The Delayed Convention

On May 14, 1787, the Constitutional Convention was scheduled to convene in Philadelphia, but because only some of the delegates were present, it was delayed until May 25th. A fascinating detail is that the rainy weather and muddy roads kept many delegates away, leaving only Virginia and Pennsylvania representatives present on the original start date.

Image: A close up of the Rising Sun Chair used by George Washington during the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall in 1787 of via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

Jefferson Returns to Philadelphia

On May 14, 1776, Thomas Jefferson returned to Philadelphia to rejoin the Second Continental Congress. He took up residence at the home of Benjamin Randolph, a cabinetmaker, on Chestnut Street where he stayed the year prior. However, this time, his stay at Randolph’s residence only lasted nine days as he would move to the Graff House where he would draft the Declaration of Independence that June. A fascinating detail is that Jefferson chose to move to the Graff House specifically because he wanted to escape the noisy city center and avoid the heat, seeking a quieter space to write the historic document.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

The Corps of Discovery Departs

On May 14, 1804, at 4pm the Corps of Discovery departed Camp Dubois in Illinois to begin the over two year journey which would become known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A fascinating detail is that Meriwether Lewis was not actually with the group when they launched at 4pm; he was in St. Louis finalizing business and had to catch up with William Clark and the crew a few days later.

Image: A reconstruction of Camp Dubois at the Lewis and Clark Historic Site in Illinois by Kbh3rd via Wikimedia Commons – CC BY SA BY 3.0

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s Relief Dinner

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt eating a five cent meal during a relief dinner. Sitting next to her is a mother on relief and a three-year-old child. May 14, 1940. A fascinating detail is that Eleanor Roosevelt actively championed the use of cheap, nutritious meals like the ones served by the Cornell Home Economics extension, and she even served these low-cost menus to white house guests to show solidarity with struggling Americans

via Library of Congress, no known restrictions

Saved From The Titanic Release

An advertisement from 1912 for the first film on the Titanic titled “Saved From The Titanic” that’s dated Tuesday, May 14th. Released just one month after the Titanic sank. A fascinating detail is that the silent film starred Dorothy Gibson, an actual survivor of the shipwreck, who wore the exact same clothing in the movie that she had been wearing when she was rescued from her lifeboat.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

The Launch of Skylab

On May 14, 1973, Skylab, America’s first space station, was launched by NASA. A fascinating detail is that the launch nearly ended in disaster when aerodynamic shields ripped off 63 seconds into flight, jamming one of the main solar panels and requiring the first-ever major in-space repair mission by astronauts to save the station.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

A Romance of The Redwoods

On May 14, 1917 the silent film “A Romance of The Redwoods” starring Mary Pickford and directed by Cecil B. DeMille was released. A fascinating detail is that during filming in the California wilderness, a real-life forest fire broke out, and DeMille kept the cameras rolling to capture the authentic chaos and smoke for the final cut of the film.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US.

The Renaming of DuSable Bridge

The DuSable Bridge, originally opened as the Michigan Avenue Bridge on May 14, 1920, was renamed in 2010 to honor Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, Chicago’s first non-Indigenous settler. The bridge features four bas-reliefs, including “Regeneration” (shown), which symbolizes the city’s renewal after the Great Fire of 1871 and highlights the transformative power of the arts in rebuilding civilization. A fascinating detail is that this structure is a rare double-deck, trunnion bascule bridge, meaning it opens by pivoting on a massive axle with enormous counterweights hidden inside 40-foot-deep pits below the river level

Image from JeremyA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Birth of Samuel Dexter

On May 14, 1761, Samuel Dexter the 4th U.S. Secretary of War and the 3rd U.S. Secretary of the Treasury was born in Boston. “I well remember, with what appropriate felicity he undertook in one cause to analyze the sources of patriotism. I wish it were possible to preserve the whole in the language, in which it was delivered. No one, who heard him describe the influence of local scenery upon the human heart, but felt his soul dissolve within him, I can recall but imperfectly a single passage, and, stripped of its natural connection, it affords but a glimmering of its original brightness. We love not our country, said the orator, from a blind and unmeaning attachment, because it is the place of our birth. It is the scene of our earliest joys and sorrows. Every spot has become consecrated by some youthful sport, some tender friendship, some endearing affection, some reverential feeling. It is associated with all our moral habits, our principles and our virtues. The very sod seems almost a part of ourselves, for there are entombed the bones of our ancestors. Even the dark valley of the shadow of death is not without its consolations, for we pass it in company with our friends. In a still more recent instance, and indeed in one of the last causes he ever argued, he took the occasion of an appropriate discussion, to expound his own views of the constitution, and, dropping the character of an advocate, to perform the paramount duty of a citizen. He seemed, as if giving his parting advice and benedictions to his country, and, as if he had worked up his mind to a mighty effort to vindicate those solid maxims of government and policy, by which alone the union of the states might be upheld and perpetuated. It is deeply to be regretted, that his just and elevated views are now confined to the frail memories of those who heard him.”
NFrom: Sketch of The Life of Samuel Dexter by Joseph Story, published in 1816. A fascinating detail is that Dexter argued several landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court against his fierce political rival John Marshall, yet Marshall held him in such high regard that he wore a black armband when Dexter passed away.

