2014 CE

Healthcare workers helping a colleague put on personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, where 276 children were abducted by Boko Haram; The Islamic State declares itself a caliphate and begins perpetrating global terror attacks; Crimea is annexed by Russia, starting the Russo-Ukrainian war; Thai soldiers at the Chang Phueak Gate during the Thai coup d'état; The 2014 FIFA World Cup is held in Brazil and is won by Germany; The Houthis takeover the Yemeni capital Sanaa, starting the Yemeni civil war; Pro-independence campaigners in the Scottish independence referendum; The 2014 Winter Olympics are held in Sochi, Russia.

In the 2010s, the 21st century.

2014 at a glance

World population: about 7.38 billion Our World in Data
United States: Barack Obama (President) Wikipedia rev. 1377187190
United Kingdom: Elizabeth II (Queen); David Cameron (Prime Minister) Wikipedia rev. 1377187190
Russia: Vladimir Putin (President); Dmitry Medvedev (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1377187190
China: Xi Jinping (General Secretary; paramount leader); Xi Jinping (President); Li Keqiang (Premier) Wikipedia rev. 1377187190
France: François Hollande (President); Jean-Marc Ayrault, then Manuel Valls (Prime minister) Wikipedia rev. 1377187190
Germany: Joachim Gauck (President); Angela Merkel (Chancellor) Wikipedia rev. 1377187190
$1 in 2014: $1.42 in September 2026 dollars BLS CPI-U
Gallon of gas (U.S. average): $3.37 ($4.48 in September 2026) BLS
Most weeks at No. 1 in 2014: “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, 10 weeks Wikipedia rev. 1363064094

Who led every country in 2014 →Born in 2014? What it cost, who led, what was No. 1 →

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

26 January - The Tunisian Constitution of 2014 was adopted on 26 January 2014 by the Constituent Assembly.Tunisia source
January 29 - A new coalition government is sworn in, led by Bohuslav Sobotka and consisting of the Social Democrats, the liberalist ANO 2011 and the Christian Democrats.Czech Republic source
February 11 - Talks between Cuba and the European Union occur on restoring ties.Cuba source
February 22 – Revolution of Dignity: The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) votes to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office, replacing him with Oleksandr Turchynov, after days of civil unrest leaving around 100 people dead in Kyiv.source
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.source
March 21 – Russia formally annexes Crimea after President Vladimir Putin signs a bill formalizing the process.source
April 7 – The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic declares its independence from Ukraine.source
May 12 – The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic declares its independence from Ukraine.source
May 22 – 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.source
May 24 - The President of Malawi Joyce Banda annuls the general elections in which she was a candidate because of claimed electoral irregularities.Malawi source
May 26 – Narendra Modi succeeds Manmohan Singh as the 14th Prime Minister of India.source
June 19 – Felipe VI becomes King of Spain upon the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos I.source
September 17 - Voters in Fiji go to the polls for the first election since a coup in 2006, with coup leader Voreqe Bainimarama's FijiFirst Party achieving almost 60 per cent of the vote.Fiji source
September 18 – In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom.source
October 3 – Stefan Löfven replaces Fredrik Reinfeldt as Prime Minister of Sweden.source
October 4 – Latvia votes in a parliamentary election; Laimdota Straujuma's centre-right government keeps its majority.Latvia source
October 20 – Joko Widodo is inaugurated as the 7th President of Indonesia.source
October 24 - Voters in Botswana go to the polls for a general election with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party of President Ian Khama winning 33 of 57 seats.Botswana source
October 31 – Longtime Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré resigns after widespread protests in response to his attempts to abolish presidential term limits.source
December 17 – U.S. President Barack Obama announces the resumption of normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.source

