What Happened on July 14?

July 14 is Bastille Day — France's national holiday marking the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison — on the same date Mariner 4 sent the first close-up photos of Mars in 1965 and outlaw Billy the Kid was killed in 1881.

• 1789 — Parisians storm the Bastille prison, launching the French Revolution

  On July 14, 1789, a crowd attacked the Bastille fortress in Paris — freeing prisoners and seizing gunpowder, a turning point in the French Revolution. Read the full story →

• 1798 — President John Adams signs the Sedition Act, criminalizing criticism of the government

  On July 14, 1798, the Sedition Act made it a crime to publish false or malicious statements against federal officials — sparking fierce debate over free speech. Read the full story →

• 1881 — Sheriff Pat Garrett kills outlaw Billy the Kid in New Mexico

  On July 14, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett shot Henry McCarty — known as Billy the Kid — ending the young outlaw's legendary run in the Wild West. Read the full story →

• 1914 — Robert Goddard receives patents for his liquid-fuel rocket designs

  On July 14, 1914, inventor Robert Goddard secured patents for rockets using liquid fuel — foundational technology for modern spaceflight. Read the full story →

• 1965 — Mariner 4 sends the first close-up photographs of Mars

  On July 14, 1965, NASA's Mariner 4 flew past Mars and transmitted the first detailed images of another planet's surface. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Gerald Ford (1913–2006) · Woody Guthrie (1912–1967) · Jane Lynch (1960) · Matthew Fox (1966)

Days & observances

Bastille Day · National Nude Day · Shark Awareness Day · Cow Appreciation Day