The Boeing 707 Prototype Rollout

After two years of research and development, Boeing’s first commercial jetliner, the Boeing 707, rolled out of its hangar on May 14, 1954. A fascinating detail is that the aircraft rolled out on this day was officially named the 367-80, or the Dash 80, a top-secret prototype built in absolute seclusion that required Boeing to risk nearly all of its corporate net worth on its success.

Image: Roll out of the Boeing 707 on May 14, 1954 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

The Birth of George Lucas

Jim Henson and George Lucas in 1986. George Lucas was born on May 14, 1944 in Modesto, California. A fascinating detail is that this creative duo shared a deep collaborative bond, with Lucas secretly serving as an uncredited executive producer on Henson’s 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth to help his friend secure studio backing and creative control.

Image: AP Wirephoto via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

The Battle of Jackson

The Battle of Jackson in the capital of Mississippi was fought on May 14, 1863 and resulted in Union victory. The city of Jackson, Mississippi was named in honor of President Andrew Jackson for his victory at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. A fascinating detail is that Union General William Tecumseh Sherman was so focused on disrupting Confederate supply lines during this battle that his troops burned down so many manufacturing facilities and mills that the city earned the nickname Chimneyville.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

The 77th Division Moves Up

Three Rochester men, each a veteran of all campaigns in which the 77th Div has participated, move up to the front. May 14, 1945. A fascinating detail is that the 77th Infantry Division was known as the Statue of Liberty Division because their shoulder patch featured the icon, which was highly appropriate given that the original World War I unit was composed primarily of raw recruits straight from New York City.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain 

The Legacy of Bobby Darin

Born May 14, 1936 singer, songwriter, musician, and actor Bobby Darin had a number of hits like “Splish Splash,” “Dream Lover,” “Beyond the Sea” and the classic “Mack the Knife.” Darin was also an accomplished chess player. Rheumatic fever in childhood weakened his heart and he died at age 37 undergoing surgery. A fascinating detail is that Darin knew from a young age that his illness would drastically shorten his life, which fueled a manic drive to achieve immense fame and musical success as quickly as humanly possible.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known copyright, public domain in the US

The Many Talents of Billie Dove

American actress Billie Dove was born on May 14, 1903 in New York City. She retired at the height of her career in 1932 and only made one cameo appearance 30 years later in the 1962 film Diamond Head. Dove was also a poet, a painter and a pilot. A fascinating detail is that her stage name was invented by legendary showman Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. when she joined the Ziegfeld Follies as a teenager, replacing her birth name, Lillian Bohny.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US

The Birth of Mark Zuckerberg

On May 14, 1984, Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of the social media platform Facebook, was born in White Plains, New York. A fascinating detail is that before creating Facebook, Zuckerberg built a localized software program called Zuckerbergnet for his father’s dental practice, allowing the home and office computers to communicate with each other years before mainstream messaging apps existed.

The Navy Monument Dedication

On May 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the Dewey Monument—often called the Navy Monument—in San Francisco’s Union Square to commemorate Admiral George Dewey’s victory at Manila Bay and to honor the sailors of the U.S. Navy. The monument’s origins reached back to President William McKinley, who had broken ground for it in May 1901. McKinley was assassinated just four months later, and Roosevelt used the 1903 dedication not only to celebrate the Navy’s triumph but also to pay tribute to his fallen predecessor.

The Hollywood Premiere of The Black Pirate

On May 14, 1926, massive crowds packed into the courtyard of Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard for the star-studded double premiere of Douglas Fairbanks’ adventure film The Black Pirate and Mary Pickford’s drama Sparrows. A fascinating detail is that this spectacular event celebrated the real-life marriage and unrivaled star power of Mary and Doug, who were Hollywood’s original king and queen; master showman Sid Grauman capitalized on their joint visit by installing a massive, full-sized model replica of a pirate sailing ship directly inside the theater’s open courtyard to wow the arriving fans.