Conflict & Security

January 3 - The United States evacuates additional diplomatic personnel at its embassy in Juba due to the deteriorating security situation.South Sudan source
January 18 – A warrant is issued for the arrest of Leader of the Opposition Belden Namah over claims that he sent a threatening letter to the commissioner of police.Papua New Guinea source
February – Guen massacre: in the context of the civil war in Central African Republic, Anti-balaka militia murdered 72 Muslim civilians.source
March 24 – During an emergency meeting, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada temporarily suspend Russia from the G8, recognizing Crimea within Ukraine's international borders and rejecting the validity of the 2014 Crimean referendum.source
April 1 - The death toll in Guinea rises to 80 with two people dead in neighbouring Liberia.Guinea source
1 April – NATO suspends "all practical civilian and military cooperation" with Russia as a result of the annexation of Crimea, and no sign that Russian troops have withdrawn from the Ukrainian border.Russia source
April 10 – In response to the invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea by Russia, 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.source
May 16 – The Battle of Benghazi leads to the start of the Second Libyan Civil War.source
May 17 Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria join to combat Boko Haram.Niger source
May 21 – A mass stabbing incident occurred on Taipei Metro's Bannan line from Longshan Temple to Jiangzicui station causing 4 fatalities and 21 injuries.source
May 22 – 2014 Thai coup d'état: The Royal Thai Army overthrows the caretaker government of Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan after a failure to resolve the political unrest in Thailand.source
June 5 – A Sunni militant group now calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) 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.source
June 12 – In the Camp Speicher massacre in Iraq, ISIL kills 1,566 Shia Iraqi Air Force cadets. It is the second deadliest terrorist attack in history and the deadliest attack conducted by ISIL.source
June 13 – The Los Angeles Kings defeat the New York Rangers 3–2 in game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final to win the series 4–1 and win their second Stanley Cup in franchise history.source
June 13 – War against the Islamic State begins.source
16 July - 2014 Chaambi Mountains attack: Two checkpoints in the Chaambi Mountains are attacked by militants.Tunisia source
July 28 – 100-year anniversary of World War I's commencement (Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia).source
August 3 – Sinjar massacre, beginning of ISIS attacks resulting in the massacre of over 4,000 Yazidis in Iraq's Sinjar District.source
August 8 – American-led intervention in Iraq: The United States military begins an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIL militants.source
August 9 – The shooting of Michael Brown, an African American, by a police officer occurs in Ferguson, Missouri, triggering riots.source
September 6 - Egypt charges former president Mohammed Morsi and nine others for leaking sensitive government information to Qatar.Qatar source
September 15 – Syrian civil war: ISIS militants launched an offensive to capture the town of Kobanî, which lasted for six months.source
September 21 – The Battle of Sanaa leads to the start of the Yemeni Civil War, as Houthi forces capture the capital city Sanaa, followed by a rapid Houthi takeover of the government.source
September 22 – American-led intervention in Syria: The United States and several Arab partners begin their airstrike campaign in Syria.source
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".source
September 28 – Hong Kong protests: Benny Tai Yiu-ting announces that Occupy Central is launched as Hong Kong's government headquarters is being occupied by thousands of protesters. Hong Kong police resort to tear gas to disperse protesters but thousands remain.source
December 14 - Laurent Lamothe resigns as Prime Minister of Haiti along with several ministers following violent protests and a commission's call for him to step down. The protesters have been demanding the holding of early elections.Haiti source
December 16 – 2014 Peshawar school massacre: The Pakistani Taliban carry out a mass shooting at an army school in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 145 people, mostly schoolchildren.source
December 20 - A bomb detonates in Bani Jamra, injuring 3 police officers.Bahrain source

Exploration & Expansion

February 4 – Archaeologists working near the ancient settlement of Edfu in southern Egypt discover the remains of a 4,600-year-old step pyramid.Egypt source
Russian special forces without insignia seized strategic sites across CrimeaUkraine source
April 28 - Official opening of the Second Global Open Society Forum in BakuAzerbaijan source
May 13 - Investigators claim to have found the wreck of Christopher Columbus's flagship, the Santa Maria, off the north coast of Haiti.Haiti source
July 3 - The government of Tonga reveals a proposal to trade the disputed Minerva Reefs to Fiji in exchange for the Lau Islands, in an effort to settle a decades-old territorial dispute between the two Pacific countries.Fiji source
8 September: Marin Čilić wins the 2014 US Open.Croatia source
Two Cross-country skiers representing the nation made it to qualifying positions on 20 January. The team was officially named on 22 January, but did not medal.Moldova source
Belgrade bypass underway since 2005.Serbia source

