On this day: July 14

/on/july-14

1518 • mystery • 2 views

A City Seized by Dance: The 1518 Dancing Plague

A 16th-century street scene in Strasbourg with groups of people dancing or collapsing, city houses and a church tower visible, officials and clergy observing—no identifiable modern clothing or faces.

In July 1518, hundreds of residents of Strasbourg reportedly began dancing uncontrollably for days; contemporaneous records describe a spreading, involuntary movement disorder that baffled civic and clerical authorities and produced lasting historical curiosity.

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1969 • neutral • 5 views

The Football War: Armed Conflict Erupts Between El Salvador and Honduras

Smoke rising over a rural border road with damaged buildings and military vehicles near a Central American border in 1969, civilians at a distance; scene shows wartime damage and smoke.

On July 14, 1969, amid escalating tensions over land reform, immigration and soccer-related violence, El Salvador and Honduras entered a brief but deadly conflict—commonly called the Football War—that lasted four days and drew regional concern.

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1995 • neutral • 2 views

Chicago Death Toll Surges During 1995 Heat Wave

A crowded Chicago neighborhood street in summer 1995 with apartment buildings, shaded stoops, and people seeking shade; scene conveys heat and urban environment without identifiable faces.

In mid-July 1995, an intense heat wave in Chicago produced a sharp rise in heat-related deaths, particularly among elderly and socially isolated residents, exposing gaps in public health preparedness and social services.

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1789 • neutral • 2 views

Storming of the Bastille Marks a Turning Point in the French Revolution

Crowd gathered outside the medieval fortress of the Bastille in Paris, smoke and debris around the gate as people pull down parts of the structure and soldiers stand nearby; period clothing and 18th-century arms visible.

On 14 July 1789 Parisians stormed the Bastille prison, seizing weapons and freeing a handful of detainees; the event became a potent symbol of popular revolt against royal authority and accelerated revolutionary change across France.

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