter in the Holocaust.
- 1961US history
A USAF B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons crashes near Yuba City, California.
A USAF B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons crashes near Yuba City, California, leading to a massive recovery operation.
- 2008World history
A series of riots, protests, and demonstrations erupt in Lhasa and subsequently spread elsewhere in Tibet.
Violent protests break out in Lhasa, spreading to other parts of Tibet.
- 2019Disaster
Cyclone Idai makes landfall near Beira, Mozambique, causing devastating floods and over 1,000 deaths.
Cyclone Idai strikes Mozambique, leading to severe flooding and more than 1,000 fatalities.
Born today
Famous birthdays on March 14
7 this date All birthdays
Castro Alves
Brazilian poet and playwright
Antônio Frederico de Castro Alves, the Brazilian poet and playwright celebrated for his abolitionist and republican works, was born today in 1847.
Born
1847
Died
1871
Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies
1822 – 1889
Charles Ammi Cutter
American librarian
1837 – 1903
Alexandru Macedonski
Romanian author and poet
1854 – 1920
Koča Popović
Yugoslav politician and Divisional Commander of the First Proletarian Division of the Yugoslav Partisans
1908 – 1992
Ada Louise Huxtable
American author and critic
1921 – 2013
Wes Unseld
American basketball player, coach, and manager
1946 – 2020
Music
The number one songs on March 14
Across the years Full chart history
Also #1 on this day
- 2026"Rein Me In"— Sam Fender and Olivia Dean
- 2025"Pink Pony Club"— Chappell Roan
- 2024"Texas Hold 'Em"— Beyoncé
- 2023"Flowers"— Miley Cyrus
- 2022"We Don't Talk About Bruno"— Carolina Gaitán , Mauro Castillo , Adassa , Rhenzy Feliz , Diane Guerrero and Stephanie Beatriz
- 2021"Drivers License"— Olivia Rodrigo
Film & TV
At the movies
Box office #1 and premieres All releases
🏆 Sport March 14, 2004
Swimmer Michael Phelps breaks his own 400-meter individual medley world record in Orlando
At the USA Swimming World Championship Trials, Phelps clocked 4:08.41, breaking his previous record by nearly a second. The performance came months before his historic six-gold-medal performance at the Athens Olympics.
Read the story
🔬 Science March 14, 2017
A naming ceremony for the chemical element nihonium takes place in Tokyo, with then Crown Prince Naruhito in attendance.
The chemical element nihonium is named during a ceremony in Tokyo attended by Crown Prince Naruhito.
Read the storyToday is also
Holidays & observances
8 celebrated today
Constitution Day (Andorra)
International
This is a list of holidays in Andorra
Heroes' Day (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
International
Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories
Mother Tongue Day (Estonia)
International
The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue at the top, black in the middle, and white at the bottom
Nanakshahi New Year, first day of the month of Chet (Sikhism)
International
The Nanakshahi calendar, or Sikh calendar, is a tropical solar calendar used in Sikhism
Pi Day
International
Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi) with events mostly in the United States
Steak and Blowjob Day, a satirical unofficial holiday created in the United States as a male response to Valentine's Day
International
Steak and Blowjob Day is a satirical unofficial holiday created in the United States as a male response to Valentine's Day and celebrated a month later, on March 14
❝
Oh! Bend down, bend down, ye stars, your light! For there below, a genius has just been born!
— Castro Alves · born March 14, 1847