Religion & Belief

January 13 – The Prophet's BirthdayUnited Arab Emirates source
29 January – At a service including religious figures gathered at the Metropolitan Cathedral in San José, the Bishop of Cartago, Francisco Ulloa, reminded voters in the forthcoming election to support candidates who were anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage. Juan Luis Calvo, president of the Evangelical Alliance called on the government to rethink guidelines on sexuality published by the Ministry of Public Education.Costa Rica source
March 1 – Amid tensions in Ukraine's Crimea, the Federation Council of Russia authorizes President Vladimir Putin to use force.Ukraine source
March 16 – 2014 Crimean status referendum: A disputed referendum on the status of the Crimean Peninsula is held.source
March - Hongkonger and Hong Kongese were officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary.Hong Kong source
April 27 – The Catholic Church simultaneously canonizes Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.source
4 June - When viewing on the recognition of the Armenian genocide, the Foreign Minister of Australia Julie Bishop publicly declared that, while respecting the rights of individuals and groups to have strong views on the matter, Australia does not view the tragic events during the end of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.Armenia source
June 13 – The city council of Pello offers 50 euro to each Finnish speaking taxpayer who changes language to Swedish in order to secure the bilingual Finnish-Swedish regime.Finland source
June 29 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant declares itself a caliphate.source
August 25 – Boko Haram declares an Islamic state in areas of Nigeria under its control.Nigeria source
October 19 – The Roman Catholic Church beatifies Pope Paul VI.source
December 26 - Inauguration of Heydar Mosque in BakuAzerbaijan source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – Latvia adopts the euro as its currency and becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.source
January 1 – Latvia officially adopts the Euro as its currency and becomes the 18th member of the Eurozone.Latvia source
January 20: Former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Wistin Abela passed away.Malta source
Parties may not be formed based on "religion, race, gender or geography".Egypt source
Ukrainian economist and banker Stepan Kubiv, who worked as one of the commandants for the EuroMaidan demonstrations, is selected as governor of the National Bank of Ukraine.Ukraine source
25 March – The governor of Gagauzia Mihail Formuzal and the president of the People's Assembly of Gagauzia, Dmitri Constantinov visit Russia with the purpose to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev to sign a twinning agreement and trade agreement.Moldova source
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.source
1 May – The Banco Nacional introduced a 1.5 percent charge for deposits made in coins.Costa Rica source
July 1 - The United States imposes a record $9 billion fine on BNP Paribas for helping clients bypass sanctions against Cuba, Iran, and Sudan. The bank is also barred from certain US dollar dominated transactions for one year.Cuba source
December 2 - Transparency International issues its 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index with Somalia tying with North Korea with the lowest ranking.Somalia source

