2014

This article is about the year 2014.

2014 (MMXIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (dominical letter E) of the Gregorian calendar, the 2014th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 14th year of the 3rd millennium, the 14th year of the 21st century, and the 5th year of the 2010s decade.

2014 was designated as:

Events

January

January 1 – Latvia officially adopts the euro as its currency and becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.^[3]

February

February – The Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa begins, infecting at least 28,616 people and killing at least 11,310 people, the most severe both in terms of numbers of infections and casualties.^[4]^[5]
February 7–23 – The XXII Olympic Winter Games are held in Sochi, Russia.^[6]^[7]
February 13 – Belgium becomes the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.^[8]
February 22 – The Ukrainian parliament votes to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office, replacing him with Oleksandr Turchynov, after days of civil unrest left around 100 people dead in Kiev, Ukraine.^[9]
February 26 – The pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine leads to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and an insurgency in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

March

March 5 – Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, severs diplomatic and political ties with Panama, accusing Panama of being involved in a conspiracy against the Venezuelan government.^[10]
March 8 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 airliner en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, disappears over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board. The aircraft is presumed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean.^[11]
March 16 – A referendum on the status of Crimea is held.^[12]
March 21 – Russia formally annexes Crimea after President Vladimir Putin signed a bill finalizing the annexation process.^[13]
March 24 – During an emergency meeting, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada temporarily suspend Russia from the G8.^[14]
March 27 – The United Nations General Assembly passes Resolution 68/262, recognizing Crimea within Ukraine’s international borders and rejecting the validity of the 2014 Crimean referendum.^[15]
March 31 – The United Nations International Court of Justice rules that Japan's Antarctic whaling program is not scientific but commercial and forbids grants of further permits.^[16]^[17]

April

April 7 – The Donetsk People's Republic declares its independence from Ukraine.^[18]
April 10 – In response to the 2014 Crimean crisis, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passes a resolution to temporarily strip Russia of its voting rights; its rights to be represented in the Bureau of the Assembly, the PACE Presidential Committee, and the PACE Standing Committee; and its right to participate in election-observation missions.^[19]
April 14 – An estimated 276 girls and women are abducted and held hostage from a school in Nigeria.^[20]
April 16 – Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks after an unmanageable cargo shift, killing 304 people, mostly high school students.^[21]
April 27 – The Catholic Church simultaneously canonizes Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.^[22]
April 28 – United States President Barack Obama's new economic sanctions against Russia go into effect, targeting companies and individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.^[23]

May

May 5
- The World Health Organization identifies the spread of poliomyelitis in at least 10 countries as a major worldwide health emergency.^[24]
- Boko Haram militants kill approximately 300 people in a night attack on Gamboru Ngala.^[25]
May 12 – The Luhansk People's Republic declares its independence from Ukraine^[26]
May 22
- The Royal Thai Army overthrows the caretaker government of Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan after a failure to resolve the political unrest in Thailand.^[27]^[28]
- The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic declare the formation of Novorossiya, also referred to as the Union of People's Republics.^[29]^[30]

June

June 5–ongoing – A Sunni militant group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as the ISIS or ISIL) begins an offensive through northern Iraq, aiming to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrow the Shiite government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.^[31]
June 12 – July 13 – The 2014 FIFA World Cup is held in Brazil, and is won by Germany.
June 19 – King Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicates in favor of his son, who ascends the Spanish throne as King Felipe VI.
June 23 – The military intervention against ISIL begins.
June 29 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declares itself a caliphate.

July

July 8–August 26 – Amid growing tensions between Israel and Hamas following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June and the revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager in July, Israel launches Operation Protective Edge on the Palestinian Gaza Strip starting with numerous missile strikes, followed by a ground invasion a week later. In 7 weeks of fighting, 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis are killed.
July 17
- After a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire, Israel confirms the beginning of a ground offensive in Gaza.^[32]
- Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashes in eastern Ukraine after being shot down by a missile. All 298 people on board are killed.^[33]
July 21 – The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2166 in response to the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.^[34]
July 24 – Air Algérie Flight 5017 crashes in Mali, killing all 116 people on board.^[35]

August

August 7 – Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are found guilty of crimes against humanity and are sentenced to life imprisonment by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.^[36]
August 8 – The United States military begins an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIS militants.

