Holidays
Flag Day
Celebrated in the U.S. commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, stating, "That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." It did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars, or whether the flag had to have seven red stripes and six white stripes or vice versa. Those choices were left up to the flag maker.
What Happened On
The Black and White Minstrel Show
June 14, 1958
The British variety show The Black and White Minstrel Show (1958-78) premieres on BBC. It presented American minstrel and country songs, music hall numbers, adorned with lavish costumes. The show was controversial due to its use of blackface. Rising objections to the use of blackface as being offensive and racist caused it to be replaced by Music Music Music, in which the minstrels appeared without blackface. Due to the poor ratings of Music Music Music, the show was brought back. The show spawned a stage show that toured until 1989.
"Under God" Added to Pledge of Allegiance
June 14, 1954
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs into law the Congressional bill adding the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. The original pledge, written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy a devout Christian, had no mention of God, as Bellamy strongly believed in the separation of church and state.
The previous version: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," was changed to "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
What Happened To Channel 1?
June 14, 1948
The FCC removes channel 1 from the U.S. television broadcasting channels. Channel 1's frequency range of 44–50 MHz was then allotted to land and mobile services. Instead of renumbering 2 through 13, channel 1 was simply removed. There were originally channels 1 through 19 allocated in 1938, but channels 14 through 19 had already been removed.
First Black Performer on Television
June 14, 1939
Ethel Waters becomes the first black performer on television when NBC broadcasts the one-hour variety show The Ethel Waters Show. The show featured skits and Waters performing a scene from her recent Broadway play Mamba's Daughters, along with two black actresses from the production, Georgette Harvey and Fredi Washington. The show also included white performers Joey Faye and Philip Loeb.
Waters also went on to become the first black star of a TV dramatic series (1950-51, Beulah) and the first black actress nominated for an Emmy (1961, for an episode of Route 66).
Two variations of the 1777 flag
Two variations of the 1777 flag
American Flag
June 14, 1777
The flag of 13 stars and 13 stripes is adopted by the Second Continental Congress, replacing the Grand Union flag. It did not specify any particular arrangement, number of points, nor orientation for the stars, or whether the flag had to have seven red stripes and six white stripes or vice versa. Those choices were left up to the flag maker.
It is known as the Stars-and-Stripes Flag and Betsy Ross is credited with making the first one, but this is disputed by historians.
Longest Time Between Birth of Triplets
June 14, 1993
A Vancouver, British Columbia woman delivers the last two of her triplets. The first baby was born 45 days earlier.
Zsa Zsa Gabor Slaps a Cop
June 14, 1989
The Hungarian beauty queen, Zsa Zsa Gabor, slaps a Beverly Hills police officer who stopped her for a traffic violation. She was sentenced to three days in jail and $13,000 in court costs.
Gun Control Hypocrisy
June 14, 1988
Columnist and Gun control advocate Carl Rowan shoots a teenager with an illegal gun. He had previously stated in his column that "…anyone found in possession of a handgun except a legitimate officer of the law goes to jail—period."
The Gong Show
June 14, 1976
The Gong Show debuts on NBC. It was created, produced, and hosted by Chuck Barris.
Dr. Spock Convicted for Aiding in Draft Evasion
June 14, 1968
The famed baby doctor and Olympic gold medal winner, Dr. Benjamin Spock, is convicted of conspiracy to aid others in draft evasion during the Vietnam War. He was sentenced to two years.
Dr. Spock wrote of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946), which was one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century, selling 500,000 copies in its first six months and 50 million by the time of Spock's death in 1998.
USS Nautilus launched in 1954
USS Nautilus launched in 1954
First Nuclear Powered Submarine
June 14, 1952
The keel is laid for the USS Nautilus. It was launched in 1954.
It was the first nuclear-powered warship. The first aircraft carrier was the USS Enterprise, commissioned in 1961.
World War II
June 14, 1940
Paris falls to Germany.
Bligh and his men being set adrift
Bligh and his men being set adrift
Mutiny on the Bounty
June 14, 1789
William Bligh (aka Captain Bligh) arrives safely on the Island of Timor. 45 days earlier Fletcher Christian had led a mutiny on Bligh's ship the HMS Bounty and set Bligh and 18 of his men adrift on an open boat 3,600 miles away. Christian and the mutineers lived out their lives on Pitcairn Island among the native inhabitants.
Birthdays
Donald Trump
Born June 14, 1946
American businessman, real estate developer, politician. 45th & 47th U.S. President (2017-21, 2025‑). He was at the time the oldest (age 70) person to assume the U.S. presidency (until Joe Biden, age 78) and wealthiest person to assume the U.S. presidency. He is the first U.S. president without prior military or governmental service.
TV: WrestleMania IV and V (1988-89, host and in 2013 Trump was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame), The Apprentice (2004-17, executive producer, host, with Trump's catchphrase "You're fired"), and Miss Universe pageant (1996-2015, producer, for which he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame).
Burl Ives (Burle Icle Ivanhoe)
Born June 14, 1909 d. 1995
American Oscar-winning actor, singer. He was jailed in Mona, Utah, for singing Foggy Foggy Dew (An Irish ballad) in public, which authorities deemed a bawdy song.
Film: Big Country (1958, Oscar) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958, Big Daddy). TV: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964, voice of Samuel The Snowman) and The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969-72, Walter Nichols).