Technology & Infrastructure

Weekend Times ceases operationsMalawi source
5 February – Award-winning investigative editor and pioneer of data journalism at La Nación, Giannina Segnini, resigned after 20 years working at the newspaper. She said that opportunities to conduct independent journalism had been reduced consistently in the past two years, while editorial decisions she described as unjournalistic made it impossible for her to continue.Costa Rica source
February 26 – An Egyptian court sentences 26 people to death in absentia for plotting attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal.Egypt source
February 28 – The number of people in the U.S. using mobile devices to access the internet overtook those using desktop computers for the first time, a feat which would be followed globally two years later in 2016.source
March 1 – 2014 Kunming attack: Eight knife-wielding terrorists stabbed and slashed passengers at the Kunming railway station in Kunming, Yunnan, China, killing 31 people and injuring 143 others.source
April 23 - Opening of the new air terminal complex at the Heydar Aliyev International AirportAzerbaijan source
5 July – The Council for TV and Radio suspends the broadcast license of the Russian TV channel Russia-24 and places sanctions on four Moldovan broadcasters for lack of pluralism.Moldova source
July 26 – Washington DC metro opens Phase 1 of the silver line to Tysons Corner, Reston, and Loudoun county.source
November 3 – The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, One World Trade Center in New York City, opens.source
November 18 - Hong Kong authorities start dismantling a protest site in Admiralty following a court order.Hong Kong source
Gozo Channel Line celebrated 35 years since its foundation in 1979.Malta source
Belgrade Waterfront initiated in early 2014.Serbia source

Science & Discovery

1 January – A SriLankan Airlines flight to London Heathrow Airport is forced to return to Bandaranaike International Airport after a crack appears on the wind screen.Sri Lanka source
January 5 – A launch of the communication satellite GSAT-14 aboard the GSLV Mk.II D5 marks the first successful flight of an Indian cryogenic rocket engine.source
22 January – Chile 4–0 Costa Rica.Costa Rica source
February 7 – A man attempts to hijack a Pegasus Airlines flight from Kharkiv, and demands to be flown to Sochi; the pilots turned off the inflight monitors and landed in Istanbul, Turkey, where the passenger was arrested.Ukraine source
March 7 – A statue of Iset, daughter of King Amenhotep III who was the grandfather of Tutankhamun and ruler of Ancient Egypt around 3,350 years ago, has been unearthed by a team of Egyptian and European archaeologists. The statue, which depicts Iset alone without her father, is the first of its kind ever discovered.Egypt source
April 14: Malta became the first European state to add recognition of gender identity to its constitution as a protected category.Malta source
June 17 – North Korean propaganda videos show that they have developed a cruise missile similar to the Russian Kh-35 model.North Korea source
September 24 – The Mars Orbiter Mission, popularly known as Mangalyaan, which was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation, reached Martian orbit, making India the first Asian country to successfully reach Mars.source
October 24 – Alan Eustace, an American computer scientist, sets a world record highest and longest free fall jump from 135,908 ft over Roswell, New Mexico, United States, breaking the sound barrier without any machine assistance during a record space dive out of a massive helium-filled balloon. His descent to Earth lasts 4 minutes 27 seconds and stretches nearly 26 mi with peak speeds exceeding 822 mph, setting new world records for the highest free-fall jump and total free-fall distance 123,414 ft.source
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 CO 2 .source
10 November - An employee at the Lithuanian state air navigation company was charged with espionage. He was suspected of spying on civilian and military air operations on behalf of Belarus.Lithuania source
November 12 – The uncrewed Rosetta spacecraft's Philae probe successfully lands on Comet 67P, the first time in history that a spacecraft has landed on such an object.source
November 29 - In an effort to make the UAE a world leader in innovation, the UAE Cabinet approved the designation of 2015 as the Year of Innovation.United Arab Emirates source
December 3 – The Japanese space agency, JAXA, launches uncrewed spaceprobe Hayabusa2 from the Tanegashima Space Center on a six-year round-trip mission to Ryugu to collect rock samples.source

Health & Medicine

January 1: Malta issued Public Transport changes. New buses were added later onMalta source
February 13 – Belgium becomes the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.source
February – The West African Ebola virus epidemic 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.source
March 23 - The United Nations Children's Fund reports that an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus that has so far claimed the lives of 59 victims has spread from southern Guinea to the capital Conakry.Guinea source
April 30 — the Sultan of Brunei has announced a controversial new penal code that will eventually include stoning, amputation, and flogging as punishments; as 'Phase one' of Islamic law.Brunei source
1 May – The first-ever outbreak of chikungunya in the Caribbean reaches epidemic levels.Jamaica source
May 5 – The World Health Organization identifies the spread of poliomyelitis in at least 10 countries as a major worldwide health emergency.source
May 29 - Medical teams from the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders arrive in Sierra Leone to deal with an outbreak of Ebola virus.Sierra Leone source
August 8 – The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.source
September 12 - Cuba announces plans to send 165 medical staff to West Africa to help combat the Ebola virus outbreak that has claimed more than 2,400 lives.Cuba source
October 27 - An outbreak of cholera kills 51.Niger source
November 1 – Bangladesh faces a nationwide blackout.source
November 21 - The World Health Organization reports that an outbreak of bubonic plague in Madagascar has killed 40 people.Madagascar source

