July 14 in History
1795 — The French National Convention adopts “La Marseillaise” as the country’s national anthem. Originally titled “Chant de guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin” (War Song for the Army of the Rhine), it was written in just a few hours in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, an army captain of the engineers and an amateur musician, after France declared war on Austria.
1874 — A fire in Chicago burns down 0.19km2 of the city, destroying 812 buildings and killing 20. The fire insurance industry demands municipal reforms from the city council, especially so soon after the Great Chicago Fire (October 8-10 1871) that killed about 300 people and destroyed 9km2 of the city, including over 17,000 structures.
1933 — The Nazi eugenics begins with the proclamation of the Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring that calls for the compulsory sterilisation of any citizen who suffers from alleged genetic disorders.
1941 — The Armistice of Saint Jean d’Acre (aka the Convention of Acre) between Allied forces in the Middle East and Vichy France forces in Syria and Lebanon is signed in Acre, concluding the Syria-Lebanon Campaign of World War 2.
1949 — Due to the “beanball wars” in baseball, Spalding advertises a batting helmet with ear flaps. Players express no interest, but in 1950 the Brooklyn Dodgers introduce a cap liner, which some batters start to use.
1955 — Lightning strikes a metal railing on the course at the Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire and kills two people as severe thunderstorms hit southern England. Some people are lifted off their feet by the surge of electrical current that rips through the ground. Fifteen other people suffer serious burns.
1960 — A fire rages through a Guatemala City insane asylum, killing 225 and severely injuring 300.
1964 — Jacques Anquetil, 30, of France wins his fourth consecutive Tour de France and is the first to claim five titles, with the first one in 1957.
2008 —“The Dark Knight”, starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as Joker, premieres in New York City. It earns Ledger, who died on January 22, aged 28, a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
2015 — Nasa ’s New Horizons spacecraft makes the first flyby of the dwarf planet Pluto, and thus completes the initial survey of the Solar System.