December 14

Today in History
• 1287 - During St. Lucia's Flood the Zuiderzee seawall collapses, loss of over 50,000 lives
• 1542 - Princess Mary Stuart succeeds father James V as Queen Mary I of Scotland at 6 days old
• 1582 - Zealand, Brabant Netherlands adopt Gregorian calendar
• 1656 - Artificial pearls 1st manufactured by M. Jacquin in Paris
• 1751 - The first military academy in the world, Theresian Military Academy, founded in Austria
• 1793 - 1st state road authorized, Frankfort, Kentucky to Cincinnati
• 1798 - David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patents a nut and bolt machine
• 1819 - Alabama admitted to Union as 22nd state


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Halcyon Days
• Martyred Intellectuals Day
• More Good Today Day
• National Alabama Day
• National Energy Conservation Day
• National Free Shipping Day
• Monkey Day
• Roast Chestnuts Day

Birthdays
• 1009 - Emperor Go-Suzaku, 69th Emperor of Japan (1036-45)
• 1503 - Nostradamus, Michel de Nostre-Dam, French astrologist/prophet
• 1787 - Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria and queen of Hungary and Bohemia
• 1829 - John Mercer Langston, 1st African-American to hold US political office
• 1870 - Dirk Jan de Geer, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1926-29, 39-40)
• 1870 - Karl Renner, Austrian President (1918-20, 45-50)
• 1895 - George VI, King of the United Kingdom (1936-52)
• 1901 - Paul I, King of Greece (1947-64)