On This Day in History: August 14

The Treaty of Verdun is signed around August 14, 843, dividing Charlemagne's empire among his three grandsons and ending the Carolingian civil war which had been triggered by the death of their father, Louis the Pious on June 20, 840. The division of the empire laid the foundation that shaped modern European borders. Expand +

The St. Mary Magdalene's flood devastates the Netherlands, England, and Germany, causing significant loss of life and destruction.

Portuguese forces, led by King John I and Nuno Álvares Pereira, with support from English longbow men, defeat the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota on August 14, 1385.; ending the 1383–1385 Portuguese crisis and securing its independence from Castile.  Expand +

The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Jogaila (Jagiełło), signs the Union of Krewo on August 14, 1385, agreeing to convert to Roman Catholicism, baptize his subjects, and marry Queen Jadwiga of Poland. Jogaila was baptized as Władysław II Jagiełło and crowned King of Poland in February 1386, creating the powerful Jagiellonian dynasty and initiating the Christianization of Lithuania.

The Matthew Bible, the first complete English-language Bible, is printed by John Rogers in 1537, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew".  Expand +

Russians led by Grigorii Shelikhov established the first permanent Russian outpost in Alaska on Kodiak Island at Three Saints Bay. More

President George Washington signs the Jay’s Treaty on August 14, 1795,- The treaty was formally named the "Treaty of Amity Commerce and Navigation between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America,"  Expand +

The construction of the Cologne Cathedral ( Kölner Dom), the largest Gothic church in northern Europe is finally completed after having been started 642 years earlier in 1248. It is now the city's major landmark. More

China ends its neutrality and declares war on Germany and Austria-Hungary during World War I.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) signs the Social Security Act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits, and by enabling the several States to make more adequate provision for aged persons, blind persons, dependent and crippled children, maternal and child welfare, public health, and the administration of their unemployment compensation laws; to establish a Social Security Board; to raise revenue and for other purposes. More

Believing that continuation of the war would only result in further loss of Japanese lives, delegates of Emperor Hirohito accepted Allied surrender terms originally issued at Potsdam on July 26, 1945, with the exception that the Japanese Emperor's sovereignty would be maintained. The formal surrender ceremony occurred later, on September 2, 1945, on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Pakistan achieved independence one day prior to Indian independence. India was partitioned, and an East and West Pakistan were created from Muslim majority areas.

The first satellite image of Earth is captured by Explorer 6. 1959. The crude picture of the earth’s surface and cloud cover was taken from a distance of 17,000 miles from earth. The photo, received in Hawaii, took nearly 40 minutes to transmit. It was a grainy, black and white photo, but a groundbreaking achievement for its time. Explorer 6 was launched on August 7, 1959. More 

The Solidarity movement in Poland, led by Lech Walesa, signs the Gdansk Agreement with the communist government, marking a significant milestone in the fight for workers' rights. Solidarity opposed Communist rule and was outlawed the following year.  Expand +

A major power blackout affects parts of the northeastern and midwestern United States, as well as Ontario, Canada, leaving millions without electricity. More