Crime & Justice

February 16 – A riot breaks out at the Australian-administered Manus Regional Processing Centre in Manus Province, killing 23-year-old Iranian asylum seeker Reza Berati and injuring 70 more. Two men are later found guilty of the murder of the man, each sentenced to 10 years in prison, with 5 years of that term suspended.Papua New Guinea source
March 6 - Niger deports Saadi al-Gaddafi, son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, to Libya.Niger source
April 14 – Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping: an estimated 276 girls and women are abducted from a school in Nigeria and held hostage.source
May 5 – Boko Haram militants kill approximately 300 people in a night attack on Gamboru Ngala in Nigeria.source
May 21 - Ten men convicted for producing poisoned alcohol that killed more than 30 people in 2012 have been sentenced to prison by a court in the Czech Republic, including 2 life sentences.Czech Republic source
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 against Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip starting with numerous missile strikes, followed by a ground offensive a week later. In seven weeks of fighting, 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis are killed.source
July 20 – Monty Python Live (Mostly) closes in London, ending the famous British comedy group Monty Python, active since 1969.source
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.source
August 8 – Five Nights at Freddy's is released by Scott Cawthon.source
September 26 – Forty-three male students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College are forcibly abducted in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico. They were allegedly taken into custody by local police officers in collusion with organized crime. The mass kidnapping caused international protests and social unrest, leading to the resignation of Guerrero Governor Ángel Aguirre Rivero.source
September 28 - A Buddhist monk accused of inciting violence against Muslims in Burma says he is joining forces with the Bodu Bala Sena group in Sri Lanka in order to combat a "serious threat from jihadist groups".Myanmar source
November 10 - Prosecutors in Lithuania charge an employee at the state air navigation company for spying for Belarus over civilian and military air operations.Belarus source
18 November – Jamaica win the 2014 Caribbean Cup defeating Trinidad and Tobago in the final following a penalty shootout.Jamaica source
December 2 - The Lebanese government arrests a wife and daughter of ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.Lebanon source
December 18 - A former US intelligence officer identifies Rolando "Rollie" Sarraff Trujillo as the Cuban Interior Ministry spy for the US Central Intelligence Agency, who was swapped in exchange for members of the Cuban Five.Cuba source
African-American teenage boy George Stinney Jr.'s conviction of murdering two white girls back in 1944 is vacated due to him having received an unfair trial.source

