14 February in Indian and World Historyย is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 14 February is the birth anniversary of Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur, Mohan Dharia, Madhubala, and Sushma Swaraj.
14 February is also observed as the death anniversary ofย V.T Krishnamachari, and Vidyanivas Mishra.
Birth Anniversary on 14 February
14 February in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur (14 February 1483 โ 26 December 1530), famous in Indian history as Babur, was a Mughal ruler. He was the founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. Babur was the great-grandson of Timur Lang and believed that Genghis Khan was the ancestor of his lineage. With the defeat of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of the last dynasty of Delhi Sultanate (Lodi dynasty) in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 AD, the Mughal dynasty was established in India. He was born on 14 February 1483.
Mohan Dharia (14 February 1925 โ 14 October 2013), was a former Union minister, lawyer, and social activist in India. Mohan Dharia, a two-time member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, is a well-known name in state-level and national-level politics. He was Minister of State in 1971 during the tenure of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi but left the Congress after the Emergency was imposed in 1975. He then joined the Bharatiya Lok Dal and became the commerce minister in 1977 during the tenure of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. Mohan Dharia was also the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was born on 14 February 1925.
Madhubala (14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969), was a famous Indian film actress. She is one of the best actresses in Indian film history. Movies like ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, ‘Howrah Bridge’, ‘Kala Pani’ and ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi’ are still very close to the hearts of cinema lovers. She was born on 14 February 1933 in Delhi.
Sushma Swaraj (14 February 1952 โ 6 August 2019), the Minister of External Affairs in the Union Cabinet of the Government of India. She was counted among the top women leaders of ‘The Bharatiya Janata Party’ (BJP), one of the major political parties in India. Sushma Swaraj was also a member of the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Fifteenth Lok Sabha. In 2009, She was made the chairman of the 19-member “election campaign committee” of the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. Sushma Swaraj was the union minister and the first woman Chief Minister of the country’s capital Delhi. She was the External Affairs Minister of India from 26 May 2014 to 24 May 2019. She was born on 14 February 1952 in Ambala Cantonment, Haryana.
Read More: 13 February in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary on 14 February
14 February in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
V.T. Krishnamachari (8 February 1881 โ 14 February 1964) was an Indian civil servant and administrator. He served as the Diwan of Baroda from 1927 to 1944 and as the Prime Minister of the then Jaipur State from 1946 to 1949. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1961 to 1964. He died on 14 February 1964.
Vidyanivas Mishra (28 January 1926 โ 14 February 2005), was a famous Hindi litterateur, successful editor, Sanskrit scholar, and well-known linguist. According to literary critics, Sanskrit penetrating Mishra always gave importance to the words of regional dialects in Hindi. According to Vidyanivas Mishra- “If the words of regional dialects are encouraged in Hindi, then the difficult official language can be avoided, which is very Sanskritised.” For the unprecedented contribution of Mishra, the Government of India honored him with ‘Padma Shri’ and ‘Padma Bhushan’. He died on 14 February 2005.
Read More: 12 February in Indian and World History
Notable events on 14 February in Indian and World History
14 February 1897– Panteleimon Kulish died on this day. He stands as an iconic figure in Ukrainian literature. A versatile talent, he was a distinguished writer, critic, poet, folklorist, and translator.
14 February 1537 – Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat died of drowning while escaping from the Portuguese.
14 February 1556 – Akbar was crowned at the age of 13 at Kalanaur in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
14 February 1628 – Shah Jahan ascended the throne of Agra.
14 February 1663 – Canada became a province of France.
14 February 1743 – Henry Pelham became the first head of Britain’s finance department.
14 January 1827 โ Petr Semenov-Tian-Shansky, a Russian geographer, geologist, and explorer, was born.
14 February 1869 – C T R Wilson a Scottish physicist, meteorologist, and Nobel Laureate, was born.
14 February 1881 – India’s first homeopathic medical college was established in Kolkata.
14 February 1899 – The US Congress approved the use of voting machines in federal elections.
14 February 1912 – The first diesel submarine was built in Groton, near London.
14 February 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman an American mathematician, and Nobel Laureate, was born.
14 February 1920 – The Women’s Voters League was founded in Chicago.
14 February 1924 – IBM was founded in New York on this day.
14 February 1939 โ Eugene Fama, an American economist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
14 February 1945 – Peru, Chile, Paraguay, and Ecuador became members of the United Nations.
14 February 1961 โ DBC Pierre, a writer, and Booker Prize Winner, was born.
14 February 1972 – The US announced the easing of trade restrictions with China.
14 February 1978 – the US announced the sale of billions of dollars in arms to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel.
14 February 1989 – Union Carbide had agreed to pay compensation to the government, responsible for the Bhopal gas tragedy.
14 February 1990 – 92 people on board the Indian Airlines 605 were killed in a plane crash in Bangalore.
14 February 1999 – The fifth National Games were held in Imphal on this day.
14 February 2001 – El Salvador was hit by a massive earthquake, killing 225 people.
14 February 2004 – The German director’s film ‘Head On’ won the Golden Bear Award.
14 February 2005 – famous litterateur Dr. Vidyanivas Mishra died in a road accident.
14 February 2005 – Worldwide video-sharing website YouTube was activated.
14 February 2006 – Saddam Hussein went on a hunger strike to protest against the judges.
14 February 2006 โ ย Shoshana Damari, a Yemeni-Israeli singer known as the “Queen of Hebrew Music.”, died.
14 February 2008 – Siddharth Singha’s short Bhojpuri film Udhedbun was awarded itself.
14 February 2009 – Sania Mirza entered the final Pattaya Open tennis.
14 February Historical Significance
February 14 holds significant historical importance for various reasons. Most notably, it is celebrated as Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love and affection between intimate partners, originating from the Roman festival of Lupercalia and later associated with Saint Valentine. In addition to its romantic connotations, February 14 marks significant events in history. In 1929, the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred in Chicago, where seven members of the North Side Gang were murdered during the Prohibition era, highlighting the violent gang conflicts of that time. Furthermore, on February 14, 1989, Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, following the publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which was deemed blasphemous by many in the Muslim community. This date, therefore, intertwines celebrations of love with moments of profound historical impact.
Important Days of 14 Februaryย in History
Valentine’s Day: 14 February is Observed as Valentine’s Day. St. Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd century, is credited with the concept of Valentine’s Day.
National Donor Day: In the United States, National Donor Day focuses on raising awareness about organ, eye, and tissue donation. It aims to encourage people to register as donors and save lives through their generosity.
International Book Giving Day: This day is dedicated to giving books to children to encourage reading and literacy. People participate by donating books to libraries, schools, and children in need.
Statehood Day in Arizona: This day marks the anniversary of Arizona’s admission to the United States as the 48th state in 1912.