A Day in the Past

On this day: 14 May

131 things happened on 14 May, from AD 649 to 2021. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 9

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1607 419 years ago

UK story

English colonists establish "James Fort", which would become Jamestown, Virginia, the earliest permanent English settlement in the Americas.

Find out more: Jamestown (Wikipedia)

Around the world 30

1608 418 years ago

The Protestant Union, a coalition of Protestant German states, is founded to defend the rights, land and safety of each member against the Catholic Church and Catholic German states.

Find out more: Protestant Union (Wikipedia)
1939 87 years ago

In Lima, Peru, Lina Medina became the youngest confirmed mother in history, giving birth at the age of five years, seven months and twenty-one days.

Find out more: Lina Medina (Wikipedia)
1953 73 years ago

Approximately 7,100 brewery workers in Milwaukee perform a walkout, marking the start of the 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike.

Find out more: Walkout (Wikipedia)
2010 16 years ago

Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on the STS-132 mission to deliver the first shuttle-launched Russian ISS component — Rassvet. This was originally slated to be the final launch of Atlantis, before Congress approved STS-135.

Space Find out more: Space Shuttle Atlantis (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson”?

    1. 1607
    2. 1961
    3. 1870
    Show the answer

    C: 1870. 1870 — that’s 156 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Second Barons' War: King Henry III was defeated at the Battle of Lewes and”?

    1. 1607
    2. 1264
    3. 1918
    Show the answer

    B: 1264. 1264 — that’s 762 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Second Barons' War: King Henry III was defeated at the Battle of Lewes and
    2. Trains ran on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since its
    3. The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson
    Show the answer

    A: Second Barons' War: King Henry III was defeated at the Battle of Lewes and. 1264: Second Barons' War: King Henry III was defeated at the Battle of Lewes and · 1951: Trains ran on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since its · 1870: The first game of rugby in New Zealand is played in Nelson between Nelson Find it on the page

  4. “Trains ran on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales for the first time since its” happened in 1951. How many years ago was that?

    1. 85 years
    2. 65 years
    3. 75 years
    Show the answer

    C: 75 years. 2026 − 1951 = 75. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 14 May.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 14 May.

Special days 9

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 14 May somewhere in the world.

For older readers 21 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “May 14” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.