Disasters & Accidents

January 9 – The Elk River Chemical Spill in Charleston, West Virginia, when a leakage of the chemical MCMH from a Freedom Industries chemical plant left 300,000 residents of Charleston and nine surrounding counties without drinkable water for over three months.source
January 21 - A bomb detonates at a Hezbollah building in Beirut, killing 4 people and wounding 35.Lebanon source
February 24 – The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operates its last passenger flight, signaling the end to a bygone era of aviation.source
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.source
March 9 - At least 42 migrants from the Horn of Africa drown when their boat overturns off the coast of Shabwah Governorate.Yemen source
3 April – A Mongolian-flagged cargo ship sinks off the coast of South Korea, with most of the 16 North Korean crew members reported missing.Mongolia source
April 16 – The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks after an unmanageable cargo shift, killing 304 people, mostly high school students.source
April 21 - Five people are sentenced to death and 37 others given prison sentences for their roles in the 2003 bombings in Riyadh.Saudi Arabia source
May 14 – According to a South Korea Unification Ministry report, a twenty-three story apartment building collapsed in Pyongchon-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea (DPR of Korea), with more than 490 fatalities estimated.source
May 20 – 2014 Jos bombings: Terrorists in Nigeria detonate bombs at Jos, killing 118 people.source
May 22 – A terrorist attack in Ürümqi, China leaves 43 people dead and more than 90 injured.source
May 28 - The Jangseong Nursing Home fire happens in Jangseong County, South Korea killing 21.source
July 17 – 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.source
July 21 – The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2166 in response to the shootdown of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.source
July 24 – Air Algérie Flight 5017, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, crashes in Mali, killing all 116 people on board.source
August 30 - Twenty gold miners are rescued from a collapsed mine. Five still remain missing however.Nicaragua source
25 September – A privately owned Socata TBM-900 (flight number N900KN) from the US flies without a conscious pilot for a thousand miles after a suspected cabin depressurization (see also) and crashes 14 miles off the coast of northeastern Jamaica.Jamaica source
November 25 – A block of flats collapses in Cairo killing at least 10 people.Egypt source
December 24 - A Royal Jordanian Air Force warplane crashes, and its pilot is captured by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants near the city of Raqqa in northern Syria.Jordan source
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.source
December 31 – A stampede occurred on New Year's Eve in Shanghai, China, resulting in the deaths of 36 people and leaving 49 injured.source

Climate & Environment

January 8 – A meteor designated CNEOS 2014-01-08 struck the Earth's atmosphere near the northeastern coast of Papua New Guinea.Papua New Guinea source
January 9 - A 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Straits of Florida about 112 miles east of Havana swaying medium rise buildings in city.Cuba source
January 13 - Tonga restores contact with the Ha'apai islands after Cyclone Ian passed through during the weekend, killing one person and significantly damaging structures.Tonga source
January 31 - Hundreds of endangered species from Madagascar are found in a South African airport.Madagascar source
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.source
6 May – Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014: The song "Wild Soul" by Cristina Scarlat is sung representing Moldova in the semi-finals of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest, but fails to score enough points to move on to the finals.Moldova source
13 May – 2014 Southeast Europe floods hit the country.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
May 13–19 – 2014 Southeast Europe floods. 57 deaths in Serbia.Serbia source
July 18 – Typhoon Rammasun makes landfall in Hainan, China as a category 5 super typhoon, killing 88 and causing $7.14 billion in damages.source
September 27 – Mount Ontake, in Japan, erupts, killing several climbers on the slopes of the volcano.source
27 November – Several politicians, including the prime minister Mizengo Pinda, Housing Minister Anna Tibaijuka and Attorney General Frederick Werema, were exposed to be involved in the Tegeta Escrow Scandal. Tibaijuka and Werema later left their positions due to the scandal.Tanzania source