September

September 22 – The United States and several Arab partners begin their airstrike campaign in Syria.^[37]^[38]
September 26 – The 2014 World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, to be held in Cape Town from 13 to 15 October, is suspended after a boycott of Nobel Laureates to protest the third time refusal of a visa to the 14th Dalai Lama by a South African Government "kowtowing to China".^[39]^[39]^[40]^[41]

October

October 19 – The Roman Catholic Church beatifies Pope Paul VI.^[42]
October 31 – Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré resigns after widespread protests in response to the attempt in abolishing presidential term limits.^[43]

November

November 2 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases the final part of its Fifth Assessment Report, warning that the world faces "severe, pervasive and irreversible" damage from global emissions of CO2.^[44]
November 12 – The Rosetta spacecraft's Philae probe successfully lands on Comet 67P, the first time in history that a spacecraft has landed on such an object.^[45]

December

December 16 – A mass shooting carried out in an army school by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in Peshawar, Pakistan leaves 145 people shot dead, the majority being schoolchildren.
December 17 – U.S. President Barack Obama announces the resumption of normal relations between the U.S. and Cuba.^[46]
December 28 – Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore crashes into the Java Sea just southwest of Borneo, killing all 162 people on board.^[47]

Births

Deaths

Main article: Deaths in 2014

Further information: Category:2014 deaths

January

Eusébio

Ariel Sharon

January 5 – Eusébio, Portuguese footballer (b. 1942)
January 7 – Run Run Shaw, Hong Kong filmmaker and entrepreneur (b. 1907)
January 9
- Amiri Baraka, American poet (b. 1934)
- Dale T. Mortensen, American Nobel economist (b. 1939)
January 10 – Zbigniew Messner, 9th Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Poland (b. 1929)
January 11
- Ariel Sharon, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1928)
- Vugar Gashimov, Azerbaijani chess grandmaster (b. 1986)
January 14 – Mae Young, American professional wrestler (b. 1923)
January 15
- John Dobson, American amateur astronomer (b. 1915)
- Roger Lloyd-Pack, British actor (b. 1944)
January 16 – Hiroo Onoda, Japanese army officer (b. 1922)
January 20 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor (b. 1933)
January 23 – Riz Ortolani, Italian film composer (b. 1926)
January 25 – Gyula Sax, Hungarian chess grandmaster (b. 1951)
January 26 – José Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet and writer (b. 1939)
January 27 – Pete Seeger, American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist (b. 1919)
January 31
- Abdirizak Haji Hussein, Somali diplomat and politician and 4th Prime Minister of Somalia (b. 1924)
- Miklós Jancsó, Hungarian film director (b. 1921)

February

Shirley Temple

Sid Caesar

February 1
- Luis Aragonés, Spanish football player and coach (b. 1938)
- Maximilian Schell, Austrian-Swiss actor (b. 1930)
February 2 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor (b. 1967)
February 3 – Louise Brough, American tennis player (b. 1923)
February 10
- Stuart Hall, Jamaican-British sociologist (b. 1932)
- Shirley Temple, American actress and diplomat (b. 1928)
February 11 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer (b. 1924)
February 12 – Sid Caesar, American actor (b. 1922)
February 13 – Richard Møller Nielsen, Danish football player and coach (b. 1937)
February 14 – Tom Finney, English footballer (b. 1922)
February 18 – Nelson Frazier, Jr., American professional wrestler (b. 1971)
February 19 – Valeri Kubasov, Soviet cosmonaut (b. 1935)
February 23 – Alice Herz-Sommer, Czech-British pianist (b. 1903)
February 24 – Harold Ramis, American film director, writer, and actor (b. 1944)
February 25 – Mário Coluna, Mozambican-born Portuguese footballer (b. 1935)
February 26 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist (b. 1947)

March

Adolfo Suárez

March 1 – Alain Resnais, French film director (b. 1922)
March 9 – Mohammed Fahim, Vice President of Afghanistan (b. c. 1957)
March 12 – Věra Chytilová, Czech film director (b. 1929)
March 13 – Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, 3rd President of Sierra Leone (b. 1932)
March 14 – Tony Benn, British politician and diarist (b. 1925)
March 18 – Lucius Shepard, American writer (b. 1942)
March 19 – Fred Phelps, American pastor (b. 1929)
March 20 – Hilderaldo Bellini, Brazilian footballer (b. 1930)
March 21
- Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, 122nd Syriac Orthodox Patriarch (b. 1933)
- James Rebhorn, American actor (b. 1948)
March 23 – Adolfo Suárez, 138th Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1932)
March 27 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician (b. 1929)
March 31 – Frankie Knuckles, American disk jockey and record producer (b. 1955)

