This Day That Year

May 14

in History

Henry Named Junior King — A father secures his dynasty's future
Paris, FranceMedieval
1027

Henry Named Junior King

A father secures his dynasty's future

In the royal court of France, King Robert II the Pious named his son Henry as junior King of the Franks, securing the Capetian succession. This act of political foresight, following the tradition established by Robert's own father Hugh Capet, ensured a smooth transfer of power and helped cement the Capetian dynasty's grip on the French throne. The practice of crowning heirs during a king's lifetime would sustain the dynasty for centuries.

1027 AD
Paris Olympics Begin — The Games hide inside a World's Fair
Paris, FranceEarly 20th Century
1900

Paris Olympics Begin

The Games hide inside a World's Fair

Amid the splendor of the Paris Exposition Universelle, the World Amateur Championship opened -- an event later recognized as the 1900 Olympic Games, though few participants even knew they were competing in an Olympics. Spread across months and submerged within the larger fair, these Games were so disorganized that some athletes went to their graves unaware they had been Olympians. It remains one of the most chaotic and charming chapters in the history of the modern Games.

1900 AD
David Ben-Gurion — David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence at a building later called Independence Hall in Tel Aviv.
Early 20th Century
1948

David Ben-Gurion

David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence at a building later called Independence Hall in Tel Aviv.

David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence at a building later called Independence Hall in Tel Aviv.

1948 AD