Culture & Society

January 14- Myanmar host the 2014 ASEAN Para Games for first time.Myanmar source
February 7–23 – The XXII Olympic Winter Games are held in Sochi, Russia. Slopestyle events are introduced for the first time.source
7-23 February - 4 athletes from Armenia competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.Armenia source
March 15 - the first round of the Slovak presidential election is held. Prime Minister Robert Fico and businessman-turned philanthropist Andrej Kiska advance to the second round.Slovakia source
March 16 – The fifth ICC T20 World Cup in cricket is held in Bangladesh.source
March 27 - Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is confirmed as second-in-line to the Saudi Arabian throne.Saudi Arabia source
5 May – Alliance for Change and Transparency, a social democratic political party, received its permanent registration.Tanzania source
May 6–10 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is won by Austrian entrant Conchita Wurst with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix".source
June 12 – The 2014 FIFA World Cup started with hosts Brazil defeating Croatia 3–1.source
June 14 – The Catholic Church removes restrictions on clerical marriage in the Eastern Catholic Churches' diaspora.source
June 15 – Australia wins the 2014 Hockey World Cup.source
June 15 – The San Antonio Spurs defeat the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals, 4–1, to win their 5th championship in franchise history.source
July 8 – In the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, hosts Brazil were shockingly beaten 7–1 by Germany after trailing 5-0 in 29 minutes.source
July 13 – Germany defeats Argentina 1-0 to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup.source
July 23–August 3 – The 2014 Commonwealth Games takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.source
On October 16, 2014, a military parade by the Serbian Army was held in front of more than 100,000 spectators for the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Red Army liberating city of Belgrade from Nazi Germany. The parade was also part of Russian president Vladimir Putin's official visit. Besides Putin who was the parade's centerpiece guest, the main stand featured Serbian dignitaries, president Tomislav Nikolić and prime minister Aleksandar Vučić as well as Republika Srpska president Milorad Dodik and Republika Srpska prime minister Željka Cvijanović.Serbia source
November 15: The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was held at the Malta Shipbuilding in Marsa.Malta source
12-25 May – The 2014 Moldovan census takes place, marking the second census in the nations history.Moldova source
Tunisia competed at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics held in Nanjing, China from 16 August to 28 August 2014.Tunisia source

Births

17 January – Mia Tindall, daughter of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall michal wojnoUnited Kingdom source
26 September – Melody Belle, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source
September 26 – Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky, daughter of Chelsea Clinton and granddaughter of Bill and Hillary ClintonUnited States source
12 November – Grunt, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source

Deaths

January 11 – Ariel Sharon, 85, Israeli politician and general, Minister of Defense (1981–1983), Prime Minister (2001–2006), heart failure.source
January 27 – Pete Seeger, 94, American folk singer and songwriter ("Turn! Turn! Turn!", "If I Had a Hammer").source
February 2 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, 46, American actor (Capote, Magnolia, Doubt), Oscar winner (2006), acute mixed drug intoxication.source
March 12 - Fiji's Health Department confirms that eleven people have died and over 10,000 people have been infected in an outbreak of the type three strain of dengue fever.Fiji source
March 14 – Tony Benn, 88, British politician, Minister of Technology (1966–1970), Secretary of State (1974–1979), MP for Bristol South East (1950–1960, 1963–1983) and Chesterfield (1984–2001).source
28 March – Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo, bishop of Anglican Diocese of Central Tanganyika (born 1951)Tanzania source
April 17 – Gabriel García Márquez, 87, Colombian author (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera), laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1982), pneumonia.source
May 19 – Sir Jack Brabham, 88, Australian racing driver, triple Formula One world champion (1959, 1960, 1966).source
June 12 – Yoo Byung-eun, 73, Japanese-born South Korean religious leader and businessman. (body found on this date)source
June 16 – Tony Gwynn, 54, American Hall of Fame baseball player (San Diego Padres), salivary gland cancer.source
August 9 – Michael Brown, 18, American student, shot.source
August 11 – Robin Williams, 63, American actor (Good Will Hunting, Aladdin, Mork & Mindy) and comedian, Oscar winner (1998), suicide by hanging.source
September 4 – Joan Rivers, 81, American comedian, actress (Spaceballs) and television host (Fashion Police), cardiac arrest.source
September 12 – Ian Paisley, Baron Bannside, 88, Northern Irish politician, first minister (2007–2008), MP (1970–2010) and member of the House of Lords (since 2010).source
October 4 - Jean-Claude Duvalier, leader of Haiti from his father's death in 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986, dies of a heart attack.Haiti source
October 18 - 22 people are killed in heavy rainfall, with 9 killed in the capital of Managua by a wall collapse.Nicaragua source
October 21 – Gough Whitlam, 98, Australian politician, Prime Minister (1972–1975).source
November 22 – Tamir Rice, a twelve-year-old African-American boy, is killed by a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio.source
December 15 – Two hostages and terrorist Man Haron Monis are killed in the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney, Australia.source