What Happened on December 14?

December 14 is Monkey Day — a fun celebration of primates — on the same date Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911, George Washington died in 1799, and Mariner 2 flew past Venus in 1962.

• 1799 — George Washington dies at Mount Vernon

  On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at Mount Vernon after a brief illness — mourning swept the young United States. Read the full story →

• 1819 — Alabama becomes the 22nd U.S. state

  On December 14, 1819, Alabama joined the Union as the twenty-second state. Read the full story →

• 1900 — Max Planck presents quantum theory ideas that reshape physics

  On December 14, 1900, Max Planck presented work on energy packets — a birthday for quantum theory. Read the full story →

• 1911 — Roald Amundsen's team reaches the South Pole

  On December 14, 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first people known to reach the South Pole. Read the full story →

• 1962 — Mariner 2 flies by Venus — first successful planetary encounter

  On December 14, 1962, NASA's Mariner 2 passed Venus — the first spacecraft to successfully fly by another planet. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Nostradamus (1503–1566) · Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) · Shirley Jackson (1916–1965) · Patty Duke (1946–2016)

Days & observances

Monkey Day · National Roast Chestnuts Day · National Bouillabaisse Day · Alabama Admission Day