842day.year
Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages.
Charles the Bald and Louis the German pledge mutual support in their own tongues, forging a crucial alliance in the fragmented Carolingian Empire.
Following the death of their father Emperor Louis the Pious, the Frankish realm was divided under the Treaty of Verdun.
Facing rival claims, Charles the Bald and Louis the German convened at Strasbourg to cement their alliance.
On February 14, 842, they swore oaths in Romance and Germanic vernaculars, one of the earliest written examples of Old French and Old High German.
This act strengthened their military cooperation against their brother Lothair I and set the stage for emerging French and German identities.
The Oaths of Strasbourg remain a foundational moment in European linguistic and political history.
842
Charles the Bald
Louis the German
Oaths of Strasbourg
1014day.year
Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria, King of Germany and of Italy, as Holy Roman Emperor.
Pope Benedict VIII crowns Henry of Bavaria as Holy Roman Emperor, reaffirming the alliance between papacy and imperial power.
Henry II of Bavaria ascended to the German and Italian thrones before seeking imperial coronation.
On February 14, 1014, Pope Benedict VIII welcomed him to Rome and formally crowned him as Holy Roman Emperor.
The ceremony underscored the mutual dependence between the papacy and the imperial institution.
It bolstered Henry’s legitimacy as ruler over a fragmented empire facing internal and external challenges.
This coronation symbolized the intertwining of religious authority and secular power in medieval Europe.
1014
Pope Benedict VIII
Henry of Bavaria
King
Holy Roman Emperor
1130day.year
The troubled 1130 papal election exposes a rift within the College of Cardinals.
A disputed papal election reveals deep divisions among the Cardinals, leading to rival claimants to the papacy and schism.
The death of Pope Honorius II in 1130 set the stage for a contentious election within the College of Cardinals.
Two opposing factions elected their own popes: Innocent II and Anacletus II, plunging the Church into schism.
European monarchs and church leaders were forced to choose sides, further entangling political and religious loyalties.
The rift highlighted intense power struggles at the heart of the medieval papacy.
It would take years of negotiation, conflict, and intervention before Innocent II emerged as the widely recognized pontiff.
1130
1130 papal election
College of Cardinals
1556day.year
Having been declared a heretic and laicized by Pope Paul IV on 4 December 1555, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is publicly defrocked at Christ Church Cathedral.
Thomas Cranmer is ceremonially defrocked as heretic at Christ Church Cathedral, highlighting the religious turmoil of Tudor England.
After being declared a heretic and stripped of his clerical status by Pope Paul IV, Thomas Cranmer faced public disgrace.
On February 14, 1556, at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, he was defrocked in a highly symbolic ceremony.
Cranmer had been the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and a key architect of Reformation theology under Henry VIII and Edward VI.
His fall from grace under Queen Mary I’s Catholic restoration demonstrated the era’s sharp religious reversals.
This event foreshadowed his eventual execution and remains a stark reminder of the period’s sectarian strife.
1556
heretic
laicized
Pope Paul IV
Archbishop of Canterbury
Thomas Cranmer
Christ Church Cathedral
1556day.year
Coronation of Akbar as ruler of the Mughal Empire.
Thirteen-year-old Akbar is crowned Emperor of the Mughal Empire, beginning a reign that would transform India’s cultural and political landscape.
Following the death of his father Humayun, young Akbar ascended to the Mughal throne on February 14, 1556.
Despite his youth, regents and nobles immediately began consolidating his authority across the empire.
Akbar’s reign would be marked by military expansion, administrative innovation, and religious tolerance.
He patronized artists, scholars, and architects, leading to flourishing cultural achievements such as Fatehpur Sikri.
Akbar’s leadership laid the foundation for what is often regarded as the golden age of the Mughal Empire.
Akbar
Mughal Empire
1613day.year
Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate at Whitehall Palace, London.
Princess Elizabeth of England marries Frederick V of the Palatinate in a grand Whitehall ceremony, forging an important Protestant alliance.
On February 14, 1613, Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James VI and I, wed Frederick V, Elector Palatine, at Whitehall Palace.
The celebration was marked by elaborate pageantry, music, and dances, reflecting the union’s political significance.
