October 14
Holidays
12 holidays recorded on October 14 throughout history
Quote of the Day
“If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom.”
Browse by category
Roman Catholics honor Pope Callistus I, Saint Angadrisma, and Saint Fortunatus of Todi today.
Roman Catholics honor Pope Callistus I, Saint Angadrisma, and Saint Fortunatus of Todi today. Callistus I expanded the church's mercy toward repentant sinners, while Angadrisma and Fortunatus represent the enduring tradition of ascetic devotion. These commemorations connect modern believers to the early ecclesiastical structures and monastic ideals that defined medieval European spiritual life.
October 14 in the Eastern Orthodox calendar carries the feast of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God — one of th…
October 14 in the Eastern Orthodox calendar carries the feast of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God — one of the major Marian feasts in Slavic Orthodoxy, corresponding to the October 1 feast in the Western Julian calculation. The feast originated in Constantinople but became particularly important in medieval Russia, where it was adopted after Prince Andrew Bogolyubsky built the famous Church of the Intercession on the Nerl River in 1165. That church — a single white stone structure in a flooded meadow — is one of the most photographed buildings in Russia.
Pope Callixtus I served as pope from 217 to 222 AD and is notable for a bitter theological dispute with his contempor…
Pope Callixtus I served as pope from 217 to 222 AD and is notable for a bitter theological dispute with his contemporary Hippolytus, who wrote a vitriolic account of Callixtus's character. Before becoming pope, Callixtus had been a slave, had run a banking operation that collapsed, had been sent to the Sardinian mines, and had been released through imperial influence. His critics said he was too lenient with penitents and heretics. His defenders said he was pastoral. Both were describing the same thing: a pope whose own complicated life made him tolerant of other people's failures.
Samuel Schereschewsky translated the entire Bible into Mandarin Chinese after a stroke paralyzed him.
Samuel Schereschewsky translated the entire Bible into Mandarin Chinese after a stroke paralyzed him. He could only type with one finger. The translation took 17 years. He'd been a bishop in Shanghai before the stroke forced his resignation. He finished in 1906 at age 78. His Bible's still used by Chinese Christians today.
Tanzania celebrates Julius Nyerere on October 14th, the date he died in 1999.
Tanzania celebrates Julius Nyerere on October 14th, the date he died in 1999. He'd been the country's first president, serving 24 years. He stepped down voluntarily in 1985, rare for an African leader. He spent retirement fighting AIDS and mediating conflicts. Tanzania's one of the few African countries that celebrates a leader on his death day, not his birthday.
Chișinău celebrates its patron saint's day — the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God.
Chișinău celebrates its patron saint's day — the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. Locals call it Hramul Orașului. They pack the streets, sell honey and wine, crowd into the cathedral. It's the one day the city feels purely Moldovan, not Russian, not Romanian. The celebration survived Soviet rule by disguising itself as a harvest festival.
French citizens celebrated the turnip on this day under the Republican Calendar, honoring the humble root vegetable a…
French citizens celebrated the turnip on this day under the Republican Calendar, honoring the humble root vegetable as a staple of the common diet. By elevating agricultural products over traditional saints' days, the radical government sought to replace religious devotion with a secular appreciation for the land and the labor that sustained the new republic.
The Cathedral of the Living Pillar in Mtskheta, Georgia, was built in the 11th century around a wooden pillar that su…
The Cathedral of the Living Pillar in Mtskheta, Georgia, was built in the 11th century around a wooden pillar that supposedly dripped healing oil. Legend says the pillar came from a tree that grew from Christ's robe. The cathedral's been Georgia's spiritual center for 1,000 years. The pillar's still inside, though it stopped dripping centuries ago.
Belarus celebrates Mother's Day on October 14th, tied to the Orthodox feast of the Protection of the Mother of God.
Belarus celebrates Mother's Day on October 14th, tied to the Orthodox feast of the Protection of the Mother of God. The Soviet Union didn't recognize Mother's Day. Belarus created its own version in 1996 after independence. Russia celebrates in November. Ukraine celebrates in May. The same holiday, three different dates, three countries that used to be one.
South Yemen celebrates October 14th, 1963, when the National Liberation Front threw a grenade at a British official i…
South Yemen celebrates October 14th, 1963, when the National Liberation Front threw a grenade at a British official in Aden. The official survived. The attack started a four-year insurgency. Britain withdrew in 1967. South Yemen became the Arab world's only Marxist state. It merged with North Yemen in 1990, but the south still celebrates the grenade that started it all.
World Standards Day celebrates October 14th, 1946, when delegates from 25 countries met in London to coordinate indus…
World Standards Day celebrates October 14th, 1946, when delegates from 25 countries met in London to coordinate industrial standards. They created the ISO. The meeting's date was chosen arbitrarily. Now there are 24,000 ISO standards covering everything from screw threads to credit card sizes. Your phone charger works everywhere because of a committee that met 77 years ago.
Polish teachers get their own day because the Commission of National Education — the world's first ministry of educat…
Polish teachers get their own day because the Commission of National Education — the world's first ministry of education — was established in Warsaw in 1773. It replaced the Jesuit schools after the Pope dissolved the order. Poland was carving out a secular education system while most of Europe still taught from monastery benches. Twenty years later, Poland disappeared from the map entirely.