April

Mickey Rooney

Gabriel García Márquez

April 1 – Jacques Le Goff, French historian (b. 1924)
April 4 – Kumba Ialá, President of Guinea-Bissau (2000–2003) (b. 1953)
April 6 – Mickey Rooney, American actor (b. 1920)
April 8
- The Ultimate Warrior, American professional wrestler (b. 1959)
- Karlheinz Deschner, German activist and writer (b. 1924)
April 9 – A. N. R. Robinson, 3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1926)
April 10 – Sue Townsend, British novelist and playwright (b. 1946)
April 13 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentine political theorist (b. 1935)
April 16 – Gyude Bryant, Liberian politician (b. 1949)
April 17 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian Nobel writer (b. 1927)
April 20 – Rubin Carter, American boxer (b. 1937)
April 24
- Hans Hollein, Austrian architect (b. 1934)
- Tadeusz Różewicz, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1921)
April 27 – Vujadin Boškov, Serbian football player and coach (b. 1931)
April 29 – Bob Hoskins, British actor (b. 1942)

May

H. R. Giger

Wojciech Jaruzelski

Maya Angelou

May 2 – Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
May 3 – Gary Becker, American Nobel economist (b. 1930)
May 4 – Tatiana Samoilova, Russian actress (b. 1934)
May 6
- Jimmy Ellis, American boxer (b. 1940)
- Farley Mowat, Canadian author (b. 1921)
May 12
- Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)
- H. R. Giger, Swiss artist (b. 1940)
May 15 – Jean-Luc Dehaene, 63rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1940)
May 17 – Gerald Edelman, American Nobel biologist (b. 1929)
May 18
- Dobrica Ćosić, Serbian writer and politician, President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (b. 1921)
- Wubbo Ockels, Dutch astronaut and physicist (b. 1946)
- Gordon Willis, American cinematographer (b. 1931)
May 19 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver (b. 1926)
May 21 – Jaime Lusinchi, President of Venezuela (b. 1924)
May 25 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, Communist leader of Poland (b. 1923)
May 28
- Maya Angelou, American poet and author (b. 1928)
- Malcolm Glazer, American businessman (b. 1928)
May 29 – Karlheinz Böhm, Austrian actor (b. 1928)
May 31
- Marinho Chagas, Brazilian footballer (b. 1952)
- Martha Hyer, American actress (b. 1924)

June

Casey Kasem

Eli Wallach

Ana María Matute

June 1 – Valentin Mankin, Ukrainian sailor, Olympic triple champion and silver medalist (b. 1938)
June 2
- Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy, Indian cardinal (b. 1924)
- Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (b. 1925)
June 7 – Fernandão, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1978)
June 9
- Bernard Agré, Ivorian cardinal (b. 1926)
- Rik Mayall, British comedian, writer and actor (b. 1958)
June 11
- Ruby Dee, American actress, poet, and playwright (b. 1922)
- Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Spanish conductor and composer (b. 1933)
June 13 – Gyula Grosics, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1926)
June 15
- Casey Kasem, American radio host and voice actor (b. 1932)
- Daniel Keyes, American author (b. 1927)
June 18
- Stephanie Kwolek, American chemist (b. 1923)
- Horace Silver, American jazz pianist and composer (b. 1928)
June 24
- Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan historian, journalist and politician (b. 1916)
- Eli Wallach, American actor (b. 1915)
June 25 – Ana María Matute, Spanish author (b. 1925)
June 26 – Howard Baker, American politician and diplomat (b. 1925)
June 27
- Leslie Manigat, 43rd President of Haiti (b. 1930)
- Bobby Womack, American singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
June 30
- Paul Mazursky, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- Željko Šturanović, Prime Minister of Montenegro (b. 1960)

July

Alfredo di Stéfano and Eduard Shevardnadze died July 7

Nadine Gordimer

July 7
- Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentine-Spanish footballer (b. 1926)
- Eduard Shevardnadze, 2nd President of Georgia (b. 1928)
July 10 – Zohra Sehgal, Indian actress and dancer (b. 1912)
July 11
- Charlie Haden, American jazz bassist (b. 1937)
- Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-American drummer and producer (b. 1949)
- John Seigenthaler, American journalist (b. 1927)
July 13
- Lorin Maazel, French-American conductor and violinist (b. 1930)
- Nadine Gordimer, South African Nobel writer (b. 1923)
July 14 – Alice Coachman, American athlete (b. 1923)
July 16 – Johnny Winter, American singer and guitarist (b. 1944)
July 17
- Henry Hartsfield, American colonel and astronaut (b. 1933)
- Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
July 19
- David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist (b. 1917)
- James Garner, American actor (b. 1928)
July 25 – Carlo Bergonzi, Italian tenor and actor (b. 1924)
July 27 – Francesco Marchisano, Italian cardinal (b. 1929)
July 30 – Julio Grondona, Argentinian football authority (b. 1931)