July 14: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
On July 14, 1789, Parisian revolutionaries stormed the Bastille fortress, igniting the French Revolution—and giving the world a national holiday still celebrated with fireworks today.
About July 14
Bastille Day dominates July 14, and rightly so. When a crowd of ordinary Parisians tore into the medieval Bastille prison in 1789, they didn't just free a handful of inmates—they toppled a symbol of royal tyranny and set France on a radical new path. The day became the country's national holiday in 1880 and is now marked with a grand military parade down the Champs-Élysées, fireworks above the Eiffel Tower, and celebrations from Lyon to New Orleans.
But July 14 holds a remarkably deep bench beyond France. In 1965, NASA's Mariner 4 flew past Mars and beamed back the first close-up photographs of another planet—21 grainy images that shattered dreams of lush Martian canals and revealed a cratered, desolate surface. Gerald Ford became the first unelected U.S. vice president in 1973 when he was sworn in after Spiro Agnew's resignation, later ascending to the presidency. And in 2015, the New Horizons probe gave humanity its first intimate look at Pluto, resolving the dwarf planet into a world of icy mountains and nitrogen plains.
The day has also seen its share of political firsts: the storming of the Tuileries Palace in 1792 effectively ended the French monarchy, and in 1958 a military coup in Iraq overthrew the Hashemite dynasty and established a republic. From revolutions to space probes, July 14 rewards those who look closely.
Fun & National Days on July 14
- Bastille Day — Raise a glass of French wine and shout "Vive la France!" to honor the revolution that toppled a monarchy.
- Cow Appreciation Day — Wear black-and-white spots, moo appreciatively, and thank a cow for the milk in your morning coffee.
- International Non-Binary People's Day — Take time to learn about non-binary identities and use people's correct pronouns with genuine respect.
- National Grand Marnier Day — Sip this cognac-and-orange liqueur neat, or mix it into a cocktail worthy of a Parisian celebration.
- National Mac and Cheese Day — Stir up the cheesiest, gooiest pot of comfort food you can manage—no boxed stuff allowed today.
- National Tape Measure Day — Measure something just for the satisfaction of hearing the tape snap back with a satisfying click.
- Pandemonium Day — Embrace the chaos in your life and find something genuinely hilarious about the mess you can't control.
- Shark Awareness Day — Learn something new about these ancient ocean predators—and why they desperately need our protection.