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Born June 14, 1811 d. 1896
American author. Writings: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852, which was the first American novel to sell 1,000,000 copies).
Boy George (George Allan O'Dowd)
Born June 14, 1961
British singer. Music: Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (1982, #1) and Karma Chameleon (1983, #1).
Eddie Mekka
Born June 14, 1952 d. 2021
American actor. TV: Laverne & Shirley (1976-83, Carmine Ragusa).
Bob Frankston
Born June 14, 1949
American computer scientist. He and Dan Bricklin created VisiCalc, the first computer spreadsheet (1979).
Jack Bannon (John James Bannon)
Born June 14, 1940 d. 2017
American actor. TV: Lou Grant (1977-82, assistant editor Art Donovan).
Sam Wanamaker
Born June 14, 1919 d. 1993
American actor. Film: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) and Private Benjamin (1980). He is best known for rebuilding London's famous Globe Theater.
Gene Barry (Eugene Klass)
Born June 14, 1919 d. 2009
American actor. Film: The War of the Worlds (1953, Dr. Clayton Forrester) and The Atomic City (1952). TV: Bat Masterson (1958-61, title role) and Burke's Law (1963-66, title role)
Dorothy McGuire
Born June 14, 1916 d. 2001
American actress. Film: The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965, the Virgin Mary) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960, the mother).
Karl Landsteiner
Born June 14, 1868 d. 1943
Austrian-born American pathologist, discovered the four basic blood types (1900) and that the donor and recipient of blood transfusions must be compatible types.
Nikolaus August Otto
Born June 14, 1832 d. 1891
German co-inventor of the internal combustion engine (1867) and built a four-stroke Otto cycle engine (1876) which is used in most automobiles.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
John Bartlett
Born June 14, 1820 d. 1905
American publisher, editor. He compiled A Collection of Familiar Quotations (1855), now called Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, often simply called Bartlett's, and is still in publication.
Charles Augustin Coulomb
Born June 14, 1736 d. 1806
French physicist, and for whom the coulomb (a measure of electrical charge) is named.
Deaths
3 Sets of 10 Reps
Thomas Delorme
Died June 14, 2003 b. 1917
M.D. (Thomas Lanier DeLorme), American physician, weightlifter. While working with injured soldiers after World War II he tried using the weightlifting training method of progressive overload to enhance rehabilitation. At the time, most medical doctors believed that weightlifting should be avoided because any type of extreme effort was not desirable for the heart. However, Delorme's patients recovered faster and with better results than traditional therapy. Through trial and error, he determined that 3 sets of 10 reps worked the best for his patients.
Marlin Perkins
Died June 14, 1986 b. 1905
American zoo director, TV personality. Host of TV's Wild Kingdom from 1963 to 1985. During his previous show, Zoo Parade (1950-57), Perkins was bitten by a timber rattlesnake during a rehearsal. This event has become an urban legend as many people "remember" seeing it on television, however, it wasn't filmed and consequently was never broadcast. (This type of false memory shared by multiple people is known as the "Mandela Effect.")
Baird using dummies to demonstrate an early TV system
Baird using dummies to demonstrate an early TV system
Father of the Television
John Logie Baird
Died June 14, 1946 b. 1888
Scottish inventor, "Father of the Television." He gave the first demonstration of true TV in London (1926) and the first public demonstration of color TV (1928). He also later patented a 3-D TV system (1944).
Some of Baird's other inventions were less successful. He tried to create diamonds by heating graphite, but shorted out Glasgow's electricity supply in the process. He invented a glass razor, which was rust-resistant, but shattered. He attempted to make pneumatic shoes with semi-inflated balloons, but they burst.
Benedict Arnold
Died June 14, 1801 b. 1741
American general, traitor. He attempted to betray West Point to the British during the American Revolution. Before this, he was considered an American hero of the Revolution: Arnold helped capture the British garrison of Fort Ticonderoga, hindered a British invasion of New York at the Battle of Lake Champlain, and played a crucial role in the surrender of British General John Burgoyne's army at Saratoga. However, he began spying for the British and plotted to surrender West Point. When his plot was exposed, he began fighting for the British.
Henry Mancini
Died June 14, 1994 b. 1924
American Oscar-Grammy-winning composer. Music: Moon River (1961) and The Pink Panther (1964).
V.T. Hamlin (Vincent Trout Hamlin)
Died June 14, 1993 b. 1900
American cartoonist. Creator of Alley Oop (1932).
Alan Reed (Teddy Bergman)
Died June 14, 1977 b. 1907
American actor. TV: The Flintstones (voice of Fred).
Adlai Ewing Stevenson I
Died June 14, 1914 b. 1835
American politician. 23rd U.S. Vice-President (1893-97 under Grover Cleveland), U.S. House of Representatives (1875-77, 1879-81, Illinois). While serving as first Assistant Postmaster General in 1885, he fired over 40,000 Republican workers and replaced them with Southern Democrats. In 1893, due to mouth cancer he required the replacement of his upper jaw with a prosthesis. Not wanting to start another panic on Wall Street, the operation was kept secret by performing it on a yacht.
Designer of Washington D.C.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Died June 14, 1825 b. 1754
French-born American Revolutionary War officer, engineer. He designed the city of Washington D.C.