December 14
December 14 is the 349th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 17 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Sagittarius.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On December 14 the Sun's declination is approximately -23.3°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a December 14.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Folcwin
- Christian feast day: John of the Cross
- Christian feast day: John III of the Sedre (Syriac Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Mary Frances Schervier
- Christian feast day: Nicasius of Rheims
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2025 — At least 16 people are killed, including one gunman, and 43 injured in a mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in the deadliest terror incident in Australia. ↗(1 years ago)more
On 14 December 2025, an antisemitic Islamic State (IS)-inspired terrorist attack occurred at the Archer Park area of Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah attended by around 1,000 people.
2020 — A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the South Pacific Ocean, southern South America, and the South Atlantic Ocean. ↗(6 years ago)more
A total solar eclipse occurred at the Moon's descending node of orbit on Monday, December 14, 2020, with a magnitude of 1.0254. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's and the apparent path of the Sun and Moon intersect, blocking all direct sunlight and turning daylight into darkness; the Sun appears to be b...
2017 — The Walt Disney Company announces that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox movie studio, for $52.4 billion. ↗(9 years ago)more
The Walt Disney Company (TWDC), commonly known as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California.
2013 — A reported coup attempt in South Sudan leads to continued fighting and hundreds of casualties. ↗(13 years ago)more
The South Sudanese Civil War was a multi-sided civil war in South Sudan fought from 2013 to 2018 between government and opposition forces. The civil war caused rampant human rights abuses, including forced displacement, ethnic massacres, and killings of journalists by various parties.
2012 — Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. ↗(14 years ago)more
On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people. The victims were 20 children between six and seven years old, and six adult staff members.
2004 — The Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world, is formally inaugurated near Millau, France. ↗(22 years ago)more
The Millau Viaduct is a multispan cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the gorge valley of the Tarn near Millau in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie Region, in Southern France. The design team was led by engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster.
2003 — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escapes an assassination attempt. ↗(23 years ago)more
Pervez Musharraf was a Pakistani politician and a military officer who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. He overthrew Nawaz Sharif's government in the 1999 coup d'état and proclaimed himself the chief executive of Pakistan, under martial law.
1999 — Torrential rains cause flash floods in Vargas, Venezuela, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, the destruction of thousands of homes, and the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure. ↗(27 years ago)more
The Vargas tragedy was a natural disaster that occurred in Vargas State, Venezuela on 15 December 1999, when torrential rains caused flash floods and debris flows that killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed thousands of homes, and led to the complete collapse of the state's infrastructure.
1998 — Yugoslav Wars: The Yugoslav Army ambushes a group of Kosovo Liberation Army fighters attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania into Kosovo, killing 36. ↗(28 years ago)more
The Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro included ground forces with internal and border troops, naval forces, air and air defense forces, and civil defense. From 1992 to 2003, the VSCG was called the Yugoslav Army, created from the remnants of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), the military of SFR Yugoslavia until the country disbanded.
1995 — Yugoslav Wars: The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by the leaders of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the same day, NATO began ground peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ↗(31 years ago)more
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
1994 — Construction begins on the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river. ↗(32 years ago)more
The Three Gorges Dam, officially known as Yangtze River Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project is a hydroelectric gravity dam that spans the Yangtze River near Sandouping in Yiling District, Yichang, Hubei province, central China, downstream of the Three Gorges.
1992 — War in Abkhazia: Siege of Tkvarcheli: A helicopter carrying evacuees from Tkvarcheli is shot down, resulting in at least 52 deaths, including 25 children. The incident catalyses more concerted Russian military intervention on behalf of Abkhazia. ↗(34 years ago)more
The War in Abkhazia was fought between Georgian government and paramilitary forces, and a coalition of Abkhaz separatist forces and North Caucasian militants between 1992 and 1993. Ethnic Georgians who lived in Abkhazia fought largely on the side of Georgian government forces.
Notable births
2002 — Francisco Conceição, Portuguese footballer ↗(24 years ago)more
Francisco "Chico" Fernandes da Conceição is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Serie A club Juventus and the Portugal national team.
- 2001 — Joshua Rush, American actor and activist ↗(25 years ago)
more
Joshua Nisenson, also known as Joshua Rush, is an American actor and political activist. He is known for playing Cyrus Goodman on the Disney Channel series Andi Mack (2017–2019), the first openly-gay character on the network. Rush earned significant praise and media coverage for his performance, as well as a Young Entertainer Award in 2019.
1998 — Lonnie Walker IV, American basketball player ↗(28 years ago)more
Lonnie Walker IV is an American professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Ligat HaAl and the EuroLeague. In high school, he was named Mr. Pennsylvania Basketball and earned McDonald's All-American honors. Walker played college basketball for the Miami Hurricanes.
1998 — Kim Ji-woong, South Korean singer and actor ↗(28 years ago)more
Kim Ji-woong is a South Korean singer and actor. Kim is best known for competing on the reality competition show Boys Planet where he ranked 8th in the final episode, earning him a spot in the South Korean boy band Zerobaseone. Prior to this, Kim was a member of the boy group INX under the name Jinam until their disbandment in 2017.
1997 — DK Metcalf, American football player ↗(29 years ago)more
DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft.
1996 — Barbie Ferreira, American actress and model ↗(30 years ago)more
Barbara "Barbie" Seppe Ferreira is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Kat Hernandez in the HBO series Euphoria (2019–2022).
Notable deaths
2025 — Rob Reiner, American filmmaker and actor (born 1947) ↗(1 years ago)more
Robert Reiner was an American filmmaker, actor, and political activist. He directed a series of acclaimed studio films in a career that spanned comedy, drama, romance, and documentary. Reiner received numerous accolades, including winning two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Hugo Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and nine Golde...
- 2024 — Isak Andic, Turkish-Spanish billionaire businessman (born 1953) ↗(2 years ago)
more
İsak Andiç Ermay was a Turkish-Spanish businessman, co-founder of clothing retailer Mango. As Mango's largest shareholder, Andiç was worth an estimated US$4.5 billion at the time of his death, making him the richest person in Catalonia and one of the richest in Spain. Also he was the second richest person in Turkey after Murat Ülker.
- 2023 — Tomáš Janovic, Slovak writer (born 1937) ↗(3 years ago)
more
Tomáš Janovic was a Slovak writer, songwriter, journalist and poet. He was best known as an aphorist.
- 2022 — Jean Franco, American academic and literary critic (born 1924) ↗(4 years ago)
more
Jean Franco was a British-born American academic and literary critic known for her pioneering work on Latin American literature. Educated at Manchester and London, she taught at London, Essex, and Stanford, and was latterly professor emerita at Columbia University.
2020 — Gérard Houllier, French Football manager (born 1947) ↗(6 years ago)more
Gérard Paul Francis Houllier was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2001. He then guided Lyon to two French titles, before announcing his resignation on 25 May 2007.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (349) | 349 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (17) | 17 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 14122026 · next palindrome year: 2141 |
| Sun declination | -23.33° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 6 days |