The marriage cemented a Protestant alliance between England and the Palatinate amid rising tensions across Europe.
Elizabeth later became known as the ‘Winter Queen’ for her brief tenure as Queen of Bohemia.
Their union had far-reaching diplomatic and cultural impacts on the early 17th-century European stage.
1613
Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Frederick V of the Palatinate
Whitehall Palace
1778day.year
The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
In 1778, the U.S. flag received its first formal salute from a foreign warship when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte honored the USS Ranger.
On February 14, 1778, French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte fired a nine-gun salute for John Paul Jones’s USS Ranger, marking the first time a foreign navy officially recognized the young United States. This gesture signaled France’s growing diplomatic support and legitimacy for the American cause during the Revolutionary War. The salute strengthened the Franco-American alliance against Britain and boosted morale among the Continental forces. Admiral Picquet de la Motte’s recognition paved the way for further cooperation and naval engagements jointly conducted by France and America. This event remains a celebrated milestone in the early history of U.S. naval and diplomatic achievements.
1778
United States flag
naval vessel
Admiral
Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte
USS Ranger
John Paul Jones
1849day.year
In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
In 1849, President James K. Polk became the first sitting U.S. President to have his photograph taken in New York City.
On February 14, 1849, President James K. Polk sat for a daguerreotype portrait in New York City, becoming the first U.S. President to be photographed while in office. Photography was still a new technology, having been publicly announced less than a decade earlier. The image provided a tangible record of a nation’s leader and heralded a new era in political imagery. Polk’s photograph influenced public engagement with the presidency and underlined the growing importance of visual media. This milestone bridged advances in science, technology, and politics, offering a window into mid-19th century American life.
1849
James Knox Polk
President of the United States
1859day.year
Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.
Oregon joins the Union as the 33rd U.S. state.
On February 14, 1859, the Oregon Territory officially became the 33rd state of the United States. Admission had been the culmination of years of settlement and territorial disputes since the Oregon Trail brought thousands of pioneers westward. As a free state emerging from the Missouri Compromise framework, Oregon’s statehood shifted the balance between free and slave states. The new state encompassed vast forested regions, fertile valleys, and a strategic Pacific coastline. Its admission reflected the rapid growth and settlement of the American West during the mid-19th century.
1859
Oregon
U.S. state
1899day.year
Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
The U.S. Congress approves the use of voting machines in federal elections.
On February 14, 1899, the United States Congress authorized the use of voting machines in federal elections to improve the efficiency and accuracy of ballot casting. This legislation emerged from growing concerns over voter fraud and lengthy paper ballot counts. Early mechanical voting devices, such as lever machines, were designed to streamline polling procedures and reduce human error. Adoption began at the state and local levels before becoming more widespread in the 20th century. The move laid the groundwork for continuous modernization of election technology. Over time, votes shifted from hand-counted paper ballots to mechanical and later electronic systems.
1899
Voting machines
U.S. Congress
elections
1903day.year
The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is established (later split into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor).
The U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor is established to oversee economic and workforce issues.
On February 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Organic Act establishing the United States Department of Commerce and Labor. The new Cabinet department consolidated federal oversight of trade, industry, and labor relations under a single agency. Its creation responded to growing demands for government intervention in economic and social issues during the Progressive Era. The department collected statistics, promoted business growth, and enforced labor standards. In 1913, it was divided into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor to address each area more effectively. This organizational shift reflected evolving priorities in federal governance.
1903
United States Department of Commerce and Labor
Department of Labor
1912day.year
Arizona is admitted as the 48th and the last contiguous U.S. state.
Arizona joins the United States as the 48th and last contiguous state.
On February 14, 1912, Arizona was admitted to the Union as the 48th state and the final one in the contiguous United States. The Arizona Territory had been organized in 1863, with its capital moving from Prescott to Phoenix in 1889. Statehood capped decades of mining booms, railroad expansion, and population growth in the desert Southwest. As a new state, Arizona contributed to the nation’s agricultural and mining economies. Its admission followed political debates over water rights and Native American affairs. Arizona’s landscapes, from the Grand Canyon to the Sonoran Desert, began to draw national attention.
1912
Arizona
contiguous
U.S. state